-
Going Nowhere, Slowly
Somebody asked me recently if I was a runner (because I was talking about running, or possibly shoes, or gaits) and I said, “Um. Not compared to actual runners.” I am slow, and my “runs” max out somewhere below 5K. Also, I take a lot of breaks to walk and catch my breath. Occasionally somebody…
-
Escape Fantasies
I am a master of the art of the escape fantasy. I have read a long list of books by people who ventured around the world, walked out their door and didn’t turn back, moved to other countries, or took on absurdly ambitious adventures. I am particularly partial to stories of circumnavigations. So when I was…
-
An Afternoon with Arthur
I looked out the window on Saturday during “post-tropical storm Arthur” and noticed that there were small-to-middling sized branches on the ground all around my car. I was concerned about the windows. I said to my mother, “Um. Do you think that the cars should be parked directly under the trees?” “Hm. Maybe not. Let…
-
Back on Bike
Time was, I lived in the country and didn’t have a driver’s license. That was a long time ago. Then there was a good length of time that I lived in the city and didn’t have a car. Even that was a long time ago. But it’s written in my bones, this memory of bicycle-as-transport. Not…
-
Avoiding
I can tell that the post I am working on is important by all the displacement activities I have been undertaking while avoiding it. I have been (in no particular order): making my bed on a regular basis doing my daily meditation sorting through my old things finishing off my projects that have been lying…
-
At the End of the Retreat
Once more, with feeling. And metaphor. And Dharma. “And what is it that you do, exactly?” Once more, the long-winded explanation of the intersection of technology, education, and culture that I find at the end of a twisty path. Once more the small (mildly apologetic) justifications for how/why I know the things I “know” (insofar…
-
Wordless Wednesday: Playing Science
-
Might Be Good For Something-itis
The handle came off the kettle this morning: My husband said, “Maybe this would be a good time to get that electric kettle we’ve been talking about [for the last several years, on account of electric kettles are more efficient, I’ve heard.]” “Sure,” I said. “But I think I’ve got a handle that will do…
-
Temporary Solutions
My life is filled with temporary solutions. “I’ll just put this here until…” It is amazing how much time can pass with a bookshelf tucked into a corner until I decide where to actually place it. How many years can go by while we attempt to save enough money to replace the thing that is…
-
In Which The User of The Magical Power Grid Meets the Gnomes
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C. Clarke …except when it isn’t. Me This morning a tree fell on the power lines down the road from my house. It was raining, and dark, and generally unpleasant outside. But within an hour of my awaking, power was restored, and all was good. Flicker,…
-
Notes on the End of a Trip
Here we find ourselves in Vancouver, and I’m alternating between thinking that my kids are going to get bored (since they now are wanting nothing more than to watch TV until their eyes fall out), or that we didn’t leave enough time at all to explore a new city. This evening, my son said, “I…
-
There are silver linings, really there are
On the plus side, the four hours of repacking I’ve done today have been rendered much more a) urgent, and b) effective by the necessity of abandoning the rental car a day earlier than expected. I had vain hopes of being able to consolidate our carryings into something amenable to taking the bus. To that…
