Review: Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Take a walk on the dark side...
I read Lord of the Flies long ago, so I was ready for a new take on the classic. Fortunately, it was long enough ago that I didn't remember the plot details. Oh my, what dark sides we humans have.... and so interesting to see how they come out. Good vs evil. Dark vs light. Excellent narration, which really added to my experience ~ I felt I 'got' the characters.

View all my reviews

Review: I Am Spock

I Am Spock by Leonard Nimoy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Spock and Nimoy reflect...
What a fabulous little book! My only complaint is that it was too short. Well, actually, it didn't leave me wanting, I just didn't want it to end. Great narration from Nimoy. My favourite parts were the conversations he had with Spock in his head. It really was a partnership. A must listen for all Trekkies. LLAP

View all my reviews

Quotes from the diary study 4

Be the change you want to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandhi

Life is what happens to us while we are busy making plans. - Allen Saunders (although often misattributed to John Lennon)

Do you prefer physical books or audiobooks?

That's the question I answered in a Goodreads poll today. Then I posted this:


I voted audiobooks, but I will clarify.

Always love a book I can hold in my hands.

As technology started taking a greater role in my life, I started reading less. I didn't even notice at first. Then I noticed my concentration started to slip, and so began a slow slide. I was listening to podcasts, a lot, and found I enjoyed drawing at the same time. And once I was drawing a couple hours a day, I found I had less time for reading.

Audiobooks saved me.

I started listening to Audible books about 3 years ago, and have 'read' more in that time than the previous 6-7 years. What I like about an audiobook is that I can draw while I am listening. I always have one on the go.

To me it's more about the convenience and the ability to draw while reading, but I do enjoy the narration (when it's a good narrator!). The great thing is that this brought me back to physical books, which I am enjoying again. Now when I have two books on the go, it's one of each.

I don't think audiobooks should be scorned, but I will never try to convince you that they are better than a physical book, or that you should give them up.

I will always believe in books and my shelves are still full.

Is there a name for this?

I had one of those moments today, when I was updating my LinkedIn profile, and up pops a face in the jumble of a feed of 'what are your connections doing now' stuff. And it was my friend Floyd, who sadly passed away a few years ago of sickle-cell anaemia. He was a former colleague, an brilliant artist and an incredible shining light.

This type of thing always gives me pause.

I remember the first time I came across a friend's name in my email contacts who was gone. Space opened up. Time stood still. What do I do? Delete him? Hell no. Ken was more of an acquaintance than a close friend, but a friend nonetheless. He'd survived AIDS for many years, but it finally took him. And there was no way I was going to click 'delete'.

Of course I'd lost people before, but before email.

I've had a similar experience since, more than once, when cleaning out email, and I've come across an email from someone now deceased. Whoa. Full stop. I can't help but pause. And reflect. Usually with a breath or two, I can honour their memory, and move on.

Definitely not so easy if they committed suicide, however, as I am touched by the tragedy all over again. Remembering both Leah and Jodi on that one.

On the flipside today, as I found myself wanting to look at Floyd's art, his website is gone and his domain is for sale... they very thing that might be tangible in all this has vanished. So strange.

And it's often made me reflect on this phenomena, where the dead spontaneously appear in our technology-powered lives. I wonder if it's been studied, and if it has a name.

Floyd Sandiford
aka artist Floyd Sinclair
RIP buddy

Anyways, I believe that finding Floyd's smiling face looking right at me was no coincidence, and I've spent much of the day thinking about him. I have no doubt he is very busy right now, giving comfort to some, and encouraging to others to fight for their lives. I'm not just remembering him, but I can actually hear his voice and how he would pronounce my name when he'd say, "Hey, Roberta, how's it going?" And its impossible for me to look into those eyes without tearing up. I am so lucky to have been touched by this beautiful soul in my life, and he inspires me, especially at a time when one needs inspiration.

I did manage to find a few pictures of Floyd's art though, a few of which I have posted below. I've posted more in my RIP Floyd post in 2018. 

Quotes from the diary study 3

For every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

You can't always get what you want

Grooving to a fav Rolling Stones number that seems to fit my mood today... (SO glad I saw them on their Bigger Bang concert tour in 2006):

"You Can't Always Get What You Want"

The Rolling Stones (Milwaukee, 2015)
Left to right, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood,
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would meet her connection
At her feet was a footloose man
No, you can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime you find
You get what you need

You Can't Always Get What You Want,
written by Mick Jagger and
Keith Richards,  was released  in 1969
on the Let It Bleed album

Read an interesting story about
the song on Song Meanings and Facts

I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she was gonna meet her connection
At her feet was a footloose man
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need

And I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration
If we don't we're gonna blow a 50-amp fuse"
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find
You get what you need
Yeah, oh baby

The famed Chelsea Drugstore in west London,
mentioned in the lyrics of the Rolling Stones'
You Can't Always Get What You Want.

Chelsea Drugstore was so much more than a pharmacy.
Arranged over three floors, and open for up to
16 hours a day, the shop featured bars, a chemist,
newsstands, record stores and other concessions.

The Chelsea Drugstore operated from 1968-1971.
The sleek, modern travertine and brushed steel
building was designed by architect Antony Cloughley
and designer Colin Golding of GCB Associates. 

I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was "dead"
I said to him
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You get what you need
Oh, yeah

You get what you need
Yeah, oh baby

I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
She was practiced at the art of deception
Well I could tell by her blood-stained hands
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need

Source: AZLyrics

Prurient

My word of the day: prurient

Here is the reference, heard in the audiobook I am currently listening to (A Tale for the Time Being, by Ruth Ozeki)*:

"Ruth's curiosity was piqued. It was clearly a diary of some kind. She examined the cover again. Should she read it? Deliberately now, she turned to the first page, feeling vaguely prurient, like an eavesdropper, or a peeping Tom..."

Definition of prurient from Lexico

*About that book, here is the Audible review that convinced me to buy it:

"I bought this audiobook 5 years ago now. I've listened to it more than 10 times - at least twice each year - and it never gets old, never loses one bit of its magic. the author narrates the story beautifully and intimately brings each character to life. in my opinion, there's nothing in this world better than the kind of fiction that sweeps you in and immerses you entirely. if that brings you as much joy as it does me, I highly recommend A Tale for the Time Being."

Students as historians

Came across this interesting piece directed at students and how they can contribute to the historical record by documenting their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Check it out...

While finishing up hectic finals schedules and trying to sort out summer plans, it can be tempting to only focus  on when this will be over –– when students can return to campus, see their friends again and resume “normal” activities. Given how all-consuming the news surrounding the pandemic has become, it’s no surprise that the focus remains how to get through it. Everyone wants this to be over soon. But, it is equally important to document the small ways the virus has impacted everyday life — to recognize and record its effects. By writing, journaling and creating, students can play a role in the collection of history... [continue reading in the Daily Trojan].

Students should make a record of their life during the coronavirus pandemic - Daily Trojan

On boredom

Out of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom,
by James Danckert and John Eastwood
Listen to the interview on CBC's The Current

Heard an interesting interview today with 2 Canadian experts on boredom, prior to their upcoming book launch. It's a topic that would always be interesting to me, but of course, in the time of isolation, it is particularly timely. I don't often experience boredom, and sometimes express disbelief when people say they are bored... there is always something to learn about! Give me a stack of books, some art supplies and an internet connection and it is hard to imagine getting bored. Yet, it does happen occasionally. And when it does, I think about the creativity to come, as it inevitably does. But it is uncomfortable in the moment. This interview, however, had me rethinking my frankly holier-than-thou attitude about when others are bored. Jeez, Roberta, give people a break, eh? Everyone experiences boredom differently. And for those who normally are running all the time, I have new appreciation for how they may be experiencing boredom at this time. I particularly enjoyed the aspect of the interview of how boredom emerges when we have a lack of agency over our own lives... interesting stuff. They didn't get into whether this differs for introverts and extroverts, as I suspect it does, but maybe that's a reason to get the book (no audiobook yet, fingers crossed...).

Anyways, it was fascinating, and worth a listen.

CBC's The Current's Matt Galloway interviewed James Danckert and John Eastwood, co-authors of Out of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom.
Listen to the interview (recommended)
About the book

What historians will see

There was a particularly good feature in the New York Times on how universities and institutions are encouraging people to document life during this pandemic. A few highlights...

StoryCorps, the story-sharing nonprofit, moved its platform online for the first time... 

Students at Neumann University in Pennsylvania set up a series called the Coronavirus Diaries on the school’s radio station, WNUW-FM... 

“A century ago, people told their stories in written journals,... Now, we are capturing people’s thoughts and experiences through social media posts, email, audio and photographs.”... [continue reading in the New York Times].

What Historians Will See When They Look Back on the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 - New York Times

Journal of the plague

Discovered an incredible site in my search for interesting ways in which museums are documenting life during a pandemic. It's been going for awhile, so I am glad I found out about it. What I like about it are how accessible it is (anyone can contribute) and how collaborative it is (I've copied the list of the curators below).

A Journal of the Plague Year: An Archive of COVID19

Join us in documenting our uncertain moment. We are acting not just as historians, but as chroniclers, recorders, memoirists, as image collectors. We invite you to share your experience and impressions of how CoVid19 has affected our lives, from the mundane to the extraordinary, including the ways things haven't changed at all. Share your story in text, images, video, tweets, texts, Facebook posts, Instagram or Snapchat memes, and screenshots of the news and emails--anything that speaks to paradoxes of the moment. Imagine, as we are, what future historian might need to write about and understand this historical moment... [continue reading the site's About page].

Curators

The site title was inspired
by Daniel Defoe's novel of
that name. First published in
March 1722 the novel,
A Journal of the Plague Year,
tells story of one man's experiences
 of the year 1665, in which the
bubonic plague shook London.

• Mark Tebeau, Public History, ASU
• Catherine O'Donnell, Arizona State University (ASU)
• Mills Kelly, George Mason University
• Andrew May, Melbourne History Workshop, University of Melbourne, Australia
• Mitchell Harrop, Melbourne History Workshop, University of Melbourne, Australia
• Victoria Cain, History, Northeastern University
• Jason Kelly, IUPUI
• Rebecca Wingo, University of Cincinnati
• Casey Ruble, Fordham University
• Micki McGee, Fordham University
• Juilee Decker, Rochester Institute of Technology
• Connie Zeanah Atkinson, Midlo Center, University of New Orleans
• Mary Niall Mitchell, Midlo Center, University of New Orleans
• Kathryn O'Dwyer, University of New Orleans
• Jessica Dauterive, RRCHNM, George Mason
• Amy Tyson, Depaul University
• Sharon Musher, Stockton University
• Andrew Schocket Bowling Green State University
• Maureen Barry, Bowling Green State University
• Susannah Ottoway, Carleton College
• Cathy Gudis, UC-Riverside & LA Skid Row Archive
• Nicki Tarulevicz, Hobart University
• Ariel Beaujot, University of Wisconsin--LaCrosse
• Brendan Lindsay, California State University--Sacremento
• Cheryl Jimenez Frei, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire
• Dave Ghamandi, University of Virginia
• Michelle Hamilton, University of Western Ontario
• Denise Bates, Arizona State University
• Terry Shoemaker, Arizona State University
• Susan Barrett, Arizona State University
• Katy Lasdow, Suffolk University
• Katy Kole de Peralta, Arizona State University
• Katie Clary, Coastal Carolina University
• Matt Casey, Arizona State University
• Michael Della Iacono, Suffolk University
• Nancy Berlage, Texas State University San Marcos
• Jaime Ding, Kennedy Library, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
• Brian Cwiek, Bates College
• Tom Beazley, ASU
• Erin Craft, ASU
• Christopher Bradley, ASU
• Marc Vance, ASU
• Lawson Miller, ASU
• Wendy Trakes, ASU
• Jordan Meyerl, UMASS Boston
• Ella Irmiter, Northeastern University
• Hanna Leatherman, Brown University
• Anjelica Oswald, Northeastern University
• Aaron Peterka, Northeastern University
• Abby Goldstein, Fordham University
• Alfie Paul, UMASS Boston
• Allinston Saulsberry, ASU
• Carmen Coury, Southern Connecticut State University
• Carolyn Goldstein, UMASS Boston
• Chris Parsons, Northeastern University
• David Duncan, UC-Santa Cruz
• Deborah Krieger, Brown University
• Doug Clouse, Fordham University
• Ellen Holt Werle, Macalester College
• Erin Hall, University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire
• Gregory Smoak, University of Utah
• Heather Monro Prescott, Central Connecticut State University
• Heather Perez, Stockton University
• Isabel Allen, ASU
• Jane Collins, UCLA
• Jennifer Long Morehart, Georgia State University
• Joey Dorion, ASU
• Julia Howington, Suffolk University
• Julie Paulesc, ASU
• Kate Levitt, Stony Brook University
• Ken Albers, George Mason University
• Kyle Minor, UIPUI
• Liza Black, Indiana University
• Marie-Louise Paulesc, ASU
• Molly Mitchell, University of New Orleans
• Nick Johnson, University of Munster
• Nicolette Paglioni, Georgia State University
• Oliver Ayers, New College of the Humanities
• Patricia Belen, Fordham University
• Rachel Reinhard, University of California Berkeley
• Rebecca Walker, Rochester Institute of Technology
• Rosanna Dent, New Jersey Institute of Technology
• Shane Carter, University of California Berkeley
• Tatiana Baxter, Vanderbilt University
• Taylor Griffith, Vanderbilt University
• Zoe Kahn, University of California Berkeley
• Tory L. Schendel Cox, Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science
• Thomas R. Lonnberg, Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science

A Journal of the Plague Year: An Archive of COVID19 - main website

Quotes from the diary study 2

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has. - attributed to Margaret Mead with some degree of uncertainty.

Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there someday. - A.A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)

COVID Diary 3

I've been reflecting on what I do and don't like about keeping a diary through this.

I have mixed feelings.

I thought at first that it might be interesting to record the experience of a solo who is pretty content overall. I wasn't having trouble isolating.

By recording my experiences, it's both helped and made things harder.

Helped in that it has made me more aware of what I am feeling, I am noticing nuances that might have slipped by me before. And I'm definitely being present.

Made things harder in that by being more present, I am not distancing from my feelings. It is pretty easy for me to get into a zone, and not really examine what is going on all around me, to let it wash over me, and just be. This is forcing me to notice, and by doing so, stuff is coming up more. I am more aware, but I'm also having to process more. That's not a bad thing, but it's a harder thing.

In the end, it is better to be present and process as I go, but I miss the 'luxury' of being able to get into a zone for days at a a time, largely untouched by outside factors. I've also had something personal open up my heart a bit, and that is naturally making my emotions closer to the surface.

Yesterday this manifested in me feeling terribly sad... hardly surprising considering the number of crisis and trauma floating in the ether (pandemic, Nova Scotia shootings, the downed Forces helicopter), coupled with my awareness of friends who are experiencing loss. What got me was hearing the emotions of a journalist after speaking to the mother of one of those lost in the helicopter crash. Not that I am stoic, but I usually like to know the stories; it feels like a way to honour those who have been scarred or who have left us. But I hit a limit yesterday, and it stuck right there in my throat. As I was feeling this, and doodling, I found a tragic face making itself visible on the page, a crying eye, and bringing it out brought everything to the surface.

I am fortunate in that I have skills learned from many years in therapy that I can turn to when I get emotional or stuck. I wasn't yet at the stage of being overwhelmed, let alone panicked, but I have a deep knowledge that even if it gets that bad, I can cope with it. I can process it, I can work it out. This gives me a lot of strength when the chips are down.

The time I learned this was upon my arrival in Athens in 2009, and I had a big dose of culture shock. I felt traumatized and it went very deep. It wasn't so much Athens itself, but I was vulnerable, and something tilted, and I was not doing well. It took me a couple of days to work through it, I think, but I was able to figure out what was going on, and dug deep to find myself, rescue me, and get grounded again. I write about that a bit in my blog (Arrival in Athens and Chocolate, worry beads and a Greek rainstorm), and although I did not reveal a lot, I remember what a mess I was. That experience has taught me how resilient I really am. And the knowledge of that has helped me a few times in recent years, when I hit a wall. In the present, I wasn't there (yet), was just feeling emotional, but I was reminded of this, and it gave me comfort.

In the end yesterday, I worked it through a bit, then mostly distracted myself for the day (with all news off), and gave myself time.

Today, I feel much better.... but it's also what inspired me to think about how documenting at this time is helping me, and not helping.

Not helping? No, it's not that. It can never be a bad thing to be present and to deal with one's stuff, but it IS harder.

Harder isn't a bad thing.

I think I'd rather have it be harder, and have to work it through, than not feel anything at all, or feel oblivious.

It's all good, it's all good....

Museums engage rapid response teams

A few more museum initiatives on documenting life during a pandemic:

London's Victoria and Albert Museum has
put its Rapid Response Collecting team to work

Museums Scramble to Document the Pandemic, Even as It Unfolds - New York Times

Around the world, the coronavirus outbreak has sent legions of emergency medical and health care workers into overdrive. But it has also meant work for a handful of curators and museum researchers in Europe, charged with tracking the events and implications of the crisis, even as it happens. Most of them do not know exactly how or when their findings will be used, but they are confident that future generations of museum workers — and visitors — will want the information... [continue reading the New York Times article].

The International Center of Photography
is collecting on Instagram (#ICPConcerned)

Museums Are Urgently Collecting Homemade Masks and Other Ephemera From the Coronavirus Pandemic to Document History as It Unfolds - ArtNet

Curators call the practice "urgent response collecting"... As many of our minds are focused on how to fight the spread of disease, museums are thinking about how to best document this unique period in history and to preserve elements of the crisis as it unfolds... As a starting point for the current crisis, the Museum of the City of New York and the International Center of Photography are both utilizing Instagram (under the respective hashtags #CovidStoriesNYC and #ICPConcerned)... [continue reading on ArtNet for more initiatives].

Quotes from the diary study

On the screen after submitting each COVID-19 Daily Diary Study entry, there is a quote, and I've decided to collect them (I might even ask them for the first ones). 

Here's today's:

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says 'I'll try again tomorrow.'

- Mary Anne Radmacher

COVID Diary 2

I've been poking at another entry in my COVID-19 Diary without making much progress, but it's not for a lack of focus. It's just that a couple other related activities have been taking my time.

One is the blogposts I have been writing on how museums are documenting life during a pandemic. Theses were interesting initially, but I don't think it will be long until I just say "all museums are doing something".

The other, and most importantly, is the is the COVID-19 Diary Study that I am participating in (and wrote about it here). It's very interesting, but is taking me 20-30 minutes each evening (I will get an output of my responses after 4 weeks, so I might post that, or part of it, at that time).

I feel that I am benefiting from the structure these activities have provided me, especially the daily diary study. It has made me aware of my state of mind, how much I am (or am not) listening to news, my health, and so on. For at least part of my day, I am absolutely present.

I have been listening to music while I do these, and have periodically paused to record what I have been grooving to.

Background music: Ain't Too Proud to Beg (Rolling Stones), Maggie May (Rod Stewart), Innagadadavida (Iron Butterfly), Straight On (Heart), Hush (Deep Purple), Carry On Wayward Son (Kansas), Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits), Won't Get Fooled Again (The Who), Touch Me (The Doors), Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple), Radar Love (Golden Earring)

Canadian Museum of Human Rights: Acts of Kindness

The Canadian Museum of Human Rights is asking,
"What acts of kindness have lifted your spirits
during the Covid-19 pandemic?” 

The UK based Museums Association has created guidelines for how museums should go about collecting pandemic-related content, as well as a toolkit.

In How are museums collecting during coronovirus shutdown? the association profiles 10 museums and their COVID-19 collection efforts, nine in the United Kingdom, and one in Canada(!).

Canadian Museum of Human Rights, Winnipeg 

The Canadian Museum of Human Rights is asking people to create and share videos responding to the question: “What acts of kindness have lifted your spirits during the Covid-19 pandemic?” Selected videos will then appear on the museum’s website (there are 16 videos so far).

To read what the nine UK museums are doing, continue reading on the association's website.

Royal BC Museum: Collecting For Our Time

I posted a few days ago about two interesting initiatives around diarizing life during COVID-19: Documenting life during a pandemic. Since then, I've heard a few more such stories, so will continue this as a little series, as I find them. 

Royal BC Museum - COVID-19: Collecting For Our Time

The Royal BC Museum recently launched a project that invites British Columbians to share stories of their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Collecting For Our Time demontrates how museums are evolving as spaces for reflection and dialog. By seeking contributions from the community, the project is also educating the public how and why museums collect. This involvement will help all of us treasure the long-term value of the collection.

"Right now we’re collecting information. So write to us at forourtime@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca. Tell us what you think should be captured for the future. What do you think will best tell generations to come who we were and what we lived through? You can send us a few lines, a link to a tweet, a photo or a poem... [continue reading on the RBCM website]."

Fake journals: I love it... and I missed it!

Fake journal? What's that?

I discovered it by accident, after clicking on the 'View my complete profile' to learn more about an interesting new-to-me blogger I'd found on Blogger (MHBD's Blog). That took me here, to MHBD's Fake Journal. After puzzling over it a bit, and not quite getting the premise, I turned to Google.

'What is Fake Journal Month?' took me to the Official International Fake Journal Blog, where I learned about the concept, it's creator, and it's 18 year history.

Although I was disappointed to learn that the IFJM had ended, and why, I was still curious as the the premise, especially when I learned that the founder was continuing the practice in private. Ah, there it is, the value of the fake journal was really for the individual, shared or not. That made me curious about those benefits.

Some highlights from the What is International Fake Journal Month page:

What is IFJM? Basically it’s a free pass to put anything in a journal that you might not otherwise put in. At least that’s one way to see it. From April first to April 30, you are encouraged to keep a fake journal different from and outside of your regular visual journal. Take on a new persona, alter ego, or be the same person you are now, except in an alternate universe. 

• Maybe you are a cat person and always draw cats, well for April you’ll start a fake journal and just draw birds, with a passion, as if they were the most important animal on the planet. 

• Maybe you want to live somewhere else? Well make a daily journal as if you are already there. 

• Perhaps you are always working in pencil. Now is the time to become that artist who always works in pen, just go for it. 

• Or if you are always image heavy in your journal, spend some time writing, pages and pages.

Interesting concept, eh? I think I may try it out. What twist will I take? I'm not sure, but one idea comes to mind: I draw daily and my doodles almost always include faces; I could challenge myself to just draw abstract for a month, and journal the experience. Will have to see. Thinking about a month later this year to do it.

CVD = COVID Diary

I've thought off-and-on about journalling throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but let it go, choosing instead to stick to my usual un-routine of journalling when I need it (none of this is public anyways).

Earlier, I shared highlights from two radio interviews about COVID-19 diaries: Documenting life during a pandemic.

Interesting, I thought, as I listened.... so am playing with the idea of blogging throughout this.

My perspective is that of a single female introvert, living alone, working at home, and feeling very grateful for everything: Canada, BC, our healthcare system, my health, my job, my apartment and all the time I have on my hands.

The pandemic aside, I am perfectly content to spend days alone. It's as natural as breathing for me. And considering I just spent 10 years living with family, after 30 years of living alone, I am especially grateful to have my own space. Physical space, but mental, emotional and spiritual space as well. I had largely lost touch with those aspects of myself after I began co-habitating, so this is more time along the path I have been on since December.

Background music: Under My Thumb (Rolling Stones), Heart of Gold (Neil Young), Down on Mainstreet (Bob Seger), White Lightening and Wine (Heart), Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin)

Documenting life during a pandemic

Today I listened to TWO interesting CBC Radio shows about pandemic diaries: who's keeping them, and why, and how they have value beyond the personal. It turns out there are a few initiatives to encourage recording this period for their historical value. A few highlights from each:

'We want it all': Keeping a COVID-19 diary? It could help future historians — and your mental health - The Current

Dr. Karen Blair, an assistant professor of psychology at St. Francis Xavier University... is part of a team that's collecting diary entries from those in the thick of isolation. They hope to shed light on how the pandemic is affecting mental health. Each day, participants check in with a short survey. Some even share details about their experiences that day."

It's so interesting that I have joined the COVID-19 Diary Study project.

The Current story resources
Keeping a COVID-19 diary? It could help future historians - podcast episode and transcript
COVID-19 Diary Study - join Dr. Karen Blair's project

National Museum of Denmark's
Christian Sune Pedersen is leading the journal project

Danes are sending their quarantine journals to the national museum - Day 6

"Lots of people are turning to social media to chronicle the monotony of quarantine, peppered with the brief excitement of sourdough starters and family kitchen parties. But folks in Denmark are taking it a step further, by sending pages of their lockdown journals to the national museum to preserve them for posterity. Conveniently, Denmark already has a blueprint for the journal experiment..."

They've done it before, in 1992 (when they received 51,000 entries) and again in 2017. An interesting listen.

Day 6 story resources
Danes are sending their quarantine journals to the national museum - podcast episode and transcript
National Museum of Denmark - official website (19 museums/sites)

Public Art: Johnson St Parkade

A block or so away from where I live sits the City of Victoria's Johnson Street Parkade, a non-descript cement faced structure. I've never paid much attention to it, including when I used it a few times in December, and walking past it multiple times. Yet, not long ago, I had my eyes up and my attention outward, I (finally) noticed the public art adorning it. And it's brilliant.

I dug a bit deeper, and found that it is called Woven Together, and was created in 2016 by Musqueam artist, Thomas Cannell, with his mother Susan Point (you may very well have seen his art on public installations throughout BC, or adorning BC Ferries new Salish Class ships - read Thomas Cannell's biography here).

From the 2015 announcement:

Woven Together will consist of colourful, powder-coated aluminum circular forms that are often used in Coast Salish art to represent the cycle of life, but also the traditional weaving spindle whorl and transportation. Colour will play a significant role in symbolizing cultures and different beliefs around the world all coming together to complete the circle. The centre will be made up of four eye motifs that create four butterfly images symbolizing the ability to accept change, metamorphosis, and the beauty of nature. The number four is important within First Nations culture as it represents the four winds, seasons, directions, elements, moons and peoples..." [read the full story here].

Related resources
Thomas Cannell lantern design - LunarFest 2020: Year of the Rat
Susan Point and Thomas Cannell to Create Public Art to Enhance Johnson Street Parkade - City of Victoria
Artwork revealed for Salish class ferries - Salish Sea Sentinel
Where Did the New Musqueam Banner Design Come From? - YVR Airport
Public artwork by Thomas Cannell ready to rise in Deer Lake Park - Georgia Strait
Thomas Cannell profile - Salish Weave Collection
Thomas Cannell, Creator - Westover profile
thomascannell.com - Thomas Cannell's website

Is it just me, or all introverts?

Listening to CBC today, and the various stories about how people are handling isolation, it left me feeling grateful for being who I am: an introvert who enjoys my own company and perfectly content to spends days on my own.

Aside of those with genuine concerns as a result of their health, family or work situation (which I have total empathy for), it was those who simply don't know what to do with themselves home along for long stretches that got my attention.

Beyond that, it was the ones that were feeling traumatized that interested me. Really? I don't say that in a sarcastic way, I say it in a "oh, so some people are really torn apart to be alone?". As in learning, and having my eyes opened. It was a comment by an extrovert that made the penny drop. I know that extroverts get their energy from others, but I don't think I'd understood how distressful it can be just to be alone for long stretches.

But perhaps I can understand, from the other side, as an introvert who just spent 10 years living with others and I almost lost my mind. If I don't spend copious amounts of time alone, I can't think, and I don't know who I am. I have no energy and I become desperate. Same thing, other side?

Anyways, I do not mind days at home alone. Having lived alone for 30 years, it's a common way of being for me, and I'm perfectly content. Since (finally) having my own place again, the days at home since December have been bliss.

Yes, I do like to do stuff, and not having access to coffee shops, and arts, and so on, is certainly missed, but it's not upsetting. Just think of the money I'll save!

Right now I have my headphones on, listening to jazz, with my feet up, and sun bouncing off the windows of the hotel across the street. Trying to decide which book I'll turn to after this, a historical novel set in Egypt in the 20's (a library score), or the Audible memoir of a woman who fell for a fake man. Wish I had more library books, but there is no lack of reading material here on my bursting bookshelves. And Audible is endless in terms of content.

I am quite happily living without TV, especially in current circumstances. CBC Radio One gives me pretty well all I need, without endless visuals of masks and hazmat suits to haunt me. Podcasts and online content fill in the rest. I'm actually not big into social media at the moment, but it's there if I need it. I've only recently been taking advantage of my Prime Video, maybe watching an hour or two most evenings, as distraction.

Then, there's silence.

Anyways... was curious as to whether other introverts feel the same. And if I was truly in isolation for weeks perhaps I'd feel differently, but I don't think so. Good thing, and I feel grateful that I am so well positioned to whether this storm.

It leaves me lots of room to learn about how others are coping without it overwhelming me.

And having this ah ha moment about how hard others are finding this is one such learning.

All quiet

It is 2:36 am. I woke up about 10 minutes ago, and in that time, I heard one truck go by. But that's it. No cars, no taxis, I can't even hear any traffic on Douglas. So eerie.

I live in the middle of it all in downtown Victoria, in what is usually a cacophony of cars, sirens, honking, voices, yelling, singing, and so on. Add to this the banging as the adjacent businesses take out their garbage and cardboard to the bins below my window. I happen to love being right here; the noise doesn't bother me, and is often entertaining. So the silence is so unusual.

It's early Friday morning, so I expect the most stunning silence will be in 24 hours, as the peeps who normally go clubbing will presumably have nowhere to go. No middle-of-the-night drunken antics on the street below.

And I've heard almost nothing since I started writing this, maybe 4/5 cars in 18 minutes.

Will write some reflections at a later time.

Museums in the age of COVID-19

Time just published a timely piece: 5 Ways to Bring Art Into Your Home While Museums Are Closed. A few highlights:

As part of widespread efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, many of the world’s major cultural institutions have closed their doors... these institutions’ closure brings a reminder of the importance of the museum’s place in society during times of need. Research has shown that viewing art can reduce stress and anxiety, increase motivation and serve as a mood booster... And museums also play a crucial role in creating a more empathic world. They preserve the past, remind us of our place in the present and give us hope for the future. But the inability to set foot in a museum for the foreseeable future need not be synonymous with the absence of art from people’s lives. Under the Instagram hashtag #MuseumFromHome, cultural institutions have shared several informative posts about their collections and other artworks in an effort to continue to share knowledge and culture with the public, despite the closings. And there are many other ways to get your arts and culture fix from home via the internet, exploring museums that would otherwise require a plane ride to visit..." [continue reading on Time].

5 Ways to Bring Art Into Your Home While Museums Are Closed - Time

Kettle, not black

I got my new kettle today.

I ordered it on eBay a month or two ago, and had kind of given up on it, but today it arrived, all the way from Germany (but made in China). I love the kettle itself ~ both for its beauty, and because I am tired of boiling water in a pot, which I have been doing since December 1st.

Now, it was a cheap kettle (my criteria were: attractive design, whistling-style, free shipping, and cheap), so my expectations were low, so overall I'm happy. But it came with built-in entertainment: the verbiage on the box. I'm guessing this is the result of bad free online translation tools. Beyond amusing, it is instructive as to how bad our English sounds when translated to other languages using such tools.

I've included pics below, but here is what it says, VERBATIM.

FLAT BOTTOM
Ball type kettle
Stailnless steel
THE COLOR

Elaborate, sharp edges, no accute angle
Carefully polished, no acute angle, sharp edge;
No filler welding, use more comfortable
Comfortable, at ease.

The anti-overflow kettle mouth cap
Exquisite safety cap and spout close,
to prevent too much water boiling device
After or water overflow, avoid open
Scalded by hot water.

Humanized design, elegant
The overall design of the kettle body together
Body, do not use retained water, hand
Comfortable handle, more human nature
The intimate and caring

Products with packaging material object as a standard

This product is applicable to various types of stoves and stoves
Electromagnetic furnace
Electric furnace
Gas stove
Side burner

Leaning Tower of Dallas

A wee bit of drama in Dallas, Texas this
week after a less-than-textbook demolition 

The locals are having a blast...

Here's my favourite story:

"As the infamous wrecking ball continues to tap away at the Leaning Tower of Dallas, Jerrel Sustaita is there to paint its progress. Since last week, the Dallas artist has stood before his easel outside the slanting building, painting acrylic impressions of the scene... When the tower finally falls, Sustaita will move on to another project, but he said he hopes his miniature art exhibition will find its way into a museum gallery. Although he’ll be printing copies of the paintings for sale, he said he wants the original pieces to remain together as a testament to the historic Leaning Tower of Dallas. “I’m not really interested in a situation where people buy it and take it off the wall,” he said. “I’d like it to stay up for a little while just for people to reminisce.”..." [read the full story on dmagazine].

Not your best demolition company ad...