Saturday, November 30, 2019

A lovely offer

My daughter, Beth, came to visit a couple of weeks ago. She hasn't seen my new "digs" yet. I asked her to tighten a screw on the Artistat I'm currently using for weaving, and in the course of the discussion I said how I wished I still had the counterbalance Mira I donated to Praxis, several years ago. It is a workhorse, and I'm afraid I'm beating the little Artistat to death.

That entire gift had come about because Beth, and the studio owner are friends. Out came her phone, and Beth asked if the Mira were available as a trade back. Jessica said "Yes, your mom should have her loom back." That probably will happen next week. We got it out of the old house only with the removal of the treadle bar, and I do hope we can get it in here the same way. And I am so grateful to Jessica.


The counterbalance Mira in the old studio. Isn't she a beauty!

I've just finished listening to The Old Curiosity Shop. It may be a Dickens I never read. Brain injury notwithstanding, I have no recollection, no clue of this book in the past. I was in no way impressed, except one. In fact, I almost gave up, before coming to the bit that engrossed me.

I'm sorry I don't know Mark Twain's opinion of the book. Mark Twain advised, on writing, if there is a character the author no longer knows how to handle, just take that character out back and push him down the well.

Actually, I felt that is what Dickens did with Little Nell. He certainly wrapped up a good deal of plot and action in that last chapter, including disposing of villain Quilp by drowning. But the center of the book, the tale of Grandfather's downfall by gambling, borrowing, gambling I found so well characterized it clutched at me. I could have used a trigger warning.

Which set me thinking about "trigger warnings".

On Thanksgiving Day, my neighbor and I saw Knives Up!  The only review I read of the film before I saw it was a Times Opinion piece that felt the film played fast and loose with illegal immigration, and we, or at least she, should have been given a trigger warning.

I hearken back to reading Lord of the Flies, the last quarter of which I read only enough of each page to ascertain Jack remained alive. To this day I have not reread the book. That's been fifty some years. I dealt with it, satisfactorily enough to progress through life. No one, especially no college professor, gave trigger warnings.














44 comments:

  1. I do hope that Mira comes home to you soon.
    And yes, there are rather a lot of books which my wimpy self would appreciate trigger warnings for. And rather a lot of triggers.

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  2. As to books I want to know if there is cruelty to animals...unfortunately all too common. If so I am not reading it.
    L:ooking forward to Mira's return.

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  3. I am sure that Mira has been longing for your touch. How exciting! Is she coming soon?
    I've never read that particular Dickens' book either. Perhaps I should read it? Maybe my 2020 resolutions should be to read all of Dickens.
    Or perhaps not.
    As to trigger warnings- well, I use them myself on posts but honest to god, I don't really feel comfortable doing that. I'm not sure why. As a sexual abuse survivor (and so many of us are) I am hit with triggers all the time and mostly, I don't react too strongly. The things that trigger me the most are when people (usually men) get away with sexually abusing women and those stories are the stories of our time. Trump is a constant trigger for me. Bill Cosby's trials were hugely triggering for me. Kavanaugh? The same. You can't put a trigger warning on the news. But at least I understand why these things affect me so much.
    But I will tell you this- I will never read "Lolita." Ever.

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  4. Congratulations on getting your old friend back. I hope there is not too much trouble moving it into your place.

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  5. I remember reading Lord of the Flies, once and never again.
    I hope your old loom comes home without any trouble at all and happily gets busy.

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  6. Lord of The flies and it's theme will trigger me too. I Always read a review or synopsis before I dive into a book.
    Good luck with Mira!

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  7. Trigger warning, I don't know that most of the audience is ignorant of that meaning.

    This highlights how that immigrant family is so vulnerable without help. It also demonstrates how the young woman has become a nurse, one who helps ones, even though that wealthy employees have victimized her. She was a person with a strong moral compass.

    It is a good movie, one of the few around.

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  8. How wonderful that you are going to get your loom back! Just saw Knives Out last night and I really liked it. -Jenn

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  9. That is great if Mira is going to be returning home soon! I just saw the trailer of Knives Out. Does look interesting. I think I only read Dickens' Tale of Two Cities and that was required reading in 11th grade.

    betty

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  10. Wonderful that the Mira is coming home to you.......I am trying not to read nor see anything that will make me upset or depressed or too crazy these days....I remember The Old Curiosity Shop which I read possibly in 1959 or 1960. The description of what Daniel Quilip ate horrified me! And I remember reading how hundreds of people stood on the docks in New York to get the next installment of the book right away so they could find out whether Little Nell had lived or not.....The internet has changed all that, for sure. And modern technology has wrecked a lot of plot possibilities. Bleak House was my favorite Dickens, I think. I think I've read all his works except for Edwin Drood. But I don't reread them much.

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  11. your old loom is a beauty... hope she moves in easily! I am looking forward to seeing what you make!!

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  12. I am delighted Mira is coming back to you and I love that picture of her. Trigger warnings are odd, that's all I'll say about that.

    XO
    WWW

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  13. I’m so happy for you that you’ll be getting Mira back. Lord of the Flies was extremely depressing for me. Thank you for your trigger warning about Knives Up.

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  14. Twain's thoughts on how to dispose of a character made me chuckle. The Mira looks pretty swank, by the way.
    I don't think we read Lord of the Flies in school. To be honest, I actually can't remember. I wonder what books I would have wanted a trigger warning for. Flowers for Algernon made me sad, but I think it was all par for the course. To have been given a 'trigger warning' for that book would have probably amounted to a 'spoiler'.

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  15. How wonderful that you will get your old loom back. I hope it fits through the door okay. I read the book you listened to in audio. It was one of my favourite Dicken's books so far. I haven't seen the movie yet. It looked quirky and interesting in the trailer.

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  16. I have never been a Dickens fan - had to do two at college - Bleak House and Hard Times - found them very hard going. Glad you are getting your old loom back - hope you get it in alright.

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  17. It will be good to get your old loom back

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  18. I am not sure what I'm looking at, not being loom savvy, but it is beautiful.

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  19. Good luck with the new old loom, you are constantly moving forward and not giving up, a brave woman.

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  20. Hari OM
    Great new re Mira - it does look fabulous and I think will bring a joy to your late production years!!! Being a huge Daniel Craig fan, I might watch that movie - but thanks for the trigger warning. YAM xx

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  21. I had to teach Lord of the Flies for several years and the story never got easier.
    In fact, one reason I've been avoiding my current book club is that they keep choosing stories full of tragedy and sadness. I don't want to spend my time there, no matter how uplifting the final message is.

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  22. It's a long time since I read any Dickens. "Great Expectations" and "A Tale of Two Cities" were my favourites. I have never read "Lord of the Flies" and perhaps I never will.

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  23. A Christmas Carol is my favourite Charles Dickens book. It's still in print.

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  24. I gave Huck Finn a try when I was a boy. I cannot recall if I finished it.

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  25. Wonderful that you’re getting your Praxis back.

    I’m not a huge fan of Dickens though I have read several. I’d never take one up to read these days. Too many other good books out there.

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  26. Yes, yes. I am awake enough to comment this morning. Flat out lovely loom.

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  27. Very nice that you are getting your loom back. I expect it will make weaving all that more pleasurable. I also had to read Lord of the Flies back in the day. I didn't like it then and I wouldn't like it now.

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  28. oh yay, getting the good loom back. I've never read Lord of the Flies. don't think I've ever read any Dickens either. my english teacher made us read things like Mill on the Floss and Tess of the d'Ubervilles. I don't get trigger warnings. are we really such fainting hearts that we need to be warned off things that upset us? the world needs to pull up it's big person panties and soldier on.

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  29. Congrats on getting your counterbalance Mira back! Trigger warnings are important for people with PTSD, just like warnings about flashing lights in theatre productions are important for people with epilepsy. Why set people off when a simple warning can prevent it?

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  30. I've never read The Old Curiosity Shop. I had to read several Dickens titles at school and I struggled to get through them. The writing always seemed rather over-the-top.

    Trigger warnings have got a bit out of hand. Some things just have to be dealt with, not avoided. I remember when I was young, programmes used to be described as "not suitable for those of a nervous disposition".

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  31. I discovered Charles Dickens as a result of my grandson being given a summer assignment. He was told to expect a test on A Tale of Two Cities on his first day of high school. As a teacher, I was appalled. I was in MN, he was in TX. We read the book and discussed it, chapter by chapter. Five years later, he shocked me with a quote from that book. After that, I very much enjoyed many of Dickens' books; never read Lord of the Flies.
    I know you will love having your old faithful loom back. That will allow you to make wider fabric, right? Good that Beth came to visit AND did you a good turn.

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    1. Tale of Two Cities is among my most beloved Dickens novels.

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  32. I"m so happy that Beth helped you get that older loom back. Wow!

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  33. It's great that you're getting your old loom back. The right tools for the right job and all that :)

    Those who don't understand trigger warnings are the lucky folks who don't need them.

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  34. Generally I am quite in favour of trigger warnings so long as we don't have to abide by them if we don't want to. Occasionally I read things that I wish I hadn't read and which stay with me for a long while. I know anything like them will bother me and I am grateful then to read a warning. On the other hand, some people seem to get very upset about things which don't ruffle me at all!

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  35. Happy I am about the return of the big loom. Looking at looms causes me to be impressed with your spatial relations. I got my serger out for the first time since 2006 or so and I have no idea of how to do anything. My hands have forgotten all of it. I can tell I've got a bad looper tension, but don't know which one. So, this time, we're just going to live with it.

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  36. Most professors I have run into took a perverse pleasure in NOT giving trigger warnings. That Mira is a beauty, all right. How wonderful that she will be back in your life!

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  37. I've been lucky enough to have led a charmed life so trigger moments are few and far between. The only things I've avoided like grim death are school reunions and Dickens books.

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  38. Congratulations you have your loom back. Some people are so kind and generous.

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  39. I saw Knives Out on Thanksgiving, too. Loved it. Sometimes a movie is just a movie, but Mira, she's an altogether different thing. Wow-can't wait to see what you make on her.

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