Gotta Fail First

Trouble with attitudes and the desire to do best are the obstacles.

Learn the basics first, then move on.

I was enlightened today in class. More then once.

Understanding the process, from the beginning. Engineered logic?

While I seek to envision the logical result, aesthetically pleasing, punch me now please.

You’ve got to walk before you can run.

With chin up I tried to explain my so-called path to entitlement. While clearly focused entirely on the preferred end result.

Lessons learned.

You’ve got to fail first.

Then as someone else said. You get to try, and try again.

Moving on.

Nobody But Us

Children of the 90’s aren’t likely to find themselves doing any research for a class project in something called a library.

Especially with the world is at their fingertips.

It was with appreciation I took a visit to the Vancouver Public Library with our History of Design class.

To the top floor for the Special Collections.

Here local Northwest history is the focus. Yet amongst the books carefully laid out to view on special archive pillows -  what we saw was global.

A Bavarian book from 1430. Printed on calf skin. No page numbers visible, but the early printers guidelines were.

Out came a page from the Gutenberg bible from 1455. Noticeable differentials in the type. Not all letters the same. Variations on the letter ‘a’ abundant.

As the centuries unfolded before us we hear the word rubric – where colour has later been added to a type face after the printing is done.

In the late 1800’s books were edged in gold!
This magnificent array of historical typography is generously appreciated in person. Much more so then in a book.
And even better then on a computer screen. 

Alive Off-the-Grid

It’s been an experience. Not new. I’ve camped lots in my lifetime. Hauled food and water to and fro. But this time it’s different.

I need to row to shore.

Instead of carrying a bag from a car, it goes from bike to boat.

Someone I spoke to the other day said they were jealous.

Perhaps for my waterfront living lifestyle. Certainly not for the daily challenges:

• Firstly, I don’t have hot running water. That’s OK. I boil the kettle. 
• I don’t have a shower on board. No worries, there’s a Community Centre nearby. I include a workout for the shower fee. 
• I have a fridge. Awesome. But I have to run a generator for an hour every other day to keep it going.  
• I don’t have shore power. My lights run on my batteries so I conserve with my use, without BC Hydro telling me I have to.  
• I have flashlights and headlamps that work. An inverter if I need to charge my computer.  
• Water tanks are big. Dishwashing runs the volume. I wash sparingly. Pack water everyday for drinking so I don’t run out.  
• Heat is a diesel. Like lighting a fire I have to prep it each night to get it going. I don’t run it during the day to save fuel. There’s a song I sing, particularly when it’s cold and I need to get it going fast. “Come on baby light my fire!”  
• Once I week I haul out a jerry can and fill up the tank. Once a month I motor over to a fuel dock and stock up.

No lawn to mow. No driveway to sweep. Only a dinghy to bail out every morning at my feet.

That would be off-the-grid living (on a boat).

Family Gratitude

What’s Thanksgiving for?

Used to be traditional in relation to a farmer’s field. The celebration of the harvest.

Today it’s turkey. Plates of multi-coloured vegetables. Pumpkin pie.

Tonight my mother did a round table.

“What are you grateful for?” she asked.

One by one we expressed our gratitude. A lot for family. Especially for health. For our food. Where we live. The weather.

She came to my son.

“I’m grateful for my mum being here.”

That made me melt.

I’m three hours away. A hop across the pond so to speak. But no longer in shouting distance.

As the evening culminated I reminisced on what Thanksgiving really means to me.

It’s a reason to be with family. To be together. To share a meal.

To celebrate togetherness.

Earlier in the day my mother and I set the table. We’d already stuffed the turkey and put it in the oven. More then once she said how glad she was that I was there.

But the prayer before dinner wasn’t just for all of us in the circle. It includes those that are no longer with us. That are still part of us.

Even our furry family.

That’s family gratitude.

Primed for Processing

The original image.

The image after we played with Processing!

Contrary to all the fun it looks like we're having, we are learning a ton.

Although the initial weeks are a lot of show and tell the true tests will be when we do it all on our own.

Yup, school is eye opening, challenging, positive and a lot of hard work. Just have to say...