I have time to kill before work, since I woke up four hours early today, and have done everything else I need to do before I leave in 20 minutes. I would like to share / record for posterity, my morning routine with the cats.
They follow me into the bathroom to turn on the heater, and immediately hop into the bathtub, crouched down and eyeballing the faucet, where the evil nasty water comes from. I'll leave, pull the door partly closed and wait 20 minutes or so until the bathroom heats up.
I'll return, and turn on the faucet, at which point their eyes widen and flit from me to the faucet, me to the faucet, as the water creeeeeps up to their paws, and they flick flick flick the water off their feet until they realize they are fighting a losing battle, and hop out of the tub and tear into the early morning house darkness.
I shower, turn the water off, and I'll hear furious jingling of the bells on their collars just outside the door for JUST a moment, then it stops. Silence. Moments later, a white paw shoots out underneath the door, searching, searching.. *BOING* goes the springy door stopper, letting me know that he wants IN. NOW. If I ignore him, he chirps at me through the door. Yes, I have a cat that chirps. I eventually open the door, or he'll just mash his face against it until it opens, since it doesn't latch, and they will both hop right up on the side of the tub, menacingly staring at the water swirling down the drain. When it reaches a safe level, they both hop in, and take turns bathing themselves with the lovely scented bathwater that remains safely pooled around the drain.
They never, ever repeat this manuver for Ben, and I swear he thinks I'm crazy.. but hey, at least they are clean.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
iTunesU love
So my work schedule involves a couple of overnight shifts, usually 8pm to 5am. My job is physical and mechanical, so I have a lot of time to think.
I started downloading podcasts from iTunesU, which provides audio content from a number of universities. Right now I'm in the middle of "Interviews with Philosophers," a series from Oxford University, and "Origins of the Earth," a series on science and faith from Seattle Pacific University. I highly recommend poking around the content that is offered, it's really incredible the wealth of information that these Universities have recorded for the benefit of their students, but also generously made available to the general public. I love listening to good lecturer, that really knows how to evoke an understanding of the content of the lecture, and that isn't just reciting facts from memory. I know that this isn't really intended for casual listening, but I find that it keeps my mind fresh and active. I read books all the time, I probably go through about six to eight every three weeks, but it's something else entirely to listen to a lecture, and it's something that I find myself looking forward to every week.
My biggest regret in life thus far is not finishing college. Although I've recently applied for FAFSA and am going to try to take some courses at the community college a couple of blocks from where I live, I will never be able to go back full time, to really immerse myself in scholarship. When I was a kid, I thought I would never, ever get tired of learning, of drinking down knowledge greedily. When people joked about being a 'professional student,' I thought, how amazing would that be? I used to spend hours in the library at U of D long after I dropped out, back in the furthest corner of the stacks with a pile of books that I'd never be able to really digest if I took them home to read them, but somehow, in that environment, I could comprehend the material. Now that I get to listen to lectures, whenever I want to, at my own pace, I feel like I can still get the richness of the learning experience even if I'll never have anything to show for it.
But anyway, maybe I'm just a really big nerd, but I highly recommend checking it out.
I started downloading podcasts from iTunesU, which provides audio content from a number of universities. Right now I'm in the middle of "Interviews with Philosophers," a series from Oxford University, and "Origins of the Earth," a series on science and faith from Seattle Pacific University. I highly recommend poking around the content that is offered, it's really incredible the wealth of information that these Universities have recorded for the benefit of their students, but also generously made available to the general public. I love listening to good lecturer, that really knows how to evoke an understanding of the content of the lecture, and that isn't just reciting facts from memory. I know that this isn't really intended for casual listening, but I find that it keeps my mind fresh and active. I read books all the time, I probably go through about six to eight every three weeks, but it's something else entirely to listen to a lecture, and it's something that I find myself looking forward to every week.
My biggest regret in life thus far is not finishing college. Although I've recently applied for FAFSA and am going to try to take some courses at the community college a couple of blocks from where I live, I will never be able to go back full time, to really immerse myself in scholarship. When I was a kid, I thought I would never, ever get tired of learning, of drinking down knowledge greedily. When people joked about being a 'professional student,' I thought, how amazing would that be? I used to spend hours in the library at U of D long after I dropped out, back in the furthest corner of the stacks with a pile of books that I'd never be able to really digest if I took them home to read them, but somehow, in that environment, I could comprehend the material. Now that I get to listen to lectures, whenever I want to, at my own pace, I feel like I can still get the richness of the learning experience even if I'll never have anything to show for it.
But anyway, maybe I'm just a really big nerd, but I highly recommend checking it out.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Have you seen that movie, Donnie Darko? One of the characters cites J.R.R. Tolkien's appreciation of the beauty of the phrase 'cellar door,' which is truly a classic example of phonoaesthetics.
I get into this rhythms in my head sometimes, when I just can't stop murmuring certain words, like a chant, that just sound so beautiful. Phrases, too. I find myself speaking them aloud sometimes to comfort myself.
The word of this morning is 'ocelot.'
That is all.
I get into this rhythms in my head sometimes, when I just can't stop murmuring certain words, like a chant, that just sound so beautiful. Phrases, too. I find myself speaking them aloud sometimes to comfort myself.
The word of this morning is 'ocelot.'
That is all.
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