Pies, and Other Things of a Housewifely Nature...

You already know that I'm a bit cracked. But there is almost no feeling that compares with staying up baking pies after midnight. Especially when the peaches are neither brown and mushy nor too hard to juice properly. Really, they were amazing. The skin came off in 2 pieces for some of them, and anyone who's ever tried to deal with juicy slippery fruit and a not-so-sharp knife knows what I mean. It was incredible. You're probably looking at the screen and thinking I'm crazy, but if you like cooking at all, then you'll admit that there's no feeling like it: for once I didn't feel as though I was having to deal with the ingredients. It was like the thing baked itself. Even the eggs looked appetizing, and I have an entire rant on the topic of cooking with and/or dealing with eggs. And then I look back on this post about a euphoria rush from baking pies after midnight, and I realize exactly why some girls in my class refer to me as "Mommy Celia". Perfect...

Are You (Insert Category Here)?

For anyone who's been trying to finish an important research paper, I'm sure you're familiar with the number of Wikipedia articles out there that you are conveniently not allowed to use. There must be at least thousands, if not tens of thousands. Maybe even millions. But I may have found an internet-ism that is more common and copious than all of the articles-with-an-ambiguous-author-that-you-can't-use-without-making-your-teacher-very-angry put together. Mini-quizzes. It's amazing, really, how many of these little 10- or 15-question quizzes pop up for any given topic. For example, there must be several thousand that are dedicated solely to sorting people into the houses from the Harry Potter books. I was thinking about the number of these things, it put a few questions into my head. "Why are there so many of these things?", for one. Well, there must be a number of people writing them. And not only internet quizzes, either, but quizzes and tests from social circles to social workers' offices. But why the widespread interest--which, by the looks of it, borders on obsession. This was a bit of a tricky one, and I have a feeling that the answer on this one varies from person to person (as does everything else in this corner, really). If the common interest lies in writing these quizzes that inevitably land a person in some category or other, it must be because of a desire to fit people (or allow people to fit themselves) into a shape that is commonly accepted and easy to understand. This seems a bit harsh, maybe, but it's not worded in a harsh way. It sounds harsh because it can be interpreted as an accusation of dependance on categories in order to comprehend the world around us. It's not intended that way. If you think about it, we use categories all the time. "The trees are green." "My family is German." So categories aren't necessarily a bad thing. The destructive ones get publicized, of course (racism and homophobia being prime examples), and they tend to turn the word into a criticism. As ever, though, it seems a good idea to question the boundaries that we set up for ourselves, especially in our minds. Because if you take a quiz online, chances are that the only person who's going to see the answer is you. The results of these quizzes don't usually go anywhere, either. This means that the categories that you get--in the form of the results of the quiz--aren't going anywhere except into your own head, to be stored somewhere with your collection of self perceptions. Is it fulfilling to get the results back from one of these tests and see what the answers to the multiple choice question added up to be? Entertaining to see how the maker of the quiz thought of someone who would answer the same way you did? If you agree with the descriptors applied to the category, is it a triumphant feeling? That you came across in the way you intended? And here are your results: you are obviously one of the group of humans that both understand English (or have the means to translate English into your own language), that you have the patience to read this all the way through, and are probably seething at my impertinence. Deal with it. If you did actually like this, please comment, though. Otherwise you will be indistinguishable from the other readers who are shaking their heads and scowling at me. Thanks

Look at the Differences

Another boundary in "civilized culture" has just made itself clear to me, so I thought I should share it with you (the people that bother to watch the corners). Have you ever noticed how much we shy away from differences? An example off the top of my head would be the oft-repeated phrase "we're all people," because it's so commonly used as an easy way to explain differences. And it's irrefutable. If you are reading this and understanding the words, you are thinking them in English, which is a human language. We may be closer to fish than we care to imagine, but we--me, the writer; you, the reader--are undeniably human. Unfortunately, this (like everything else) can be taken to an extreme. In the extreme manifestation of the collective, members of a society tend to edge around the idea of any sort of difference. We join the search for acceptance, and in doing so, forsake our individuality. It's fairly easy to see why, too. It's much easier to accept someone like yourself, rather than to try to learn someone else and then accept them. This fear of differences is possibly the most obvious in the rampant consumerism taking place in America, as well as all around the world. If you look into any shopping mall around the country, there is a commonly accepted aesthetic standard for the way things should look. Among other things, this includes fluorescent lights, potted vines and miniature trees (many of which are fake), and small areas at the intersections of well lit hallways. But for many people, the hyperspace is a great comfort. It's a reminder that there is constancy wherever you go, whether it be London, Hong Kong, or the Big Apple. And this brings up that related question: "Is this similarity something to strive for or escape from?" I can't answer it, and I think it's not a question that can be answered the same way for any two people. Do you need the similarities? Think about it. Is your first answer an indignant "No!"? If it is, why is it indignant? Do you see a dependance on this kind of human construct as a weakness? Is it really? If it is, then are we (as a species) helping ourselves along the evolutionary scale by creating artificial similarities? Or maybe it's just the opposite--maybe we enjoy creating these hyperspaces for the purpose of our own comfort, and nothing more. But the avoidance of differences is certainly there, and is therefore another inviting corner to be explored.

What Is Music?

I just had an idea for something potentially very cool....You know (from the profile thing) that I'm an accordionist, and therefore a musician. Music is sort of my life, and I'm a firsthand witness (several times over) to the fact that it can completely change or literally save a person. Anyway, I've had some conversations with friends where they've said (joking, I hope) "What, accordion? I thought you were a musician!" At any rate, this playful comment brings up an interesting question: what exactly constitutes "music"? I really don't know how many readers I've got here: I don't really do much to publicize, preferring to leave it to people to find the corner on their own. But if you see this, I was wondering if you'd just send me a short email (cjfaux@gmail) about your personal definition of "music". If no one sends me anything, then I won't continue on this topic, except a short--and probably inevitable--rant. Still, it would be really cool if I could get some feedback on this. You don't have to tell me your name: just tell me what you want the name on the site to be. I'm being maybe a bit overly optimistic in thinking that anyone is going to reply to this, but if you do, it can be in any form you want, and anything from a seven word haiku to an essay. Whatever you like. I only ask that it not be obscene in the standard acceptability standard. You know what I mean. No cussing. Also, if I get a reply, I'm going to post it here, because that's the point. I won't give your name away if you don't want, but I'm going to post it here. I seriously want to know what you think about it. Thanks!

Go With The Flow

Have you ever noticed how time seems to fly when you engage in certain activities--beyond simply "having fun": we all know about that. These activities might include playing a game of catch or frizbee, knitting or doing some sort of handcraft, painting, or just having a conversation with someone. Believe it or not, there is a commonly accepted word for this type of activity: flow activities. A flow activity is (big surprise) defined as "an activity which results in the psychological state of flow (the link is to Wikipedia--scoff at me and I'll call you a snot). To boil it down, flow is a state of mind involving deep concentration and focus, which results in a sense of ecstasy or elation. A psychologist named Csíkszentmihályi (I dare you to try to pronounce that without making a fool of yourself--mainly because I can't) defined a flow activity as being outlined by ten distinctive criteria:

1. The challenge level and the skill level must both be high (and the challenge--or goal--must have a set of clearly defined guidelines or rules; the procedure must be laid out beforehand)
2. A high level of concentration on a specific field (allowing the mind to become immersed)
3. Fusing of action and awareness, or loss of self-awareness or self-consciousness
4.  Changed or distorted sense of time (hence, "time flies")
5. Direct feedback (allowing for a change of behavior resulting from a visualized failure)
6. Balance between the challenge of the activity and the ability of the subject
7. A sense of personal control over the activity
8. The activity is essentially rewarding, leading to an ease and fluidity of performance
9. Lack of awareness of bodily needs on the part of the subject
10. Absorption into the activity, so that all outside awareness fades

Even though not all of these criteria are required for a flow experience, they often end up going together. The euphoria is certainly there, too. When was the last time you were listening to music or reading a good book or playing catch and you realized that it was after three in the morning and you hadn't eaten since the previous morning or slept since you don't know when? It's almost like waking up from a dream, and when you try briefly to attain that sense of timelessness, it's impossible, so you turn out the light. Still, you're always sure that there will be another night where the time disappears again: you'll go with the flow.

The Insects In Us All... Part I

It's sort of interesting to think about all of the different associations that people have with the various insects with which we coexist. For example, we have an idea that our friends the mosquitoes are inherently evil creatures, simply because they use our blood in their reproduction process. But is that really any worse than our own taking the wool off a defenseless sheep to make clothing for ourselves? The need is there, certainly. We have it in mind that we "need" to have clothes, and maybe we do. But instead of making the majority of our clothing (and blankets, rugs, etc) from fabrics made of dead material that wouldn't affect any other living being, we depend on the protective coverings of other creatures. This doesn't hurt them directly, in most cases, except for some discomfort on the part of a cold sheep, but then, the mosquito bite doesn't really do much damage to humans, either. The mild anti-coagulant that mosquitoes use is not meant to irritate the skin: merely to stop the blood from clotting so that the poor mosquito won't get stuck. In a similar way, our shearing of the sheep isn't supposed to hurt the sheep, but irritation because of restraints and minor nicks from sharp shears are certainly not uncommon. When I say this, I'm not advocating for the disuse of wool, but questioning our widespread dismissal of mosquitoes as useless parasites. Think of them rather as codependents with humans, struggling in the same world to make use of the resources that are at their (and our) disposal.