excitement

So I almost died this weekend. Wiscoy Creek was running higher than I had ever played in it before (I've seen it higher, and quite rightly decided not to tempt God to bring me home early), so naturally we frolicked in the rushing dancing water and climbed the waterfalls. Of course I tried to fight the current and touch the middle of the middle falls, and of course it swept me away in my hubris and I had to act quickly to avoid the lower falls. It looked a lot nearer a call than it really was, which of course had the desired affect of impressing the women. Or convincing them that evolutionarily speaking, my genes are right on par with those of the dodo.

Needless to say it was an awesome day. I don't know why God made summer in New York so bloody hot and humid, but so long as there are waterfalls and streams and rivers aplenty, I'll not complain too loudly. I think the highlight of the last few weeks has been meandering along Houghton Creek in the heat of the afternoon.

And that's not the only reason my grin-to-scowl ratio is greatly elevated from last year's norm--I am indescribably happy to be a part of a community again. My employer informed me the other day that my job description could be summed up in the simple phrase: "Be Dan Holcomb." I love the feeling that I'm actually integral and important and doing something few other people could do. Yes it makes me happy.

What also makes me happy is, though there are fewer friends in my life these days, I have never tasted of such quality fellowship--I am blessed to know some amazing people, and occasionally they stop by Houghton for an hour or two of fine coffe and simply phenomenal cinnamon rolls at the Daily Grind. Sometimes in a conversation you can find a part of yourself after long estrangement.

And, finally, a lighter note of circumstance: I think maybe I have located the Bush Whacker's* soul mate. Unfortunately, I was on the way to pick up my students from internship so I couldn't wait around for this particular Jeep's owner to show up...but I got a picture:




*Bush Whacker: Jeep belonging to the twilighttreader, similarly decorated with eccentric leftist bumperstickers and often the target of animosity from police officers and angry conservatives.

--Later Edit--

So here's how I abuse office hours:

I was pondering Nietzsche:

"Whoever fights monsters
should see to it that
in the process he does not
become a monster.
And when you look long into
the abyss, the abyss also looks
into you"

And I decided to see what the context was, hoping for a larger paragraph on the nature of knowledge, self-exploration, the depravity of humanity in general, etc. Unfortunately, the larger context is a collection of "Aphorisms and Interludes," so there is no exploration of the idea--unless you count, of course, the body of his work and eventual suicide. But I digress. In the name of a chuckle, I give you the context of his quite remarkable statement: women.

"131

The sexes deceive themselves about one another: the reason being that fundamentally they love and honour only themselves (or their own ideal, to express it more pleasantly‑). Thus man wants woman to be peaceful ‑ but woman is essentially unpeaceful, like the cat, however well she may have trained herself to present an appearance of peace."

and a little later...

"144

When a woman has scholarly inclinations there is usually something wrong with her sexuality. Unfruitfulness itself disposes one to a certain masculinity of taste; for man is, if I may be allowed to say so, `the unfruitful animal'.

145

Comparing man and woman in general one may say: woman would not have the genius for finery if she did not have the instinct for the secondary role.

146

He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you."

And a little later, a meditation on love:

"153

That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil."

hmmm...peculiar. people call me a chauvanist.