More bad faith

Okay, I have a whole chapter to contend with about bad faith. The idea that we lie to ourselves, that we flee from the anguish caused by our nothingness. Sartre dismisses psychoanalysis and the idea of the unconscious self, and I can see his point on that one. If you are lying to your self you have to be conscious of the lie,  you have to make a continued effort to distract yourself from it otherwise it bubbles to the surface. What I guess I disagree with is some of his examples. Some of the things he describes as bad faith I can see as hopefulness. While I can know that the situation will probably end with x there is sufficient uncertainty that I can continue with the hope that it will end in y. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Sometimes we get a better outcome just because we try.

I have another three blocks today. I have been very diligent.

402 Sawtooth Square

403 Hourglass

463 Attic Window

Bad faith

Finished up chapter 1 this morning on the train, a final discussion on anguish where it comes from and how we try to avoid it with things like psychological determinism, leading of course to the big avoidance strategy which is the subject of chapter 2 – bad faith. All of which, is of course, supposed to point us in the direction of the origin of nothingness in the world. I am not sure it does, but I will persevere.

Sewing wise I am not doing too badly, I got a little ahead of myself on the weekend, and have plenty of hand sewing cut out for while I am watching tv. This is good because, if today was anything to go by, work this week is likely to see me needing loads of veg time in front of the tv. Pity there isn’t anything good on. Still haven’t got the set-top box to work, and I used to be so technically minded.

404 Practical Orchard

481 Darting bird

493 Octogon

 

Restless

I am feeling quite strange and restless today. I couldn’t quite seem to settle to anything all day. I did some gardening this morning, cutting away the branches of some large trees that were touching the roof of my pergola, and I did get some sewing done, and some cutting out. No reading though.

291 Alaskan homestead

 

Saturday 28 May 2011

I can’t believe another month is almost over. At least I managed to get through pretty much all of my to do list today. I got lots more accomplished than I thought I would  because I decided that perhaps I don’t need to rip my laundry apart after all, at least not this weekend anyway. If I put my washing machine out flow hose in the sink instead of in the separate pipe the leaking is pretty much stopped, but I plan to keep an eye on it and see how it goes.

Got loads of sewing done this afternoon too, which was good.

249 Crows Feet

287 Saw Tooth 5 Patch

288 Double Saw Tooth 5 Patch

 

 

Movies, books and sewing

Went to see Thor last night. Which was nice. Not brilliant but enough action and enough eye candy to keep you distracted from gaping flaws in plot, and average performances.

I am progressing through Being and Nothingness slower than before, but progress is still being made and I guess that is the main thing. The last few days I have made my way through sections on possibilities and the fact that nothing can make us act, or not act for that matter, on any of them; anguish arising from this freedom; anguish in the face of the future and anguish in the face of the past and am up to looking at how most of humanity escapes being a complete anguished mess every minute of the day.

Sewing wise, just one block. I have so much catching up to do this weekend it’s not funny, along with the so many other things I also have to do. Having your own house is not a time saver.

292 Wishing Ring

Laziness

Am feeling very lazy. I know I should be doing more right now, but I figure if your energy comes and goes you just have to go with it. I will pick up soon and more will get done when I do.

Sartre is on a discussion about freewill, or freedom, how freedom is the source of nothingness, and how the two are intertwined with the being of people. Which is kind of interesting, but often incomprehensible.

I have one block, which I actually made before I went to work this morning. It is called duck and duckling. I am still trying to figure that one out because it looks nothing like.

Probably no post tomorrow because I am going to the movies after work with my Mum. 

293 Duck and Duckling

Negation

I am making speedy progress through the topic of negation (chapter 1 Being and Nothingness). Not entirely sure I agree with all of it though. I am not sure I would equate negation and nothingness which is something Sartre seems to do sometimes, but other times he seems to be arguing that negation arises from nothingness. I tend to think of negation as a purely mental or linguistic concept i.e. the quilt is not round, not here, not red, whereas I see nothingness as nothing, literally not anything. I suppose in a sense you could say that negation comes from nothingness because all of our mental and linguistic concepts come from our experiences of the world. In order to say something is not do we have to have some experience of not? Maybe there is no not, and it is just a function of the pattern forming function of the human brain. I don’t know.

I know that I should try to do some more sewing this evening. I have only done one block, but I am tired. I would like to spend the evening slumped on the couch watching trashy television but there isn’t anything even remotely watchable on. I might have to go see if I can get the digital set-top box to work.

294 Single Wedding ring

Hurray for post it notes

I finally feel like I have a system that works, and that’s going to get me to where I want to be by the time I want to be there, and its all down to the humble post it note. I can read on the train and take notes on a post it stuck to the book, when I need to turn the page I just move the post it, and when the post it is full I just leave it stuck where it is and move on to the next one. No more fumbling with note pads, I just need to hold the book and a pen. When I get home I can pull the post its out of the book and read the notes I have taken. I am actually starting to feel like philosophising again. Anyone ready for Sartre’s idea that destruction is created by humanity, that without a reference point there is just the moving around of stuff? Might have to save that one for tomorrow because my dinner is almost ready.

So things are going well, now I just need it to stop raining so the sheets that have been hanging on the line since Saturday can finally get dry.

295 Wedding Ring

296 Double Wrench

297 Philadelphia Pavement

 

 

Sunday

I started out today trying to get the template block I wanted to do to work on paper. After multiple attempts failed miserably I decided to leave the template section of the block book for later. I have skipped ahead to five patch blocks, and this afternoon managed to cut out enough blocks to do 3 a day for the next week, and I sewed three blocks, and I made some rather sketchy notes from the bits of Being and Nothingness I read during the week. I will try to return to template blocks when I have more patience.

298 Ombre

299 Flying Geese 5 patch

300 Fools Square

 

 

Unmotivated

I feel like I have been working all day and not achieved an awful lot. I started the week off so motivated as well. Now I am just feeling tired.

I haven’t done any blocks. The template one I was working on ended up in the bin, after it went all distorted when I put it together. Might have to try cutting template bits on the non-stretchy grain of the fabric. However, I did get most of a bag made (see left). I just have to put in one side of the zipper, which I accidentally sewed to the outside rim of the bag instead of the inside. That will have to wait till tomorrow. I decided to give up on sewing after my needle broke as I was trying to sew through a too thick bit. The bit that broke went flying off, and I am still looking for it. Will have to sweep up tomorrow otherwise I am likely to find it by treading on it.

The good news is this bag should be big enough for lunch, and Sartre provided it holds up to the weight.