Thank you. Fascinating. How to respond well enough and remain succinct?!
1. I'm fine, even thriving, wch also means growing concerned by the various rabbit holes into wch I plunge, making me a gloriously "inefficient" writer;
2. Been reading the various novels of Harry Mulisch, in English translation, most recently The Discovery of Heaven. A metaphysical romp, this one, about humans and fate, but orbitting the traumas of the twentieth century, particularly those of the Netherlands and surrounding German occupation (the latter, difficult and compelling, a Mulisch specialty, for me, and not unrelated, perhaps, to how the French Resistance appears to have snuck up on you);
3. The warm layers of certain old Chicago restaurants and bars, and how they seem especially good at attracting and creating odd gatherings of people;
4. Notions of serendipity, fate, destiny, all more than a little out of fashion for more "rational" perspectives, and yet..... See 2 above;
5. Hummingbird Falls, in the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, a couple of hours west of where I grew up.
Beautiful observations Kenneth, thank you! So far we all relate on the rabbit holes and German occupation which is fascinating! I’ll be looking up Harry Mulisch.
Hiya Anne! What a lovely check-in. I, too, am interested in the French Resistance (and the Dutch resistance - I have family who were a part of that). But here's my check-in:
1. Pas mal. Planning the expedition of wonder seems to be a terrific distraction, so much so that I'm having trouble narrowing down my ideas into something interesting and achievable. So many rabbit holes, so many ideas, so many possibilities! But if I don't have this to obsess over, I'll obsess over events of which I have no control. (Sheesh, that's an awkward sentence...)
2. I just started the novel All The Light We Cannot See and a memoir about going blind, The Country of the Blind. And I'm working my way through an ornithology text book (I got a scholarship to take Cornell Lab's online ornithology course).
3. Colors - not the autumnal colors of Oct/Nov in New England, but the shifting color of light from golden to something more cool that gives everything an almost steely patina. I'm fascinated by how light and atmosphere alter our perception of the colors we see, and that in turn affects our moods, what we feel.
4. What am I not ever curious about? But lately, like you, the Resistance during World War II. It's because of the book I'm reading (and the stack of similar novels to follow), and that lately my mum and her brother have been reminiscing about Oom Sim who was my Oma's friend and a fixture in their young lives in occupied Holland. He was also a member of the Dutch resistance. They don't know much about that part of his life, of course, since they were so young, but later as teens and adults they learned or pieced together information. But it has me thinking about how people coped during the occupation.
5. Right now, it's where I am. I'm enjoying my time here and trying to fill up my memory well for when I eventually move on. Soaking up the change in seasons, the sights and sounds of the wildlife, the crunch of dried lives and the promising smell of frost and snow.
This was fun, and I'm looking forward to reading other check-ins! xoSusannah
Lovely updates, thank you so much for sharing Susannah! I can totally relate to the idea explosion rabbit holes in tension with something more focused. And I’ve never been in New England in the fall and feel that I’m missing out--I loved hearing your take on that palette. And what an interesting family tie! To be honest I’ve never been overly interested in WWII history, at least not more than other history (though I have read All the Light and other popular novels of that genre), but living in places where it was really immediate has started to change the way I see it.
I think that is the gift of relocating - no matter how long the stay you can't help but begin to see the place in terms of how it was shaped by the past.
Won't answer the questions, but excited to discover your Substack after you guest post on another site. Lovely to read your well crafted posts. Spent a memorable and formative three months in Grenoble in Q2 2002 trying to learn French with other students. Our current plans are to retire in the region one day. Looking forward to following along.
Hey Anne. This is lovely, I was just thinking about where might work best to check in with people, a post or chat..
Anyway, I'm well. The news is heavy going at the moment, so I am directing all my attention to my children and my writing. Like you, I'm finding engaging with the substack community very rewarding, so that's really good.
I'm reading much less than I was at the start of the year, but writing more. But I've just seen that Ben Myers' Cuddy has just won the Goldsmiths Prize. I was half way through it, so maybe this is the sign I need to finish it.
Thanks for checking in Simon. I was just wondering how you were getting on with Cuddy! I found the first half more engaging than the second half, sorry to say, but it’s worth a shot.
Thank you. Fascinating. How to respond well enough and remain succinct?!
1. I'm fine, even thriving, wch also means growing concerned by the various rabbit holes into wch I plunge, making me a gloriously "inefficient" writer;
2. Been reading the various novels of Harry Mulisch, in English translation, most recently The Discovery of Heaven. A metaphysical romp, this one, about humans and fate, but orbitting the traumas of the twentieth century, particularly those of the Netherlands and surrounding German occupation (the latter, difficult and compelling, a Mulisch specialty, for me, and not unrelated, perhaps, to how the French Resistance appears to have snuck up on you);
3. The warm layers of certain old Chicago restaurants and bars, and how they seem especially good at attracting and creating odd gatherings of people;
4. Notions of serendipity, fate, destiny, all more than a little out of fashion for more "rational" perspectives, and yet..... See 2 above;
5. Hummingbird Falls, in the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, a couple of hours west of where I grew up.
Beautiful observations Kenneth, thank you! So far we all relate on the rabbit holes and German occupation which is fascinating! I’ll be looking up Harry Mulisch.
Hey. The Assault is his most famous. I found Last Call (and also Siegfried) pretty extraordinary...
Thanks!
Hiya Anne! What a lovely check-in. I, too, am interested in the French Resistance (and the Dutch resistance - I have family who were a part of that). But here's my check-in:
1. Pas mal. Planning the expedition of wonder seems to be a terrific distraction, so much so that I'm having trouble narrowing down my ideas into something interesting and achievable. So many rabbit holes, so many ideas, so many possibilities! But if I don't have this to obsess over, I'll obsess over events of which I have no control. (Sheesh, that's an awkward sentence...)
2. I just started the novel All The Light We Cannot See and a memoir about going blind, The Country of the Blind. And I'm working my way through an ornithology text book (I got a scholarship to take Cornell Lab's online ornithology course).
3. Colors - not the autumnal colors of Oct/Nov in New England, but the shifting color of light from golden to something more cool that gives everything an almost steely patina. I'm fascinated by how light and atmosphere alter our perception of the colors we see, and that in turn affects our moods, what we feel.
4. What am I not ever curious about? But lately, like you, the Resistance during World War II. It's because of the book I'm reading (and the stack of similar novels to follow), and that lately my mum and her brother have been reminiscing about Oom Sim who was my Oma's friend and a fixture in their young lives in occupied Holland. He was also a member of the Dutch resistance. They don't know much about that part of his life, of course, since they were so young, but later as teens and adults they learned or pieced together information. But it has me thinking about how people coped during the occupation.
5. Right now, it's where I am. I'm enjoying my time here and trying to fill up my memory well for when I eventually move on. Soaking up the change in seasons, the sights and sounds of the wildlife, the crunch of dried lives and the promising smell of frost and snow.
This was fun, and I'm looking forward to reading other check-ins! xoSusannah
Lovely updates, thank you so much for sharing Susannah! I can totally relate to the idea explosion rabbit holes in tension with something more focused. And I’ve never been in New England in the fall and feel that I’m missing out--I loved hearing your take on that palette. And what an interesting family tie! To be honest I’ve never been overly interested in WWII history, at least not more than other history (though I have read All the Light and other popular novels of that genre), but living in places where it was really immediate has started to change the way I see it.
I think that is the gift of relocating - no matter how long the stay you can't help but begin to see the place in terms of how it was shaped by the past.
Won't answer the questions, but excited to discover your Substack after you guest post on another site. Lovely to read your well crafted posts. Spent a memorable and formative three months in Grenoble in Q2 2002 trying to learn French with other students. Our current plans are to retire in the region one day. Looking forward to following along.
Hi John, that's lovely to hear! Glad to have you along, and I hope you do make it back to Grenoble!
Hey Anne. This is lovely, I was just thinking about where might work best to check in with people, a post or chat..
Anyway, I'm well. The news is heavy going at the moment, so I am directing all my attention to my children and my writing. Like you, I'm finding engaging with the substack community very rewarding, so that's really good.
I'm reading much less than I was at the start of the year, but writing more. But I've just seen that Ben Myers' Cuddy has just won the Goldsmiths Prize. I was half way through it, so maybe this is the sign I need to finish it.
Thanks for checking in Simon. I was just wondering how you were getting on with Cuddy! I found the first half more engaging than the second half, sorry to say, but it’s worth a shot.
I've heard this from a few people. Let's see. I think I just need to finish it now, its looming over me like a medieval saint in a gothic cathedral.