Lesser Feasts

My time in Edinburgh is drawing to a close, so I'm beginning to wrap things up. Yesterday I gave my research talk to the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities -- quite a different experience from the first two times, since it was all disembodied. I was very careful to make the talk accessible to a broad audience of humanities folks, which is not easy for a fairly technical subject that requires a good bit of background to motivate it. Judging by the comments and questions, I think I succeeded, though at the expense of annoying the one other philosopher in the group, who clearly wanted a technical talk on the metaphysics of substances, powers, and dispositions, instead of the general-audience talk on virtues and the good life that I had so carefully prepared. (This particular philosopher practices that version of philosophy-as-blood-sport that I associate in particular with, well, her department, of which I used to be a member.) After my talk I turned in the keys to my of...

 (This is basically a long journal entry in multiple parts, written mostly for myself, though maybe someone else will find it interesting.) Wednesday, 30 September If I'm really going to do some serious walking in the Highlands -- and isn't that the whole point of my trip tomorrow? -- I need proper gear. A priest friend from way back in my Iowa days has told me what I need. Waterproof everything, basically. And midge repellant. I head to the Cotswold Outdoor store on Rose Street in the New Town. I go in, take a look around, feel overwhelmed, and leave. I am easily intimidated by unfamiliar things. I head back to my flat and book an appointment with someone who will help me get "kitted out." It's for the next morning. You know, the morning before my afternoon departure. Thursday, 1 October CJ is fabulous. Somehow she manages to appreciate my complete ignorance and advise me without ever being condescending or making me feel like an idiot. I mean, I have to learn ho...