As I sank exhausted each night into the thin padding of the chilly space on the right side of the tent, I had just enough time before crashing into cough-broken slumber to ask myself if I was really enjoying this. And then I woke with the sun, savored the luxury of a cup of hotContinue reading “More on climbing”
Author Archives: Katie Botkin
Palouse Climbing Festival 2011
I placed first (out of one) in my category at the Palouse Climbing Festival. Above, one of the contenders in the male open category. More photos are available to participants.
Celestial bodies
C.S. Lewis once remarked that when men are on the prowl and claim they “want a woman,” they actually do not want a woman at all. What they really want is the thing for which a woman is the appropriate appendage: “One does not keep the carton after one has smoked the cigarettes.” I wasContinue reading “Celestial bodies”
On names and naming
A few years ago, I took a class in Philosophy of Language that dealt, in part, with names. It did not cover the deeper meaning of names, unfortunately, just the highly theoretical practice of trying to discover how a name meant anything (e.g. what does a name really refer to, according to Russell, Frege, andContinue reading “On names and naming”
Adventure
I like adventure. Adventure, however, comes in many forms, and truth be told, part of me is still the shy, timid child of two decades ago, content to think in solitude for long periods of time, happy with stillness and home. But adventure is at least in part the pursuit of stillness. Paradoxically, when youContinue reading “Adventure”
Vattnet svart som manen full
Scandinavia is possibly the one place in the world where tragedy really seems sublime. Maybe it’s the fjords, the marriage of ice and beauty, the dark winters and the chilly summer nights, aglow with lingering fire. Maybe it’s the tall, pale northerners themselves, fierce stock descended from Viking kings, with the reserve and hunger ofContinue reading “Vattnet svart som manen full”
The art of non-romantic conversation
The best conversation, I think, is serious but jovial, drawing in ideas and reference to some shared joke or reference, sometimes rejoined with a sly observance, contradiction, further witticism, or self-deprecating but hearty laugh. Talking even of the weather leaps from the mundane to the sublime. Whether or not you are equals, you meet asContinue reading “The art of non-romantic conversation”
On joue au couteau
I have a few songs by Coeur de pirate, a female French Canadian singer-songwriter, and recently, a few lines of “Corbeau” (Raven — an omnivorous bird considered an ill omen due to its propensity to feed on flesh, also regaled as an intelligent trickster) caught my ear. C’est dur d’être libre comme toi? Is thisContinue reading “On joue au couteau”
Action figures
During my lifespan I have adopted rather divergent standards of action, usually translated as athleticism — for in this day and age, it is the select few who find action as anything but luxury undertaken when workload and home life allow. It began with running around, (typically after I’d read plenty) climbing trees, swimming, gymnastics,Continue reading “Action figures”
Climb on
I have been climbing lately. During my undergrad, and even grad, when I had the time, I would go over to the University of Idaho climbing gym and boulder or, if I could find a partner, rope up and try a route. I always felt sort of like I was pretending; goofing off and tryingContinue reading “Climb on”
Botkin Creative 