A stick, a karat and a string

In reality the great guy and girl rarely get together. Sometimes the good guy and girl do, often the bad guy and girl unite their inadequacies, But the Greats tend not to. People are like gems. The purest have been through fire, they have had all their ore chipped away quite painfully. If a jewel were animate, would it be grateful for the cleansing, or only embarrassed of it's previous state? Would it realize it's current beauty or only remember how it began? And would the hardest diamond believe that a pairing with malleable gold could be anything more than a dream?

dead ends and flying beds

while navigating a downtown neighbourhood, a friend and I tried to slip through an alley for a shortcut. as we reached the dead-end a construction worker appeared, dirty and perfect.
"Hello." said he.
"Can we get through this way?"
"sure."
At this point another perfect construction worker arrived with a wheelbarrow.
"where are you trying to get?" asked the first?
"just to the next street over."
"It doesn't go all the way through," spoke Hottie #2
As we beat our embarrassed retreat the workers offered us a job moving dirt with them. We should have accepted.
This simple narrative leads to the complex question, "How many perfect opportunities does a person get?" the answer to follow.

Later that day I spent a lot of time in the company of children. This is one of my favourite pastimes, and one of my favourite families with which to share said pastime. I told them a flying bed story as we drove along and they listened in silence, save for gasps and nervous questions. It was idyllic.

Answer: None. All we get are the opportunities we take, whatever comes of them is neither predictable nor perfect.

Singleness

The unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit.

1 Corinthians 7:34a

            There is a vast, renewable resource in North America that has been largely passed over. 'Adolescence' is considered the transitional stage from childhood to adulthood. Some might say that it is not a necessary stage to go through, that it is superfluous and should be done away with. That is surely a bit extreme, it should simply be over in a matter of seconds. The rut that is created by the establishment of this demographic, neither youth nor adult, is an ever-deepening one. 13-19 years of age may seem justifiable, yet why not 21? ...29? The reason this rut is a rut and not something more pleasant, like a reservoir, is that there is little or no productivity coming from the people in this category. They are just figuring things out, their future career, their sexual orientation, their political and economic identity... Excellence in this age group is the exception, with no impetus for emulation.

            The amount of free time a young adult has is rarely achievable at any other age. Older people have responsibilities like families, that are certainly worthy of their time. What aged person has not looked back and cursed themselves for the opportunities they passed by in youth? The first obstacle to time management is a lack of self discipline. Discipline may not have been administered in childhood, or perhaps over-zealously inflicted, so that one may think, "That discipline business is a load of rot, I shall simply not use it." Which leads to debt piling, relationships failing, classes flunking and other undesirable, but not immediately felt consequences. It is all too easy to live in this culture without any painful results for acting foolishly. At what other time is it not only acceptable, but common practice, to quit a job on a whim and move back to one's parents, or fall back on employment insurance? Most grow to understand the necessity of discipline in achieving success, but few ever embrace it as the blessing it is.

            Another dangerous habit of adolescents that is encouraged everywhere is the desire to have endless strings of romantic entanglements. The scars left behind will probably not be realized for years, but when found they are indelible. Why do the older, wiser generations not tell of this trauma to the ones that can still avoid it? Multiple relationships teach the way to get over heartbreak, it does not in any way increase one's ability to love a spouse. That is best learned by amateurs. Love comes naturally to humans, practicing it on numerous partners adds nothing to it.

            It is also unproductive, and often destructive to entertain close friendships with the opposite sex. It may seem nice to have a sibling-figure, but at risk of stating the obvious, people can't be a sibling to others unless they are their sibling.

            What should be done in this time? Caring for others, volunteering, throwing one's self into schooling or a career, saving money, all things uniquely possible at this age. A huge group of people written off from contributing to society, who are inimitably gifted to do so. And all these things practice self-discipline and set up good habits for success in adulthood. How much better could a marriage be if both partners had been practicing selflessness for years? And just as a bonus, imagine neither of them have had previous relationships, so they are working with a blank slate. Blank slates are much easier to learn on. On the other hand, if one never marries, but has created good habits instead of bad, they probably will not wake up at 35 feeling like they have not accomplished anything. They will most likely realize that they have built a model of how the rest of their life can go.

            

Sup Theory

pronounced soup theery

This theory classifies people in 3 groups "sups" or super-legitimate (legitimacy referring to their compliance with the archetypal human), "meds" medium-legitimate and "uns" un-legitimate. It's extremely judgemental sounding, just wait.
Sups are characterized by selflessness, wisdom and knowledge, maturity, family and community involvement, balanced finances, and at least some social skills. They are rare.
Meds are less rare. They are aiming to be Sups and are just not quite there.
Uns have no desire to improve and are skating along doing what they wish. Most fall into this category.

My theory mainly surrounds the intermarriage of these 3 groups. Lots of uns and meds marry within their label or marry each other. Sups seem to be the exception, perhaps because there are so few examples that come to mind. They tend not to marry other sups, often marrying both meds and uns. This is a strange anomaly, since it would seem that two sups would create an exceptional family unit and do much more together than they could alone, or than they could while married to lesser levels of legitimacy. See how much more judgemental this got? I told you to wait.

I think my dad is super skilled and smart. He taught me so many cool things so that i can impress boys with my knowledge. He is really special and nice.
how many people caught that that is actually my uncle? sorry dad, no pictures.

one last Tolstoy...

"Levin had been married three months. He was happy, but not at all in the way he had expected to be. At every step he found his former dreams disappointed, and new, unexpected surprises of happiness. He was happy; but on entering upon family life he saw at every step that it was utterly different from what he had imagined. At every step he experienced what a man would experience who, after admiring the smooth, happy course of a little boat on a lake, should get himself into that little boat. He saw that it was not all sitting still, floating smoothly; that one had to think too, not for an instant to forget where one was floating; and that there was water under one, and that one must row; and that his unaccustomed hands would be sore; and that it was only to look at it that was easy; but that doing it, though very delightful, was very difficult." -Anna Karenina, Part V Chapter XIV

dis-topic

I've been really interested in dystopian fiction lately; and for some time past. But i think i'm done with that pursuit. It is so depressing, and not exactly functional in getting out messages. or propagating foolish and unnecessary messages. Of course governments' want power, but they don't often oppress their own people, just those of other countries. plus, what's the point of a warning without a solution? just to be immortalized with an "i told you so".
the hunger games, in the first book was about obsession with entertainment, and disgustingness of reality t.v. Suzanne should have stuck with that theme. it was a lot more interesting.

on a philological note, the concept of language as a tool to control thought. very interesting. minimizing interpretations. clarity and brevity.

2 Kings 9

³⁰ When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. ³¹ And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?” ³² And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. ³³ He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her.³⁴ Then he went in and ate and drank. And he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king's daughter.”


Jehu is among my favourite kings. in fact he's # 4 or 5. It's important to know the order of things, clearly it was time for a snack and then see to the burial. it all worked out, right? Also note that mocking/sarcasm in verse 31 is not a good thing to use in the face of imminent death from a really good archer. It's too bad Jehu wasn't more well rounded, he seems only good at killing and being intense.

a Story

recently i made something up. I manufactured feelings, built an ideal and comfortably set myself in for the show. but very quickly - shortly into Act I - i got a shock. the characters weren't behaving the way i'd planned, and even the feelings didn't seem very convincing. i was disappointed. i got annoyed with the Playwright.

but then i realized one of the lower characters had been misreading the script.

All the characters are best when reading the script. going off-book doesn't improve in this Play. This includes adding side-acts that don't contribute to the flow of the story.

Tolstoy again

I have this feeling that i'm on the verge of a breakthrough. That my thinking will be revolutionized when i finish this book. it's exciting and a little scary.

Tolstoy

Dear Konstantin Levin
 I think you are highly underrated. I would love to talk to you about your farm and shooting and cattle. I definitely would not have fallen for that pathetic officer were I Kitty. Nor could I have resisted your awkward conversation and mocking of my friends. You have no patience for people dancing around the truth, and lack of moral perfection in others. I'm the same way, let me tell you.
 Lets go skating.
rachael.

Anna Karenina is the best book I've read in a while. Realism of characters is spot on.

Lewy

Rereading Out of the Silent Planet. I don't think I grasped much of it in the first reading. at least I didn't retain much.

            Man travels to Mars and finds a world that didn't fall as ours did. There are three rational creatures on Malacandra, the Hrossa, Seroni, and Pfifltriggi. they work together in perfect unity, each doing what it does best and appreciating what the others do. The hrossa are otter-like and great poets. Seroni are wise and collect all the knowledge and the Pfifltriggi are incredible blacksmiths and miners and sculptors. Ransom, the main man (aptly named) is wandering alone on their planet trying to make sense of the perfect harmony. fortunately he accepts their camaraderie fairly quickly. Lewis put a lot of his considerable intellect into imagining this world. They have no word for bad in their language, nor guilt or shame. they appreciate things as they come and go and do not hold on to or rush their lives. It really makes sense as a perfect world.

            "A pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered. You are speaking Hman, as if the pleasure were one thing and the memory another. It is all one thing. the seroni could say it better than I say it now. Not better than I could say it in a poem. When you and I met, the meeting was over very shortly, it was nothing. Now it is growing something as we remember it. But still we know very little about it. What it will be when i remember it as I lay down to die, what it makes in me all my days until then - that is the real meeting. The other is only the beginning of it." Hyoi the Hross.

" 'We thought it,' said the sorn, 'and the pfifltriggi made it.'

'Why do they make them,' said Ransom. He was trying once more, with his insufficient vocabulary, to find out the political and economic framework of Malacandrian life.

'They like making things,' said Augray. 'it is true they like best the making of things that are only good to look at and of no use. But sometimes when they are tired of that they will make things for us, things we have thought, provided they are difficult enough. They have not patience to make easy things however useful they would be.' "

" 'Does no one keep your people at their work, Kanakaberaka?'

'Our females,' said the pfifltrigg with a piping noise which was apparently his equivalent for a laugh.

'Are your females of more account among you than those of the other hnau among them?'

'Very greatly. The sorns make least account of females and we make most.' "

Macedonians and schools thereof

I have recently made a new acquaintance, his name is Steve and he's a tailor.
"Hi, i'm interested in learning custom tailoring..."
Steve in the midst of checking a suit on the manikin looks up, "Okay, you know how to do the sleeve? this is in the wrong spot I have to move it a 1/4" like so... Come on! you can watch."
2 hours later I left for dinner.
some of his favourite quotes: "it's not easy..." "do another job, it's not easy!"
so he's going to teach me how to do bespoke men's suits. he took 3 years to learn, but I don't think he realizes that I have a perfectly functioning ground work. I observed yesterday as he finished he sleeves and closed the lining of a suit, and if I only observe the beginning of the process once I'm confident I could do it myself. Not to the same degree of perfection, but successfully.
He hand bastes EVERYTHING first and hand stitches a lot. He said the jacket he was working on took 16 hours. slightly excessive, but SOOO much fun. he wouldn't let me finish hand stitching the lining, but maybe today I can do something. The hand stitching is definitely where the precision of fit and hang come in. But I really don't understand the difficulty, unless he meant "it's not easy [to make money]". But that is much less important than enjoyment. It seems like a very economical career if one doesn't own a shop, but takes commission work or works from home.

As you can see I have it all figured out. Looks like my teacher to class isn't coming so I think I'll head off to hang out with Steve.

I'm so unimpressed with myself. i read this book a while back called "the personality surgeon". it was really interesting, written like a novel, but based on actual characters i think. the idea was that this man would film interviews with people and then doctor the films to show the persons best features, or to make the person see themselves the way others do. it changed peoples' confidence, making them alter slightly, in a way that made them more likeable. i never questioned the ethics before, but that sum-up makes it sound awful.
anyways, i'd like that. I'm so terribly awkward.

recent experience

I'm not sure i understand myself nearly as well as i thought. lately i realized that i am very foolish. i know you know. I somehow overlooked a situation/person who has amazing value, and i can't figure out why. it's like i was literally blind. literally.