19 December 2013

Notes - readying for family and other matters / Amorella presents me with a mental exercise

         Early afternoon. You and Carol have been busy with household chores this morning. You cleaned the bathrooms, caulked the guest bathtub at the floor and finally (after years, thought of a way to fix two bulbs that had broken in the dinning room chandelier. The male metal bulb bases were stuck in the female base. Once at Home Depoe you thought to put the chalk in the bulb base, let it harden some, then use a short wide blunt wide screwdriver to push in and twist to the left. You were quite surprised it worked. Six new bulbs and it appears a new fixture. – Amorella

         1328 hours. It was exhilarating because I actually thought of something original (at least for me). A long time ago I was told to use long nose pliers but I never could get them to work – I was probably exerting too much outward pressure from inside the inserted broken male base. I’ll bet it has been ten years since all the bulbs have worked in unison, maybe longer. I thought I would have to take the whole chandelier down and I have been putting that off mostly because I would need help.

          You received an ‘share’ item on the use of the English language from a former student at Indian Hill, Michael Ilyinsky. It is a youtube video titled “Like,you know” a clip for Def Poetry Season 2 talking about the overuse of ‘like’ and ‘you know’ in today’s society. – Amorella

         1338 hours. I was surprised because I don’t hear from Michael too often. It is an interesting piece and I agree with it wholeheartedly. You can't talk to people if you don't know what you think first; then you can be significantly specific. Michael was of questionable character in high school in the 70’s but he is a good man today. Keeps me younger when former students say ‘hello’ once in a while. This is a bonus from teaching that is priceless from my perspective. Here's a tip of the old black beret to Prince Michael.  ;-) 

         1553 hours. We drove in to Blue Ash for a late lunch at Marx Bagels – sat the car out by Kenwood Road and watched the cars go by while we ate – even had the window down with the warmer temperature. Rain is coming tomorrow; but it is better than snow. On the way home we bought fuel at Kroger’s. We had some 360 miles on the car in eight days of all local driving and the mileage is 35 mpg. In the Honda under the same conditions we would have had 20 mpg; thus a 75 percent plus. Carol calculated it twice thinking she had made a mistake in her reading.

         Carol is out raking leaves and you are sitting inside eating half a raisin wheat bagel with strawberry cream cheese. – Amorella

         1602 hours. I could go do the kitchen floor. 

         Go to it, boy. – Amorella

         1651 hours. So, timed, hand sweeping into a dustbin first, it takes fifty minutes to do the whole kitchen and laundry/garage hallway. Doing both upstairs bathrooms takes about thirty minutes; this includes shaking out the bathroom floor rugs. Now Carol wants to go to Target or Walmart for some kids’ gingerbread house mix that Cathy and Tod used a couple of weeks ago for their grandkids.

         More to say on your imagination and personal reality later. Post. - Amorella


         2033 hours. We stopped at Walmart and Carol found what Cathy had suggested for Owen and Brennan this weekend. Then we had two kids’ cups of Graeter’s, each with a dollop of hot fudge came home watched a CSI from early November and the local and national news. No supper but a banana with about a tablespoon of Kroger Crunch Peanut Butter scribed up and down one side. I’m actually tired and would just as soon listen to music before bed while Carol is watching one of her TV shows.

         You have a doubter’s imagination and a doubter’s sense of reality. Your ancient hero is Socrates because he questioned everything because he realized he knew next to nothing. Do you deny this? – Amorella

         2043 hours. No. I am sure that is the case. My very early notes from the eighties would show this. I am no Socrates but I try to lead my life as such. The questioning was done in my class or through my classes. I remember writing back in the sixties when asked what teachers I had that left a lasting impression on me. I remember trying to come up with a list in my beginning teacher years. And, later, while attending the Ohio Writing Conference courses at Miami University I was asked to make such a list and I had in both instances two names among the others who had actually taught me – Socrates and Jesus. Next I would say Plato and Aristotle. I don’t think I have changed on this in fifty years. This is ‘personal’ to me. I am not talking about scholarly matters here. A modern version of this is “What would [Socrates, Jesus, Plato and/or Aristotle] do?” 

         Well, then, what would each do if what you know of me (your experiences with me over twenty-five years) say about me, Amorella? Would I be treated as imagination or reality? Why? Respond to this as a mental exercise, a paragraph or so from each will do. Put yourself into each of their perspectives on the world; each from your age experience now except for Jesus. Put him in at thirty-one or thirty-two. No doubting allowed here, would I be classified as a figment of personal imagination or a figment of personal reality? - Amorella

         I can try. This is an interesting challenge. Will you help keep me objective and honest?

         As always, I will keep you honest in this blog and the Merlyn books. I know you boy. I know you like the Grandma character. What goes here is from heartansoulanmind. Answering is the same whether you are dead or alive. – Amorella

         Wow. My responses could be judged false or true.

         No, boy. That’s not the way it works. Your responses will be human because that is what you are. – Amorella

         I don’t like the sound of this.

         Why? – Amorella

         2108 hours. I am immediately reminded of the title of that youtube video that Michael privately shared with me today, “Speak with Conviction”.

         Such is life; a former student unknowingly sets the stage for a former teacher’s present exercise. – Amorella

         2111 hours. Irony, I suppose. Humor certainly.

         Write from under this gallows of yours, boy. You are not standing on a platform. – Amorella

         Should I do research on each?

         No. You go with what your are at the moments you are writing the final draft of each. Post. - Amorella

          2119 hours. I am sounding like a student. How many words?

           No more than five hundred for each response. We don't move on in the Merlyn books until you satisfactorily complete this task. - Amorella

          I'm in. 

           Post. - Amorella

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