…on a Monday.

How was the week? Busy, but feeling more manageable at last. Sort of like I have a blindfold on – first two weeks I was grabbing at empty air, but now I have my hands on something. No idea what it is, but I have it by the edges.

I loved the post about New Zealand’s rivers, and it reminded me of this. The Tree That Owns Itself (capitals, please) lives in Georgia, USA. The history is shrouded in mystery but the generally-accepted story is that it was given its independence in the early 1800s by one Williams Henry Jackson. The deed read:

I, W. H. Jackson, of the county of Clarke, of the one part, and the oak tree … of the county of Clarke, of the other part: Witnesseth, That the said W. H. Jackson for and in consideration of the great affection which he bears said tree, and his great desire to see it protected has conveyed, and by these presents do convey unto the said oak tree entire possession of itself and of all land within eight feet of it on all sides.

The legalities since are boring and take all the fun out of it, but the story has given the people of Athens, Georgia an enormous amount of respect for the Tree’s autonomy which is really what matters most.

via Wikipedia 

At the bottom of the article I found a link to a page on plant rights which is fascinating enough on its own, but also makes reference to the river. How tidy.

A question: what exactly is post-humanities?

Also: I’ve hired my dad. I mean, that’s generous – I’m making him read Bogost too. It’s a bit cruel but he studied science, so I’m curious to see how a brain that learnt from that perspective interprets that reading. Perhaps he has less of an impulse to attach a narrative, and I can learn something about interpreting data in other ways from him.

And did I watch my movie? I did. I watched Bring It On and had a lovely time.