Thursday, October 12, 2006

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Catalogue and Rummage

I like the idea of rummaging, of holding things up, turning them over, opening up to surprises and renewed perspective in the ordinary or offcast thing. A rapid-fire what could I do with a thing such as this? When I was a kid, it was always "rummage sale." "Yard sale" and "garage sale" were less common (though not altogether tame). Maybe the rummage sale is a regional coinage--finding odds and ends (i.e., junk) for sale meant rummaging in the rural Great Lakes vernacular. Just a guess. Disarrangement in the midst of worthlessness or, who gives a damn how it's spread out on the picnic table.

A rummaging disposition is what sets in when I haven't blogged for a few days. Lots of incidental and fleeting topics blink and fade in the fuzzy periphery of purpose-driven dailiness. I mean that there's plenty to write about, but much of the striking minutiae is overlooked, passed by altogether. No doubt this felt sense is a symptom of my own fluttery rhythms in recent weeks. I've read intensely for exams, in bursts of preparation, then laid off, spending time with other important stuff instead. For better or worse, there have been a few more lurches in these few weeks than in any semester during the two years of coursework.

Catalogued rummage, then, involves the listy-ness of a catalogue with the attitude or stance of the rummager. It provokes and evades the "so what?" rather than squarely answering it ("I'll tell you what: the whole set for five cents!"). And then flips a nickel in the air, just in case there's something of future value.

  • Dogville's been sitting here for more than two weeks, but I can't find the three hours I need to devote to watching it. Maybe somebody can just tell me it stinks so I can drop it back in the Netflix envelope.
  • Dr. Pepper ads now emphasize its 23 flavors (er, 506 pairs of flavors and 10,626 flavor trios). Oh yeah? Then why oh why do we need a product like Berries & Cream Dr. Pepper?
  • I sent off a book review today. Signed the copyright transfer agreement and slipped it into the mail. Reward: two sweetly brushed hours of Okami.
  • I need a new umbrella.
  • TV shows I'm hooked on this fall season: Heroes, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Lost.
  • Reading Bazerman on discursively structured activities. And thinking about discursively unstructured activities (i.e., mayhem) and discursively structured inactivity. Yep, language does.
Bookmark and Share Posted by at October 12, 2006 9:25 PM to Methods
Comments

Sorry friend. Dogville is a MUST see. Well worth the 3 hours, and while you're watching it -- it doesn't seem like 3 hours, but alas that time is strangely gone.

Posted by: jenwingard at October 13, 2006 1:04 AM

any time devoted to a bit of ps2 is always well worth it...have been doing a bit of rummaging this past week...guess i'm cleaning house (literally and figuratively) after the exams and stuff. i put together a box to send to the philippines. something about going thru it all has had my mind spinning.

no new tv addictions, thank goodness. however, since i've treated myself to cable, i have realized that at any waking moment, either law & order (the original and/or one of the many spin-offs), csi (same deal as law & order although the las vegas team is the best), or star trek: tng is on. the magic of it all...

Posted by: e at October 14, 2006 10:13 PM

On your word, Jen, I'm very close to the end of Dogville. And I don't want to know how it ends as much as I want to know that it ends. ;)

I spend far less time on the PS2 these days, E, so it was past due for me to fit in a session of gaming. And Okami was a good choice. The graphics are amazing.

Posted by: Derek at October 15, 2006 9:43 AM