The Narrative Image

SEEING THINGS Finch on San Cristobal Finch on Isla Espanola The finches didn't really make an impression on Darwin. He didn't, at first, notice that the finches in his collection were different from each other until long after he left the Galapagos. When the realization finally came to him, his notes were inadequate for matching each sample to its island. It raises the question, "What are you uniquely qualified for and prepared to discover?"   Mitchell: So, uh... so, how go the repairs? Lee: Well, the main engines are gone, unless we can find some way to re-energize them. Mitchell: You better check the starboard impulse packs. Those points have about decayed to lead. Lee: Oh, yeah, sure, Mitch. Mitchell: I'm not joking, Lee! You activate those packs, and you'll blow the whole impulse deck. Lee: I'll, uh, get on it right away. I just wanted to stop by and make sure you were OK. See you later. Helmsman Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood) and s...

Paint a man’s house and he’ll have a nice painted house for about four years. But teach a man to paint and he’ll be able to make his canoe look like a fish. -Old Chinese Proverb- “So…” devil’s-advocate-Scott leads off, “…how do you have a personal relationship with a wetland area?” “Well…” I reply, “…it isn’t quite as complicated as having an imaginary dialogue with yourself, or believing in an invisible living God who was executed (briefly) in a political dispute with first century Romans…but…I guess what I’m really describing is a certain familiarity with a physical area developed over time.” “I see,” says devil’s-advocate-Scott (hereafter simply Rational Scott or R.S.), “you’re simply anthropomorphizing the wetland area.” “I wish you wouldn’t be so dismissive.” I say, sensitive to the smug tones accenting Rational Scott’s immediate conclusion. I continue, “This metaphorical framework for relating to an ‘area’ as an...