Tuesday, November 29, 2011

zen and now


our little book club met last night at catherine's. i had chosen our latest read - robert pirsig's "zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance". i had never read it "in the day" and had always wondered what it was that made it such a classic of my youth. it was a hard read for a number of reasons. we all found pirsig's personality to be overbearing and egotistical and his treatment of his son appaling. my mind bent trying to follow his philosophical convolusions. but again it was worthwhile. pulling me back to the 60's and early 70's and how so many of us saw the world. and how it compares and contrasts with the recent "occupy" movement.

this was our last gathering of the year. some of us will be away for christmas. so catherine made the evening festive and charming.
she overlooked the diner cuisine in the book and went for the zen - saffron rice and lentil dahl and roast chicken for the non-vegetarians. she also baked barb a cake - her birthday is tomorrow. and there were little gifts for everyone. (now you see why we keep our book club so small!).
good food. good company. and a good fire to keep out the chill of a rainy dark november evening.

4 comments:

Taos Sunflower said...

Very interesting, Shawn. It has been on my list all these years also. Love the photo of the cat watching the fire. Stay warm and cozy...

Robyn said...

Yes, interesting. I read that book in my first year at art school and it made a big impression on me. But when you mentioned reading it with the group, I did have a vague memory of the guy who wrote it being kind of a jerk.

Have you read any of Chogyam Trungpa? He has a great way of pulling the rug out from under you just when you least expect it, and I think he was writing most of his stuff around the same time...

jamnflder said...

Hi Shawn, I know just what you mean about clearing out a studio, and how daunting it can be. I'm struggling to return to creativity after a 2 year hiatus looking after Mum. I admire you for being able to manage your time & energy to maintain your blog as well as your creative work. Good for you! I find the computer temptations a huge block to getting going.
Angela Baker

jamnflder said...

Guess I might try blogging some time.