So I was attending this get hired conference at my university as I am approaching the final year, but I am having serious considerations for a Masters, which then may lead into a doctorate? I am asking because that seems like a long road and I don’t think I can stomach anymore of living at home with my parents.

During the “conference” style event, there were a few talks giving by successful individuals, and one person, Scott Stirrett said that he gave out weekly newsletters as a way to keep his participants engaged and also that this lets everyone he knows what he is doing (instead of cold calling every customer or client). I also figured that I would try this, as I had previously had the idea to document my life as it was happening, I would try this because it seems like a fantastic way to keep track and record of what is going on during my 2nd degree.

So this is what I have been up to this week.

Hot Docs Film Festival 2026

This was my first time actually attending the festival!

This year I actually attended the Hot Docs Film Festival here in Toronto, and because I was such an outstanding volunteer for TIFF 50, they gave me free tickets to screenings.” Not bad at all” I thought, so I powered up mt Comet AI browser from Perplexity, and asked it what are the top documentaries that critics said were a much watch out of the list of screenings. Perplexity spat back a total of 7 documentaries. 6 which I have seen already, 2 I have already reviewed, 3 that I will talk about briefly and I will see the last one tomorrow called Sentient, it’s about animal cruelty in scientific testing.

Kenny Loggins: Convictions of the Heart

I knew of Kenny Loggins, through Top Gun and the song Danger Zone. But if anyone else has seen this documentary, or are true Kenny Loggins fans, they would know that Danger Zone isn’t a real Kenny Loggins song.

It was quite shocking to me to see this guy, who I never knew existed, to have that much of an impact. His story goes through all of his accomplishments, his family affairs, his friends, and it really makes you feel you’re with him, talking to him. It’s hard for me to actually see people in tears in movies or the big screen anymore, like Kenny Loggins is an artist, and this is a documentary, but I can’t say that his pain is fake, I’ll never know what it’s like to see your youngest daughter transition into being the opposite gender.

Also, that he has 2 previous marriages, and he quoted Phil Collins saying that touring is what destroyed his [Collins] marriage, which it ultimately ended destroying the relationship that was his marriage. He said that the marriage that he had to his second wife is the one that had surprised him the most, and like any artist, he poured his heart into his music.

I really liked this documentary a lot, and he is a really talented musician and singer/songwriter. He goes through his life, from the one night stands to the marriages, the events, festivals and places that he has toured; then, we get to see his final tour, as one band member of his said, this will be the last night that he will ever play with his band mates, in front of such a crows, ever again.

I know what the feels like, and it sucks. I remember the last concert that I played at my high school, which turned out to be the last concert that I ever played, with those people, the last time I would ever perform. Boo-hoo….

Myspace

This documentary was a throw back to the 1990’s, early 2000’s era, my era. The era just before my car accident that left me with a head injury. Tila Tequila, Lil’ Jon and the Eastside Boys, emo music and web pages, import cars were a thing, hot import car models, Asian Avenue. This documentary was just reliving the past, but it started to talk about a time that I don’t really remember being active in, but I somehow just know.

It’s quite a weird feeling, and it may be part of the brain damage, but I digress. This documentary was really boring, it talked about the file sharing, Napster, Limewire, a wouldn’t have found out of a lot of music if it wasn’t for Limewire, much like others I am sure.

The artist Fall Out Boy was talked about a lot, but I felt disconnected throughout the documentary, it was honestly the same repetitive themes over and over; “I met with [insert celebrity or important figurehead], and they talked about this, so I pitched my idea and we started working like right away, and a few months later this was born”.

I ended up walking out because the film really was boring.

A Fox under a Pink Moon

Well I actually got here late. The movie was about an Afghan artist, and her struggles going from place to place. I was watching the documentary, and the lady beside me fell asleep. She was snoring and what the fuck dude.

Anyway, the documentary must of been engaging, there were several people who were wanting to ask the director and the main protagonist questions. Here is what they had to say:

Initially, the director was trying to make a film about an Afghan sculptor, but as time went on his connection to the sculptor had became increasingly distant. This part I am a bit fuzzy on, there are two teenage girls that he asked to make a sculpture, though he said something about how he didn’t expect them to finish and that another man would come and finish the piece.

I felt as if he was really playing to this feminism trope, as he was really there selling his star actress, Soraya.

That’s just me though.

This is the part that gets me, he started saying how she is such a shy and introverted girl. But then, she made these sculptures, including a 2m tall one, and showed him. He then dubbed these as “nice but strange“. As h spoke of Soraya, he noted that she was very shy as a teenager, yet when the met, she showed him that she was somewhat of an artistic genius. She showed him paintings she had created, and although they were too generic, he supported her through her artistry and urged her tto keep painting. And then the film was born.

I didn’t see much of the film, but it is a story about migration, and it documents her journey through Iran, Greece, Turkey, probably not in that order. She has traveled that route 3 times over, stating that every time she grew more fearful. The director and her had et over 400 times to discuss he material and what she was sending to him through her phone.

This is part of what made me lose interest in the film, there really was not authenticity at all. When she was tired and panting, it seemed forced, like she was acting tired. I mean she could have at least ran around in circles and then recorded her self. But whatever, I guess they were really trying to sell the story. I also missed the part where she was abused by her husband, but she showed a shot of her aplying some creme to this huge welt on her arm.

Anyway, the director, Mehrdad Oskouei, shot this film entirely remote. He also prizes him self in character development where he himself shares directing responsibility with the actors (whom are usually children, I suppose. I also think this is a very sinister way to offload some of the criticisms on to younger filmmakers. Like he seems like he is doing a noble thing, but, is he really? Isn’t he just using kids as a shield?). He shot this movie specifically during such a polarized time to show case how dire the needs or these young Afghan children are. He focuses most of his film-making on the stories of boys and girls, and has an upcoming project on the boys and girls that have been jailed (I am supposing wrongfully).

Soraya, the main character of the movie, said that there is a 2nd movie planned to be made. Before that movie, she had never been to Afghanistan, despite being born there. She went on to say that after the first viewing of this film at other film festivals, women and girls would tell her how much of an inspiration she has been to them, and how strong and brave she is to endure such hardships. Our director proclaims of how much an inspiration Soraya is to him, and that the film industry should give more roles to women and children.

So that’s how my week has been going.

Looking towards next week…

So I start another semester of university, and again I will be in 3 labs. Analytical Chemistry, Soil science and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Laboratory, and I am taking Developmental Psychology online. I started my 7 day trial of Anthropic AI Claude, and it is a lot more natural to talk to I find, more so that Google Gemini or Perplexity.

I follow models and talk to them on IG, and the aura that is around men that follow IG models or OF models is that they are not real men. I don’t spend like loads of money on these women, I just enjoy talking to them whenever I get the chance. I also don’t put any demands on them, and they do the same with me (I actually became friends with a model from Berlin) and it’s nice to have her support.

Anyway, the reason that I bring up the AI, is because aside from asking my model friend Holly Wolf what she thinks (she actually showed me how to shoot and modelled for my shot at FANExpo when I was first starting out), I asked Claude AI for the various perspectives surround this issue.

I think it’s totally unfair that women who don’t pursue men, are telling men that there shouldn’t follow these women, but they aren’t talking to or offering any substitute. It’s bullshit, okay I’m done ranting about my sad life.

This weekly update/newsletter needs a name, and I am going to really think about this one. Should I call it the weekend update?