Thursday 28 January 2016

Pondering

So cold.
So very very cold.
But my mind is ticking away - ideas heating it up

The fella and I have started university.
We are attending The College of Long Nights. We are the only two students and we are also the only two instructors. I'm taking one course now (just until I get going). It is Moby Dick. The course consists of me reading the book and then discussing it with the fella who has read it several times.  The fella is taking Dante's Inferno which he will then discuss with me. He's going to start Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (a self-directed course using the book of the same name), and I'm soon to start Important Elements in Understanding WWII offered by the fella. It's all terribly exciting. I don't think there will be any papers or exams but we will have to respond to that old exam question: Discuss.

I'm enjoying Moby Dick. It is a lot more humorous than I thought it would be. I'm not sure why I thought it would be rather dry and boring - it certainly isn't. I read Captain Ahab's Wife (Or The Star Gazer) by Sena Jeter Naslund last year so it is fun seeing how closely the author followed her inspiration. Not sure how the fella is doing with Dante's Inferno. I might just ask him to read certain Cantos aloud to me. I love his reading voice. When he is taking the drawing course (which I've already done) I can draw along with him so that'll be fun. As to the WWII class - he has to instruct me on what to read. I don't need to have his grasp of the subject - just a better one than I have.

Other antidotes to the desire to simply go to bed at 7:30 are becoming involved with a group looking into representational voting in Canada - a wonderfully confusing topic that will eat up hours with debate; reading Bill Bryson's The Road to Little Dribbling and positively losing it with laughter; trying to teach the dog to beg - which lasted about 45 seconds. Not everything works. We're rather tired of Netflix for instance. I can't bear all the mean cold thrillers out there. I'm full up with Scottish, Danish, Norwegian and British detectives who are submerged in mental states to dire to contemplate. Please refrain from suggesting ones I'm sure to like - I won't. I only want to watch Rake over and over again. So there.

And of course - cooking nice food, cuddling, talking to friends back home, and maybe going back to teaching myself the piano.

Winter is long.

9 comments:

  1. I really like the way you and your Mr. are learning from each other, Jan. And what a nice way to pass a long, cold couple of months.

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    1. About those murder and brilliant detective shows... In my next life when I get to do my PHD it will be on the comparative number of pretty white blond young women who get rescued after a series of male or non-white women have been tortured and killed. Of course the pretty white woman has to have a little torture just to create the emergency, but really. I'm with you about not watching those thrillers, they just upset me. A great antidote to those are your beautiful photos and my learning to ski again after 10 years and weakening knees.

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  2. Rake? Rake? How very well come I missed that, h'm. Will check out. Though I'm with you on Netflix, was on a gobbly frenzy for a while and I should really pull the plug.

    Goodonya and Fellah for improving the mind in a cold climate - there's a good title for the book you're going to write.

    XO
    WWW

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  3. Sounds like a fine way to while away winter. Home university! I like it.

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  4. Gosh, I love you two! What is it with Dante's Inferno? IN the last year it keeps popping up in books, television shows, movies...maybe I should read it too? IN the meantime I am snuggled up to my sewing machine making little bags. Very therapeutic. Considering embellishment for these, maybe stamp fabric, gelli print.... The drawing got too work-like so went to fabric, keep thinking of the quilt woman in Sketchbook Skool. Love the textures. Not looking too far into the future, attempting play.

    In the meantime Janie has had a new knee and is recovering splendidly. Already she walks better than before the surgery. My secret plan is to get her up and walking and walking some more. Maybe a hike. OOOOh no!!!

    Enjoy your university. Sounds like my kind of university....discuss.
    Hugs to you both, Kathy

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