Ice cream and beauty

I don't really understand what's going on, but I've been here a month now, and I've been so busy almost every second. And almost always doing fun stuff. But my blogging has suffered as you've probably noticed.

The weather is mostly wonderful as well. The day before yesterday I could walk around in a T-shirt, and I sat on a bench by the ocean eating an ice cream (which wasn't particularly tasty).

I've been to the hospital to meet my doctor (not that I was sick, only to get acquainted), so now I'm enrolled with the NHS. Feels good. I've also open a bank account and joined a football team. Joined and joined, I've played one game. We'll see if I stay with it. It was great fun, but my poor body aches now.

I'm still not all settle, even though I feel like I lived here all my life or something. The one thing missing is a Scottish mobile phone. Maybe I'll get one today. Otherwise I've done pretty much all that I've been meaning to do.

There's a lot of film pf course, watching it, reading about it, writing about it. But there hasn't been all that much talking about it, and I like that. My friends here at Deans Court are devoted to other subjects, like radar, Jane Austen, birds, philosophy or biology, and I prefer to talk about these things. There's enough film in my life anyway. We've covered many important topics at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The concept of self and whether or not there's truth in beauty and art (well, we even discussed whether or not there is such a thing as beauty.) I argue that there's no objective truth to beauty and art, but some argued that there is a kind of psychological truth to it. I do argue there's such a thing as beauty, but that different people have different ideas about what is beautiful. Then I got tangled up in an argument for the existence of beauty which was depressingly close to one of those silly arguments for the existence of God (arguments which are all very unsustainable). I have to do better than that, but I was caught off guard, it's my only defence.

Department of Foreign Affairs

You can really tell a lot about someone's feelings towards you by the way she introduces you to other people. I've thought about if before and yesterday and today I've had ample reason to think about it again. I spent yesterday with Lisa and Maeby. Leaving them won't be easy...

At work I've begun clearing the deck. I'm throwing away lots, both physical and digital stuff, and it's ever so satisfying. And just emptying the mailbox is a fulltime job, make no mistake about it! It's a good thing I have two months left. But it's not all deck clearing, I spent two hours at a cocktail party at the department for foreign affairs. Much fun.

I've taken a break from Pankaj Mishra, and I'm reading David Hume instead. As Scotland's foremost philosopher, I feel it's my duty. It would be something if I were to get my Ph.D. in 2011, his tercentenary.

But actually, I'm supposed to be writing a short essay about Bergman's soap commercials now so no more blogging for now.

everyday philosophy

A lot of arguments are based on the fact that those arguing are using different definitions for the thing that they are arguing about. This is often not properly understood. But definitions are important, as this example from Gulliver, The Economist's blog on travel, makes clear.

United Airlines and its larger passengers Gulliver Economist.com:

"The arguments, it seems to me, boil down to the question of what exactly a ticket is.

Is it a) the guarantee of transport for one passenger to an agreed destination? If so then the airline must provide seating for all, and any inadequacies must be addressed at no extra cost to the passenger.

Or is it b) the guarantee of a certain amount of space in the aircraft? If so, then a passenger needing more space is obliged to buy another ticket."

Maeby and Locke

A dog is a man's shoes best friend.

There was a time when I didn't much care for dogs. That was before Maeby. Now I care about very little else. There's so much love in her it's sometimes unbearable, if for no other reason than that she is so very physical in expressing it. After a few hours no part of my skin which she's been able to reach with her tongue and her teeth (that is my face, ears, neck, arms and hands) is left unmolested. It's a good thing I'm not her owner but only her very good friend.

I had a cold last week but now I'm well and good again. Not very eager to get back to work though, so it's a good thing I have 26 days of paid vacation which I must take advantage of before the last of June. There will not be many office hours the coming month.

I've bought myself some books, and begun reading one called Locke, unsurprisingly about Locke, the British philosopher from the 17th century. Always had a soft spot for him so it's about time I read a book entirely devoted to him. Have read a fourth of it and I like it.

Other than that I spend most of my time listening to Pet Shop Boys. They're so very very good.