Welcome to `Station Keeping <http://tychoish.com/hanm>`_, a science fiction collaborative blog-fiction project of `TealArt.com <http://tychoish.com>`_. This episode, Nan’s Loyalties is the 6th Episode in our series, and is the mid-season installment. Though I’m sure you can enjoy this episode independently of all the others, be sure to check out the other installments. If you like what you see please be in touch. If you’d like to join the writing team or submit just an episode, I’d very much like to be in contact with you. Enjoy!

Messages from the Underground

Nan rolled over for the third time in as many minutes, and tried to ignore in incessant pinging from her communications panel. She was stuck in that twilight space where her grasp of reality and the limits of possibility were tenuous at best.

She relents finally and stands up and stumbles over to the comm panel and activates it. The lights are low, but she’s thankful when the video system doesn’t come on. While audio were historically uncommon, they were not totally unfamiliar. “Hello?” she asked after a brief pause, where she realized that it was probably expected that she confirm the connection before the conversation.

Nan swayed a little as she stood, unsure of weather or not she should try and pull herself fully awake or not. After a moment, she remembered to say “Hello…”

“Ms. Gee, I can’t tell you my name, but I’m with the Hanmist Resistance, and--” came a cracking voice. Nan would have cut him off sooner had she not been yawning.

“What do you want. It’s the middle of the damn night up here.” She wasn’t sure what time it was, or even if night was the right word to describe the tim on the station. Hell, she didn’t even know if this call was legitimate: the voice wasn’t any that she recognized. Her caller knew more about her than she did him, if it was a him, and she wanted to even that playing field as soon as possible.

“We know your work, and we we’re building a network of supporters. You’re position on Hanm Centre will be very valuable to us when we come.”

“Come? I haven' manded. Nan thumbed up the lights and squared her shoulders, in a hopes of sounding more authoritative.

“We support you, we support Hanm. We just want you to be ready for us when we come…”

“Oh come on, no one actually talks like that,” Nan thought to herself. “How will I get in touch with you?” She said, hoping that the person on the other end couldn’t hear her eyes rolling: it was probably better to play along with this, even if it were a prank, but she didn’t have to like it. And hell, if there was a Hanmist movement around to talk to her, this couldn’t be a bad thing.

“You’ll know. Do we have your support?”

“I support anything that’s good for Hanm.” Just ambiguous enough, and true, ultimately she thought.

“Good, expect a package with more information soon. Hanm Will be free.” the words were uttered with a dispassionate murmur that sent a tremble down Nan’s spine.

“Ok, thank you.” Nan responded politely before she cut the connection. “Log last transmission and send the details to…” her command was punctuated by a brisk entry of a code for her terminal in her office. There was supposed to be a way for her to do this verbally, but she always felt that it was easier and more secure to just enter the code by hand. Nevertheless, Nan’s instructions to the computer were curt, but she was hopeful that she’d get back to sleep. She cut the lights and stumbled back to bed.

Gift boxes from the Underground

Nan almost tripped on a box as she walked into her office. “How’d they get that in here?” She wondered.

She put her bag down next to her desk and walked carefully back to the package. There was a blank piece of paper fastened to the top of the box. She lifted it carefully, and on the back she read: “Nan: Hope these help. Hanm will be free.”

The memory of Nan’s late night comm-call came rushing “I guess it wasn’t a fake or a dream,” she muttered as she set the paper back on top of the box. She sat down at the desk and called up the communications log.

Again Nan spoke to herself “What the hell am I supposed to do now?”

“Nan’s Loyalties'” was written by, `tycho <http://tychoish.com/tycho>`_, the creator of `TealArt <http://tychoish.com>`_ and `Station Keeping <http://tychoish.com/hanm>`_. He is a student and knitter by day and a science fiction writer by night, you can read his work elsewhere on `TealArt <http://tychoish.com>`_ and at `~/tychoish <http://tychoish.com>`_.

Its actually almost interesting how tired and behind I’ve been. Knitting camp, as I’m sure you’ve read (here, here, and here), was amazing, and I quite enjoyed the experience. If nothing else it did a lot to inspire me, for future knitting. I’m not sure if there was anything specific I can point to that I learned that I didn’t know before, but I have new ideas for patterns, new shapes and techniques and styles that I want to try out and use, and I think on the whole this is a good thing. I also feel better and more encouraged to start designing and writing again. So we’ll see what comes of this.

But the downside of this, is that I slept between 3 and 5 hours for the past several days, and despite sleeping a lot last night, I’m only now beginining to recover properly. I spent an entire day at work being groggy and tired. At one point, while we were fiddling with a database, I leaned over and rubbed my forehead on the corner of a library cart rather than move my arm to scratch it. Yeah it was ugly.

While clearly not sufficient as an excuse, I have none-the-less fallen behind in my TealArt-ing (and my tychoish-ing). I do, thankfully, have a station keeping that will appear tomorrow morning (later this morning, likely, by your reading of this). There may or may not be a post on thursday, and I hope to have something about Delueze for friday, but it might not be much. With luck, I will recover by next week.

As you might expect I’m trying to get some knitting done, but hopefully I’ll convince myself to chill out a little. I’m starting to get that “oh my g-d, I haven’t been writing” itch, so I need to point some time in that direction, but having said that there’s a grey Tam that I want to knit, in part to revise my astoundingly popular beret pattern. The astounding part is the fact that it’s popular (4th return for “free beret pattern” on google, and routinely gets the most number of hits of any TealArt page), given, I think, that the numbers don’t come out even. Unless you cast on a multiple of 4. Also I need a new beret, all of mine seem to have wondered off…

Anyway, I’ll be in touch, and sorry about the irregularity of my postings, and keep an eye on tychoish.

Cheers! tycho

… go home again (because here I am)

I’m without brain cells, so I’m going to sleep, but I’ll post later with full updates I promise!

I just got a piece of spam, the text of which was a quote--I think, based on key words--from a Foundation book by Isaac Asimov.

I will reprint it here, because I am just that tickled.

Galaxy. Psychohistory, is to keep it of anything: like; to go, where the introduction of them. The tax on broken and radical, men who now my passport (forged an element in My Project there it could remove your fingers were I have been with buttered words were warmed by which are religious tasks he knew too much it’s complete said the center of that want in Askone).

Councilman man in exchange you see me on that he winked.

On their life, other than the taxi popped out to evil time.

The Trader: glanced dryly.

Red. You seem to undertake if tell that it, the powah man a that the conversation: staircase, and the elevator in law of the Empire had time Hardin and exertions of war, was sipping wine by, them personally since it was the first, sight; and added Sutt filled with you don’t was much all; It’s impressive, and he growled you’re the only co operation. Let them one. But he had been part of the Galaxy: regent (rose with atomic power can hold brush foundation may not)? Oh, I suppose. Gaal said, Bort impatiently.

He has to Anacreon (you can About three century ago at the Board has been identified as much as for).

Trantor has nuclear power and the neighboring newly advanced science; of whom: I didn’t require to have my people. Pirenne is, to pay for maintenance of the analysis was much the mayor, pounded broke down. It’s straight up where to a and that strike, you see you’re going it weakens ever considered all. The clouds of the priests, back. It seems amounts to help it a Q; beam; without at their recent events.

As muted buzzer; upon those who wrote it going to. Mallow, said! Mallow your statement a week indicated twisted. There was no for compromise, and I’ve there’s Plenty of. For instance: two years.

Of the time it, would like the significance: of suspense if he noticed.

SELDON, could, not count the planet: which proves that they that is this City way to that, very nature evaporated into and if they believe; it’s my motives and all. Q: beam of the Chairman only alternative in the results of Anacreon from that may enter the peace you are at the forty eight of the human emotions and power after all fired as muted, buzzer upon them gently that Trantor increasingly vulnerable to make be forced on the order, words then highly developed, mathematics respect. Let’s get it is pwobably his found himself.

Completely blanketing the I have a Lord Dorwin.

There, is the last. Muller Holk for violence?

I’m trying to type quietly so that I don’t wake TrickyTricot. Knitting camp is awesome. Joyce Williams and I were the last ones out, after agreeing to disagree about the various merits of different methods of shaping the shoulders and sleeves of drop-shouldered sweaters. It ended with us wearing each-others sweaters flailing about grabbing at the fabric of the shoulders in exasperation. Hilarious my friends, hilarious.

I figured out the trick to Armenian knitting, which is this cool way to get large blocks of color in stranded knitting without having to do creepy weird stuff. I think I’ve always known it, but, I share a brain cell with Meg and Joyce, because there’s so much in our approach that’s similar. Joyce, for instance, shares my aversion to turning her work, to the point that she will purl-back-backwords to get garter stitch. I’m not that hardcore, but I will avoid projects if it involves turning. Tringular shawls, for example.

I sat next to Meg, Meg Swansen (!), during show and tell, and it was nifty to see what we responded to, and how frequently it was similar. It was just sort of nifty.

Michael, said this morning something to the effect of “you seem like you know a lot of people,” which is interesting, because I’ve met two of them before, but other than that nada. I guess I mingle well, or something. It’s interesting/nice to get outside validation of your apparent social skills/network, particularly at points where you feel like your social network/skills in the broader scope might be shrinking.

Also, I brought a lace shawl to camp that I knit a few years ago in 100% tencel, that had developed a nasty snag. Another camper and I spent some time on the ground pinning it out again to get the snag under control. The camp room still has a lace carpet.

IN other news, my camp knitting, which is a plain sweater, is coming along nicely. I figure that I should be able to get done with it by lunch time (g-d willing) and then I can get back to knitting color work. Speaking of which, a woman was knitting this amazing color-work sweater in this amazing yarn, that apparently, isn’t really available on the internet, but is SUPER amazing and incredibly cheap. Like… Incredibly cheap. And at least theoretically compatible with jumper weight shetland. She brought down the color card and 6 of us took the number. I fully intend to call during break tomorrow and order a sweaters worth.

I also heard about--or more properly that it sunk in--that the reduction in J&S Shetland colors (and concurrent price hike). This means, that really there’s not a lot of reason to bother to use their shetland, when HD is such high quality and affordable. I’m a college student after all. In terms of swag, with the exception of the aforementioned yarn, there are a couple of great books that I think I’m going to knit and I’m going to get some sock yarn to make stranded socks.

This will entertain my parents/mother as much as anyone, but I met someone today who is friends/knows morris dancing friends from the Twin Cities.

Other than that… OMG people are reading my blog, omg, steven eley commented on my blog, squee, and um, I got some encouragement to work on knitting designs. I’ve been feeling rather uninspired of late, so that was good. I just need to figure out a way to have time to both knit, and be a science fiction writer.

Sorry for the long rambling post…. but I think I need to write something for cast on podcast about going to camps: morris camp, knitting camp, and the idea/possibility of going to clarion or something.

ok, over and out folks, I need to figure out a way to pass out, I’m going to need to be awake again in almost no time.

Cheers, tycho

This posting is nominally in respoonse to section 3.3 of Deleuze and Guatteri’s Anti-Oedipus, but I think, given that this section doesn’t cover particularly new territory, and the fact that I think I need to take a step back and talk about my perspectives and reasons for approaching this book. So there won’t be quotes this week.

But first, for my records as much as anything, 3.3 entitled “The Problem with Oedipus,” and it basically takes a bit of traditional psychonalaitic canon (ish), and explains more or less on it’s own terms, how it doesn’t hold together. Oedipus doesn’t work, because kinship relationships are social constructions; Oedipus doesn’t work because heterosexuality doesn’t work (for anyone,) Oedipus doesn’t work…. We’ve been over parts of this argument before, and while it’s a compleatly necessary part of the book. I’m in favor of taking it and moving on to greener pastures.

Next week’s section (3.4) is entitled “Psychoanalysis and Ethnology,” which sounds greener to me.

Anyway, back to why I like the book, why I think it’s important to read a 30 (!) year old book of, what was surely in its day, trendy philosophy.

• I think it’s difficult to say “reality is socially constructed,” without having a framework. Judith Butler is a good start (did’ya know that she opens her oft-reprinted essay “Imitation and Gender Insubordination” with a Delueze quote?) but I think it’s important to go further. And though it all started with queer theory for me, the truth is that those arguments aren’t tactically a good place to start for the kinds of questions and arguments I’m interested in building on.
• I enjoy the possibility and opportunity to look at psychoanalysis and say “rubbish!” outside of empiricism, and still say “you know these ideas are still useful.” It’s not apologizing for Freud, I mean I think even when you extract the 19th century from Freud, it’s not all that good; but it creates the possibility for me (and others I hope) to say “look what people working in a psychoanalytical framework have done” and it’s pretty nifty. Think about attachment theory, think about Levi-Struss and structuralism, and one can’t help but admit that “interpolation” (Althusar) is pretty nifty. I’m still throwing out ideas by the bale , but at some point that just has to happen, I suppose.
• It’s a book about psychoanalysis that is unabashedly materialist, and that’s an incredibly helpful position to have a grasp of.
• It’s funny. I tried reading Derrida about a year ago. Dear g-d. I think Derrida gets taken a little more seriously than Deleuze and Guatteri, but it’s harder to read, and I think less broadly applicable.

And then the background. Now lets remember, I’m no specialist in this stuff, so what I’ve been able to piece together is just that: a mishmash.

• AO is a synthetic project. Like a lot of so called radical philosophy (usually french, usually from the late 60s and 70s), it’s a melding of Freud and Marx. I’ve heard also (and agree) that it uses Nietzsche synthesizes Freud and Marx.
• Deleuze and Guatteri are, at least as I read them, post-structuralists, which is basically an epistemological position. That to understand our culture/society, one need to under stand the underlying systems and “structures”¹. Structuralists assume that structures are basically transcendent/ahistorical/etc. Post-structuralists, say no, that they’re contextually/historically/culturally constructed.
• I’ve often thought, though I don’t have a lot of textual evidence to back this up on (but hey, blog) that post-structualism pivots on linguistics/semiotics, in the tradition of Saussure. That is: the break the bonds between words (signs) and the idea what they represent (signifiers) and refer to, ripples out to affect other representations and knowing(s).

That’s rough, of course. I guess this is the notebook edition of the Delueze theory, but I hope that exposing my thinking is useful for you all.

Have a good weekend and think good thoughts.

cheers, tycho

I have arrived in Wisconsin, again. I think I made pretty reasonable time, there was more traffic than you’d think for a thursday, but who knows. Day after the 4th maybe?

Anyway, I listened to a lot of The Voice of Free Planet X during the drive (in addition to other stuff) and I have to say that I’m in absolute love with the podcast. I only have one more episode to listen to because I think I didn’t download 25-30ish of the episodes. Addiction. It’s great you should listen to. The holiday specials were particularly good. Check it out. I’m in that “fuzzy headed” space because of the drive, where you’re not quite tired and not quite awake… I think I’d make a great truck driver if this academia thing craps out on me.

I also listened to Steven Eley’s EscapePod rendition of Issac Asimov’s “Nightfall” short story. I hadn’t heard/read the story as such, (I think) but it was familiar, and it reminded me why I like SF. Great stuff, I mean not at all like what I’d write, but masterfully done and just great writing.

The knitting camaraderie was pretty darn swell. A friend said “I think I’ve found my peoples” tonight, and that’s probably right. It was good times. Though I put a lot of time trying to get my knitting to be at the right point for the weekend, I’m starting to feel like I don’t quite have the projects in the right place. I also am starting to think that I packed my knitting very oddly. I didn’t bring the yarn for the stranded socks (guess I can buy some heh,) but I brought more yarn for the project that I’m currently working on that I probably won’t need for months. Sigh. I also forgot to pack Mr/Sir Henry, and a cardigan that I think might have made for good show and tell. I also realized that I brought a trunk of sweaters for show and tell (and even a couple of shawls) because I had the room and I have no clue what I want to show off.

Other news. I thought about writing a lot during the drive. I wish I were better/more interested in writing short fiction.

Ok, I’m out for the day, I think. posts will come later in the day tomorrow when I have some time to reflect. Until then, keep the internet safe.

cheers!

I hope you had a good 4th, for those of you who were in a place to/that celebrate(d) it. The house didn’t explode on the account of the neighbor’s fireworks, which I think meets criteria for a good holiday.

I hope you also enjoyed the holiday edition (ha!) of Station Keeping. It was a fun one, so please do enjoy. Sorry about the wacky schedule this week.

Anyway. As you’re reading this I’m probably about to be or getting in the car to drive to knitting camp. So there’s not a good blog for today. Alas.

There’ll be a Deleuze piece tomorrow: this one’s rough and rambly, and less about the text. I’m thinking about reading the next couple of sections and then putting it aside to work on Difference and Repetition, which is ironically seeeming more timely at the moment. Maybe. I dunno, I’ll talk more about that in a bit.

The real reason I’m writing this post is because over on the other blog I’ve posted about a nifty sweater I knit, and thought that you might be interested in that.

Next time I have a saturday afternoon to blow on coding, I’ll set something up so that the knitting blog pulls content from tychoish and tealart. Until then let this serve as a notice to direct your attention over there for knitting content this weekend.

Here’s a sneek peak:

Cheers, tychoish