Snowy, wintry and... happy?

The snow has finally arrived. The real stuff! Not some powdery excuse for la neige that stays on the ground for like 10 seconds and then melts away. That stuff's a tease. No, real, fluffy and shoveable snow!
Of course, according to a couple of my relatives who live in Québec city, the snow I consider to be real here is something they merely scoff at. They've had massive snow banks for at least a couple weeks now, with feet upon feet of snow. Chance of more snow in the coming weeks.

What am I, a weather man?

No, I just think all this snow is rad. See, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post, being surrounded by man-made things everywhere has made this city a pretty ugly place to live. Well, the snow eases this pain somewhat by coating all the artificial stuff everywhere with a layer of crystal perfection.

So seeing snow everywhere reminds me that out there, up high in the sky and elsewhere, the power of Gaia still resides. The unchangeable laws of nature- however much we try to tamper with- still exist and affect even the most nature-proof city dwellers.

And yet I still find myself in front of my computer screen!
I was supposed to go sledding with some buddies, but plans fell through. I wasn't so much excited about the drinking as I was actually being outside with the snow, reminiscing about childhood tobogganing. Mixing exercise-related stuff with booze doesn't make too much sense to me, but I suppose it could have been fun. Oh well.

So I'm wearing a sweater that I got for christmas, and I'm trying to figure out if it would qualify as a candidate to wear to an ugly sweater party. I guess the fact that I'm asking myself that question might undermine the value of my sweater as a present... hmm. Well, it's blue and black and red and it does have some neat buttons and... oh, why don't I just show you so you can judge for yourself.

You know what, it doesn't even matter. I like the sweater, and it keeps me warm, so even though I might wear it to an ugly sweater party, I'd be trolling the party because my wool sweater is rad.

That's all I've got for today.

Shard vs sherd

I had the impulse to draw this when the word "sherd" was stuck in my head.
My TA in Anthropology assures me that "sherd" is an archaeological term meaning a broken piece of  pottery or artifact. For some reason, the word "sherd" annoys me to no end, since it's so close to the word "shard". Why not call it a pot shard instead of a pot sherd? Grrrrrrrrrr.

Tranquility

The worst has gone by/
But I may be in the eye of the storm
The winds blow in the distance and I feel alive/
Better not walk into them again

I find I yearn for tranquility. Tranquility, and some semblance of simplicity.
That doesn't mean that I need to avoid busyness and action; that would be a mistake. In fact, I should probably strive for more busyness and more participation in the world around me. Not because society says I need to be busy, but because it's rewarding to get things done.

Still, it would be nice to be around simple people. Maybe some monks or something. I would probably get bored, since I'm so used to having some external stimulation, but there's definitely something to learn and appreciate in simply being.

I've been told I should try my hand at meditation. I would gain so much from having a regular practice. And it would enhance my quality of life, and probably make me more mindful and more aware of the present. And even if it's only for a few minutes per day, I should still try. But my brain says "No no no! At least look busy! You have things to do! You need to move! You need to read! You need to fix this and that!".

Words words words.
I'll see what I can do about this whole meditation dealio. Exercise is a bit easier for me to do, so I'm walking a lot. Just simple walks, walks for the sake of walking. Mostly silent, and usually at a brisk pace; to get the heart going, you know.

School is a bit of a mess right now. I hope I can fix it. I have two new classes starting in January, and I'm gearing up to take them more seriously.

Bloggity bloggy happy holidays.

December weather

It was a warm and rainy day today. I don't know how I feel about it being 10 degrees celsius in December. On one hand, it's nice to not have to deal with the biting cold and chapped lips and all the little inconveniences of real winter weather, but on the other hand, I feel sad knowing that this abnormal weather is a very real manifestation of climate change.

I'm kind of far away and isolated from all the hardcore devastation caused by human exploitation of the Earth (e.g. dead whales and melting ice). So while I might be aware that climate change and pollution caused by humans is wrecking the Earth, I'm not reminded of it on a daily basis. Indeed, all I see is the same old houses and buildings, and sometimes parks with some litter strewn here and there, but the artificial city I live in keeps my mind in a bubble of fake comfort.

Comfort definitely isn't here, though. A city, at least to me, doesn't provide comfort. It provides convenience and maybe a form of protection from the primal elements, but in the long run, it is tiring to have to see the same ugly not-quite-perfect shapes of man-made structures everywhere.

For a pessimist, I'm pretty optimistic sometimes.

It's alright, I'll find my optimism again, somewhere in time.

Keeping up is tough

If you don't keep up with your schoolwork, it builds up. Fast.
I hate to admit it, but having a good work routine is pretty damn important.
Having structure in your life is important. The brain likes structure because then it doesn't have to over think every little thing.
I don't like structure. I try to rebel against it. Somehow, I convince myself that having structure will rob me of my freedom - the freedom to be spontaneous, to be serendipitous, to be genuine.
But maybe - just maybe - having more structure will allow me to accomplish things that will bring more joy into my life.

Here we go again. Setting a time limit of how much time I spend on the computer, regardless of whether I'm working or not, is critical. And there's nothing wrong with avoiding computer and electronics altogether on some days. A few months ago, one my profs even gave the class homework to avoid the computer and cellphone for a whole 24 hours, more if possible. Not too many people were able - or willing - to do it.

I've spent too much time writing this out already. School isn't going as well as I had hoped. I will work harder to not let myself get overwhelmed again.

Karma Aspiration Langune Entité Iodinement Dérive Oisellerie Ulysse Guimauve Hurlement Salutaire Citronelle Ophilia Perspicace Ettore