Slurpeez, donut. (That’s not cream…) BMW X3. You’ve got to give him some change. Much driving. Pinnaples, and russet potatoes (and everything else heavy). A fisher price burger from burger king. Cherry beach (but without the beatings).
a list of 24 hour restaurants.
Midnight driving adventures cure all ills. Except stomach pains.
House to High park to waterfront to high park to waterfront to downtown to home. 23km.
Many tasty pictures taken.
Excercise is good for the soul.
Most photography is masterbation. The world would be just as well off if it had never been done. Some photography is significant because its aesthetic value is transcendant. However, the argument could easily be made that photography is at its most valuable in the portrayal of real events. Photography can accomplish a certain kind of nearing which brings the viewer closer in spirit to the content and context of the photo.
An interesting day, with stops at the 17th floor of the Canada life building, Fort York (interviewed for Humanitas festival), Duffrin grove park (free wifi!!), and a fruit store on bloor.
Much walking, feet hurt.
Tommorow first day of CPA.
Strange dreams, strange dreams.
“Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer. “
So I havn’t updated in a while. Kate got pretty sick, a stomach bug or something, so I’ve been taking care of her. She’s better now. And then we broke up. Figure I might as well write it here, as I hardly ever speak to any of my friends in person anymore.
Oh, and I’m apparently going to have to do a whole bunch of work for a prof. I found out about that afterwards.
Is it the worst day ever? No, that’s too noble a designation. The lamest day ever.
If you don’t already know Johnny, then nevermind.
I’ve learned that it was a year ago today that Karen Furstrand died in an automobile accident in richmond. This won’t be a long entry, for I don’t feel like I knew Karen well enough to say anything very meaningful about her that isn’t hurtfully tangential. That said, the fact that she brought joy into my life, having known her so little, is surely testimony to the happiness she brought to inumerous others. Most, if not all of my memories of Karen revolved around UBC debate, and especially the trip to Calgary in 2002. Her death gave me a great deal to reflect upon: what it means to have lived, to have been alive, after one’s life has ended.
When I gather the memories of those I’ve known who have passed away, I always feel touched by a great warmth. Emmanuel Levinas said that the a-dieu (trans: goodbye, literally “to-God”) named the other “beyond being”, which means outside the dichotomy of being and nothingness/presence and absence/life and death. In memory’s gathering of those passed away, their warming glow gives creedence to this thinking. For memory is not the gathering of thought but of people and things.
Thanks Karen.
This morning I spoke with my mother and father on the telephone, and then went to brunch with Kate’s family, all in celebration of Mother’s Day. Some people can be awfully critical of this holiday, but I find it hard to criticize those times our society takes to celebrate the sacrifices of women, even it’s easy to criticize the gesture as token and it’s suppositions sexist. We are, after all, living in a time when the Government of Canada is accusing the opposition of having a hidden agenda which proclaims that parents are unfit to raise their own children. (Not to turn the discussion to politics, but anyone who voted conservative now has that statement of hatred to reject or justify to themselves). I think celebrating motherhood, and celebrating the sacrifice that parents – especially mothers- take to reproduce our society is absolutely valid. However, if we were less hypocritical about it, it would be easier (possible?) for single mothers to get real social assistence to be able to raise their children without having to starve, which would include real childcare so they could work. If the conservatives really truly to believe in their tract about stay-at-home mothering, they only descent thing to do would be to replace the childcare system with a social assistence system that would guarentee that no single mother would have to work until her children were of an age that they would not require childcare. The reality of the situation is something the right never seems to understand – if they really wanted to lower abortion rates (and of course we want to lower abortion rates – abortion is a trawmatic and demonizing experience), they need to make motherhood a less awful option for poor, single women. Which means money of course, happy kids cost money.
I just caught the tail end of today’s interview on the daily show, and it was certainly the best I’ve seen in a while. Fukayama’s recent withdrawal from the Bush supporting wing of the neo-con fold perhaps motivated the appearence on this show. Mostly, it was nice to see John Stewart interacting on a common intellectual level with an interviewee. More than anything, his speaking reminded me of his appearence on crossfire, despite the fact that the style of conversation could not have been more different. A certain kind of smugness appeared, it looked like he was really enjoying himself.
Although Fukayama’s reading of Hegel remains insane, it’s always nice when the crazys figure something out like, maybe the Iraq war wasn’t a great idea. Also, I liked his claim that “there are some mistakes you can’t make without having a PhD”.
Anyone else have comments on this better than usual interview?
