coldhearted scientist وداد

I now see why I have had these Moustaki song fragments floating through my head all semester: when I was my exchange student’s age I also lived in France, and it was Moustaki songs that floated out of the cafés in the Rue Mouffetard. This song is about the Mediterranean spring and García Lorca would have picked it up to quote. I wish I had studied Greek, to know the meter. I see why Moustaki seems eternal, though: he was always old, but never seems to feel it.

Dame Eleanor Hull is having a party, and as we already know, the first of the 2013 New Year resolution challenge posts has come in. I do not like to commit to resolutions, not knowing what conditions will be. I do have some related comments and pre-comments, however, in two areas, namely: on underestimating oneself, and against those mythical big blocks of time one is supposed to need to work. Let us review.

ON UNDERESTIMATING ONESELF

Instance, recent: my ceramics activity is recreational and I am tired of the recreational attitude. The teacher actually thinks this is good, and agrees I should become more of a perfectionist. Score one for me against academic advice, that says you should be deferential, do something safe and acceptable, and above all not strive for perfection.

There are also past instances of this at one U.S. university and two foreign ones, in which professors said versions of the following: You know, you seem to think you are just a run of the mill good student, but you have star quality and you should take advantage of it.

Our alma mater said perpetually that there was no hope, and that we might as well just enjoy life. We relaxed therefore, and there are advantages to relaxation. We still got so advanced that in some circumstances it seemed necessary to damp our engines so as not to scare people. I listened to that and not to the professors I have just mentioned, but now I have placed my headphones in the former direction.

ON THOSE BIG BLOCKS OF TIME

In my case if you look at it historically, it has never been big blocks of time that make it possible to get things done. One needs some time, yes, but primarily it is a question of putting the project uppermost in one’s mind and of not having to deal with big blocks of negativity. One may need big blocks of recovery time, but the keys are access to self and putting the project on top of the pile.

I have always known this and when I acted upon it, I confounded people. Efforts in the other direction have failed so I will be acting upon it again.

These are the essential things I say about 2013.

Axé.