Thursday, July 24, 2008

Summer polishing

As it's long past time for spring cleaning, I'm doing summer polishing instead. As a result, you'll see a new picture of Zoey, who has started to walk, and of Grandma who is, thank God, still more or less able to keep up with Zoey. Trying too to stick with the blog, which I started because I've known for a while that we are close to some kind of radical shift in how we on this planet live, and I felt I ought to say so. Thus the blog's concern for the environment, both physical and social, and for song and story, which I feel have important roles in seeing us through whatever it is we're going to go through. I don't go on about God up here, but if you feel there's a Spirit of any kind out there, it's time to be in touch. Ergo... If you come by here to visit from time to time, do tell your friends to stop by, as we'll talk about all these things in upcoming posts. Folks who are interested in Caribbean literature, and in good scholarship may find it worthwhile to visit over the next few posts. I don't claim to be a scholar, but having edited an academic journal (the Caribbean Journal of Education) for many years, having done editorial work and been an editorial consultant for regional and international presses, some quite big, and having been publisher for our own small press (Sandberry), I know a little bit about how the scholarship thing ought to be done. There's some misinformation, downright wrong information, and maybe even a little mischief out there. We'll try to set a few things straight, and if we go astray ourselves, we'll be glad to be corrected. Stay posted!

13 comments:

Geoffrey Philp said...

Good to see you back in town!

Blessings,
Geoffrey

clarabella said...

It's good to be back, Geoffrey. I have to stop by soon and see what's up with you, but it's hard to cope with this here-now, there-now lifestyle, and the granddaughter is irresistible, so we go to see her as often as we can. When we land back here, it's all we can do to cope with the stuff that's fallen by the wayside when we were away! Coming by soon to visit.

FSJL said...

Good to see you back up and running. Are you in Toronto or Amherst?

clarabella said...

Thanks, fsjl. I am trying to stay with it this time. The problem is that I don't write that easily, especially about the kinds of issues I want to talk about up here. I'm in Toronto at the minute, though there's now a fair amount of coming and going. Where are you? where will you be come the fall?

FSJL said...

You don't write that easily? Right? And the Sahara Desert stretches from Pedro to Panama.

I'm in Atlanta, still, where I will continue to be teaching in the fall. I asked because my older son has just moved to Amherst, where he's starting grad school in astrophysics.

clarabella said...

I hadn't forgotten about your older son. Where is he living? In Amherst proper? I'll mention to Rachel for sure, if you let us have his co-ordinates.

FSJL said...

Thanks, Pam. His name's Roger, and he's a grad student in the Department of Astronomy. He's at 29 Phillips Street till the end of the summer. And he can be reached at syntaxvorlon@gmail.com.

clarabella said...

fjsl! I forgot to ask you which Pedro you mean? The Pedro Plains? And why you want to move the Sahara Desert? And I not pulling style or trying to fool you up. There's some research on problem-solving by old people – done a while back at UWI, actually. The findings were that old folks take longer. The theory was, if I remember right, that they inevitably processed data more slowly as they aged. I've read articles up here recently that say that older folks go more slowly because they have access to a store of related information, whatever the question, and that they scan this panorama before arriving at answers. Whatever the reasons, the truth is that I do go slow. That's what I mean when I say I don't write easily – not that words give me trouble. They are still my love and my life, and my friends. "In the beginning was the Word..."

FSJL said...

Pedro Point, my dear lady. And I meant that your saying you didn't write easily was like saying that the Sahara Desert was located between Pedro Point and Panama (instead of the rather wet object occupying that space).

clarabella said...

Right ho. I was pulling your leg about the Pedro Plains – not about the writing, however, though I thank you for the vote of confidence. Thanks too for the info on Roger. Will try to remember to pass on to Rachel who comes here in the next couple of days. The grandchild will be the attraction so all rationality will probably be thrown to the winds. Have a good week...

FSJL said...

I gather that grandchildren do have some sort of effect on rationality (not having any of my own yet). Hearty tenky.

clarabella said...

fsjl, have passed on Roger's co=ordinates to Rachel. Zoey is here, so there is currently abundant evidence that, yes, grandchildren do terrible violence to one's rationality...

FSJL said...

Hearty tenky! One day, I hope, I'll find out the same.