61.11. Two Saturdays ago the housemate and I went slack-lining in the pouring rain. It was one of the first Vancouver downpours I'd been in since arriving here. Not that it was pouring when we started, but it certainly worked its way up into a heavy rainstorm. We had to give it up because the line was very slick and water was streaming into my eyes. Everything was wet; it wasn't until the next day before my shoes and backpack were dry.
2. Two Sundays ago I started attending a new church. It's little, Anglican, and people mainly by elderly people. What sold me on it was the sermon, which referenced Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain. I was also informed that an up-coming service would have Disney songs instead of hymns. Further, they do not seem to be on the conservative side of the Anglican controversy, which is important to me. For instance, that is specifically why I am not attending St. John Shaughnessy.
3. I was grading papers for a long time last week, among many other things. That ate up a lot of time, and as such I do not have as many interesting things to tell you... but those I have are rather interesting.
4. I received a verbal death threat last Thursday. I was walking down an alley near where I live; "alley" is not really the right word, though. "Lane" is better. It's between residential properties in a high-end neighbourhood. "Alley" makes me think dark and narrow and urban. This was not those things.
It was about 3:00 in the afternoon. I had just got off the bus, and was headed home. Suddenly a man calls out to me, asking me why I had been looking in his van. I said I hadn't been; until that moment, I had noticed that there was a van. He said I had, that he had seen me. I said, no, I am going home from the bus stop. He didn't believe me, but did wonder back into his backyard when I denied it sharply enough. I continued walking away (maybe after muttering some words I don't normally use). A quarter of a block later I hear someone holler, "Hey!" I turn, and there are now four guys. The largest (in girth, but he looked pretty capable) asked what I thought I was doing. "Going home," I said. He said, "You look in the van and you're dead!" Then he and one of the other guys started walking toward me.
I started walking away, while taking my cell phone out of my backpack. I dialled 9-1 and held my finger over the 1, ready to call the police with just a moment's notice. I continued looking over my shoulder to check their progress towards me, and to let them see that I had my cell out.
Upon exiting the lane, crossing a side street, and entering my own back lane, I could no longer see them and they could not see me (due to the angles). Thus when I went in through the back of the property I live in, they could not see me and so they don't know where I live. I called the police then, but there was nothing they could do.
I don't go to the bus stop that way any more. I don't know what was in the van, and I don't want to know.
5. I invigilated an exam on Friday. It took one hour; I was paid $50. During that time I did readings while the students wrote. That was the best-paid hour I have ever worked.
61.2
6. Last Saturday a housemate and I went slack-lining, and I took about 6 steps. Since it was a shorter line, that meant that I almost completed a line. I also broke through a personal "wall" at the third step, which I never managed to complete.
7. It is autumn here. The leaves are turning and falling; it's beautiful on a sunny day, but today was rainy and overcast.
9. Today I visited the newly-opened Beaty Museumof Biodiversity. It is quite neat. I might write a post about it.
10. Can one write a take about friendship? How does one write meaningfully about friends? I am making some, and I am strengthening friendships. I am also getting somewhat more familiar with second-year MAs I do not know very well because I have lunches in the Grad Lounge sometimes. But there are two people here who I am starting to know rather well; they are quite different from each other, but we three have special Wednesday-afternoon time due to overlapping office hours. One of them is an atheist guy from a Catholic background; the other is a girl from a Salvation Army background who is exploring the Anglican Church. We have begun to be able to predict what one another would be interested in and have started to create a language of references to past shared events (generally conversations). How does one quantify this to describe it? I don't know. Of course, I am getting to know more and more people comfortably, but these two seem to be stand-bys, though I really only ever see the female one Wednesday and Thursday.
The 7 Quick Takes carnival is hosted by Jen Fulwiler.
3 comments:
What was the Prydain reference? Inquiring minds want to know!
Do you remember the character from Taran the Wanderer who lives his life day-to-day, foraging for food, checking for eggs, checking his traps, and so forth? Who at first glance seems to live somewhat on edge the whole time, but who really is just well-prepared and always aware of opportunities?
This was tied into Thanksgiving; that thanksgiving is not a single event in which we are nominally thankful for the obvious things, but an attitude which looks at everything as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. There was a lot more to it than that, but after this it starts to veer from Taran.
Oh, and she discussed how Taran developed from his encounter with this character, how he became more able to see the good in those opportunities around him that he had previously not seen, in relation with being taught farming when he would rather be taught fighting. Also, in relation to the admiration of Gurgi, which turns out to be very valuable to him, even if at first he finds Gurgi terribly annoying.
It wasn't the best sermon I ever heard, but that someone would stand at the front of a traditional sort of church and talk about fantasy books makes my heart glow.
Ah! Llonio the Lucky, from the Free Commons. He was the quasi-MacGyver
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