Kant, solitude, and independence

It has been almost a month since I took possession of my apartment. A month tomorrow, actually, and my thoughts are many. The level of freedom goes beyond what I felt when I got my car. Just knowing I can go hither and yon without checking in with the rest of the family is remarkable. I was a little worried that I would not be able to handle being alone, but it's so far, so good. Of course, my folks don't live too far away, so I've been visiting them every other day for supper and conversation. I'm very fortunate to have such great parents. September is close at hand, and with it come the kids and so many other things. I'm excited to see the school year start.

Meanwhile, I recently read a bio of Immanuel Kant and found myself sorrowful by the end of it. This famous philosopher and essayist did not die young, nor did he die in the prime of his life. Instead, he reached well into old age before passing away. The feeling of loneliness and confusion was palpable. Imagine having to say goodbye to so many friends and then to what Kant must've considered his greatest of friends; his own mind. He fell apart, bit by bit, and rent my heart. His aging and fading away reminded me of Rush's 'Losing it' (from Signals). That song rends my heart as well. Manfred Kuehn wrote a fantastic book, and one I highly recommend.

I started into King Richard III the other day. The longest part of this kind of book is usually the Introduction, and this was no exception. Most would say: "Why bother looking through it?" I like looking through the Introduction as it usually discusses the evolution of the play, the characters, and anything else Shakespearean. I'll keep reading King Richard III and I'll get back to you. BYE.

Picture Test #2

Relaxing on a bench

Being a little cheeky

Back to School

I start back on the 27th to the schools and to those kids. My first year is done and my second year stretches out before me. I have plans and ideas for this second year, and no sign of an evaluation for a while to come. There are a couple things concerning me, but I'm going to keep those things at the back of my head until they get close enough to warrant worrying about. The big one is the Inventory. The last two times I did inventory were not pleasant affairs. I have some experience with the collections this time, though. If I had some time, I could methodically go through all the books on the LOST list and see if they found their way back onto the shelves. I've found two books so far that I could cross off the LOST list because they were on the shelves. Inventory is a little intimidating, but it's part of the job and needs to be done.
I've done two Book Fairs already, and there are two more Book Fairs ahead of me. I'm feeling so-so about that. Just need to get myself a few volunteers before November for the first one. Okay, I can worry and dwell on that later. Meanwhile, I'm catching up on my reading. Just finished reading an excellent book by Guy Gavriel Kay (Lord of emperors) and am starting a bio on Kant by Manfred Kuehn. Hope it's a good tome. On my future list of stuff to read, I'm going to revisit 'Andromeda strain' and then plumb the Shakespearean depths with 'Richard III' and then 'Two gentlemen of Verona'. I love going to the Library, even though my new base of operations has lousy parking.
Before I close this up, I want to say a few things about the Bachelor life. Some of my relatives joked that I've become a 'bachelorette'. The title sounds better than spinster, eh? Still, I'd rather be called a spinster over the female for bachelor -- it actually sounds better to my ears. I continue to make attempts at cooking a hamburger patty. Two screw-ups and one-and-a-half successes, I'm proud to say. I'm getting used to being by myself, and when work starts up again, I'll have much less time to kill during the day. I'll probably even get very good at cooking a patty. I also warmed up some soup for myself. Just didn't feel like having fries. I haven't had much success with fries. Maybe I should try cooking them in the oven and not the toaster oven.
Okay. That's all for the Wry Spinster. BYE.

Fill'er up!

Delving through earlier diaries yields a wealth of info. Diary #7 (2004-2006) brought me into contact with 2005, which was a rather tumultuous year on both a personal level and on a global level. I usually addressed the personal much more than the global in these pages, but events like the passing of His Holiness John Paul II needed recording no matter what. Other passings like that of Terri Schiavo and Peter Jennings were duly recorded as well. One passing that struck hard on a personal level was that of my Grandma, and this journal is full of ominous and sometimes disgusting and disquieting dreams both before and after her death. I didn't know why I was having so many grim dreams, but I'm willing to suggest that my psyche was just dealing with her passing as best it could.
2005 was also a year of great change (again on a personal level), for that was the year I started my Library and Information Tech. course at RRC, which welcomed me into a world of possibilities and eventually led to my present job. I am very grateful for what I learned from that course. There were also many fascinating books mentioned in this diary. Among literary journeys that I took, I mentioned the excellently ponderous 8-part bio of Winston Churchill by Martin Gilbert (started by WSC's son Randolph, only he died after finishing the first book), as well as the complete Arden Shakespeare, which I completed in February 2006 after two years of on and off attention. I should kill a couple more years and try that list again. Give my weird mind something to chew on.
The 2006 Olympics in Turin also came under my scrutiny, and I praised Cindy Klassen highly for her exploits. The next Winter Olympics won't happen until 2010, which isn't that far away anymore. Have the Men's Team Canada been working their hardest? They didn't do all that well in 2006, according to my journal. Looking through these pages, I have come to the conclusion that although I recorded quite a bit, I don't think I was as thorough as I am now. There are fewer gaps between entries in my present journal. I also pay less attention to my dreams these days. I do recall my dreams, but they don't seem to find their way into my journal. Maybe I've been more introspective in my most recent diary. A little navel-gazing never hurt anyone, right?
I guess this post is coming to an end. Perhaps, in 2014, I'll go looking back again and be astounded at the stuff I came up with. By 2014, it will have been 20 years since I got to writing in journals with any regularity. Fascinating stuff? Hmmmmm.

Oooofffffff

I took possession of my apartment August 1 and my bed moved in on August 3. Since then I've been exploring my new lair and surroundings. I live in an area called Charleswood (amazing this link actually exists!) and there ARE unpaved roads and ditches galore. Just recently, the city laid down some fresh gravel on one of the streets I use quite a bit. It's refreshing after the massive subdivisions I'm used to. In the past few days, I've found a Subway, a couple of supermarkets, and the nearest library. What a tiny library it is! I usually place holds online and then go into the library just to do a quick book exchange, so I may not have a look at the whole place for a long while. It felt weird walking into another library and leaving my home-away-from-homestead for good.
Living the apartment experience has been very interesting. Learning the ins and outs of cooking, as well as getting used to a different stove and different appliances has been fun. It's also all about keeping busy. I opted not to have a TV in my new lair. Internet, yes, but not cable. We shall see how long this lasts. My diary has seen a lot of action. So have the computer games I play. The Internet has also seen a lot of action. I fear I haven't done as much reading as I would like, but the book I'm currently reading is leaving me to scratch my head. Heidegger's 'What is a thing?'... how to explain this book? I'll do it another time.
Getting a new postal code and giving out a new phone number has been interesting as well. It's amazing how many organizations rely on one postal code. Even the library relies on the postal code. It's a different experience. Well, I'd best be running along. Heidegger needs my attention. There will be more about the apartment later. BYE.