Astonishing...
List of accomplishments for today, (or rather yesterday) June 22, 2005.
1) Began and finished "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" by Mark Haddon.
It was a quick read and I am on vacation, and as is always true, I read much faster when it is not required of me. I know I am hopelessly behind on the best-seller list (actually, I don't even know what is on it, I confess) but this was a fabulous book. I was reminded of our NH neighbor Robert who is home-schooled, along with his brothers and at 15 is taking classes at MIT, but is still one of the quirkiest kids around. I remember when he was 11 and he was explaining to me and my mom the double helix structure of DNA and how all the puzzle pieces (which I also confess to have set somewhere else in my memory) intertwined, the R and the T etc... I was astonished by Haddon's ability to truly capture a mind incapable of abstraction, the true idiot-savant... and I was also reminded of the interesting classes on educational psychology I took in which we examined the characteristics of emotional development. How is it that some people get trapped? Curious.
2) Forced myself to go shopping, again. It would be criminal to not take advantage of NH's no sales tax, I mean, the government should not have any more of my money than it already does to do the terrible things that it does to the environment and humanity... Although, I was noticing that unlike in CA, bathrooms are not all furnished, in fact hardly at all, with protective seat covers, which requires either a) a hovering balancing act in the bathroom, or b) a blatant disregard for one's own physical well-being. I'll leave you guessing as to which school I profess allegiance. And then I thought that maybe this was precisely because of the lack of taxes, that is, maybe all our tax money in CA is *really* being flushed down the toilet, I mean there could have been contractors bidding for the paper supply and the highest bidder winning, right? But then I remembered that the same lack of sanitary precautions was true in Massachusetts, which does in fact have quite a bit of tax, thereby declaring null and void my prior argument. In any case, I digress.
The good news is, I am now the proud owner of:
a) Finally!!! good hiking boots from EMS that won't rip holes in my heels and into which I can fit my custom insoles.
b) lightweight hiking socks
c) high-impact sports bra for making myself go to the gym (this is agenda number 1 for the summer, I must pick an arbitrary time, say high noon, and go every day until it is no longer a chore - Laura says this takes three weeks.)
d) not one, but three, new bathing suits from LL Bean's outlet store for a grand total of US$56.
This forced shopping, after which I groaned at my mother that I couldn't take much more (I. loves shopping) produced other ripple effects, like:
a) I ran into my old boss, the ex-principal of the school at which I taught, as we were both shopping for hiking boots. It was a shock, not unpleasant, to see her, as I would have had no other news of her, being a personna non grata these days under the new administration.
b) put us in Nashua at the perfect time to meet Paula, Melissa's mom, for Vietnamese food. After which we got to see the wedding pictures of the wedding to which I wish I could have gone in Xalapa:( You looked beautiful, Melissa, if you are reading this (I think you did last week) but I know that internet is a bit shaky since you've moved to Puerto Peñasco.
3) Took I. to Mack's apples for ice cream before closing, one of her few remaining goals for this visit. Now if any of you are familiar (which most of you are, as you lived here longer than I, but bear with me for those who are not from here) with small-town New England (or anywhere probably) every town has one random gathering spot, that may have no rhyme nor reason, but remains a social hub nonetheless. For Londonderry, Mack's is it. There are wonderful trails that go up into the orchards and cross the river, and every season offers its delight: Fall = Pumpkins and U-Pick apples and the annual scarecrow dress-up competition among local groups and individuals. This is my personal favorite as the leaves are turning and October offers its blazing blue skies and crisp air, moist, vaguely sweet with the early rot of the leaves on the ground as they compost themselves in piles. Winter = sledding down the big hill and skating on frozen ponds. Spring = strawberry picking, nature walks and food for the voracious ducks and geese, and Summer = ice cream all day, every day from 10am to 9pm. Smack dab in the middle of town, Mammoth Road before you get to 102. Needless to say I ran into various ex-students, one being my most hideous problem child from last year, but even to him I could smile and genuinely tell him that I love CA, and that I hoped he was well (no lie). I also encountered the librarian who was one of my favorite people, the mother of one of my ex-classmates, and an all-around interesting lady.
4) Visited the CVS where I accomplished the following:
a) Procured thumb splint for this nasty tendonitis in my left hand, which is most likely aggravated by typing, but almost certainly caused by lifting a small person repeatedly with thumbs inserted under armpits. This is truly bad form, but what do you do when you have a sick child who requires you to hold her? The immobility helps, I think.
b) Acquired not one, but two forms of lipstick, and one mascara. What??? I know, Jenny's girly ways tempted me, for a brief moment, to be just a little more "sexy" (as I. would call it!) And since I threw away the old scraps from my last splurge because the make-up made me ill, I needed new stuff, if only to let it sit for the next five years). This of course may well be due to infection by cats (and to understand this you must go read Jenny's post on the effect of a certain protozoan cat parasite on human females.) Sorry, can't link with Safari... I mean, I could, if I were to cut and paste the html from an older post with a link, but that just seems like too much work just about now, and since I am using my account on my parent's computer, instead of my own, I didn't want to be downloading firefox just to have a more complete toolbar. I know I am lazy. So what?
5) Learned the french word for: to astound, astonish, shock or surprise!
6) Went to bed at 1:43 am EST.
1) Began and finished "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" by Mark Haddon.
It was a quick read and I am on vacation, and as is always true, I read much faster when it is not required of me. I know I am hopelessly behind on the best-seller list (actually, I don't even know what is on it, I confess) but this was a fabulous book. I was reminded of our NH neighbor Robert who is home-schooled, along with his brothers and at 15 is taking classes at MIT, but is still one of the quirkiest kids around. I remember when he was 11 and he was explaining to me and my mom the double helix structure of DNA and how all the puzzle pieces (which I also confess to have set somewhere else in my memory) intertwined, the R and the T etc... I was astonished by Haddon's ability to truly capture a mind incapable of abstraction, the true idiot-savant... and I was also reminded of the interesting classes on educational psychology I took in which we examined the characteristics of emotional development. How is it that some people get trapped? Curious.
2) Forced myself to go shopping, again. It would be criminal to not take advantage of NH's no sales tax, I mean, the government should not have any more of my money than it already does to do the terrible things that it does to the environment and humanity... Although, I was noticing that unlike in CA, bathrooms are not all furnished, in fact hardly at all, with protective seat covers, which requires either a) a hovering balancing act in the bathroom, or b) a blatant disregard for one's own physical well-being. I'll leave you guessing as to which school I profess allegiance. And then I thought that maybe this was precisely because of the lack of taxes, that is, maybe all our tax money in CA is *really* being flushed down the toilet, I mean there could have been contractors bidding for the paper supply and the highest bidder winning, right? But then I remembered that the same lack of sanitary precautions was true in Massachusetts, which does in fact have quite a bit of tax, thereby declaring null and void my prior argument. In any case, I digress.
The good news is, I am now the proud owner of:
a) Finally!!! good hiking boots from EMS that won't rip holes in my heels and into which I can fit my custom insoles.
b) lightweight hiking socks
c) high-impact sports bra for making myself go to the gym (this is agenda number 1 for the summer, I must pick an arbitrary time, say high noon, and go every day until it is no longer a chore - Laura says this takes three weeks.)
d) not one, but three, new bathing suits from LL Bean's outlet store for a grand total of US$56.
This forced shopping, after which I groaned at my mother that I couldn't take much more (I. loves shopping) produced other ripple effects, like:
a) I ran into my old boss, the ex-principal of the school at which I taught, as we were both shopping for hiking boots. It was a shock, not unpleasant, to see her, as I would have had no other news of her, being a personna non grata these days under the new administration.
b) put us in Nashua at the perfect time to meet Paula, Melissa's mom, for Vietnamese food. After which we got to see the wedding pictures of the wedding to which I wish I could have gone in Xalapa:( You looked beautiful, Melissa, if you are reading this (I think you did last week) but I know that internet is a bit shaky since you've moved to Puerto Peñasco.
3) Took I. to Mack's apples for ice cream before closing, one of her few remaining goals for this visit. Now if any of you are familiar (which most of you are, as you lived here longer than I, but bear with me for those who are not from here) with small-town New England (or anywhere probably) every town has one random gathering spot, that may have no rhyme nor reason, but remains a social hub nonetheless. For Londonderry, Mack's is it. There are wonderful trails that go up into the orchards and cross the river, and every season offers its delight: Fall = Pumpkins and U-Pick apples and the annual scarecrow dress-up competition among local groups and individuals. This is my personal favorite as the leaves are turning and October offers its blazing blue skies and crisp air, moist, vaguely sweet with the early rot of the leaves on the ground as they compost themselves in piles. Winter = sledding down the big hill and skating on frozen ponds. Spring = strawberry picking, nature walks and food for the voracious ducks and geese, and Summer = ice cream all day, every day from 10am to 9pm. Smack dab in the middle of town, Mammoth Road before you get to 102. Needless to say I ran into various ex-students, one being my most hideous problem child from last year, but even to him I could smile and genuinely tell him that I love CA, and that I hoped he was well (no lie). I also encountered the librarian who was one of my favorite people, the mother of one of my ex-classmates, and an all-around interesting lady.
4) Visited the CVS where I accomplished the following:
a) Procured thumb splint for this nasty tendonitis in my left hand, which is most likely aggravated by typing, but almost certainly caused by lifting a small person repeatedly with thumbs inserted under armpits. This is truly bad form, but what do you do when you have a sick child who requires you to hold her? The immobility helps, I think.
b) Acquired not one, but two forms of lipstick, and one mascara. What??? I know, Jenny's girly ways tempted me, for a brief moment, to be just a little more "sexy" (as I. would call it!) And since I threw away the old scraps from my last splurge because the make-up made me ill, I needed new stuff, if only to let it sit for the next five years). This of course may well be due to infection by cats (and to understand this you must go read Jenny's post on the effect of a certain protozoan cat parasite on human females.) Sorry, can't link with Safari... I mean, I could, if I were to cut and paste the html from an older post with a link, but that just seems like too much work just about now, and since I am using my account on my parent's computer, instead of my own, I didn't want to be downloading firefox just to have a more complete toolbar. I know I am lazy. So what?
5) Learned the french word for: to astound, astonish, shock or surprise!
6) Went to bed at 1:43 am EST.
posted by ilana at 10:01 p.m.
2 Comments:
How is it that some people get trapped?
Emotionally, we're all trapped. It's just that most people are trapped in such a way that they don't recognise it, or those around them don't recognise it and point it out because they are trapped in exactly the same way of thinking themselves.
perhaps that is true, in the vaguest of ways, which corresponds to the vaguesness of the initial statement. as i reread myself i think i may well have been pointing out my own emotional entrapment and inability to move past a certain point in my life. then again. maybe not. it might have been directed to someone else altogether or no one at all. so much for authorial intent. in any case, i agree that the book was wonderful because of its ability to immerse the reader in the reality of living with aspberger's, so much so that it permeated into the writing of the last post. call it sympathetic pangs, or what have you.
but yes, habits of mind are indeed enslaving, and collective habits of mind that are culturally enforced, even moreso...
liberating indeed.
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