#observation journal

[tokyonymph]

Pyrrhatica isabella (Isabella Tiger Moth), Family Erebidae. Found on my college campus on February 1st, 2022.

[tokyonymph]

Hypercombe scribonia (Giant Leopard Moth), Family Erebidae. Found near the parking garage outside of my dorm on February 2nd, 2022.

[tokyonymph]

Erinnyis ello (Ello Sphinx), Family Sphingidae. Found on the sidewalk on my college campus in Florida on this day, January 31st, 2022.

[tokyonymph]

Spilosoma congrua (Agreeable tiger moth), Family Erebidae. Spotted on my local college campus in Florida on January 26th, 2022.

[tokyonymph]

Heterocampa umbrata (White-blotched Heterocampa Moth), Family Notodontidae. Spotted on an on-campus hallway wall at my Florida college on this day, January 28th, 2022.

[tanaudel]

Observation journal sketches from last week: crow and fairylights; possum flailing its tail; lychees; me repositioning a mattress; people on a street under a sprinkler.

[tanaudel]

Five thoughts on finding boredom (in books etc) boring

Five Thoughts on Finding Boredom Boring (an observation journal post)

“Five thoughts on [x]” is a useful observation journal activity. It doesn’t require a clear question or investigation — merely a vague niggl

I discuss the page more at the blog post, but for those of you who want to read my handwriting:

The brief version:

Boredom in characters (when I dislike it) is often accompanied by a didacticism / apparent dislike of its (child/YA) subject.

It generalises away personality, leaving behind only passivity.

It’s an unpleasant emotion to experience and rarely interesting to watch.

When I do like it, however, it’s:

affectionately/sympathetically represented;

idiosyncratically expressed; and

accompanied by some active attempt to relieve or enliven the boredom (“at least Max was making mischief” says the note at the upper right).

[tanaudel]

Last week’s observation journal topics: keeping characters in an ensemble piece distinct; analysing the letters at the start of Busman’s Honeymoon; delaying the answer vs answering the question (in spooky stories); effective parallels in overlapping-time stories.