Anyway, yesterday I was checking out the facebook page of a company and came across this.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Inside force & the Worst Motel in Nanaimo
The one thing about job hunting is it can be entertaining. Somtimes I read ones that I know I won't do, but that I'm curious about. Like what's a "faller"? Something to do with cutting down trees. Or the posting for a live-in manager for a motel. I figured out which motel they were talking about, and based on the reviews I've dubbed it The Worst Motel in Nanaimo. Blood on the sheets, cockroaches, prostitutes, drug dealers, and so many bed bugs that one couple lay on the coverlet watching tv for an hour, and when they stood up they were covered in bites. And the motel never refunds anyone. Can you imagine not only being the manager but having to LIVE there? lol
Anyway, yesterday I was checking out the facebook page of a company and came across this.
Anyway, yesterday I was checking out the facebook page of a company and came across this.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Can I defend literary fiction? Part 4: Maus as great literature
For a long time I couldn't figure out how to explain how I define the genre "literary fiction." Analysing what I didn't like about the Kite Runner (in parts one, two and three of this series) has helped helped me realize that besides high quality writing and an important or deep topic, Literary doesn't have too many ingredients thrown in. The literary genre finds one or two things to focus on, and then plumbs their depths.
I can dislike a literary novel for all kinds of reasons; but a book that tries to handle too much Stuff, I won't even classify as literary. Not even failed literary. I just don't consider something like Kite Runner to be a literary novel. It's of the "fiction" genre.
I recently, finally, read Maus by Art Spiegelman. It's a portrayal of Spiegelman's father's Holocaust experiences, called Maus because the Jews are portrayed as mice, the Germans as cats. Presumably Spiegelman had to pick through his father's stories and figure out which to tell, which to spend more time on, and I think he instinctively understood that he didn't need to dwell on the most revoltingly-shocking stories to get the horror of the war across. Sometimes the smaller indignities say it all.
The same week I read The Kite Runner, I had tea with pal Harvey and we talked about Maus cause it was her copy I read while petsitting. Harvey's 12 year old daughter read the book and was most moved by the story of Mandelbaum. This intrigued Harvey because the Mandelbaum story isn't the most horrifying--but I also vividly remembered it, and it wasn't hard to find online, so obviously others were moved by it.
In Auschwitz they gave people random clothes and shoes, so you ended up with any old size. Speigelman's father describes a nice man he'd known back home, who got pants that were too big, and one shoe too small--so he had to hold his pants up, and hold the shoe til he found someone to trade with, walking barefoot in the snow, and trying to hold onto his precious bowl and spoon which someone could steal.
It's not the worst thing that happened to people, but it's such a complete loss of dignity. As a reader it's harder to step into the descriptions of being packed into cattle cars where you defecate in place and stand on dead bodies; but the pants, the shoe, the bowl... I can imagine that alone giving me a breakdown.
And this story is enough to get across the idea that the Germans didn't see the Jews as people--they were vermin. That story really gets across the idea of "death camp." If your captors don't even care about giving you pants that'll stay up, then you're not in a prison with freedom as one day possible; you're not even in a torture chamber, because the torture here isn't explicitly inflicted. The torture comes from unimaginable indifference by one human being to another. If you die before it's time to go to the gas chamber, then that's just one less Jew they have to bother killing. That one page, that one story, tells you everything you need to know about the Final Solution.
Yes, there were some sadistic Nazis--people like the baddie in Kite Runner, raping and torturing just for pleasure. But you don't need rape and explicit torture for a tragedy like the Holocaust to happen; you just need one set of people deciding that another set of people are not people at all, but cockroaches to be cleansed from their country. Spiegelman could easily have passed that story off as trivial and not included it; that he did, and spent time on it, is part of what makes this a Literary work. Nails driven home using the most basic tool necessary to get the job done.
There's one scene in the Kite Runner where a man has to sell his artificial leg in the street in order to survive. That tells you more about post-Soviet Afghanistan than does the child-molesting-psychopath-Taliban-childhood-bully. That's the story I wanted to read.
I can dislike a literary novel for all kinds of reasons; but a book that tries to handle too much Stuff, I won't even classify as literary. Not even failed literary. I just don't consider something like Kite Runner to be a literary novel. It's of the "fiction" genre.
I recently, finally, read Maus by Art Spiegelman. It's a portrayal of Spiegelman's father's Holocaust experiences, called Maus because the Jews are portrayed as mice, the Germans as cats. Presumably Spiegelman had to pick through his father's stories and figure out which to tell, which to spend more time on, and I think he instinctively understood that he didn't need to dwell on the most revoltingly-shocking stories to get the horror of the war across. Sometimes the smaller indignities say it all.
The same week I read The Kite Runner, I had tea with pal Harvey and we talked about Maus cause it was her copy I read while petsitting. Harvey's 12 year old daughter read the book and was most moved by the story of Mandelbaum. This intrigued Harvey because the Mandelbaum story isn't the most horrifying--but I also vividly remembered it, and it wasn't hard to find online, so obviously others were moved by it.
In Auschwitz they gave people random clothes and shoes, so you ended up with any old size. Speigelman's father describes a nice man he'd known back home, who got pants that were too big, and one shoe too small--so he had to hold his pants up, and hold the shoe til he found someone to trade with, walking barefoot in the snow, and trying to hold onto his precious bowl and spoon which someone could steal.
And this story is enough to get across the idea that the Germans didn't see the Jews as people--they were vermin. That story really gets across the idea of "death camp." If your captors don't even care about giving you pants that'll stay up, then you're not in a prison with freedom as one day possible; you're not even in a torture chamber, because the torture here isn't explicitly inflicted. The torture comes from unimaginable indifference by one human being to another. If you die before it's time to go to the gas chamber, then that's just one less Jew they have to bother killing. That one page, that one story, tells you everything you need to know about the Final Solution.
Yes, there were some sadistic Nazis--people like the baddie in Kite Runner, raping and torturing just for pleasure. But you don't need rape and explicit torture for a tragedy like the Holocaust to happen; you just need one set of people deciding that another set of people are not people at all, but cockroaches to be cleansed from their country. Spiegelman could easily have passed that story off as trivial and not included it; that he did, and spent time on it, is part of what makes this a Literary work. Nails driven home using the most basic tool necessary to get the job done.
There's one scene in the Kite Runner where a man has to sell his artificial leg in the street in order to survive. That tells you more about post-Soviet Afghanistan than does the child-molesting-psychopath-Taliban-childhood-bully. That's the story I wanted to read.
Posted with BlogsyWednesday, August 29, 2012
Can I defend literary fiction? Part 3: The Alternatives
A few days ago I started a chat about literary fiction. In Part 1 I said (a) if I want to read something touching, I like it to be delivered with subtlety; and (b) that while I can enjoy moustachio villains, bad coincidences, and sadism in 80s entertainment lit, I resent it when an author mingles these elements with Serious Topics.
In Part 2 I spoilered the book that prompted these thoughts: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. (FYI I read the graphic novel adaptation.) What I disliked about it were: the mustachio twirling villain, the bad coincidences, and the rape/child molestation/child suicide sensationalism.
I'm not a fan of using Grapthar's Hammer when a regular hammer will do. If you're writing pulp fiction then slamming the crap out of a nail is what's needed--shocking twists and crazy turns are part of the fun. We'll tolerate (just barely) a psychopath spending twenty years training man-eating pigs to take revenge on Hannibal Lecter, ending with a kidnapping and some brain eating. But the best literary fiction draws itself short of such anvil dropping, because it just isn't necessary for the purpose of most stories--to draw out emotion, or touch on a theme.
An author can use a series of indignities, like Death of a Salesman. Or a series of heartbreaking events that unfold slowly and painfully-realistically, without melodrama and fanfare, like A Fine Balance. Or a quiet evening that lays bare the intense sadness of a life, like The Glass Menagerie. Or a big stormy noisy story about something not inherently awful, but awful for the characters, like the "mendacity" of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Or perhaps a one-off resounding thud--just one--that changes the course of everyone's lives, like Atonement. Or a bunch of desperate, sad characters stumbling about (The Imperfectionists) or stumbling about with frogs (Magnolia). Or a single revelation that subtly shifts the boundaries of a protagonist's life, like discovering your father's having an affair (My Son's Story.)
Or the author puts the characters in a House of Horrors but employs a light touch because the situation is already so awful it doesn't require embellishment, like Maus (will discuss more next time.) Or the horror remains in the background, and the author only employs one big thud--like the guy suddenly fidning himself in a vast field of dead bodies, in The Killing Fields. Or most of the violent action is far away, but we see its impact on the members of a remote community (the Congo's independence in The Poisonwood Bible.)
Hosseini could have employed any of these techniques and The Kite Runner would have been improved. Okay the bully rape scene happens, but he doesn't appear later in the story, and the raped servant needn't be so blindly servile. Or he gives in to the bully and is assaulted anyway. (Speaking of which, why don't the bullies take the kite in the end? Weird.) There could still be an orphaned son, but he doesn't have to be abused, he could just be lonely, or traumatised at losing his parents--withdrawn and mistrusting for any number of poignant reasons. He could have become a street kid, old too early, hard to love (like those monsters in the favela movie.)
No dramatic fight scene with the magically reappearing bully. No suicide attempt. Or the boys could have grown apart for a less dramatic reason, like Amir and his father moved to the US, leaving Hassan behind to face all that was to come? (I think that's the idea behind Hage's DeNiro's Game.) I haven't even mentioned that Hassan turns out to be Amir's illegitimate brother. That one revealed secret could have fueled the book. Or the one parallel of Amir unable to have kids, and Hassan leaving an orphan, could drive a whole story.
All these things in one book, it's too much. rape! betrayal! death! secrets! orphaned! coincidence! molestation! fight scene! betrayal! suicide! EASE.
Next time I'll talk about Maus as a counter example.
In Part 2 I spoilered the book that prompted these thoughts: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. (FYI I read the graphic novel adaptation.) What I disliked about it were: the mustachio twirling villain, the bad coincidences, and the rape/child molestation/child suicide sensationalism.
An author can use a series of indignities, like Death of a Salesman. Or a series of heartbreaking events that unfold slowly and painfully-realistically, without melodrama and fanfare, like A Fine Balance. Or a quiet evening that lays bare the intense sadness of a life, like The Glass Menagerie. Or a big stormy noisy story about something not inherently awful, but awful for the characters, like the "mendacity" of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Or the author puts the characters in a House of Horrors but employs a light touch because the situation is already so awful it doesn't require embellishment, like Maus (will discuss more next time.) Or the horror remains in the background, and the author only employs one big thud--like the guy suddenly fidning himself in a vast field of dead bodies, in The Killing Fields. Or most of the violent action is far away, but we see its impact on the members of a remote community (the Congo's independence in The Poisonwood Bible.)
Hosseini could have employed any of these techniques and The Kite Runner would have been improved. Okay the bully rape scene happens, but he doesn't appear later in the story, and the raped servant needn't be so blindly servile. Or he gives in to the bully and is assaulted anyway. (Speaking of which, why don't the bullies take the kite in the end? Weird.) There could still be an orphaned son, but he doesn't have to be abused, he could just be lonely, or traumatised at losing his parents--withdrawn and mistrusting for any number of poignant reasons. He could have become a street kid, old too early, hard to love (like those monsters in the favela movie.)
All these things in one book, it's too much. rape! betrayal! death! secrets! orphaned! coincidence! molestation! fight scene! betrayal! suicide! EASE.
Next time I'll talk about Maus as a counter example.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Can I defend literary fiction? Part 2
The Kite Runner is about a boy Amir and his servant friend Hassan before the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hassan professes undying fealty to his little lordling, and one day is cornered by bullies while retrieving the kite that'll show our protag won a kite contest. Of course--because we all know the loyalty of the servant classes--Hassan refuses to give up the kite, so the bully anally rapes him. Our hero sees it happen but doesn't interfere cause he wants the kite win. But he's ashamed after and drives servant boy away.
In adulthood it's Taliban era Afghanistan. Servant boy Hassan is dead, and hero goes off to find sb's orphaned son. It turns out Sohrab's been taken from the orphanage by a Taliban leader to be raped and molested. And the Taliban guy turns out to be the bully who raped sb. (In the book apparently Baddie is also into Nazis. He doesn't twirl his moustache, but he does have one.)
Our hero tries to take the boy away, is beaten up by bully, and saved by the boy. I don't know why this boy, who's being prostituted, immediately trusts Amir, defends him and runs off with him and believes everything he says. Presumably the servantboy gene runs in the family. As if this story wasn't already over the top tragic, our hero then breaks a promise to the boy, who slits his own wrists. Why was this extra delightfulness needed? I guess to put the boy in a position if now being closed off and mistrusting Amir. ...Which the author could have realistically accomplished by the mere fact that the boy's been abused and molested. But then I guess Amir would have had to save himself from his beating.
Boy lives, they go back to America together--yes naturally Amir hasn't been able to have children, so this all works nicely. Hassan, servantboy extraordinaire, has given up his own life so that Amir can have a son. And the story finishes with hero professesing the same fealty to the boy as sb did to him, and so everything turns out alllllright. Right? Amir never did fuck-all for Hassan, but he's gonna raise Hassan's boy and now we have beautiful closure.
I probably don't need to tell you why I thought this story was awful, but I'll touch on it a bit tomorrow. And then present the counter example.
Can I defend literary fiction? Part 1
The following series contains spoilers from The Kite Runner, but if you don't like books with sexual assault you'll be glad I spoiled you. This isn't a book review, though, but a defense of Literary Fiction.
I struggle with talking about literary fiction, cause it's hard to define. Like porn, I know it when I see it. Maybe I like Storywonk's Alastair's idea that a genre is meant to elicit a certain emotional satisfaction by the end; in which case for me a literary read very gently and slowly unfolds its ideas and themes, uses subtlety, never tells me I'm supposed to cry at x point, or rejoice at y. Sometimes they're hard to get into like Nadine Gordimer's My Son's Story, and sometimes the storytelling is clear and fluid, like Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance; but I feel slowly filled, and by the end, deeply nourished. And the writing itself is always excellent.
Now if I'm going to read because I want to be deeply touched I'll choose something arty over regular storytelling. Cause an book that's trying too hard to move me feels manipulative. I don't like an author who takes on a really serious, complex subject, and combines that with melodrama. I can take all the dumb coincidences, and violence, and moustache twirling villains that an 80s bestseller throws at me--Krantz, Sheldon, Puzo, Collins--because they were only trying to entertain. But if you're going to combine coincidences, violence and mustachios with a serious look at Taliban Afghanistan... gag me with a smurf. A riproaring tale of murder! and warlords! would be fine. Puzo in Afghanistan, if you will. But don't try to be heavy deep if you aren't already, well, heavy deep.
I'll stop here for today, and continue this tomorrow.
I struggle with talking about literary fiction, cause it's hard to define. Like porn, I know it when I see it. Maybe I like Storywonk's Alastair's idea that a genre is meant to elicit a certain emotional satisfaction by the end; in which case for me a literary read very gently and slowly unfolds its ideas and themes, uses subtlety, never tells me I'm supposed to cry at x point, or rejoice at y. Sometimes they're hard to get into like Nadine Gordimer's My Son's Story, and sometimes the storytelling is clear and fluid, like Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance; but I feel slowly filled, and by the end, deeply nourished. And the writing itself is always excellent.
Now if I'm going to read because I want to be deeply touched I'll choose something arty over regular storytelling. Cause an book that's trying too hard to move me feels manipulative. I don't like an author who takes on a really serious, complex subject, and combines that with melodrama. I can take all the dumb coincidences, and violence, and moustache twirling villains that an 80s bestseller throws at me--Krantz, Sheldon, Puzo, Collins--because they were only trying to entertain. But if you're going to combine coincidences, violence and mustachios with a serious look at Taliban Afghanistan... gag me with a smurf. A riproaring tale of murder! and warlords! would be fine. Puzo in Afghanistan, if you will. But don't try to be heavy deep if you aren't already, well, heavy deep.
I'll stop here for today, and continue this tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Rebooting Myself One System at a Time
Nothing specific on my mind tonight, so I thought I'd look at the past few months and write a progress report. I told Stepmommy I'm like a computer rebooting--just one system coming back online at a time. I'll try to put these in rough order of onlineness.
Equilibrium March
The mountains and ocean do help one regain a sense of inner calm.
Bedtime March
For years I've had an annoying compulsion to get up and go to the bathroom 5 times before being able to fall asleep. There's almost nothing there, it's just psychological. Maybe because sometimes there's something to pee, my brain's determined to try over and over. Just in case. I totally sympathize with OCDness, since a compulsion is something that if you give in to it gives momentary relief, but rebuilds up again.
But last March I wondered if maybe I stopped drinking fluids hours before, it would help. So I stopped about 5-7 hours before going to sleep. I just kept my sippy cup with water, in case I needed to drink a wee bit. And it worked! The dried out bladder seems to override my fears, and now bedtime's less a struggle.
Home Organization April
Though I had the time, I didn't have the mental-emotional energy in 2011. But I wanted to leave the place in a state of some clear-a-tude for my husband when I came out here, so I finally dove in and caught up.
Writing May
I haven't been writing every day, but I worked on my craft or my novel's plot most of the year, and did 60 000 words in May, and finally worked out the plot for realz in July, and have done some writing in August. Still not writing like the carefree madwoman of my youth, but we're getting there.
Meditation May
I've meditated regularly since May. Not every day, though I'm getting closer to that. Not usually more than 10 minutes, unless it's a guided meditation. I'm trying to add a little yoga to the mix, since it's meditation related. I have yet to experience my left-brain-chatter switching off, but no pressure. Meditation is most certainly not the place for criticism.
Moving July
The ability to do stuff, get things done. Helping my mum fix up her house helped me finally muster up a little zipedeedo.
Job Hunting July
I did stuff in fits and starts all year, but it wasn't until I was back in Nanaimo that I was organized, and time cleared to do this every day.
Food July
I don't like to talk about this cause I think we spend way too much time talking about weight loss in North America, esp. women. But I'll make an exception. I'm 5'10'', medium boned, pear shaped, weighed 150 in my youth, was happy anywhere up to 200 lbs. But this winter went up to 225. And there was no mystery to it, I knew I was eating more. (Many possible reasons why I was eating more, ranging from depression to new med to suspected perimenopause, but all this to say I wasn't just eating the same and gaining weight.)
So I started with tracking my food--not every day, but enough days that I have a realistic framework in mind. Before I was eating well over 2000 calories/day. Right now I aim for 1600-1700 calories, at which level I don't starve, don't go hungry, don't feel deprived. My snacky brain is still there though, so for the first time I'm reading a weight loss book--only because it's Martha Beck and focused on meditation and changing the brain. I was at 225 in March, I'm at 215 now. Aiming at 200. And that's the end of my song.
Water August
I didn't used to drink water. It sloshes around in my belly and mimics the feeling of hunger. I need a little lemon in there, or a herbal tea bag, or a tablespoon of juice. But because of the bedtime issue, I started drinking water, just in wee sips. So now I don't mind it. I still won't glug it, though.
Personal Organization August
I'm fairly organized, but I wanted to bring my game up a notch before my next job. Ages ago I bought David Allen's popular Getting Things Done, but am just now reading and implementing it. Will report back.
Veganism ?
The more my life was going off the tracks, the harder it was to resist junk food in the house that my husband bought and therefore wasn't necessarily vegan. In December I let myself have a vegetarian month, and since then wavered up and down in terms of my ability. It's like the program keeps coming online and crashing. But as with all things, no guilt, no pressure. Just accepting myself as I am at this time.
Exercise ?
Still in fits and starts since the Great Dog Walking Months of May - July. Could go either way.
My spirituality, blogging, friend networks, family, and hubby-kitty-family never went offline, so that's all stable for now. Thanks for everyone's support during this time of reboot-ahj. Now I just need a job so I can have a reason to boot up the budgeting program! Would love to have some money to manage.
Equilibrium March
The mountains and ocean do help one regain a sense of inner calm.
Bedtime March
For years I've had an annoying compulsion to get up and go to the bathroom 5 times before being able to fall asleep. There's almost nothing there, it's just psychological. Maybe because sometimes there's something to pee, my brain's determined to try over and over. Just in case. I totally sympathize with OCDness, since a compulsion is something that if you give in to it gives momentary relief, but rebuilds up again.
But last March I wondered if maybe I stopped drinking fluids hours before, it would help. So I stopped about 5-7 hours before going to sleep. I just kept my sippy cup with water, in case I needed to drink a wee bit. And it worked! The dried out bladder seems to override my fears, and now bedtime's less a struggle.
Home Organization April
Though I had the time, I didn't have the mental-emotional energy in 2011. But I wanted to leave the place in a state of some clear-a-tude for my husband when I came out here, so I finally dove in and caught up.
Writing May
I haven't been writing every day, but I worked on my craft or my novel's plot most of the year, and did 60 000 words in May, and finally worked out the plot for realz in July, and have done some writing in August. Still not writing like the carefree madwoman of my youth, but we're getting there.
Meditation May
I've meditated regularly since May. Not every day, though I'm getting closer to that. Not usually more than 10 minutes, unless it's a guided meditation. I'm trying to add a little yoga to the mix, since it's meditation related. I have yet to experience my left-brain-chatter switching off, but no pressure. Meditation is most certainly not the place for criticism.
Moving July
The ability to do stuff, get things done. Helping my mum fix up her house helped me finally muster up a little zipedeedo.
Job Hunting July
I did stuff in fits and starts all year, but it wasn't until I was back in Nanaimo that I was organized, and time cleared to do this every day.
Food July
I don't like to talk about this cause I think we spend way too much time talking about weight loss in North America, esp. women. But I'll make an exception. I'm 5'10'', medium boned, pear shaped, weighed 150 in my youth, was happy anywhere up to 200 lbs. But this winter went up to 225. And there was no mystery to it, I knew I was eating more. (Many possible reasons why I was eating more, ranging from depression to new med to suspected perimenopause, but all this to say I wasn't just eating the same and gaining weight.)
So I started with tracking my food--not every day, but enough days that I have a realistic framework in mind. Before I was eating well over 2000 calories/day. Right now I aim for 1600-1700 calories, at which level I don't starve, don't go hungry, don't feel deprived. My snacky brain is still there though, so for the first time I'm reading a weight loss book--only because it's Martha Beck and focused on meditation and changing the brain. I was at 225 in March, I'm at 215 now. Aiming at 200. And that's the end of my song.
Water August
I didn't used to drink water. It sloshes around in my belly and mimics the feeling of hunger. I need a little lemon in there, or a herbal tea bag, or a tablespoon of juice. But because of the bedtime issue, I started drinking water, just in wee sips. So now I don't mind it. I still won't glug it, though.
Personal Organization August
I'm fairly organized, but I wanted to bring my game up a notch before my next job. Ages ago I bought David Allen's popular Getting Things Done, but am just now reading and implementing it. Will report back.
Veganism ?
The more my life was going off the tracks, the harder it was to resist junk food in the house that my husband bought and therefore wasn't necessarily vegan. In December I let myself have a vegetarian month, and since then wavered up and down in terms of my ability. It's like the program keeps coming online and crashing. But as with all things, no guilt, no pressure. Just accepting myself as I am at this time.
Exercise ?
Still in fits and starts since the Great Dog Walking Months of May - July. Could go either way.
My spirituality, blogging, friend networks, family, and hubby-kitty-family never went offline, so that's all stable for now. Thanks for everyone's support during this time of reboot-ahj. Now I just need a job so I can have a reason to boot up the budgeting program! Would love to have some money to manage.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Don't hate her because she's beautiful
Ms. Brownlow's been requesting I put up pictures of my parents' other bird, Chara. So finally, here's the ones I took in March. If you missed it, here's the first posting about Philea.
My parents have two tropical birds: Philea the African Gray, and Charatimio the Amazon. They got Chara as company for Philea, but they don't care much for each other. Maybe cause of the continental divide in their genes.
[My usual disclaimer: DO NOT get a parrot, they absolutely should not be kept as "pets." Discourage anyone you know from getting one. They don't thrive in captivity for many reasons--which is why there are parrots rescues all over, just full of sick and injured birds. They also originate from illegal bird trafficking. They can be happy when cared for by people who take a lot of time out of their lives to care for them properly, but it's real work.]
Here's Chara sitting on one of her favorite perches.
Philea is the more intelligent-neurotic one. Curious about things, but less adventurous. She likes to be around people. Whereas Chara is more bird-esque. She's interested in other birds, and in lots of toys, and seeing the world. She's less adventurous with people, though.
Kitchen window perch, so she can hang with mommy with mommy's cleaning up their bowls and such for the night. She's got a little piece of something she's eating.
Their cages. Behind is their room. At night they go into the room, with their cages. They're not locked in, but there's a curtain blocking the doorway. They do go into their cages, or the room, if we're out or there's no one in the kitchen to watch them.
Philea's cage.
Chara's cage. She likes to just hang in there and nap sometimes.
Their "bedroom."
Chara's much more interested in all these toys. She likes to be chased across them too. "Auntie's gonna get you... auntie's gonna get you!"
Enjoying a nut.
Stepmommy had shown the birds some videos of other birds on her ipad. So one night when my dad pulled out his ipad, Chara was on the kitchen table and she was STARING at him. Til we figured out what she wanted.
Now watching bird videos every night is her tradition. Philea thinks it's ok, but Chara's very interested.
She touches the screen and makes her R2D2 noises. It's ridiculously adorable. I love her little peep peeps.
Playing on the stairs. Their wings are partly clipped so they can't fly everywhere. Birds are really destructive to your household. Not just furnishings, but walls and fridge linings, and baseboards etc.
Bath time!
Isn't she lovely? She's usually quite sweet and gentle. Except when she gets excited--then watch your fingers.
If you give her something to eat she likes to hold it. If it's in a spoon she'll take it from you.
Chara and The Mommy.
Beautiful colors!
My parents have two tropical birds: Philea the African Gray, and Charatimio the Amazon. They got Chara as company for Philea, but they don't care much for each other. Maybe cause of the continental divide in their genes.
[My usual disclaimer: DO NOT get a parrot, they absolutely should not be kept as "pets." Discourage anyone you know from getting one. They don't thrive in captivity for many reasons--which is why there are parrots rescues all over, just full of sick and injured birds. They also originate from illegal bird trafficking. They can be happy when cared for by people who take a lot of time out of their lives to care for them properly, but it's real work.]
Here's Chara sitting on one of her favorite perches.
Philea is the more intelligent-neurotic one. Curious about things, but less adventurous. She likes to be around people. Whereas Chara is more bird-esque. She's interested in other birds, and in lots of toys, and seeing the world. She's less adventurous with people, though.
Kitchen window perch, so she can hang with mommy with mommy's cleaning up their bowls and such for the night. She's got a little piece of something she's eating.
Their cages. Behind is their room. At night they go into the room, with their cages. They're not locked in, but there's a curtain blocking the doorway. They do go into their cages, or the room, if we're out or there's no one in the kitchen to watch them.
Philea's cage.
Chara's cage. She likes to just hang in there and nap sometimes.
Their "bedroom."
Chara's much more interested in all these toys. She likes to be chased across them too. "Auntie's gonna get you... auntie's gonna get you!"
Enjoying a nut.
Stepmommy had shown the birds some videos of other birds on her ipad. So one night when my dad pulled out his ipad, Chara was on the kitchen table and she was STARING at him. Til we figured out what she wanted.
Now watching bird videos every night is her tradition. Philea thinks it's ok, but Chara's very interested.
She touches the screen and makes her R2D2 noises. It's ridiculously adorable. I love her little peep peeps.
Playing on the stairs. Their wings are partly clipped so they can't fly everywhere. Birds are really destructive to your household. Not just furnishings, but walls and fridge linings, and baseboards etc.
Bath time!
Isn't she lovely? She's usually quite sweet and gentle. Except when she gets excited--then watch your fingers.
If you give her something to eat she likes to hold it. If it's in a spoon she'll take it from you.
Chara and The Mommy.
Beautiful colors!
Friday, August 17, 2012
4 Days to a New You! (and the crowd goes wild)
I'm reading another Martha Beck book. This one is about weight loss, but it's not a diet--it's about changing the way we think. You know... meditation, changing the brain... all my favorite topics.
She has a technique in it that can be applied to any goal. I just came across a great summary of it, but I don't want to reproduce the whole thing here. So I'll give you a snippet and then encourage you to go read it. Ms. Brownlow's been sort of using this method for the past couple months. She needed to get some things done in her home, but has a wrecked back, plus it's been hotashell where she is. So she's just digging away, One Wee Thing at a time. Always moving forward. We are very proud of her. And inspired.
Without further ado! Pamela Slim on the 4-day Win.
She has a technique in it that can be applied to any goal. I just came across a great summary of it, but I don't want to reproduce the whole thing here. So I'll give you a snippet and then encourage you to go read it. Ms. Brownlow's been sort of using this method for the past couple months. She needed to get some things done in her home, but has a wrecked back, plus it's been hotashell where she is. So she's just digging away, One Wee Thing at a time. Always moving forward. We are very proud of her. And inspired.
Without further ado! Pamela Slim on the 4-day Win.
How do you construct a 4-day win?
Step 1: Pick a goal
Look at your to-do list and pick a juicy goal such as:
- Lose 10 pounds
- Cook more nutritious meals for your family
From this goal, choose a task that you would like to accomplish in one day. Example:
- Lose 10 pounds→exercise for 30 minutes
- Cook more nutritious meals for your family → cook a meal using all organic ingredients
Step 2: Play halvsies until your goal is ridiculously easy to attain
Take your goal from Step 1 and halve it until you know with confidence that you can actually get it done. Example:
- Lose 10 pounds→exercise for 30 minutes→do 10 squats
- Cook more nutritious meals for your family → cook a meal using all organic ingredients→add an organic carrot stick to your plate of Kentucky Fried Chicken
Keep playing “halvsies” until the goal feels just South of totally realistic, and just North of so easy it is insulting.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Expectations: I sets them
I've put aside my novel for a bit, to work on re-working an old novella. I want to epub it.
I've been studying structure since the spring so it seems like a good chance to put my learnings to practice in a smaller format, before going back to the novel. So I've reworked the plot to give it, I hope, more tension. And have begun the rewriting process. ...Except it's been a couple pineapple days, so not much progress.
The first thing I'm tackling, in the rewrite, is the promises I make in the first scene. You want to use the first scene to set people's expectations for the kind of story it will be, especially when writing humor. If it's a Sparkling Wit! sort of deal, you want Sparkling Wit! on the first page; and you do NOT want to suddenly introduce low brow humor on page 20. But if it's a Pratfall sort of book, then it needs a pratfall on page one. If it's farce, then gotta start with farce.
For example, in Monty Python and the Holy Grail the first scene shows a knight riding around on an imaginary horse, with coconut sounds for hoofbeats. If you don't think that's funny, then it's a good time to bail on the movie, cause it's perfectly representative of what you're going to get for the next 90 minutes.
And you couldn't introduce that sort of joke halfway through A Fish Called Wanda, cause although Wanda's farcical it still takes place in the real world. It would be jarring, it would turn people off.
I've been studying structure since the spring so it seems like a good chance to put my learnings to practice in a smaller format, before going back to the novel. So I've reworked the plot to give it, I hope, more tension. And have begun the rewriting process. ...Except it's been a couple pineapple days, so not much progress.
The first thing I'm tackling, in the rewrite, is the promises I make in the first scene. You want to use the first scene to set people's expectations for the kind of story it will be, especially when writing humor. If it's a Sparkling Wit! sort of deal, you want Sparkling Wit! on the first page; and you do NOT want to suddenly introduce low brow humor on page 20. But if it's a Pratfall sort of book, then it needs a pratfall on page one. If it's farce, then gotta start with farce.
For example, in Monty Python and the Holy Grail the first scene shows a knight riding around on an imaginary horse, with coconut sounds for hoofbeats. If you don't think that's funny, then it's a good time to bail on the movie, cause it's perfectly representative of what you're going to get for the next 90 minutes.
And you couldn't introduce that sort of joke halfway through A Fish Called Wanda, cause although Wanda's farcical it still takes place in the real world. It would be jarring, it would turn people off.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Meditation 101: I'm getting it, I'm getting it...
This week I was sitting at my meditation spot and feeling fearful about some things in my life. And I was saying mantra-ee sorts of things to try and dispel the feelings, which has worked before but wasn't working that day.
Then I realized that wasn't always the right approach. Not every time. Because my feelings are valid, after all. And fear is natural to humans--helps keep us alive, part of all these years of evolution. It's natural to worry.
And then I remembered that's the main lesson they teach you about meditating anyway. To think: This is jus a thought, or just a feeling. It's not good, it's not bad, it's neutral. Don't judge your thoughts or feelings, just observe them.
And only then, when I let them be, did they lift. After, I remembered that study where if you tell someone not to think about something, their brains latch onto it even more. According to the dude who studied this, in ideal conditions (rested, relaxed) we can suppress unwanted thoughts. But when we're stressed...
Beck brought this up in relation to trying to not think about food or your weight, in the context of dieting and so forth. But I was experiencing the same thing that day in my little spot. At other times doing the Calming Thinking totally helped. But I had to realize: Today what my feelings want are to be left the hell alone.
Then I realized that wasn't always the right approach. Not every time. Because my feelings are valid, after all. And fear is natural to humans--helps keep us alive, part of all these years of evolution. It's natural to worry.
And then I remembered that's the main lesson they teach you about meditating anyway. To think: This is jus a thought, or just a feeling. It's not good, it's not bad, it's neutral. Don't judge your thoughts or feelings, just observe them.
And only then, when I let them be, did they lift. After, I remembered that study where if you tell someone not to think about something, their brains latch onto it even more. According to the dude who studied this, in ideal conditions (rested, relaxed) we can suppress unwanted thoughts. But when we're stressed...
the ironic monitoring process means that the more desperate and pressured you feel, the more intensively you'll brood about (and potentially do) the very things you've sworn off. (Martha Beck talking about Daniel Wegner's study in The Four-Day Win.)
Beck brought this up in relation to trying to not think about food or your weight, in the context of dieting and so forth. But I was experiencing the same thing that day in my little spot. At other times doing the Calming Thinking totally helped. But I had to realize: Today what my feelings want are to be left the hell alone.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Disc Five: I was barely alive
They chose "Box Set" which is from the perspective of an artist at the end of his career, taking you disc by disc through his box set collection.
Disc four, never released before
And you can tell why
It's just some demos I recorded in my basement
Disc five, I was barely alive
I was hacking up a lung
So they had to use a special computer as my replacement
Disc six, a dance remix!
So I can catch the latest trend
And it'll make you scratch your head and wonder where my taste went
My brother and I thought it was a brilliant song choice! So ironic to sing this song when you're fresh and starting out! And how many musicians in the hall that night uncomfortably identified? The radio DJs the next morning criticized the Ladies for not singing "Million Dollars." Fools, fools, fools. Didn't they listen to this part?
I never thought I'd be regretful
Of all my past success
But some stupid number one hit single
Has got me in this mess!
They chose to not sing their stupid number one hit single. Well played, Ladies. Well played.
I'm mostly a "greatest hits" fan, but here are my other fave songs:
Anyone perfect must be lying, anything easy has its cost
Anyone plain can be lovely, anyone loved can be lost
What if I lost my direction? What if I lost sense of time?
What if I nursed this infection? Maybe the worst is behind
It feels just like I'm falling for the first time
It feels just like I'm falling for the first time
We've got these chains that hang around our necks
People want to strangle us with them before we take our first breath.
Cover of fellow Canadian Bruce Cockburn.
When you're lovers in a dangerous time,
Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime.
Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight
You gotta kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Elly Belly's Brood Part 3
Just the last few pics I still had on my camera of Harvey's grrranimals, and more photos of the harborfront. (Part 1 was here, part 2 here.)
One of the chickies dug herself a little nest in the garden and just sat there.
"You weren't expecting moi to prevent this, were you?"
While the other chicky continued foraging about. "More grubs for me!"
The neighbor's walnut tree which thoughtfully overhangs the property and provides greenery... and walnuts.
"This is how you read your peemail Auntie?"
And the famous Harvey herself. Isn't she a cutie?
Her Lisa doll, which Auntie's Stepmommy got her. (Auntie's Stepmommy is ridiculously dog crazy. My dad now has two tropical birds who will live to 60 and take up tons of time because he didn't let my stepmother get a dog 15 years ago. That's a moment when he needed a small man in a tuxedo to jump out and sing: Mistaaaaaaake!)
The patented over-the-shoulder "Did I say you could stop scratching my bum?" look.
Sitting under the pear tree.
Harborfront walk, where everyone hangs and eats ice cream.
Little restaurant on the water.
Arts center.
Proof that for all the old people, this is still the West Coast. (And hippies gotta retire somewhere too right?)
Seaplanes! Another great way to come over from Vancouver.
We came across these rocks and thought What the--!
Apparently not a natural phenomenon.
One of Nanaimo's colorful past mayors. He liked dressing up as a pirate.
We're at the park now.
Harbor to one of the wee island out there.
But some have their own ride.
Movies in the park.
The seawall keeps-a-going.
People who contributed money towards it.
I like that Squire was known by only one name, like Prince and Madonna. And Aase Plougfelt sounds like the kinds of names Shawn gives his sidekick on Psych.
And some final pics of Ells Bells. They might give you the impression I have a ridiculous love of cats. You'd be quite, quite mistaken, I assure you.
Napping away a rainy afternoon.
In her living room. Bye Elly Belly!
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