(no subject)

I've encountered a great deal of language misuse this week. I wanted to rant and rend my garments and tear my hair out, but I've thought better of it. This is not only because I value my hair, but also because I rather suspect I've been equally guilty of small misuses that annoy.

Then, of course, I encounter the angry people who want to change the world through giving it regular public scoldings. Being angry is a stage in personal realisation and growth. We take on major issues personally that way (I say this from profound experience). It seldom changes the world around us unless we transform the anger into a bunch of other things (persuasion, temptation to work or think differently, new opportunities, deep worldwide enlightenment - that sort of thing's a start).

I do understand the need for so many of us to get angry at first, for the hearts of the angry souls are pure and our causes righteous. It's an important step on the path of identifying wrongs and finding just solutions and etc (especially and etc - one thing I always discover is that the 'and etc' is very complex - one of the most unjust people I know can't be educated out of it for that education will hurt a bunch of people who have done absolutely nothing wrong and will result in a mess that's damaging all round).

If the anger keeps being shouted in public as if it's new; if the learning is never undertaken; if the angry person never moves on, then that's a sad waste of a good person's energy*.

So instead of ranting (much) I shall do some work. Also, I shall drink tea, for tea is soothing...




*I can't seem to lose my anger at three people, so I'm speaking from experience. While I hang onto the anger I can't move on and while it's just anger at my end and not solutions, neither can they.

(no subject)

Today is far too exciting. My computer decided it was on a go-slow and then it decided it wouldn't save any changes to documents. I sorted the final edits for yesterday's second article anyhow and improvised wildly and now both of the pieces I was working on yesterday are finally with editors, for good or ill.

I wanted to strangle my computer, but instead I rebooted. When I rebooted I discovered that the go-slow was due to Firefox updating yet again and orphaning bits of programs. Now the reboot has happened, those orphans have been disabled and I am back to normal work.

In the interstices, to make myself feel as if life was definitely under control, I've been reading The Modern Fae's Guide to Surviving Humanity. Interested parties need to know that I have been enjoying it a great deal.

That reminds me, the reason I needed to finish all my other work was that I have two short stories to write. I think I've lost that time for today, unfortunately, and am back in PhDland for the next two hours. After that it's job application land, and after that, it's teaching.

Today is not busy. It's calm and placid and peaceful and rather sleepy. And one of those descriptors is actually true.

(no subject)

Class was a lot of fun tonight. I made my students draw on butchers' paper. Getting students to shift their understanding of the environment around them and their current knowledge into world building potential is one of the things I love doing.

Now I have administrationish stuff for the rest of the evening. I want to read a book or watch a DVD, but all of these things have deadlines, for on Saturday I am teaching.

There are apparently a couple of places left in the class, so if anyone local to Canberra or able to get to Canberra has a vast urge to do a full day History for Fiction Writers workshop, with time at lunch to explore Gorman House Markets, you can find the details here: www.actwriters.org.au/events/upcoming-workshops-events.shtml