Thursday, June 22, 2006

Signs of Solstice

Yesterday was the longest day of the year and at quarter to nine in the evening it was still day enough to ride home from my secret hideout across town without a light. I had my rear blinkie-dink on, but haven’t yet replaced my lost helmet light and can’t find my headlight. Wore my radioactive glow-in-the-dark jacket, at least.

This always feels like such a ripoff here in Oregon. Reaching the longest day of the year would imply that we’re well into summer, while in fact it’s barely begun to warm up at all. If we’d been baking in the scorching heat of summer for a month or so, we might feel like it was appropriate to be starting down the path of shorter days, but not NOW. Summer hasn’t even started here. We had an early surprise summer in April or May for a week or two (which never happens here), but aside from that, I for one have been wearing my woolly cap in the early morning hours.

On my way home I saw something I’m not sure how to interpret. Here’s a picture.
What do you see? A pencil lying on the pavement, right? Ha! Not so simple. The fact is that for some time I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a blog about pencils. I adore pencils, and have hardly any outlet for my thoughts, feelings, musings and opinions about them. I try talking to my friends and co-workers, but often they’re interested at only the most superficial level. With a blog I could speak to people all over the world who google the word pencil. People would be coming to ME.

I wouldn’t necessarily put meaning on finding this pencil if not for two things. One, it was a Dixon Ticonderoga, which is the pencil in its highest form. Two – it was pointing right at me! What would you think? There, in the middle of the street, directly in my path on my route home? Come on.

4 Comments:

At 3:07 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Kate!

I have been trying to find your email address and just happened upon your blog. There is someone who is doing research on ESL instructors and I want to tell you about it. Can you email me at pcc? Kcarney@pcc.edu

Kate Carney

 
At 6:38 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have to agree with fabfeline. What I'm saying is that we'd prefer to have you all to ourselves.

 
At 4:05 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Pencil blog? I'd say go for it. Just looking at your Ticonderoga #2 portrait makes me think it's exam week and I'm carrying around the boxes of #2s I take for those of my students (college freshmen) who never bring their own pencil to the multiple choice exam. A pencil blog could explore such questions as
1) Why would you show up without a pencil, and should you be failed for doing so, no questions asked?
2) Do students who use top of the line Ticonderogas do better than those using substandard pencils?
3) Why do students turn in complicated homework written entirely in illegibly faint unsharpened pencil?
4) Why are we doing this (multiple choice exams) to our children and calling it education?

Great if you could find the answers ...

 
At 11:09 AM, Blogger kate gawf said...

Finally! Someone who understands me! See what this can lead to, everybody? I too am consumed by those same questions, and I would love an opportunity to delve deeper into them. Thank you for your support!

 

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