7 Quick Takes Friday

1.  My husband is a rabbit rescuing hero.  He discovered a young rabbit in the bedroom when he heard its ghostly cries and the dog's anticipatory carnivorous noises.  He blocked its escape with pillows and it wisely decided that it would be safe hiding in a large plastic container.  Then, we let it outside to join its family.

2.  It's almost time for the fall decorations to go out.  My baby bird has flown the nest.  I hope he or she is happily living the life a bird should be living and will come back next year to start its own family.

3.  Last night was a beautiful full moon.  We have been blessed by gorgeous early September weather after a blessedly cool summer here.

4.  We are very close to selling my mom's house.  It has been on the market for less than a week and we have more offers than we thought we would.  In this economy, I consider that a miracle!  Thank you, Saint Joseph!!

5.  This was the first week of my full work schedule.  Aside from some technological glitches, it went well.  I have some very interesting classes to transcribe this semester.  It always amazes me how they often intersect, even (and sometimes especially) when the students are not the same student and quite often, not the same major.  This semester's "theme" seems to be ancient western civilization.  Sounds like a trip to the library is in order.

6.  Ah, technology!  It is disconcerting to have to put our trust so heavily in it, as we do.  Were there ever days when "technology" was reliable?  I think so.  Telephones of the past were so sturdy, they were used as weapons in mystery stories.  Now, the intended victim would merely laugh and the phone would break.  My mother used 2 dial telephones for more than 30 years. I can't seem to find any home phones that work reliably.  

Now, we are very heavily reliant on all kinds of technology and it is all frighteningly unreliable, not to mention beyond the understanding of many of us who attempt to use it.  That alone can make you wonder about the future of our civilization. 


7.  Speaking of civilization, there are a few books I'd like to read:  The Twilight of American Culture by Morris Bergman as well as his other book, Dark Ages America: The Final Phase of Empire.

In The Twilight of American Culture Bergman says that

For those seduced by noise, toys and technology, the current transformation to a global economy is nothing less than cultural effervescence. For those who place their values elsewhere, there is the paradox that the very sucess of McWorld, the very transformation that it represents is a darkness that is every bit as dark as the early Middle Ages no matter what the surface appearance might indicate.

He proposes a sort of "monastic" solution--separation from the banal "McWorld" around us in order to preserve literacy, both literal and cultural. It sounds intriguing and thought-provoking.