In the student union before class, Thursday. Family & Community.
A rare occasion this weekend: visiting with a first cousin I haven't seen in at least 40 years. Daughter of my dad's brother. A journalist in LA. We've never been in touch over the years, having a considerable age difference, but connected a few years back. She is visiting Portland and Seattle for her holiday break, coming alone.
The Deemer family is close in New Jersey. For a while, several relatives moved and lived in So Cal after dad settled and raved about ti but the first big earthquake sent them scrambling back to NJ. While they were here, I had a kid's sense of "family," a big family, and I liked it. I liked playing sports board games with my aunts and uncles. Family was cool.
But it was something of an issue between my parents. Mom had only one sister. It was the Deemer family that was large, and I don't think mom cared for many of them. Too noisy, too many practical jokes, usually with her as the butt. It became a joke how often they moved between NJ and Calif, depending on who won the argument at a given time.
My cousin's family got ostracized by many Deemers because her mother was a war bride, a German brought home by my uncle. I remember one family gather that ended in chaos, shouts, tears -- ends up, I learned later, that my German aunt had somewhat defended Hitler, pointing out the good things he had done for Germany. Oops. We were the only part of the family that visited them after that, I believe. Dad was very tolerant about controversial issues. A career sailor, he even told me once, from his experiences visiting China before the revolution, that if he'd have been Chinese, he'd be a communist.
When I settled into the Portland theater community in the late 70s, I felt "home" and community = family. I felt I really belonged here. This would last about ten years, then quickly dissipate.
Early on, however, I had decided "my work" as a literary artist were the chidren I was releasing into the world. My archive is the old folks home. This decision has not resulted in a very satisfying old age -- there's no equivalent of watching the grand kids play soccer -- and yet I can't say I'd do anything different. How could I? I'd have to be a different person.
And I believe my children are going to do fine. Not so hot now, perhaps, but many already had their moments of being appreciated and there's more to come, far down the road, if the species is still around by then. I am very proud of them, at any rate, and that counts more than anything. They are what they are. The kids can stand on their own feet. I am proud of them.
Sooooo ... what will my cousin be like? Will both being writers give us something in common? I think she went to USC. I went to UCLA. I know she's an Angels fan. I'm a Mariners fan. I have a strong suspicion that her family became Republican -- seems like the type, from what I remember. Will be ineresting, at any rate.
Even though I am writing this on the AS, I think it belongs in the general blog, not the new one. I want a tight focus on the new one, traveling around town.
I can't say enough for the AlphaSmart. Any "writing writer" would appreciate its advantages over laptops and tablets. Yet I've never seen another writer use one, though of course I found out about it from a foreign journalist's praises of it. He was right on.
Easy day in class -- a structure quiz, showing them POWWOW HIGHWAY, they break it down structurally. A little tricky in the middle but otherwise pretty straight forward. Love that movie. And most haven't seen it, so it's a treat.
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Finished 2 of the 5 parts of the Spike Lee doc on Katrina. Devastating, revealing, depressing. The systemic problems, reinforced by personal ideologies of those in power, guaranteed far, far more suffering than should have been allowed to happen. Does not bode well for the future, when disasters of this type will increase and be compounded by food riots, water riots -- it's all in the cards unless drastic action is taken to divert this moving train, and there is no clue that this might happen. It would even begin to be happening. The anti-science idiots have too much power. Besides, Christ is going to float down and rescue those who merit rescue. What me worry?
How did so many idiots end up in the culture? A colossal failure of education and of parenting.
And in this same world, so much beauty, and wonder, and brilliance, and wit and humor ... a zero sum universe indeed!
In my last years, with the negative shit in chorus all around me, I strive to spend as much time in the positive sector as possible.
And nothing is more positive than Sketch. Simplicity. Instinct. Consistency. And he is forever cracking me up. The cosmic clown as rat terrier.
The SU is a surprisingly quiet place to work. I didn't realize. Might drop by here when I'm retired if I need a table to work at.
Only two weeks to go ... and I know what each class day will be, so the planning is done. On the downhill side, for sure.
This ending will be a whimper, I think. One day I am here, the next day I am not.
