- Every day, I think, "This is it! It's all going to come crashing down!" And by "it" I mean, the end, how can we go on this way? But, apparently, we can, go on this way, I mean, so it goes on and we go with it, like a child being dragged by a very strong dog. But hey, it can't go on like this forever. CAN IT???
- I finished a draft of one novel (regular, literary fiction); am now making chapter outline for almost finished novel (written before other novel, mystery!!). My other novel (yes, that makes three) is out with some small publishers who have been silent, so that probably means no. But I have almost three manuscripts, so that can't be bad...can it?
- Meditating on the nature of empathy and sympathy. You don't want to hear about it, but it involves an argument with Middlebrow and the idea that some of us should just "buck up." Hey, I'm all for bucking, but sometimes isn't feeling bad justified? And can't we empathize with those who are feeling bad and even, maybe, feel bad on their behalf even if they are feeling bad about first world problems? Empathy can't be a bad thing, can it?
- So there's the theme...can it? The rhetorical question that actually, right now, from me, requires an answer. What is one to do in such perilous times?
- I find myself turning away from news, reading books about alternate universes, fantasizing about living in a cabin right by a lake where there is no internet service but there is a canoe. That's my mental state right now.
- I think the answer is NO. As in no, it can't go on forever; no, it's not bad that you have three unpublished manuscripts; no, empathy isn't bad. And no, there's nothing wrong about indulging my escape fantasies.
- The end.
Showing posts with label questions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label questions. Show all posts
Thursday, May 18, 2017
A Small Dose of Nothing
Because in all things I want to be like Hightouch, I am blogging, though I have no breaking news. But, hey, even I can write a list, if the list is the thing to write. Which, apparently, it is.
Thursday, January 12, 2017
On Books
Will there come a time when books will be obsolete?
Honestly, I don't think so, and I certainly HOPE not.
But a recent visit to the University library (research!) got me thinking. I was wandering around, looking for books, and all around me I was surrounded by young people on their computers. Were they studying? Perhaps. Probably.
But it begs the question, why do we need this library for them to study in? They could study in any structured space that gave them some privacy and some quiet. None of them (none!) was looking at a book. Not one!
On the plus side, when I walked among the rows and rows of books, I felt at ease. The smell of the books, many of them old, was familiar. I know my way around a library.
But for how many of the younger people (how many? how young? who can say!) is information and the idea of a text a wholly virtual and non-tactile thing?
My son certainly loves books, but he grew up with me and my husband. My husband, whose philosophy is "one cannot have too many books!" If my son expresses an interest in an idea, my husband buys him a book about it. Which is a great thing, and has made my son a fantastic and broadly read person.
But so many others don't know and don't care about books.
I suppose I (and others like me) are dinosaurs in our love of the actual, physical book. I know others love the book, but enough others?
And I don't necessarily think the death of the library as a place that houses books as a bad thing. I often go to the downtown public library and I think of it more as a social hub than one whose focus is primarily books. People go there to use the computers. And yes, to find books. But also to hang out, to find shelter, to use the bathroom, to sit at a table and exist.
So what is the future of the book and what is the future of the library?
Honestly, I don't think so, and I certainly HOPE not.
But a recent visit to the University library (research!) got me thinking. I was wandering around, looking for books, and all around me I was surrounded by young people on their computers. Were they studying? Perhaps. Probably.
But it begs the question, why do we need this library for them to study in? They could study in any structured space that gave them some privacy and some quiet. None of them (none!) was looking at a book. Not one!
On the plus side, when I walked among the rows and rows of books, I felt at ease. The smell of the books, many of them old, was familiar. I know my way around a library.
But for how many of the younger people (how many? how young? who can say!) is information and the idea of a text a wholly virtual and non-tactile thing?
My son certainly loves books, but he grew up with me and my husband. My husband, whose philosophy is "one cannot have too many books!" If my son expresses an interest in an idea, my husband buys him a book about it. Which is a great thing, and has made my son a fantastic and broadly read person.
But so many others don't know and don't care about books.
I suppose I (and others like me) are dinosaurs in our love of the actual, physical book. I know others love the book, but enough others?
And I don't necessarily think the death of the library as a place that houses books as a bad thing. I often go to the downtown public library and I think of it more as a social hub than one whose focus is primarily books. People go there to use the computers. And yes, to find books. But also to hang out, to find shelter, to use the bathroom, to sit at a table and exist.
So what is the future of the book and what is the future of the library?
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
"Looper"
Whoa! That movie should come with a warning label. Such as, "Really violent! No, really! And there some children in this movie. You are NOT going to like what happens to them!"
But...but! In spite of that, I liked it quite a bit.
But, like any time travel movie, I left the theater with questions, QUESTIONS!?!
(My questions were not necessarily answered, but were confirmed, here.)
But anyway, you know how it is with time travel narratives, you're all like...how did he come back if....
That said, I did enjoy it.
HOWEVER, I was a little bit sad that Joseph Gordon Levitt did not look like JGL. They made his nose all weird so he would look like a young Bruce Willis, which I think was a mistake, but I guess it's easier to make someone look like they don't have cheekbones then to make them look like they do.
Also, I did not know Emily Blunt was in it, and she was good.
Also, Jeff Daniels. Enough said.
So, yes, I'd say see it, unless you are my 11 year old son, and then I would say, maybe when you're 18.
But...but! In spite of that, I liked it quite a bit.
But, like any time travel movie, I left the theater with questions, QUESTIONS!?!
(My questions were not necessarily answered, but were confirmed, here.)
But anyway, you know how it is with time travel narratives, you're all like...how did he come back if....
That said, I did enjoy it.
HOWEVER, I was a little bit sad that Joseph Gordon Levitt did not look like JGL. They made his nose all weird so he would look like a young Bruce Willis, which I think was a mistake, but I guess it's easier to make someone look like they don't have cheekbones then to make them look like they do.
Also, I did not know Emily Blunt was in it, and she was good.
Also, Jeff Daniels. Enough said.
So, yes, I'd say see it, unless you are my 11 year old son, and then I would say, maybe when you're 18.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Interview
Do you run because you love it or because you are afraid?
Both.
Do you find that Crossfit influences other parts of your life?
Insufficiently. For example, the facts of weight and strength distribution, the accomplishment of seemingly insurmountable tasks, the lifting of very heavy things over one's head, one would think that such physical manipulations might lead one to the conclusion that other tasks which are, on the surface, easier to accomplish would seem less daunting, nay! easy, in comparison. But alas, dear readers, this is not the case. Words do not magically appear on the page, nor does time expand and slow, nor does the sun rise earlier or set later. Still, as one who can deadlift and one who can clean AND jerk, one would hope that say, writing a novel would come easily. But nay, it is not to be.
What do you eat?
I eat only the flesh of skinny animals or those that swim or larger animals, but only if they were happy. I eat the apples and the bananas and the shakes that taste like dessert but are really medicine. I eat the eggs and the spinach and the cheese. I eat the yogurt. I eat the honey. I drink the coffee, and yes, it owns me, it is my master, the black elixir that giveth and taketh away the pain.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
There is water and a blue sky. The shine during the day is bright and of the sun; at night, small fires. Sometimes there is wine, often chocolate. During the day, Spanish is spoken and at night there is silence. There are tastes of smoke and the sea, the strong scent of pine and rain.
And what about tomorrow?
Always, I am amazed.
Yesterday?
She said to me, she said, never this and then that, never should, never could have, never no.
What does this word mean?
That word?
And how happiness?
Only there is no doorway, no rooftop, no next. In this, I have seen and know, so it must be.
Well then.
So goodbye.
Both.
Do you find that Crossfit influences other parts of your life?
Insufficiently. For example, the facts of weight and strength distribution, the accomplishment of seemingly insurmountable tasks, the lifting of very heavy things over one's head, one would think that such physical manipulations might lead one to the conclusion that other tasks which are, on the surface, easier to accomplish would seem less daunting, nay! easy, in comparison. But alas, dear readers, this is not the case. Words do not magically appear on the page, nor does time expand and slow, nor does the sun rise earlier or set later. Still, as one who can deadlift and one who can clean AND jerk, one would hope that say, writing a novel would come easily. But nay, it is not to be.
What do you eat?
I eat only the flesh of skinny animals or those that swim or larger animals, but only if they were happy. I eat the apples and the bananas and the shakes that taste like dessert but are really medicine. I eat the eggs and the spinach and the cheese. I eat the yogurt. I eat the honey. I drink the coffee, and yes, it owns me, it is my master, the black elixir that giveth and taketh away the pain.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
There is water and a blue sky. The shine during the day is bright and of the sun; at night, small fires. Sometimes there is wine, often chocolate. During the day, Spanish is spoken and at night there is silence. There are tastes of smoke and the sea, the strong scent of pine and rain.
And what about tomorrow?
Always, I am amazed.
Yesterday?
She said to me, she said, never this and then that, never should, never could have, never no.
What does this word mean?
That word?
And how happiness?
Only there is no doorway, no rooftop, no next. In this, I have seen and know, so it must be.
Well then.
So goodbye.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Some Questions
- If an administrator speaks in an empty gym, does it make a sound?
- Isn't critical thinking a skill? Isn't it?
- Does absolute tequila corrupt absolutely?
- What is the exact weight, in tons, of the unreadable texts I will read this semester?
- If exercise doesn't make you thin (thanks Time magazine!), then does eating not make you fat?
- And, if so, how many cookies do I need to eat?
- Aren't all vegetable calories good? Like all those beets and that metric ton of tomatoes I ate?
- When's the next vacation?
- What's my theme song?
- How many days until the semester ends?
- What? It hasn't actually started yet?
- Shit.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Contemplations for July
- What is happiness?
- Is happiness having only 39 days of summer vacation left? Or having a whole 39 days of vacation left!
- Is happiness the difference between a question mark and an exclamation point?!
- Is happiness a certain beverage?
- Is happiness box wine?
- What is suffering?
- Is suffering the patio project?
- Does suffering involve digging?
- Can suffering be solved by certain beverages?
- What is the relationship between happiness, suffering and box wine?
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Got Tagged
Little Hands tagged me to answer these questions with only one word. One word? Has she met me? I'll try!
Where is your cell phone? Non-existent
Where is your significant other? there
Your hair color? brownish
Your mother? Phoenix
Your father? Inkom
Your favorite thing? books
Your dream last night? gaggy
Your dream/goal? writing
The room you’re in? living room
Your hobby? exercise
Your fear? Spiders
Where do you want to be in 6 years? here (SLC)
Where were you last night? book club
What you’re not? well-rested
One of your wish-list items? bigger house
Where you grew up? Oregon/Colorado/Iowa/Idaho
The last thing you did? ate breakfast
What are you wearing? smart wool sweater
Your TV? hulu.com
Your pet? sleeping
Your computer? dying
Your mood? early fall pessimism (TM)
Missing someone? Nik
Your car? Saturn
Something you’re not wearing? earrings
Favorite store? TJ Maxx
Your summer? active
Love someone? Many
Your favorite color? blue
When is the last time you laughed? last night (John Stewart!!)
Last time you cried? Yesterday (listening to NPR Obama rally)
It's hard to limit oneself to one word: impossible!!
I tag Hightouch, Cold North, Slimy Six, and Erin Alice.
Where is your cell phone? Non-existent
Where is your significant other? there
Your hair color? brownish
Your mother? Phoenix
Your father? Inkom
Your favorite thing? books
Your dream last night? gaggy
Your dream/goal? writing
The room you’re in? living room
Your hobby? exercise
Your fear? Spiders
Where do you want to be in 6 years? here (SLC)
Where were you last night? book club
What you’re not? well-rested
One of your wish-list items? bigger house
Where you grew up? Oregon/Colorado/Iowa/Idaho
The last thing you did? ate breakfast
What are you wearing? smart wool sweater
Your TV? hulu.com
Your pet? sleeping
Your computer? dying
Your mood? early fall pessimism (TM)
Missing someone? Nik
Your car? Saturn
Something you’re not wearing? earrings
Favorite store? TJ Maxx
Your summer? active
Love someone? Many
Your favorite color? blue
When is the last time you laughed? last night (John Stewart!!)
Last time you cried? Yesterday (listening to NPR Obama rally)
It's hard to limit oneself to one word: impossible!!
I tag Hightouch, Cold North, Slimy Six, and Erin Alice.
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