Yesterday:
8:30 Meeting of a committee I’m on that gives away course releases and funds — rewarding but tough decision-making and required some extra reading — applications — during the week
10:00 Colloquium on Indigenous Knowledge and its place in the Academy, presented by two academic colleagues and a First Nations elder as part of a series hosted by our Faculty (Arts and Humanities). Very thought-provoking, inspiring, challenging, and fairly optimistic. I love getting to hear our Elder whenever he speaks — requires such a particular kind of observant listening which, in turn, makes me aware of how impatient our listening often is. He told a story, partly in the local native dialect (a variation of Coast Salish) and closed with a song, which he accompanied on a hand drum.
11:30 Zipped back to the car and headed off-campus to a quiet sushi place where I settled in to read the Agamben material up for discussion in the afternoon theory group. Managed to pick up some tea (Russian Caravan, loose leaf) in the specialty shop nearby.
1:00 Settled in with my colleagues for a two-hour engagement with Agamben’s ideas. Again, really challenging, but it’s surprising how some kinds of work can be hard enough to be exhausting yet instead cause such an energizing buzz. Part of the energy probably also comes from a recognition of my good fortune — being able to gather with a few people who share my interests and my need for rigor. Gratifying today to hear one of the two or three students who attend this series speaking up — tentatively, at first, but gradually realizing that her tentative ideas had real merit. It’s so easy for me to criticize the academic world, and there’s much that deserves criticism, but it also offers me rich rewards, and it provides me with a niche I missed before I ever knew what that niche might look like.
3:10 Managed to catch the ferry home where I hauled out some oil to try to de-clank the chains and cogs and gears and what-not that were seizing up on my bike, thanks to mud and rust courtesy of this month’s deluge. Then a brief nap and some wardrobe-thinking so that I would be ready for
6:00 Back in town again to meet a friend and attend another friend’s vernissage. She and two other artists have been renting a small studio, collaborating on a show. Many of the works were triptychs, each of the three artists having contributed one panel, and it was fascinating to see where the interpretations of the theme differed and where they overlapped. I ended up buying a painting which I’ll get round to showing you later — for now, I’ll just say it’s got me dreaming of Morocco. . . After viewing the show, my friend and I stopped for a glass of wine and a bite to eat, and then I headed home on the 9 ferry to pack because
TODAY
I’m going to the opera (Norma) with Pater in Vancouver. Sadly, I’ve already missed one ferry, having realized just as I was ready to park my bike, that I’d forgotten the opera tickets! (I’ve always wondered what they’d do for Series Ticketholders who forgot/lost tickets, but decided I didn’t want to test those waters). So now I’m back home, writing to you, and crossing my fingers that the 10 ferry from our little island might allow me to catch the 10:30 BC ferry at Departure Bay — it’s unlikely, but maybe if you’re all crossing your fingers for me. . .
And in case you’re curious, I’ll be wearing this (Linda Lundstrom, black velvet dress)
to the opera. If Pater’s any good with the camera, I might even show you what it looks like on me. I’m packing red patent stilettos, classic pointy-toed pumps, and I’m packing the sparkly flats I showed you here. Not sure yet which I’ll wear — Pater will probably help me decide.
So that’s what’s happening around here — I was feeling a bit stressed with it all, but I’m trying to remind myself that it’s all fun stuff, and that if some other stuff (mostly household) doesn’t get done, that’s okay. No marking ’til next week, so time to have fun before I get sent to the corner with my green marking pen . . .
Now I’d better try to catch that ferry. And don’t worry, this time I grabbed the tix. Have a good weekend!
Have fun! That dress is beautiful!
And as housework tends to stick around it's okay to ignore it.
OMG, you're an intellectual.
I'm so pleased you chose that dress. I wouldn't be afraid to talk to you while you were wearing it and we both had a glass of something in hand.
What a perfect opera dress! Yes, pics please!
Oooh, what a sumptuous garment! 3 paris of shoes! Hope it stays dry for you at least until you are snug inside the venue. Pater, get ready we want to see those shoes!
This comment has been removed by the author.
Angie: thanks! and yes, housework is so cooperative that way — it's always still waiting, and waiting, and waiting . . .
Tish: You crack me up! An intellectual, hah! just look around my blog a bit and you'll see how true that isn't . . . one of these days, in Paris, we'll have that glass of wine together . . .
LPC: I deliberated over this dress, thinking I really should just work with what's in my wardrobe, but it truly is perfect and it's fun as well — I can make these great swooping dramatic gestures with that bat-wing-y right non-sleeve — tré operatic!
Lordfam: It's pretty wet out, again, and I still haven't decided (at 5:15) which shoes it will be . . . I suspect once Pater sees the choice on offer, he may insist on a cab . . .
Lordfam: I was just over at AMidlife of Privilege where I found out you're going to be a grandma — Congratulations! (Also found that, like me, you've been married for 35 years)
Wow, you lead such an interesting life- full of happenings, Your weekend contains more program than mine in a year!
Metscan: Of course, much of the above is simply work-related. And there were too many "happenings" for two days — honestly, I felt a bit overwhelmed and had to keep reminding myself that I enjoyed them all, they were all extra-to-load but they were choices I'd made. So much of the time I'm hunkered down at home in the evenings, with a book or my favourite DVDs.
Well it is great to know that we are in good company!
We were married "locally" and with the exception of 2 years in Vancouver where I worked at UBC we have lived here on our island. I am over the moon about the baby. I have already started knitting a white blanket. I got the pattern from a small wool shop and have discovered Debbie Bliss!! I also have started putting together a Baby gift package for Xmas. I am reacquainting myself all the baby shops and discovering more. Ooh who knew how excited this all would be! I might need to start a blog!
Sounds like a perfect weekend and that's a perfect dress!
You're on. Let's have that glass of wine — or two in Paris.
I'm here, so whenever. . .
I did start a blog! I so enjoy reading yours. I am "hostess of the humble bungalow" If you have the time or inclination come and visit and maybe leave me comment. Green is my favorite color so I chose the same background as you did. (Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.)
Wow to that dress. Amazing. Even being busy doing interesting things can get somewhat overwhelming! Hope the opera was fun.
The dress looks divine, very glam'
This house too has a history of forgetting tickets, so I sympathise with you on that one. This rain has got me thinking I may need some wellies soon!
A friend of mine was married to a lady from China, he was shocked that she refused to make the bed. She said "the bed works for me, I do not work for the bed"!!
I now live my life by this mantra, hard though it is, sometimes the housework is less important than living.
Just so you know, Vancouver Opera subscribers who lose or forget their tickets can have them replaced at the theatre. We can even do that for non-subscribers. We hope you enjoyed Norma.
Hope you enjoyed Norma! Next time, please come by and say hi!
Tish: We're probably there again this coming June-ish — I'm looking forward to raising a glass or two with you!
Lordfam: Good for you! You'll have fun blogging, I'm sure.
Tiffany/Lesley: Thanks — I had a great time!
IndieAl: I love that quotation! I used to tell Pater that my parents didn't raise me to clean toilets (they taught me how and expected me to do my share, but it wasn't meant to be my end goal as some parenting days seemed to have it)
Doug: Good to know! Certainly, every encounter we've had with VOA people has been positive, so I did think you would have helped us out, but having the tix in hand made life a bit easier.
And VOMDAssist: we really enjoyed it! I'll try to write a bit about it here if I find time this week.
A whirl on so many levels! You seem to be one of those people who, the more they do, the more they can do (perhaps???) LL dress is striking and hope we get to see you in it.
How long does it take you to get home from the mainland? I'm trying to figure out how you fit in those multiple ferry trips 🙂
Wow, Ferry here, ferry there….and so forth. Fascinating busy schedule. The opera sounds grand. The dress is grand. In our subscription in NY we have a subscriber id#, which I don't always know, but they can look up our subscription by name or number and issue new tickets on a moment's notice. I wish I didn't know that.