brandon williamscraig

I'm sitting in front of Bart's Books in Ojai after the closing of The Imaginal Institute's First Fools Gathering. It was lovely. We combined lecture with dialogue, with Comedia del Arte, with wrangling over what it is to make or just take community for granted, with good meals and treats, with working issues like assessment in academic and non-profit settings, the changing nature of the academy, with...

The list goes on.

David Miller spoke most eloquently on The Fool, Patricia Berry was in attendance and led a breakout session, as were several other fairly well known professionals working with literature, mythology, psychology, imagination, and approaches to pedagogy (K-12, High School, and "Higher" Education).

I clowned and lead sing-alongs, and immitated flatulence, and made bad puns in a funny accent. Oh, and wore fun hats. One can't go too far away, at a Fools gathering, from being taken seriously. Then again, the rest of the crowd seemed mighty subdued by comparison. Oh, well.

I struggled, as I always do, with where I find myself and groups I am in on the community continuum. It is easy to moralize and look down on temporary gatherings as not really Community. It is also easy to use the idea of community to refer to any collision of several bodies or ideas. I find it more useful to imagine community in terms of a given sphere of influence wherein tangible and intangible needs for connection and support are and aren't being met. ten it becomes more a matter of wondering privately and publicly where we are in the midst of that terrain. What is it like to be here, giving and not giving, receiving and lacking what I and we need and want to be me and to be us. Then there is some ground from which to build a shared exerience and direction.

When that process of listening, including what is difficult to hear, and working to be together well is in progress I am amazingly energized. When it seems to be dying I feel profoundly depressed. Such is my life. I guess that is why I believe association done well builds community and profoundly desire more. That is why I spoke to the group today about that movement, and why I keep trying what I try with ABC and the ACME initiative (or see culturalmovement.net).

Tonight it is time for the Foundation for Mythological Studies evening with David Miller in Santa Barbara before he flies back home to New York.

Oh, and day before yesterday I was walking along Shelf Road up behind an Orange orchard across the hills which breaks onto a fabulous view overlooking the Ojai Valley. As I was hummng a tune that is becoming a song I rounded a corner and came up behind a four footish rattlesnake with a three inch rattle. He was facing away from me (thank goodness) and we both paused suddenly. I slowly hefted the orange I was carrying in case a missle weapon was required, but a snake that size can cover six feet (our interveneing space) quite quickly if he wishes. We regarded each other and then, with a terific burst of rattling and show, he darted into the underbrush, rattling more to be sure I knew he meant it before hiding in complete silence. Stirring is the word I woud use to describe the experience. I am no stranger to Texas rattlers and this was the finest specimen I have seen outside the Loan Store State. Thereafter I found myself occupied with snake metaphors and images, and wondering what portentious meaning might be suggested by his visit.

Guess I better drive to Santa Barbara before it gets much later.

| posted by Unknown @ 4/23/2006 03:19:00 PM

I can't resist. This one goes out to those students of my brother-in-law, Isaiah Keepin, who recently discovered this blog.

Dudes (of all genders), leave comments if you feel like it. Isaiah is the one on the right.

| posted by Unknown @ 4/21/2006 02:06:00 PM

First day in Ojai

The First Fools Gathering begins tomorrow.

Today I drove down through a beautiful land of rolling hills and verdant valleys. Amazing.
Of course, it began with a later start than I intended and the first sound I heard on starting my car and reversing out of my parking spot was an unexpectedly catlike mewling sound which only intensified when I applied the brakes. Going forward - no problem and no sound. Ditto for stopping - on a dime as usual. I argued with myself for quite a while before I stopped at a Big O Tire store of my close acquaintance and asked for a diagnostic. Turns out I need front brakes but can manage it when I return.

Back on the road there was traffic on 880 and 101 and I misestimated my travel time from the Bay to Ojai, but I arrived nonetheless, received a lovely welcome from Sanford and Christine Drucker, the latter of whom was a classmate at Pacifica and is also writing her dissertation. After stoneware roasted garlic chicken, chardonnay, asparagus, and raspberry sorbet we sat and discussed Jungian typology, the need for building community on a porpoise, the connection of the Process Arts with business, and all was well. I've dialed up and am very well taken care of as I write.

I miss my boy and my sweet one. They are headed north to Heidimom's for the weekend while I am here down south (or Low Cal as we like to call it). I am TRULY going to miss hanging with the lovely Heidi, the also lovely Greg (her man), hot tubbing and relaxing with them. I will enjoy our doing our academic thing but... ah, me. Alas. It is a sweet dilemma indeed to have such wonderful family.

| posted by Unknown @ 4/20/2006 11:08:00 PM

In the last two weeks Aidan began munching his own toes and pulling himself up to six inches across the carpet (almost exclusively arm strength with just a bit of ineffectual leg pumping). We have begun madly baby-proofing. Soon he will be competing in track-and-field.

This photo is of him catching a brief siesta (almost visible - the very cute outfit given him by his Great Grandpa Jim and Great Grandma Barb) before going to Erin (Stokes now Oliver) and Steve Oliver's wedding on Friday night. It was lovely. I recorded the ceremony from the vantage of his coat pocket (my device was there - I was in the back row) and will mail them a copy of thier vows and comments to each other as a wedding present. Wish I'd had the tech to do that at my wedding. Very sweet. Just like them. Lisa and I got to dance together for the first time in quite a while, and then Aidan and I danced for a long time with other folks. He was up for it as long as I could dish it out.

Our ABC Council meeting was fab today. We did some very important business (a proposal that I will outline here if it goes through) and then some deep personal work unlike anything we do with any regularity. Very happy to be with these people.

Tons of travel and work and diss writing in my very near future. Things will calm down a bit in June. As always the most recent public version of my schedule can be found at
http://calendar.yahoo.com/bdwilliamscraig
Let me know your Yahoo ID if you want to have access.

In June we go to be with my sister and brother (OK, in-law) after their baby (see below) is born. CAN'T WAIT.

Aidan illustrating:

how many times the bat may whistle through the air before the dude at the plate retires, or
how many shoes he's already got in his mouth in order to polish off a whole two pair, or