Earth Hour

We participated in Earth Hour yesterday. I don't think any of our neighbours really did, but we shut off the lights and computers and whatnot and had fun by candlelight with the kiddies and niece and nephew.

Playing Blockus

The boys play with superheroes

The girls play dominoes

The fish observe Earth Hour by turning off their tank light

Fun was had by all.

Internet Problems Revealed, Solved!

A very helpful technician from Bell showed up today to fix our wireline (finally, it only took them three months to figure out it needed to be done). Since we moved in January to our awesome and lovely century home, the internet has been a continuous problem (you can only imagine my horror), either not working at all, or working very slowly or only half working (in spite of the fact that we're in a 6 zone or something). He replaced a bunch of sub-standard wire not fit for internet. He also removed the thing you see above, "the original phone box" which routed the line from the street throughout the house. The very nice tech thinks it was probably installed around the time of the war. And I don't mean the Iraq war, part one or part two.

The fact that the internet worked at all routing through that old technology makes me kind of impressed. We have a brand new, modern phone box encased in grey plastic. It works a lot better, which makes me happy and all, but it's certainly not as pretty or interesting to look at as the original ceramic piece. Another antique for our collection.

Turning (No, Not Turing)

This past weekend I celebrated my naissance by throwing a party for someone else. AHC got hired by the boss/friend of a friend to do a fancy dinner and I went along to help him out because a) it was a Saturday night and being out without the kids is almost a date b) the business is 50% mine so all of my control-freak instincts are completely reasonable and c) AHC is really in his element in this type of setting and I rather enjoy watching him practice his craft and supporting him when I can.

In spite of not really partying for myself, there was undeniable satisfaction in the work. I spent my time making stemware sparkle, setting the table (when in doubt, Emily Post), preparing party favours (AHC's balsamic reduction in little jars for the guests), doing dishes (yes, dishes), helping plate to courses and serve them, and occasionally giving presentation advice (I saved him from making an error in judgment on the Roma tomato & boconcini salad).

What I was doing was labour, an interesting fact given the recent work Trixie and I did on slavery and technology and higher pursuits versus lower pursuits. It's a nice change from school, which, at its worst, is not much more than intellectual wanking. At its best, it's something really interesting and worthwhile, but I have alluded in my recent posts to my sense it's just been a lot of wanking this year. (My perspective changed recently after the presentation Zen I experienced with Trix a week ago. I'm feeling a lot more energetic about the thoughtful pursuits these days). Intellectual fatigue is something much different than the physical fatigue that hits after you've been on your feet for 7 hours labouring. Helping AHC on a few occasions these past few weeks has provided a nice counterpoint to my other life.

So there it is. I turned 30 in someone else's kitchen doing something that we both like to do. (I even have my own whites, which make me feel slightly like a poseur, but AHC assures me I'm just fine.) I'm not one of those people who freaks out about getting older. I still believe that the farther I get away from my adolescence, the better. I will, however, look forward to a time in my life when my birthday won't fall at the end of the semester (no one is in the mood to have fun!).

On a scale of Un to Zen

"If you understand, things are as they are. If you do not understand, things are as they are."

One liner

I have just been reading a number of articles for my Robots class (yes, Robots!), and I was struck by this line from Duncan Kennedy:

"I think their answers to questions like those I have been addressing are just made up out of whole cloth to....scratch the itch of existential dread before the unknowableness of the most important things in life."*

Like, wow. I totally know how that feels, and I think it beautifully puts words to the unease of my current state of mind.


*"Toward A Critical Phenomenology of Judging" in Allan C. Hutchison and Patrick Monahan eds., The Rule of Law:Ideal or Ideology (Toronto: Carswell, 1987).

Stick(er) it to 'em

In an effort to motivate me at school (she's not deaf, obviously she's heard me complaining some this time around), my adorable child has provided me with the above selection of stickers and helpful advice on how to use them to get my work done. She suggests setting a timer and setting a goal for myself in the allotted time. If I am successful, she says I can give myself a sticker to decorate my computer.

When I talk to her at night, she frequently asks me if I got any stickers today. This invariably makes me smile. And because I don't want to a) lie to her and b) disappoint her, I find myself using this system of mild-mannered behaviour modification.

In so many ways, she has truly changed my life.