Just a melancholy Monday

I'm having one of those days, where everything is o.k., but lackluster. Perhaps it's because I've had the day off. I rarely feel I get enough done when I have so much time. Not that I didn't get anything done today. But, I took things slowly, and it was quite relaxing. Which means that it was also a bit stressful, in the sense that I always feel I should be moving ahead with things much, much faster. Of course I have a lot going on at the moment, thus a lot of reason to feel a need for efficient action. Which is not this patron goddess of procrastination's strong suit at least.

Now the day is almost over. I know that when I wake up tomorrow, everything will be back to normal. The rest of the week is filled with school, Danish lessons, work, meeting people. But for now, I look to nature to put some life back into me. These two photos were taken a few weeks ago in the woods behind our apartment building. I like the spacing between the trees, and I'm always fascinated by how branches (and things in general) become outlined in snow. Now of course, the snow is melting, though it's not gone yet. I hope that as the snow melts, so will this melancholy melt also, for me and for anyone else who needs it. Happy Monday!

Applied Essentialism

Over dinner tonight, the main topic of conversation was Essentialism. Essentialiam, simply put, is the idea that every type of being has an essential feature which distinguishes it from all other types of being. A classic example of this is the periodic table of the elements; each element has an unique atomic structure, which is the essential feature of the element. So, all of the members of the group 'gold' have the same atomic structure, a structure which is shared by no other member of any other group. Essential features mean that each group also has certain properties. So, gold has a particular malleability, reaction to acids, and so on; properties which arise naturally out of its atomic structure.

But, we didn't talk about the periodic table over our chicken salad. The question we tried to answer was rather the following: If every different thing can be separated out by its essential feature, and recognized by that and by its special properties, well then, how could we actually work with that in practice, and how would that work for classifying ourselves, or groupings of which we are members?

So, for something like biology, for example what sets man apart from other animals, or cats apart from dogs, or frogs from toads, perhaps Essentialism is more defensible...aren't we sort of classified by our DNA? (Biologists, please chime in here, as I have no idea what I'm talking about). And the properties would presumably arise from that. But what about for other things? For example, beauty. Is there an essential feature that describes all beautiful things and no non-beautiful things? If this were possible, of course, then that would presuppose some universal standard of beauty, which would be a bit of a digression here. Or for languages: the Scandinavian languages are often (though not as often as I would have thought before moving to Denmark) mutually intelligible; yet speakers of these languages would see them as different. What is the essential feature for each of these languages which would set it apart as a language? (Answer: political identity, in my opinion).

And then, for socially constructed groupings. Danes, for example. Although Thor did point out that Danes do have one essential feature: they have cartoons. But that's a relatively new feature; what about before that? It can't be just geography, as there are Danes scattered around the globe. It can't be just passport, as there are people who have been born and raised in Denmark, but who are technically citizens of other countries. It was very difficult to come up with an essential, defining feature for this type of grouping.

Of course, that may be just because neither Thor nor I consider ourselves to be Essentialists. However, that doesn't make it less interesting as a thought exercise. So, now that we've played with it for awhile, I'd like to pass it on to all of you. Please mull it over, and try to define, if you can, what essential feature binds together and sets apart groupings that you belong to (or anything other you can imagine). I find I can do it but only on a very basic definitional level...Americans are set apart by nationality, expats are set apart by not living in their country of birth, women are set apart by having a particular gender, and so on. So, I'm looking forward to reading about how you would approach it, and what you come up with.

*inspiration and the element examples courtesy of The Poverty of the Linnaean Hierarchy : A Philosophical Study of Biological Taxonomy by Marc Ereshefsky.

**photo: the dangers of essentialism, from http://www.myrelchernick.com/maternalmetaphors/images/Andrea'sArticle/Bogyi-and-Mike.jpg

That Proust, he really gets around, Part 2

First there was Proust at age 13, then there was Proust at the ripe old age of 20. As before, the inspiration is Chloe. You can still see all of Marcel's answers here.

Your most marked characteristic? My amazing ability to procrastinate, combined with a certain special indecisiveness. I know that's two characteristics, but they're pretty intertwined.

What do you most value in your friends? Intelligence, conversational ability, supportiveness

What is your principle defect? See my most marked characteristic

What is your favorite occupation? At the moment, blogging, and communicating more with my friends than before. And planning my next projects.

What is your dream of happiness? Being satisfied and fulfilled in all areas of my life, and the same for my family and friends.

What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes? Something bad happening to a loved one.

What would you like to be? Alive, happy, healthy, independent yet still retaining a good support system

In what country would you like to live? Portugal, definitely. But Denmark comes in second, and is slowly overtaking....

What is your favorite color? Medium to dark charcoal gray, various shades of blue. For clothing, I am attracted by shades of turquoise and aqua.

What is your favorite flower? Jacaranda

What is your favorite bird? I'm not sure I have one. Swan maybe.

Who are your favorite prose writers? Shakespeare, James Joyce, H.P. Lovecraft. Possibly, but not necessarily, at the same time.

Who are your favorite poets? George Herbert, Anne Sexton

Who are your favorite composers? Rachmaninoff, Elvis Costello

Who are your favorite heroines of history? The mythical first woman in every field of endevour

What are your favorite names? I go through phases, but recurring ones include Nikolaj and Vasco for boys, or Mafalda and Maja for girls.

What is it you most dislike? Not knowing what to do with my time

What historical figures do you most despise? I find it hard to despise anyone, even the truly despicable. I just can't spare the energy for it.

What event in military history do you most admire? The signing of every peace treaty.

What reform do you most admire? Human rights

What natural gift would you most like to possess? The marketing savvy to exploit the natural gifts which I already have.

How would you like to die? Peacefully, awake, surrounded by loved ones, and an extremely long time from now!

What is your present state of mind? A bit tired, but otherwise pretty calm and o.k. Comfortable.

What is your motto? Carpe diem.

There were other questions which were the same as before, or almost the same. I considered answering them again, for the sake of completeness, but then decided against, as not enough time has passed to make for any interesting differences. So, this might be one to come back to and do again in several years. It's also one for you to do, if you haven't done it already. So go on then - I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

That Proust, he really gets around, Part 1

At the age of 13, Marcel Proust played a party game which involved answering some questions. At the age of 37, I have taken the same idea from Chloe, and given my own answers. Proust's answers can be seen here.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Feeling eternally bereft, and totally apart from all humanity (the curse of the shy person, that)

Where would you like to live? I normally make it a point to like wherever I am; however, if someone held a gun to my head and made me choose, I'd probably choose London. But I'd get all of my family and friends to move there with me!

What is your idea of earthly happiness? A nice meal, a cup of tea, or cocoa, or coffee, or maybe an elaborate mixed drink, and a warm cuddle from the right person, possibly but not necessarily while travelling in some exotic locale (exotic being defined as somewhere I haven't been before)

To what faults do you feel most indulgent? Insecurity

Who are your favorite heroes of fiction? Leopold Bloom, Rumpole, King Lear

Who are your favorite characters in history? Shakespeare, Christian IV (of Denmark), Fernando Pessoa

Who are your favorite heroines in real life? my mom (hi Mom!), lots of friends throughout my life

Who are your favorite heroines of fiction? Molly Bloom, and all women in fiction who actually have spines

Your favorite painter? All sorts of nameless medieval painters. And especially medieval tapestry weavers...well, it's sort of like woven paintings, isn't it? Well, isn't it? ;-)

Your favorite musician? What, you mean I have to choose one? Oh, alright, how about Jorge Palma.

The quality you most admire in a man? Intelligence, a sense of humor, and there should be an edge of some sort.

The quality you most admire in a woman? The same as in a man, but I tolerate a lack of edge better in women for some reason.

Your favorite virtue? Honesty.

Your favorite occupation? Hmmm...writer or journalist perhaps

Who would you have liked to be? This is a rather difficult question, as why would I have liked to be other than what I am? However, that being said, someone who could live easily off of creative pursuits, who didn't have to worry about practical things like money or cleaning the house.

Thank you to Chloe for posting this. And to all others who have also posted their answers. If anyone else wants to continue this, please let me know that you've done it. Proust also answered a different set of questions when he was 20, hence the Part 1 for this post. My answers to Part 2 will be forthcoming.

*photo shows one of the reasons I'd choose London: it's political!*

København: med udsigt over de snedækkede søer

Whenever I post pictures of anywhere else, I feel a bit guilty that I'm slighting Copenhagen, which is after all where I live. No more of that for me. The reason: snow, which is still a relative novelty for me, and which I therefore still truly love. Though snow is not a very regular occurence here, when it happens, the city becomes brighter and more magical, despite the slushy dangerously slippery streets and transport delays.


Unlike the other three cities I've called home, I didn't feel at home right away here. Only after a couple of years and a lot of Danish lessons, have Copenhagen and I begun the long slow process of bonding. However there is one area with which I bonded much sooner, overlooking the lakes. The lakes are actually a semi-circle of man-made canals which was presumably at one point a division between town and outskirts, though now of course the city stretches far beyond in all directions. Some of these photos are pointing towards Nørreport and the pedestrianized areas of downtown. The other photos are pointing towards Nørrebro, one of the most vibrant, culturally diverse, and in my opinion coolest areas of town.


Soon after I first moved to Denmark, I started Danish classes at a school only a couple of blocks from here. I found the nicest way to get to class was to take the bus to where I could walk along the lakes first. Every morning was a new visual adventure, especially in the winter. One day, the water was beginning to freeze. The next, it was covered in snow. The next, the snow had melted a bit, and there were some cracks in the icy facade. And so on.


Of course the lakes have their charm in other seasons as well. There are birds, and sometimes swans, in warmer weather. Restaurants along both edges set up outdoor seating. But to every post its season, and so these summer pleasures will have to wait their turn. For now, please join me in celebrating the snow while it lasts.

title translation: Copenhagen: with a view of the snow-covered lakes.

The true home of Santa Claus

In honor of Valentine's Day, a post about Christmas....

Real conversation, from our house, after my trip to Finland. For the geographically challenged among you, Lapland is way in the North of Finland, known to the world for extreme cold, and to the Finns as a ski holiday destination. For the chronologically challenged, Danes celebrate Christmas and exchange presents on the 24th, not the 25th.

Kimananda: Thor, I'm afraid I've learned something recently that will upset you. I've been told that Santa Claus really lives in Lapland.

Thor: Now, that...that is just evil...Finnish...propaganda. Everyone knows that Santa Claus lives in...

Kimananda, interrupting: ...yes, I know...he really lives in the North Pole.

Thor, pointing out of the room: Infidel! Out! Everyone knows he lives in Greenland.

Kimananda: So, if he lives in Greenland, then why is it that all American children send letters to Santa at the North Pole, and we get our presents that we've asked for.

Thor: No, that's just a c/o address. Santa knows that North America is a bit weird that way, so he lets you have your little false beliefs. Why else do you think you get your presents a day late there?

So, who's right? The Finns, the Americans, the Danes? To add to the confusion, I've been told that the Norwegians are convinced that he lives in Norway, and that the Swedes know that he lives in the North of Sweden. Does anyone else think anything else? For me, I'm leaning towards the Greenland option as part of my integration process.

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Quick glimpse of Helsinki

Good news: I got to go on a business trip, the third business trip of my entire life, to Helsinki.
Bad news: As I was working during both days I was there, I didn't get to see much of the city.

Good news: I got to stay in a luxurious hotel which offered a breakfast buffet and in-room broadband wireless internet.
Bad news: My room was about the size of the bathroom in my apartment, and I didn't have time in the mornings to take much advantage of the buffet.

Good news: Finland is an hour ahead of Denmark. So, when I went to bed at 11pm, it was really only 10. Which was cool.
Bad news: Finland is an hour ahead of Denmark. So, when I got up at 6am, it was really only 5. Which was definitely not cool.

Good news: From what I could tell from my one evening look round, Helsinki has a lot of beautiful buildings, especially churches.
Bad news: I still haven't figured out how to take digital photos in low light, so all my pictures except one came out blurry.

Good news: The above picture came out. It's the view from the meeting room I was working from on the first day.
Bad news: None actually. But I only later realized that this was not just forest, but the edge of an employee parking lot.

Good news: I have now been to Finland.
Bad news: I will have to go back (this is not the bad news), as there was so little time to really get a feel for the place (which is the bad news).

Bonus news: In answer to this question, I have it on authority from a real Finn that trains run pretty much on time in Finland on the first day(s) of snowy weather.

Reclaiming my lost youth

When I was a teenager, many years ago...how many? I can still remember telling a class of students my age for some reason, and having one of them, who was 16 or so, say 'oh, so you're twice as old as I am!' It was even worse when I did the math and realized that he was right. And that was a few years ago.

But to return to my original thought...when I was a teenager, far too many years ago, I used to periodically make cassette tapes for people. Sometimes friends, sometimes acquaintances. I didn't have much in the way of sound equipment, just a record player and a cassette recorder. I'd play the songs I wanted to record from the records they were on, with the sound turned all the way up, and tape them. Open air. In retrospect, I can't even imagine how bad the sound quality must have been. At the time, I didn't think about it. The recipients were always quite gracious and thankful, and probably never played the end product, or at least not more than once.

It didn't matter. I'd spend hours making the playlist, timing them so that I could get the maximum amount in the tape length I had to work with, and of course doing the actual taping. I'd make very detailed liner notes. They were precious, one-of-a-kind items.

Since then, I've moved on to a world with cd's, cd burners, and iTunes. And I've just spent the afternoon blending my new technology and old interest together, and making a cd. I had forgotten just how much fun it could be to share something in this way, in this case with a small group of friends, family and blogpals. It's the perfect blend of copying (I didn't perform the music myself, after all) and creative thought...will there be a theme, is it aesthetically balanced, does it express who I am, or how I see myself, is it all stuff that the recipients will have heard before, or can I surprise them just a little bit? And I still spend lots of time ensuring that the liner notes are just so.

So, now, I am wondering. What other childhood or adolescent pleasures have I forgotten, which deserve to be remembered? I know the things which have carried over from then...non-stop reading, though I rarely have the time these days to read a book or two a day as I often would do then; bicycling, which I did in my childhood and have rediscovered here in bike-friendly Denmark, travelling whenever possible. But there must be many things that have been lost, too.

So, perhaps you can all inspire me. What childhood joys have you kept, or perhaps rediscovered? Or which ones have you not kept for whatever reason, but miss?