Update of notable points

Well, it's been a long time since I blogged, so I thought I'd lay something down to keep in touch cyberspatially. A bunch of non-related points to describe some notable things in my life :

• Since our cat Minu got picked up by some vigilante pound person right in front of our house and subsequently euthanized, we have a new cat Woody, which my room mate picked up from the Humane Society. To be honest, I like Woody more than Minu. Minu was not the brightest cat, and not so friendly either, although she did have a cuteness about her which I did love. She would only eat wet food, which I resented because I had to smell it every morning, and it made me want to barf. Woody on the other hand, is pretty energetic little creature. He just gobbles up the attention when you give it, but doesn't every demand it. And he eats dry food, yay!
  
• I went to go see a circus show called L'Arche 2 weekends ago at the new environmentally-sustainable circus arts centre in Montreal called TOHU. The show was quite visually stunning, as it had two layers of animated projections, one on a transparent screen in front of the performers, and one in behind them, which I thought was really neat. The acrobatics, juggling and clowning was pretty impressive as well. But there was one thing I felt a little bit disappointed with, which was the way in which the thematics of the show, that is environmental destruction/restoration, was conveyed. First of all, it didn't seem to have any clear commentary on this complicated issue, it was more just a mirror of our current situation. I guess I just feel like: because the circus arts have such a captivating quality to them, that they have great potential to be used to convey ideas that will empower humanity to create a better world. I'm not convinced that anyone walking out of that show would even think twice about using plastic shopping bags at the grocery store, never mind take action to solve any of the larger patterns of sustainability in our society.
• Lately I've been watching some really interesting documentaries which have profoundly shifted my sense of awareness. I hope to be blogging them in the near future.
• My life is slowly acquiring a sense of ritual. Particularly, I've been working to be more conscious of how I begin and end my day. One of the simplest and most practical parts which I'm still working to make automatic is authoring and noting plans for the next day before bed, and acknowledging those plans when I wake up. I consider engaging the imagination in activities to be done "in the future" to be somewhat akin to "time travel". Maybe I'm just trying to make duty more fun...
• On Saturday, for the first time ever, I set up a stand at a craft sale in the Rama Lotus called "Caravan Bazaar". I was offering handmade juggling balls and batons, or roley-poles as I like to call them. I also set up "The Playful Geometer's Mini Mobil Spacecraft Gallery", a coat rack decorated with some of my geometric 3D art. I provided some magic tricks for the kids. And for the adults, I was hosting a show called "Channel 64: The Sage's Word", that is, providing the service of I Ching divinations. The night before the sale, I stayed up really late crafting the batons and juggling balls (which I find to be quite pleasant work). I was hoping that I would sell some, but I didn't so in that sense I was slightly disappointed, but through this experience I learned some of the things I did wrong: I refused to label the items with a price tag, I left my station unattended quite a bit, and in general didn't make myself out to be genuinely interested in making money from the event. I did manage to get one commissioned spacecraft job, which was a first. And I also got one opportunity to practice my Channel 64 act. I'm not so sure doing divination in such an open atmosphere is a good idea, it detracted from the focus. Next time I need to make some edibles too, like some raw dessert balls and baked squares (or cubes, rather). Even though as a business venture, this didn't pan out as well as I had hoped, I had a great time, especially in freely entertaining the youth there. I love independent marketplaces because they are a fusion of social and economic exchange. I hope to be a part of this atmosphere more often.