Yes, because I need more pictures of Wadi Rum sunsets

 Seriously, how many photos of Wadi Rum sunsets are buried here in this blog? The answer: not enough.

Why am I not there - on the cliff above Suleyman's camp - right now?

Perhaps That Is How the Iliad Was Written

   If in art there were the office of improver, then I would have a function in life, at least in my life a an artist.

  To begin with somebody else's creation, working only on improving it . . . Perhaps that is how the Iliad was written.

  Anything but to have to struggle with original creation!

  How I envy those who produce novels, those who begin them and write them and finish them! I can imagine novels chapter by chapter, sometimes with the actual phrases of dialogue and the narrative commentary in between, but I'm incapable of committing these dreams of writing to paper . . . . . .

Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet, ch. 291

I have this sinking suspicion that someday I'll be as famous/infamous as Fernando Pessoa for never actually finishing my larger writing projects. In there are probably many reasons for this ignominious reality: 1) I teach in an interdisciplinary programs with a heavy teaching load, none of the courses in my own discipline - and the curriculum is constantly being revised, and 2) I'm a very dedicated teacher who devotes an incredible amount of time to class prep and looking after my students (I suppose this is a subset of point #1, but in other ways it's a separate point - I have several colleagues who are facing the same challenges but also don't particularly give a shit about their students or the quality of their classes), and 3) I work on two many different projects - mainly, I guess, because I find all of them interesting - which means instead of simply finishing the Epics project I'm also tinkering with Ramadan in Winter (my personal reflection on Islam) and a couple creative writing projects, and 4) I'm the laziest person in the world - at least that's what my father repeatedly told me growing up and I suspect he was/is right, and 5) I'm more than a bit of a coward in regards to my writing, and 6) I'm utterly talentless.

Maybe this is why I'm so drawn to Pessoa's The Book of Disquiet: I completely understand  why - and sympathize with - his inability to finish his projects.

Oh, and I completely swiped his reference to the Iliad for this related chapter in the Epics book.

Hustle and Bustle

 Yes, this is actually where we live.

I think this satellite picture is a little misleading: there's not that much going on in Calais.

CFL Thanksgiving Excellence 2023

 As we all know, and which none of us need to be reminded, I am Vermont's leading CFL fan. Sadly, I had somehow manage3d to make it through the season without going to even one CFL game season, which says something very bad about me. Happily, I kept up a long-standing tradition of heading up to Montreal for their own long-standing tradition: the Thanksgiving (Canadian version) Montreal Alouettes game. Over the years I've dragged many of my friends up to the Thanksgiving game, and this year I brought my excellent friend Mike Kelly (who was there for his second Thanksgiving game extravaganza). Since it was the only game of the year I splurged: great seats right on the 55 yard line.

Mike and I spent a rainy, but wonderful, day analyzing the strategy.

Three things of note: 1) great Ali McGuirk hat swag; 2) my traditional Alouettes shirt; 3) damn, that dude is ancient.

As is also well-documented - as long as we see a rouge the trip is worth it. In fact, we saw two. My soon (although apparently not too soon) to be written book on the CFL will be entitled: As Long As We See A Rouge. My friends have heard me say this so many times.