Kendall Defoe
Bio
Teacher, reader, writer, dreamer... I am a college instructor who cannot stop letting his thoughts end up on the page. No AI. No Fake Work. It's all me...
And I did this:
Stories (823)
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The Plastic Inevitable
“I love sharks. I adore sharks.” – Matt Hooper It is impossible for me to talk about the natural sea predators we all know and love without referencing that movie. I was a young child when I viewed it in our very dark basement, Quint, Brody and the above Hooper hunting down a Great White Shark that had very serious boundary issues and carried a terrible grudge. If I think about it now, it was also the first movie that I can recall that made me consider the importance of a soundtrack, or at least a theme. John Williams’ score haunts me to this day. As a teacher of media studies, I try to point out to my students the importance of music in the movies they love (Ben Kingsley, at an Academy Awards ceremony, once described music as “the perfume you take with you once you leave the theatre,” and I cannot improve on that). My regret as a child is that I had no idea that I could buy a copy of the film’s soundtrack and use it to terrify my family by playing it at inappropriate times on my cheap turntable (oh, the regrets of youth). But there is something else worth mentioning.
By Kendall Defoe 4 years ago in Confessions
How to Get Ahead in Business
There were many things about Thursday mornings that she did not like, but what bothered Laura the most about them was that they were not Friday afternoons. She knew how to handle those moments when the sunlight was still in the air and there was a good chance that she could slip away unnoticed by her nosy employers and sympathetic colleagues. But this was not a Friday. It was a Thursday, and she had to sit down and wait in a conference room as one of her many bosses explained what would be taking place in the next few weeks.
By Kendall Defoe 4 years ago in Fiction
Dear Master
Dear Master, I would like to thank you again most sincerely for the opportunity to travel outside of our small community. To see the world is a sure way of expanding the senses and increasing one’s knowledge of self and our fellow man. As well, it was gracious of our most famous visitor, Ms. J___, to allow me a place in her home. I have included a photograph of her rather large residence in a section of this country named after angels. Do not think that I am still in this country because of such ostentation. Far from it. It seems to me that everyone here is concerned with how fast they can move and make money, although there is also the other problem of their consumption which seems to be the more pressing issue. It is a land where eating has become one of their non-official sports. Dear Master, there is so much that can be done here and needs to be done right away for their souls. They need our help.
By Kendall Defoe 4 years ago in Confessions
My Discman
I will not speak for anyone else, but the Covid-19 age has brought out certain traits in my character that I never wanted to consider. My book collection has grown exponentially (Facebook's Marketplace has ruined me). My running habit has made me actually look forward to getting out of the house. I have joined several online pages that allow me to write, scribble, note my thoughts, and continue with the idea that I can be creative in the worst of times.
By Kendall Defoe 4 years ago in Confessions
The Lady at the Counter
He had to make another list. The café was playing music that was quite light, but still a nuisance in his head. With his headset now in, he could get out of its stickiness and think about what to put in print. His spiral notebook was open to what he had already completed. It was not enough.
By Kendall Defoe 4 years ago in Fiction
Polite Exorcism: Laurie Anderson at Théatre Rialto (Montreal)
It ended with a hug. I should build up to this, so let me explain: on a Wednesday night during the city’s annual Pop Montreal festival, Laurie Anderson, accompanied on stage by Rebecca Foon and Colin Stetson, dry ice, programmed noises and odd sonic textures, performed a set at Theatre Rialto that felt more cathartic than most other concerts I have attended in this city. Some performances do leave you wanting more. The performance at the Rialto felt like an exorcism where the demons knew they had to run.
By Kendall Defoe 4 years ago in Beat
Tsukudani
Tsukudani (pronounced “Skoo-Dan-Knee”) is still my favourite rite of passage with food, and the most interesting marker in my travels and choice of diversions. I was raised in a family with many challenges that were usually gastrointestinal (green bananas, fish heads and various unique tubers and vegetables were always on our plates), but there was nothing to compare with the challenge of tsukudani. It was a meal that my mother would not prepare; it was a dish she still has not forgiven me for enjoying.
By Kendall Defoe 5 years ago in Wander
The Neighbours
He just wanted to stay in, but there was no choice. With a day off from school, Michael had to clear snow off the sidewalk, driveway and front steps before his stepfather came home. And he was done, but his mother noticed that their neighbours were very quiet that afternoon. No car leaving the house early that morning. No tire tracks or footprints in or out of the house. He looked over and sighed deeply.
By Kendall Defoe 5 years ago in Horror
Trinket
Unofficial Report Document: I did what I had to do. Okay, I am writing this to cover my own ass if any of this comes out. I was engaged by Captain K_____________ on a mission to retrieve an object on a post-apocalyptic Tier-4 planet and the mission went very badly. This is how I am interpreting it. This document will be stored with my other papers, so I do not expect to have this timestamped beyond the safe where it is kept and the lodging where I awaited my instructions. Again, I was taken onto a mission by a senior officer. I followed orders. I obeyed.
By Kendall Defoe 5 years ago in Futurism
