Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
A little moan about school.
Just finished my application for a special course next semester as part of the “President’s Dream” Colloquium which is available to the public as a lecture series, but can also be turned into a grad course. This is a new project of the university that promises top-calibre lectures every two weeks on a given theme. Winter 2013 theme? “Justice Beyond National Boundaries“. But if I don’t get into that, I’m looking at a philosophical history of science course instead – so either way I am on my way to getting myself enrolled in my next course, even as I struggle with my current one.
While I really enjoy the professor in my program this semester, I am having a lot of trouble hanging the readings together into any semblance of order. While they all touch on “Self and Society” (the title of the course), I am having a difficult time seeing the connection of one work to the next. And the classroom discussions are somewhat stilted – I think partly as a result of this.
I think rather than use a bunch of the course texts for my final project, I will end up using only two and pick some others from my own reading outside of class. In particular I would like to examine some questions around human nature including:
- Is human nature flexible or fixed?
- What does a fixed human nature imply about our ability to change our social/political/environmental future?
- Is the conception of a fixed human nature pessimistic?
- Whose political and social interests are served by the various perspectives on human nature?
Which are some fairly large questions for only fifteen to twenty pages – I know. What I’m hoping to be able to do is use the writing of Rousseau (First and Second Discourse), David Sprintzen (Critique of Western Philosophy), EO Wilson (The Social Conquest of Earth) and Francis Fukuyama (Our Posthuman Future) as perspectives into the ideological bias behind various human nature propositions and how those are used to fuel our social narratives. (In the simplest terms: whether we believe that humans are predominantly selfish or co-operative by nature is going to shape our basic governing principles, and I would questions the sources who historically and currently have influenced this particular story arc).
Next week at the ranch I plan to do some reading, thinking and (hopefully) writing towards my final project while Brian goes out hunting. I need the break in order to be able to focus a bit, since class sessions just aren’t getting me anywhere intellectually at the moment.
Babies and dogs
Visits to my folks on the island always involve lots of dogs – ours, theirs and my sister-in-law’s – four in total (and they are all pictured in this photo). And because I have a niece and nephew now – babies are frequently part of the picture too.
Truth be told – I’m not a huge fan of either dogs or babies – but I am totally besotted with my niece Grace at the moment, and you really can’t control where the dogs go… hence a rare picture of me with dogs and *holding* a baby. Yikes!
But really, with this sweetness, how could I stop myself?
In any event, this will be the last photo you ever see of me holding a baby – Grace is quickly moving into toddlerhood and my brother and sister-in-law don’t plan to have any more – and I don’t really hold babies I’m not related to.
This pretty much sums up Thanksgiving weekend though – sunny days spent with family hanging out on Mountain Rd. Plus! My nephew turned three:
And that, was the long weekend (plus some gardening, brunch with friends, crochet and sewing). Four days of work and then we head to Singing Lands for a week of camping, hunting (for Brian), hiking and writing (for me).
Hey People!
I am seriously still here – but silent this week due to an in-law visit, a medical appointment, a blood donation, a workplace-violence incident, school, a bunch of work meetings, and the fact that I’m heading out of town for the long weekend. Also, research on possible land to buy for rec uses.
In short, my brain has been packed full of other stuff than writing here, or even responding to email.
Maybe that will get better soon and I’ll find some time to tell stories about the above. Or maybe I’ll just start responding to the emails piling up in my inbox. Either way, some of you will hear from me soon. As soon as I am able to wiggle enough thinking space for new output.
Stay with me, my darling beet!
Dear Brian (an open letter):
I’m just going to come right out and say it: you have made the last five years of my life more incredible than I ever thought it could be. For real. It’s been amazing. And I’m hopeful the next five years is going to bring more of the same love, fun and adventure we have so far proven we’re capable of. We’re on the right track after all, with our intention and positivity guiding us every step of the way.
Because I do think that optimistic intention is the reason we have been successful thus far – the fact we allowed ourselves to fall giddily for one another, the fact we willingly exposed the vulnerable silly parts of our beings and stepped out precariously with hopes that our quirks matched up enough to smooth the path ahead. For two people in their mid-thirties (each with a failed marriage behind them) to believe a life with someone else was not only possible but desirable was risky! And I seem to recall that for the first several months we each hedged around the idea of a future together before we could finally admit how much we wanted one.
So here we are. Five years from the day we met, two years from the day we married*, living in a little bungalow in East Vancouver and continuing each day a little further together. Our routines are well-established, those patterns we have selected to groove into our days are a balance of the mundane and the beautiful. That which keeps us going coupled with the deeper nourishment of a shared life – I think we’ve got it going on. And yet still we manage to have new adventures all the time – plans, idea, projects, discoveries! Just when things start to get a little too routine, we take a side trip down a logging road and a whole new landscape for exploration emerges. (And when we first met you told me you were boring. Liar!)
This is a public letter and so I worry some about being *too* mushy (because bleh, who wants to see love in this cynical world of ours) – but for the record I want everyone to know that I love you for your kindness, integrity, intelligence, lovingness, commitment to parenting, sexiness, creativity and willingness to express yourself. I love you for bringing me coffee in the morning, and helping me move heavy stuff in the garden, for trusting me when I say “let’s climb this fence and see what’s on the other side”, for sharing bedtime stories with me, and because you are not afraid to love me fiercely in return. I love you because together we are creating a beautiful life, and because waking up beside you every morning is a privilege that never ceases to impress my heart.
I love you, because I do. Very much. Forever.
So hooray for our first milestone. Five years! I only wish I had met you earlier so we were further along in this thing we are doing together.
Stay with me, my darling beet! We have such an amazing future ahead of us.
xoxo
Me.
* Our anniversary is actually Sunday – as in, we celebrate our anniversary the last Sunday of September no matter what the date. We met at 4 pm on the last Sunday of September five years ago and were were married at 4 pm on the last Sunday of September two years ago. Just for the record.
Design Notebook: First-ever sweater!
After my first successful capelet completed this summer (which I finally got to wear last Friday and I am bonafide in love with) I have decided to go all the way and crochet my first-ever sweater! Interweave Fall 2012 has a lovely colourwork pattern that looks like a good first sweater project (difficulty level of 2). I couldn’t really afford to do it in their suggested yarn, so instead I ordered a silk/wool combo from Knitpicks. Very similar to the yarn I used for the capelet. Also, I adapted the colourway to include my favourites since I couldn’t get exactly the colours shown below.
So! This sweater and the colours as shown below – of course I can’t start untill I get some more gifts completed, but at least I’ll have all my materials once I’m ready to go and I’m quite excited about it 🙂
Red Cedar 