This will hurt me...: 05/02/12

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Meanings are not determined by situations, but we determine ourselves by the meanings we give to situations.

Ezra channels Marilyn Monroe...

so much depends / upon / a red wheel / barrow

The view towards Melbourne. The scenery atop the Nut. Stanley, Tasmania's North West Coast. February 2012.

If you've ever been to the small seaside town of Stanley, you'll be familiar with The Nut. One of the more distinctive landmarks in Tasmania, The Nut is an old volcanic plug with steep sides that rises up to 143 metres with a remarkably flat top. As you can see, it is possible to walk to the top of The Nut via a steep track (even for a three-year-old). For weaklings and nancies, there is the option of a chairlift...

Henry takes a break halfway up the Nut. Stanley, Tasmania's North West Coast. February 2012.

Now, a poem...

The Red Wheelbarrow, William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

A Nut panorama. Stanley, Tasmania's North West Coast. February 2012.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil.

So impressive they named a street after him!

The most difficult and complicated part of the writing process is the beginning.

Poppy fields. Table Cape, Tasmania's North West Coast. February 2012.

All of the running about up in the north west of Tasmania constrained my reading time this week, hence only one book was finished this week. It was the very interesting epistle from the past that is Leo Tolstoy’s The Kreutzer Sonata, which was first published in 1889 but promptly censored by the Russian authorities. The book itself represents an argument for the ideal of sexual abstinence and a thorough first-person description of jealousy.

This is a tricky little book. It stresses Tolstoy's rather unique view on human sexuality, one which physical desire is perceived as a barrier to ‘proper’ relations between men and women and a route to tragedy. I cannot say that I am convinced of Tolstoy’s viewpoint, but do recognise the power of his storytelling. The narrative itself is a powerful one – as sex and murder tales usually are – but my conclusion is somewhat different from that of central character Pozdnyshev (and we presume Tolstoy), in which sex is repulsive and destructive and that sexual love degrades a human being.

A good little read. Recommended.

Thursday, February 09, 2012

I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.

Christmas Day eyelashes!

Don't leave inferences to be drawn when evidence can be presented.

Sunshine just around the CORNER. CORNER of Murray and Davey Street, Hobart. February 2012.

Theme Thursday today and sometimes the best way to photograph the sun is to stand just around the CORNER from it.

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Always recognise that human individuals are ends, and do not use them as means to your end.

Jen and Hen catch some rays at Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm.

There's no word as to whether Lou Reed got his sunnies back...

You may not be interested in strategy, but strategy is interested in you.

Looking over Bass Strait. Table Cape, North West Tasmania. February 2012.

This Watery Wednesday features a snap taken during our very recent jaunt up to my old stomping grounds up in the North West of our fair State.

The great thing about the North West is that, whatever town you're in, there is a fair chance that should you turn and face north, you'll catch a glimpse of Bass Strait, the sea strait that separates Tasmania from the Australian mainland. Probably because of its limited depth, Bass Strait is notoriously rough, with many ships lost there during the 19th century. Because of that, you'll spot an awful lot of lighthouses dotting the coast.

This photo - taken after a particularly rough Sunday night - was taken right next to the Table Cape Lighthouse. Table Cape itself is a rather spectacular flat-topped promontory - geologically speaking it is a large volcanic plug - with a sheer drop to the sea.

Right in front of me here there is a very steep embankment that falls sharply about 170 metres (550 foot for those stuck pre-1789) decline.

It makes for a decent photo...