Drawing up a list of things is a steady exercise in taming my feelings; one week, five things is hardly enough, I think, for all that's going on. The next week, five things is far too much, for I have suddenly dried up, the scene is boring, how shall I ever manage to entertain a guest? Writing, as a gift, is not about feelings, and inuring oneself against the vagaries of the trade is best done, I'd argue, by practise as if it were a form of exposure therapy.
1.
Boring scenery is just what this week has had to offer here in Winnipeg. The skies have been piled high with clouds, the snow is old. The weather has been mild such that the river is still not frozen.
I like taking pictures the same way I like drawing... I'm not a photographer nor am I an artist, but I like the way these mediums can interact with words and expand thoughts on creativity. Listening to photographers and artists on Youtube can be so enlightening in this sense. Take, for example, Thomas Heaton, who kindly invites the viewer into his thoughts as he goes about finding an image that captures a feeling... either in Scotland or on a "bank holiday".
2.
I borrowed John Green's latest book from the library, titled The Anthropocene Reviewed, not thinking it too would have his signature scrawled on the inside. It was a strange thrill to feel that his thoughtfulness had reached me all the way here, in a lowly library loan. (See here).
3.
I'm happy to report that today, on the job, I netted a few clichés, pinning them down and signaling them to the student, just like we were instructed to do. Avoid clichés! Avoid clichés! Teju Cole wrote in Known and Strange Things: "Flaubert hated cliché, a hatred that expressed itself not only in the pristine prose of Madame Bovary but also in his letters and in his notes on the thoughtless platitudes of the day. (...) We could learn from his impatience: there are many standard formulations in our language, which stand in place of thought, but we proclaim them each time - due to laziness, prejudice, or hypocrisy - as though they were fresh insight." (p 74)
4.
This week, I made the kids Snickerdoodles and they baked, spreading flatter than pancakes. I must find a different recipe, even though the kids find this one an acceptable form of after-school snack.
5.
I made a quiche on Thursday. It had been so long, it tasted especially delicious!
And I'm off, reading, doing chapter edits, wishing you a happy Friday!