About Time

This weekend we changed the clocks back an hour (in theory, at least; I actually only changed most of ours yesterday afternoon and still haven't done the cars). That means it's time for my biannual rant against Standard Time. A body can get used to most anything, as the saying goes, and though I spent a lot of time yawning yesterday I'm pretty much adjusted after only two days. But that doesn't mean I like it! 

In fact, yesterday I went searching online for petitions or movements to abolish the time change. I signed one and Liked another on Facebook. And I found lots of people who commiserate with me. However, to my surprise, I also found many - a majority even on some sites - who prefer Standard Time. Mainly they're from the south and they find it makes the day cooler and their air-conditioning run less, and I suppose those are valid points. Perhaps time zones should exist horizontally as well as vertically. It's us northerners who despise night arriving by five and fear the onset of S.A.D. Plus there's the cost of lighting an extra hour a day. 

Most do agree, though, that it would be best of all to stick to one time year round. I could condescend to split the time, adjust it half an hour once and for all and be done with the whole debate. Even here, though, there are dissenters. Apparently some people profit from adjusting lights, alarms, heating/cooling systems etc. It injects considerable revenue into the U.S. economy, at least. The downside, of course, is a lot of very tired people and even an increase in accidents, particularly with the springtime leap forwards. I guess, in the end, you'll never please absolutely everybody, but it would be nice if some inspired politician decided it was "time" to do something to end this semiannual disruption to our lives.

Back to Pilates

It was back to Pilates yesterday. After almost three months off, I'm starting what I believe is my sixth year now. It was very fortuitous when Dorval held a demo night where you could try snippets of a whole bunch of fitness classes. When I learned that Pilates is particularly effective for your core, neck, back etc. I was sold - even though I'd never really heard of it before. It's worked too. My neck and shoulder area aren't perfect yet, but they're infinitely better than they used to be. 

You do go at your own pace and adapt to your own physical challenges, but that doesn't mean it's always easy. In fact, even though I thought I'd kept in pretty good shape over the summer, I found yesterday's class plenty hard enough. Our teacher did say she was going to take it easy on us, that it was more of an assessment class, but personally I don't think she took it that easy!

The assessment idea was good though; I used it to assess myself too. Surprisingly, considering that I don't do anything in particular for it, my abs are definitely my strongest point. I think they always have been; even way back in school when we did the Canada Fitness Tests I was able to ace the gold level in sit-ups almost effortlessly. My back and bottom are decent. My neck and shoulders and arms are my weak spots. And also surprisingly, my legs are mediocre. They're not very flexible and don't even seem especially strong, or at least they tire easily during exercises. Considering how much walking I do, that's a disappointment. Or possibly it's because I do so much walking - by the time I got to class yesterday I had already walked the dogs three times. Maybe it's no wonder they're a little tired! 

Anyway, strengths and weaknesses aside, overall I think it's a very good activity to keep up with. It's sort of tempting to give up on formal exercising, but if I want to stay strong and healthy I think it's very important to keep going - probably even more so as I age. I should probably be adding vigorous aerobic exercise too, actually. Walking the doggies doesn't really require all that much exertion. And if I want my body to keep going strong, I need to keep it tuned up. 

Another Apple non-"Event"

(9:30 AM) This afternoon there will be an Apple “Event” ... and so I am preparing to be disappointed and disillusioned yet again. Of late Apple has been a disappointment, and I really don't see any indications that the product unveilings this time around will be so spectacular. 

It's expected there will be two iterations of the iPhone: the faster 5S, possibly with a fingerprint sensor for security and an improved camera, and the cheaper 5C with who knows what specs. There may be an updated Apple TV. The newest operating system, iOS 7, should be just about ready for release too but again I don't expect great things. As of the latest beta, the iPad version in particular is still riddled with issues. I really dislike the new “flat” look as well; I much prefer good old-fashioned skeumorphism. 

No new iPads are expected before October, and there's little mention of any updated iPods either. That's the one thing I actually would be interested in. If they were to release a 128 GB iPod Touch with an 8 MP camera I might seriously consider it. Otherwise I'm tending towards a discount Samsung Galaxy S3 for my mobile needs. I suspect the iPod Touch could be completely ignored this year; it's in kind of a weird position - particularly with a cheaper iPhone arriving - and definitely overpriced in my opinion. Anyway, I'll update my post later with all the “news” and my probably very subdued reaction. 

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(2:00 PM) Well ... meh. That's about all I can say, having caught the highlights of the so-called “event” this afternoon. Yes iOS 7 will be released next week, but we didn't learn anything radical about it, and only the early adopters (who I won't be among) will be able to tell if all the kinks and bugs have really been worked out. 

And yes there are two new iPhones. The so-called budget model is the 5C; the one with all the latest bells and whistles is the 5S. But really the off-contract price differential between the two is only $100, and your cheapest option is still a pretty hefty $549. I don't really call that a budget buy. 

However if somebody were to generously offer me the 5S for free I'd happily take it. I don't particularly care about the fingerprint sensor, although I'm sure it's good from a security standpoint, but I do like the sound of the improved camera and the sample shots did look pretty impressive. 

The one other announcement of interest is that the iWorks suite (Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iPhoto and iMovie) will now be free ... to purchasers of new devices. (And apparently this includes the iPod Touch 5, which sort of suggests to me not to get my hopes up for an iPod Touch 6 any time soon.) That's disappointing. I'm sure a lot of people would happily have taken Apple up on that opportunity but, as seems to be Apple’s trend of late, owners of older devices seem to be pretty much shafted. Not exactly the way to win loyal users I'd say. 

So now I wait for the next non-event, most likely sometime in October, to be most likely underwhelmed yet again. Too bad Apple, but I expect better from you. 

Time Flies

Hard to believe, but in just over two days from now my “little” cousin Olivia will be a married woman. At two days old, she was the tiniest baby I'd ever held. And I looked forward immensely to all her childhood visits (with the possible exception of the endless games of Payday!) Now suddenly she's thirty; in another year she'll be a full-fledged child/adolescent psychiatrist ... and in two days, a wife. I don't expect it will be all that long before she's a mother as well. 

Time is such a funny thing. It can seem to take forever - especially when you're a kid, but then you'll go “whoa ... that was a long time ago” and it will suddenly seem incredibly short. I still don't think I've really fully grasped the concept. I try to savour every moment as much as I can, but I also continue to procrastinate on things as if I had all the time in the world. 

Once when I was around eleven or so I puzzled my mom by telling her that it was really as if everybody was exactly the same age, had lived exactly the same amount of time, because “yesterday” or “the past” was pretty much just like one day (albeit with different amounts of memories, I suppose). It's kind of analogous to those cliches that talk about the present moment being all that anybody really has. I don't know that I ever fully will “get” time or accomplish anywhere near all I could or should, but I'll keep plodding along and try to make my peace with it as best I can. 

As for Saturday's wedding, I know I'll find it a lovely yet bittersweet event. Of course I wish Olivia every happiness: she's a truly wonderful person and she and Stelios definitely deserve it. But I'll be a bit sad too that my time for a brilliant career, a spectacular wedding, and little babies is pretty much over - before I even appreciated that it had arrived.  

Technology in Education - More Personal than Ever

I heard a very interesting radio show on NPR Monday night (American Radio Works: “One Child at a Time: Custom Learning in the Digital Age”), all about the increasing role of technology in education. While there are still caveats and concerns, at least some of the results do look very promising. 

Done properly, technology can offer a variation on private tutoring or the one-room schoolhouse. Students can advance at their own pace, no matter how slow or how rapid, and lessons really can be tailor-made for each student, providing just the right amount of challenge without becoming frustrating. Skilled teachers will always have a guiding role to play, but really more as facilitators or enhancers than as direct instructors. 

In fact one school in the Midwest, Carpe Diem, has only five teachers for the entire student body (currently 90 students in grades 6 through 12, with a short-term goal of 300 ... but still only five teachers). Students spend much of the day working on individualised instruction with their own computers, but do meet several times a day for classes where they will discuss what they learned and do some group projects. They go over their educational objectives and progress regularly with their teacher guides, but make a lot of choices themselves, deciding, for example, when they feel ready to take a unit test (which they need to score at least 80% on to ensure there are no overlooked “holes” in their learning). 

There are downsides, of course. At Carpe Diem, with so few teachers (and students), curriculum options are limited. There are no art or music classes, although there is a music appreciation course. The cost of technology, of course, is a huge factor also - particularly for cash-strapped schools. And I'm not convinced - at least not yet - that the wisest way to go is reducing teachers, making classes larger and giving every student a tablet or laptop in exchange. There are so many different variables, so many different needs. Some ADD students are just too distractible and simply can't handle the stimulation and temptations of technology. 

Still, preliminary results of student progress using technology do look good. Test scores are up; dropout rates are down. What you can't have yet are long term studies to determine if knowledge and learning gains last and if skills eventually transfer well to the post-school world of work. We certainly don't want to end up with a generation incapable of focussing for more than a few minutes or producing the higher order thoughts that typically require in-depth study and lengthy periods of quiet introspection. So, while I do believe that technology can definitely enhance traditional learning; whether or not it should virtually replace it is definitely still up for debate. 

* Show transcript available at: http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/personalized-learning/

On Safari at Carrefour Laval

I went to Carrefour Laval today for the very first time. And I must say it was quite a heady, almost overwhelming experience. It was by far the biggest, most glamorous mall I have ever been in. It makes Fairview seem minuscule in comparison. Walking through it was almost like walking down outdoor streets. Many of the stores have facades like real buildings. There was even a good-sized garden! 

Now a confession: I don't actually like malls ... or shopping for that matter. A little browsing goes a very long way for me. So the thought of spending any longer than necessary in one does not fill me with glee. I already find Fairview too big, too sophisticated, and avoid going there whenever possible. All those fancy stores filled with so much I don't need or want. Horrible!

I didn't go today by choice either; I had to drop off my camera at the Sony store for repairs. But it was a sort of adventure, an anthropological survey, if you will. To be fair, it was a beautifully kept mall, absolutely immaculate and with ample, comfortable seating throughout. It was interesting to see how crowded it was - and on a lovely afternoon when it would have been so much nicer to be outdoors. Most people definitely looked as if they'd been buying too. It was a pretty upscale crowd, but there was some cultural diversity. More of the rampant tattoos that have gone so mainstream of late. Plenty of devices of all sorts in the hands of preschoolers on up. Lots of snacking and nibbling. And, by the looks of it, a lot of pretty happy people. 

I'm glad there are people like them who keep the economy running (if it were up to me there wouldn't be much of an economy at all - although the banks would be well-stocked). But I was happiest when we were leaving. We didn't even see all of it; in fact probably not much more than a quarter of it. Other than Sony, we popped into a few shoe stores for Dan and that was it. There were a couple of big names I'd heard of like “Crate and Barrel” and “Williams-Sonoma”, but I just couldn't bring myself to bother going in. Maybe if it had been cold and rainy I could have treated it like a museum and gone browsing through the stores’ “exhibits”, and even enjoyed it a little. But today I was more than happy to get out. Being back home on my front porch swing with an ice cream cone was by far a better way to spend a late summer afternoon. 

Suspended in Sport

I'm not naive enough to believe that cheating doesn't occur in sport, both amateur and professional. But I am idealistic enough to also believe that it doesn't have any place there, and should still be condemned and eradicated as much as possible. So on Monday, when several baseball players - including New York Yankees' star Alex Rodriguez - were suspended for the use of performance-enhancing drugs, I was very pleased to see it. 

Rodriguez, in fact, received a particularly harsh punishment because he had lied and attempted to obstruct the investigation. At over 200 games - through the end of next season - he may not return to the sport at all. (A dozen other players received fifty game suspensions.) Rodriguez will be forty by the time his suspension is lifted, and has already had several significant injuries. He just may not be up to major league level again. 

And I don't feel one bit sorry for him either. The only one I feel sorry for is his team. They will save something, but apparently will still owe him some sixty million dollars whether he ever plays again or not. I don't think that's right either. There should be some sort of standard clause in sport contracts stating that if an athlete is proven beyond doubt to have cheated (which science can do more effectively all the time), their contract is terminated immediately with no further monies forthcoming. That just might make a few people think twice!

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

I spent a good part of this past winter immersed in the warm and wonderful world of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency's Precious Ramotswe. It was a truly delightful series which I can't believe I was reluctant to read for so long!(I'm not really a big mystery fan, but as I came to realize - and appreciate - the books were far more about life than crimes.) I read all thirteen books and am eagerly awaiting the appearance of the fourteenth this fall.  

In the meantime, though, the beauty of Botswana and its people has come to life before my very eyes as I've been watching the BBC/HBO television series - seven delightful episodes (I still have two to go, plus some bonus features). It's incredibly unfortunate they only made one season's worth - thus far, anyway. Guess they're just too good quality for the average person to appreciate. 

I was somewhat surprised at first by Mma Ramotswe (Jill Smith). I'd expected her to be a little older ... and a little larger. But I soon realised she, and all the other characters, were absolutely perfect. Most of them are quite svelte, in fact, particularly the younger people and pretty much all the kids. That's refreshing, after being more accustomed to pudgy North Americans. And it's not that they're starving; Botswana is one of Africa's successes. There is poverty, but in general they have enough - just not too much. Clearly they also do a lot more exercise: plenty of walking and biking, and more physical labour. The show really makes the North American lifestyle seem so excessive and decadent. I find the agency's low-tech office with simple desks and rickety typewriters and general lack of gadgets and gizmos to be very refreshing also, the kind of simple place I'd enjoy working. (The only thing I still have issue with is the beloved "little white van" ... which is a little white pickup truck in the videos. But perhaps "van" and "pickup" don't mean the same things as they do in Canada.)

So all in all, watching this series has been pure delight. It's so good, in fact, that I may actually consider buying it at some point (it's on loan from the library, currently), which is incredibly high praise from an infrequent tv viewer. Certainly it's a well worthwhile escape from this reality, that I'll look forward to enjoying again come next winter. 

Good Bye July!

Even though the last week of July was about as perfect as summer in Quebec can be, and I have been supremely happy, I was still very glad to turn the calendar pages to August this morning. Overall it was not a good month, beginning and ending with tragedy. 

Of course the whole month has been marked by July 6th's rail disaster in Lac Mégantic which claimed the lives of at least 47 people (the Sureté du Québec only called off the official search for the final five bodies today) and destroyed the whole city core. It has been called the worst environmental disaster on land in North America in history, and estimates are it will cost between 500 million and a billion dollars to clean up. (There's also a good likelihood the small railway responsible for it all - Montreal, Maine and Atlantic - will just declare bankruptcy and walk away from everything. Despicable!)

Then the next weekend came the sad news of the death of Cory Monteith. That's entirely a self-made tragedy, but it did upset me because I liked his work.  And it certainly left a lot of family, friends, fans, and his co-star/girlfriend Lea Michele heartbroken. Such a waste of good potential. 

The 19th of course was our storm of the year with hundred kilometre per hour winds that brought down branches and trees all over the area - including two in our next two neighbours down. And one of them was far too close for comfort to where I was sitting reading by our huge living room window. I actually saw it fall! Ten or fifteen more feet and I would have been covered in glass - or squashed completely. We lost power for twenty-nine hours, and it seems like virtually every day since then I have been living to a background of chainsaws and sawdust. This week they've been working on the last of the three massive trees that caused the mayhem here. I know it was necessary; every single storm I've looked up at them and hoped they wouldn't land on our house - or anyone else's - but it's still sad. I love trees, and I don't like change. I'll miss their shade, miss seeing squirrels scurrying around them and racoons perched in them, and hearing the sound of the wind rustling their leaves. 

And yesterday, just shy of a year after my pit-bull attack, I heard the horrible news that a sweet little shih-tzu named Lucky was KILLED by a pit-bull.  Apparently people tried to help, even beating it with boards, but it wouldn't let go. I was heartbroken for the poor owner. He's an elderly gentleman whose wife died and that dog was his only companion. He used to hold him up and wave at us out his front window. I don't know how he'll ever get over the experience. I don't think I could. I would be utterly devastated. The people who witnessed it are going to be pretty traumatised too. I'm still nervous after last summer, and still very cautious where I walk. Now I have one more area to avoid. I really think concerned dog owners - and others - need to get together and see if anything can be done about banning the breed here. It's been done in many other cities and boroughs - not to mention whole provinces like Ontario and B.C. Much as I love dogs and know there can be wonderful examples of any breed, there's just too much potential for danger to fit comfortably into a tranquil residential neighbourhood. 

So I think I have plenty of good reasons to be grateful we're moving on into August. (And I've only listed relatively local concerns; there was also a horrific rail crash in Spain, a bus crash in Italy, an earthquake in China and all kinds of civil unrest in Syria and Egypt.)  Hopefully it will be a truly happy and peaceful and thoroughly enjoyable month. 

R.I.P Cory

Oh Cory, Cory, Cory. How could you?

How could you do this to yourself? How could you throw away a brilliant future that was really only beginning. You were just coming into your own as an actor. Who knows how many movies you'll never make, how many Emmys and Oscars and accolades you'll never see.

How could you do this to the fans who loved you and looked up to you and saw you as a role model. You were always honest about your difficult past. Succeeding and showing them you could overcome it would have been so inspirational ... except you didn't.

And most of all how could you do this to your adored, beloved Lea? She's absolutely devastated. Instead of planning her wedding and dreaming of the children she was going to have with you, she'll be planning your funeral. It will take years to heal, and you never really do get completely over something like this. You can never tell for sure with Hollywood - or any - couples, but you two really seemed to have something special, a genuine love that could have stood the test of time. But now there won't be any future at all. HOW COULD YOU?????

If I could, I would take you and shake you and scream at you not to do it, that you were playing with fire and that it could take absolutely everything and everybody you ever loved or dreamed of. But I can't and nobody can, because it's too late. You've run out of chances.

I was appalled when I heard on Sunday's noon news that Canadian actor Cory Monteith had been found dead in a Vancouver hotel at the age of 31. It seemed so wrong, the guy who played my favourite character, Finn, on one of the very few shows I watch, Glee, gone. And for such a senseless reason. Today's autopsy showed a toxic mix of alcohol and heroin in his blood. Cory had battled addiction in the past and even done a stint in rehab this spring, but he seemed to be doing so well, seemed to have everything in the world to live for. Quite likely it was just a tragic accident, but that's rather moot at this point in time isn't it.

I really liked Cory both as the character of Finn, and what I had seen of him as a person. He reminded me of Dan in some ways: sweet, genuine, kind, sensitive, a little vulnerable, a little goofy now and then - a big kid at heart and a big-hearted person. Given a happier upbringing (he grew up in a broken home and attended 16 schools, eventually dropping out and only graduating later), perhaps things could have turned out better for him - we'll never know. And I can't pretend to know much about addictions - my only "addictions" (and you can't legitimately call them that) were to Diet Coke and playing with my hair. I'm not against alcohol in moderation, though I don't like it myself, but heroin - any drugs - is a big no-no. It's just too risky and especially if you start mixing things up you just can't predict the possible outcome. Still, it seemed like Cory was doing his best, doing the responsible thing. He had also done a lot of work with a foundation in Vancouver for young actors, so they could be helped by the craft the same way he was .

Any way you look at it, it's just plain sad. I'm heartbroken over it and I can hardly imagine how Lea must be feeling. Nobody should have to go through the pain she is. It will be hard on all the cast; many of them are young and it may be the first close person to them they've ever lost. Continuing on with the show will be challenging. It will not be the same, their lives will not be the same, the world will not be quite the same. Just a little bit of light left the world when Cory did. It's so, so sad.

Mourning Lac Mégantic

This was a horrible weekend for Canada, for Quebec, and most especially for the tiny town of Lac Mégantic (about 250 kilometres from Montreal, near the Maine border). A large chunk of its downtown was blown off the map - quite literally - in a scenario that read like an implausible script from a very bad movie.

Briefly, late Friday night a freight train with seventy plus cars of crude oil stopped for a change of driver in the town of Nantes, some seven kilometres up the track from Lac Mégantic. The driver put on the brakes and left for his hotel. Apparently people noticed a small fire on the train, called 911, and it was put out by the local fire department. Then it seems the train was left alone to await the next driver.

That's where the tragedy really begins, because the train didn't stay where it had been parked. Somehow it started moving - unmanned! - gathering speed on the steep (8 degree, where 2 is already considered high) downgrade. As it approached the next town down the line it was going way too fast to make the upcoming curve. 

And it didn't. It derailed in the worst possible place: the dead centre of the town, where people were out in a club enjoying one of the first nice Friday nights of the summer. Five railcars burst into flames on impact - at least six distinct explosions according to witnesses - and the whole historic city core, some 30 to 40 buildings including, to my especial chagrin the town's library and archives, was essentially incinerated. 

It's now close to two days later and the fire is still not completely out. At one point a one kilometre area was evacuated; now it's down to 500 metres. Almost 2000 people - in a town of only 6000 - were forced from their homes ... if they were fortunate enough not to be in the ones that were burnt, that is. Firefighters from as far away as Sherbrooke and Maine were called in, and are still there, dousing the few undamaged cars to prevent any more mayhem. 

There's more than enough tragedy already, of course. Five bodies have been recovered, but there are 40+ people still unaccounted for and rescuers can't even get close to the centre of the crash to begin searching for them. It's still too hot; it's still too dangerous. And actually, there might not be much left to find; it's possible people were pretty much vaporised and never will be recovered. The Musi-Café club where it seems most would have been was a mere 30 metres from the tracks. 

It's an utterly horrible, surreal situation. There is just so much wrong you don't know where to begin. Why are trains left alone in driver changes at all? They're not locked up in a secure freight yard, but pretty much isolated in about as close to the middle of nowhere as you get. Anybody with nefarious ideas could do anything (although as of now there is nothing pointing to a criminal act). Why are trains with old cars carrying dangerous cargo on old (I heard 1903) tracks with too steep grades passing directly through towns? Why was crude oil apparently from North Dakota - in the U.S. - bound for Maine - in the U.S. - passing through Canada at all? Why did it take a full day to get firefighting foam and equipment (and only then courtesy of Ultramar, it seems) to the scene? It is pretty far from, well, everywhere, but still, shouldn't the province be a bit better prepared? 

I've felt pretty upset over the whole situation. It's so easy to imagine it happening in any one of dozens of small towns I've seen built along the railway lines ... or just up the street. We're only 300 metres or so from tracks where hazardous materials pass; maybe even the very same train went by! And of course tragedies do happen in many places, but this one feels so personal. This is my home province. This is a little town like I've passed through all my life. These are ordinary people like I see every day - and whose lives will not feel "ordinary" for a very long time ... if ever. 

[Above is my "favourite" - though it doesn't feel right to call it that; perhaps "most impactful" would be better - image from the disaster. I'm sure even Jesus would be weeping at the devastation, and my only hope is that He will also be able to comfort the people whose grief must be pretty much inconsolable right now.]

Standing Up for Computing

Yesterday I got inspired. I had read a Lifehacker article about a standing desk you could make for around 25$. But, cheapskate - oops, I mean thrifty person - that I am, even that was too much, particularly for something I wasn't exactly sure I'd like. And so I got creative. 

The photo shows my result. All made with things I had hanging around, yet all pretty much according to specifications. The monitor (on a wooden footstool turned endwise) was adjusted so my gaze was in its top third, the keyboard/mouse shelf (set on a cardboard box) was just slightly below my elbow height, and I was standing on a gel mat borrowed from the kitchen. 

Everything was just as it should be ... except for me. I didn't like it. In fact, I can't imagine spending more than a short time at it. I know all the facts about how it is infinitely better for your health, but it certainly wouldn't do much for my mood! I might not get the neck pain I'm so often subject to when I over-compute, but I think I'd still have the shoulder pain from mousing. And I'd have leg pain added to it.  I don't sit still a whole lot during the day, so computer time (which isn't even a daily occurrence, and is very seldom more than 60-90 minutes at a stretch - if that) is actually rest time for me in a way. I go for at least two and often three walks daily and do almost all the housework. Maybe that's enough. 

It isn't like I really have the ideal solution currently, of course. The quest for comfortable computing is unending. I've tried a wide variety of chairs and keyboard/mouse arrangements. What I use now is a dining room chair (a tad low, but functional) with the keyboard and monitor (unfortunately a tad high) on the desk, and my mouse on a mousepad tucked in my drawer (surprisingly, just about ideal). It's still a work in progress and I still have to avoid over-computing or I'll pay for it physically, but it does the job. (And if I'm using the laptop on its own, the dining room table and chairs aren't bad at all.)

So, in the end it seems I won't be building my own standing desk. I wouldn't really like it, and it's somewhat dubious if I really need it. I did have fun being creative without spending a penny though. It's nice to have a house full of odds and ends that you can experiment with (and no supplies were harmed in the making of my project, except possibly for the cardboard box which sustained a small hole!) And ultimately, like most people - and like I recently wrote - I'll be using my iPad more anyway. I love the way you look down at the screen; it's so comfortable. I can't type as fast - or as accurately - but I'm getting better all the time and, just as importantly, I generally enjoy it. So I think I'll just keep on sitting to compute and leave the standing for other times and places in my life. 

Musing on Tattoos

Tattoos are a modern phenomenon which I must admit I just don't get. I remember not that many years ago when tattoos - at least on women - were commonly referred to as "tramp stamps". And male or female, those who had them were considered somehow rougher, lower class, less respectable, more disreputable. Lately, though, they've gone mainstream - at least with the 40's and below crowd. I have family and friends - very decent, respectable people - with them. It certainly isn't a class issue anymore either. When we were on vacation in Mexico I was thoroughly surprised to see just how prevalent they were among people - most of whom I assume didn't book their trips from selloffvacations.com and were probably quite affluent.

I still don't understand it though. There are women with tattoos who would die before wearing the same outfit two days in a row and who would never even dream of wearing last year's fashions. Yet they've committed to the exact same body decor for virtually the rest of their lives. They'll have earrings and bags and shoes for every different occasion and outfit, but their tattoos will never change (except possibly getting saggy and misshapen as they age ... which is definitely not a pretty sight). Inevitably the design and colours won't go with everything; inevitably people's interests and tastes will change. Still they get them in droves. Larger and more flamboyant (and, in my opinion, uglier) all the time. Temporary, stick-on tattoos like kids enjoy, or henna tattoos that wear off over time would make sense to me as just another fun fashion accessory, but permanent? Not really.

So I suppose it's pretty obvious that I won't be getting a tattoo in the near future ... or ever. I'm actually still regretting even having my ears pierced. The holes have long since grown over, but the slight indentations remain. I like my body to be pristine and natural and unadorned as much as possible, just the way it was made. I'm not big on makeup or jewellery either - a simple pendant necklace is about it for me. Fitting, I guess, for a pretty simple person who will never get particularly excited about style and fashion - and certainly not about tattoos.

Computer Antipathy

Know something? I am starting to rather dislike computers sometimes. Aside from the fact that I almost always end up with a sore neck after using one, they just don't hold the same appeal to me that they once did. Except for a few specific tasks, I'd far rather use my iPad.

I say this after spending a good part of the day helping DH set up VST's on his DAW. (Don't worry if you don't know what that means; I wish I didn't either! But basically, it's getting plugins to play nicely with his music software.) Trouble is, so much time is spent installing and tweaking and learning the programs - and so little spent actually writing and composing and creating. It's frustrating for all concerned.

Now computers and software are indubitably easier and more user-friendly for the average person than they first were. I remember having to write DOS commands to accomplish almost anything. I even had little preschoolers painstakingly copy the path to start Kidpix! But with greater power there still inevitably comes a certain level of complexity. It doesn't take too much effort to check email or the weather these days; but it does still require a considerable degree of technical smarts to master Photoshop ... or Sonar X2 Producer Edition.

I also wonder how much the average person really needs a full-fledged computer now. More than anything I use mine for downloading and storing files - my photos, books, magazines, music, movies. Almost everything else - including photo editing - can be done quite nicely, and sometimes better and more easily, on my beloved Pearl. Occasionally I will want a big screen for a Photoshop project, or I'll make a card or want to work on a longer, more complex document or spreadsheet, but in general I've become quite proficient at typing on my tablet too. In fact, on the computer I miss handy little shortcuts to things like accents or being able to double tap to automatically create a period and a space.

In my opinion the days of the old-fashioned computer are dwindling away. I certainly don't see myself upgrading to a newer one for a long time, except in the event of a catastrophic failure. I'd be far more likely to choose a newer, faster tablet (perhaps with a better camera and maybe even a slightly larger screen) first. And I'm not alone. Sales of traditional desktops and even laptops are down; tablets are already in the hands of a third of Americans. That's a good thing, I believe; finally technology is getting more and more accessible to the average, really quite non-technical, person.

I Did Like Downton Abbey ...

I did like Downton Abbey. In fact I have been a devoted fan since its 2011 debut. For three seasons now, I have been following the lives of the stately home's inhabitants both upstairs and down. We've passed through the last halcyon days of the all too brief Edwardian era, the sinking of the Titanic, World War One and the Spanish Flu. Two weeks ago, though, was almost more than I could bear. Youngest daughter, Sybil, died of eclampsia hours after giving birth to her first child.

Sadly, I suppose that was the reality of life in the early part of the twentieth century - not to mention all of history up to that point. And actually women still die of that particular condition, though fortunately childbirth is infinitely safer in most ways. It was hard to see, though, and hard to accept. Of the three daughters, Sybil was my favourite. She was a sweet character, somehow the most human. She, more than any other, crossed the boundaries between the classes. She cared about the conditions of all people and ultimately ended up marrying the family chauffeur.

Tragedy isn't over for the family either. While I was reading a few news articles about Sybil's death, I unfortunately stumbled across a spoiler from the season's final episode. (The series airs in Britain in the fall.) And there will be yet another death of yet another major - and likeable - main character. I haven't told Dan about it (and I'm not going to write it here), but I'm not looking forward to it. It puts quite a damper on my enthusiasm for the show. Yes, I do know it's all fiction (and that the actors portraying these particular characters were eager to move on to other things). Still, as one immersed in the show's world, I certainly do feel sorry for the family. It seems more than anybody should really have to bear. And alongside all the personal tragedies they are also having financial difficulties due to Lord Grantham's misguided investments of (the last of) his American wife's fortune.

Now the Grantham family is, of course, fictional. But the magic of the series is the way it is recreating so exceptionally well, the lives of the day and the substantial societal changes that occurred during a relatively short period. Two world wars alone are plenty, but you add in a depressed economy, women's suffrage, and the fight for greater equality in general and it was a hard time to be an aristocrat. Already many had married American heiresses to bolster their estates, but with increasing taxes it was still a challenge to survive, particularly when they had appearances to maintain, staff to support - and no real career to fall back on. Change is hard for most people and it must truly have felt as if the world they had known was crumbling before their very eyes.

And I suppose that's what will keep me coming back and will have me glued to the set for two hours later this evening. All the characters are so well portrayed that you do care immensely about their lives and do want to see how things turn out for them. Tonight, in a relatively rare bright spot this season, a falsely-imprisoned valet, Bates, will return home to his beloved ladies' maid wife, Anna. I want to see what happens to sweet kitchen maid Daisy who married William the footman who adored her ... shortly before succumbing to his war injuries. Or Ethel, the "fallen" cook, given a second chance by the Crawley family after giving up her son. Will Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes' friendship ever amount to anything more? What type of trouble will Thomas and O'Brian stir up? And what about middle sister Edith, jilted at the altar by an older man - one of the few eligible men in the community thanks to the war? Just in her mid-twenties, is she already doomed to life as a spinster? How will Sybil's husband Tom make it in the new world of high society when he's really just an Irish boy at heart. What will life be like for baby Sybil? Will Lord Grantham be able to save his estate for future generations by managing it more efficiently? So many questions ... so many reasons to keep watching the exquisite series that is Downton Abbey.

And I Like Anne Murray Too

As long as I'm in the musical confessions mode, I might as well also admit that one of my all time favourites is Anne Murray. I've always been aware of her, of course (and it feels as if I've heard "Snowbird" - admittedly not my favourite - so often it could practically be a second Canadian anthem). But I wasn't a genuine fan as a child or teenager. She sort of grew on me as I grew. I really appreciate her mellow, soothing voice and two of my all time most listened to cd's are her inspirational "What a Wonderful World" and her more recent "Duets".

Other favourites? Well, Celine Dion was for a very long time, although she's fallen a bit out of my favour of late. I find her a bit strident sometimes now. I loved The Rankin Family. I quite like k.d. Lang. I liked Charlotte Church, although she's pretty much disappeared off the radar. I really enjoyed Air Supply - at least their classic songs; I'm not crazy about their last few albums. I like Josh Groban, Il Divo and The Canadian Tenors. I love most musicals too, whether from movies or Broadway.

I suppose those are all pretty unconventional - or just plain boring depending on your point of view - choices. Dan calls my music "mobic" or "shlop". I call it relaxing and pleasant and happy. Definitely very easy listening - no stress, no discord. Music is one of those things we never can or will agree on. We don't even have an "our song" ... and chances of our ever finding one seem to be slim. Still, I like what I like and if it makes me happy then I don't see a problem with it. Music is so personal; you can't ever say someone's preferences are wrong. That being said, however, I'll admit I don't understand how Dan - and millions more, apparently - can possibly enjoy the raucous tones of something like the Led Zeppelin he listened to for hours yesterday. Or worse things like The Rolling Stones. (Although there is usually a song or two from even the groups I hate that I don't find too unbearable.) And I will never get hip hop or rap so long as I live - especially when they have violent or degrading lyrics. Such a sad thing for impressionable ears and minds to be absorbing. Gee, I do sound about eighty! Guess I am the ideal Lawrence Welk audience. But somewhere out in this wide world there have to be other people with such ... unique ... musical tastes as me. Don't there? ...

Lawrence Welk, Anyone?

I can't, as Dan swears, be the only person under eighty who enjoys "The Lawrence Welk Show". Or under fifty, for that matter. In fact, I enjoyed it as a child, teenager, and twenty-something too. Since we didn't have cable when the show's run ended in the early eighties, I saw the odd first-run episode (when our antenna worked or the air was right) ... and have happily enjoyed it in syndication ever since.

"Wholesome" may not be cool, but it certainly is pleasurable. I really like a show where you hear old-fashioned songs (most of which I know, thanks to old-fashioned parents). It's a cozy, comfortable feeling knowing you aren't going to see or hear anything rude or ugly or risqué. It's just good, simple fun. And the performers definitely aren't lacking in talent. The band is top-notch. The dancers are fantastic - if not in the latest style. (But I don't know if the dancers of today could do what they do on the show either). And the singers have truly lovely voices. And absolutely everybody looks so nice and, well, (here's that word again; I think it gets a bad rap because there's absolutely nothing wrong with it) wholesome.

So I will happily spend Saturday evening curled up on the sofa listening to the melodious tones of Lawrence Welk's music ... until I really am eighty if they want to keep running it that long. Tonight was particularly good: Broadway musical songs and dances, including things like "Wunderbar", "On the Street Where You Live", "Sunrise, Sunset" and "To Dream the Impossible Dream". I love singing along - or attempting to dance along too. It just makes me happy. There really can't be anything wrong with such a simple pleasure. I agree it's not to everybody's (aka Dan's) taste ... but I also somehow think if everybody did enjoy a show like Lawrence Welk's that the world would be just a little bit nicer place.

Reading Goals

Wow ... and I thought my goal of 150 books in a year was ambitious! But yesterday I read a Slate article by Jeff Ryan. His 2012 goal was 366 books - and he achieved it. Sort of. That total did include (according to one estimate I saw) 122 full-length comics/graphic novels, as well as an unspecified number of audio books.

And I take issue with the audio books in particular. Not the format itself, per se, just the inclusion of them as books read. Different people have different learning styles, and some people may absorb more from the audio version of a book than from struggling through the print form. Personally, I'm not the best listener to begin with, and I find audio books painfully slow when I could get through well over 600 words a minute on my own. But most of all, by definition, "reading" is looking at (or feeling, if you're blind) and interpreting printed characters. Hearing an audio version of a books is listening - NOT reading. The characters are already decoded and, to an extent (by vocal tone), also interpreted for you. I won't say it's a wrong way to consume a book ... but I am adamant that it is not reading.

Graphic novels/comics is a bit greyer area for me. To be honest, my own grand total of 158 books last year included a dozen or so children's books ... and two full-length comics: an Archie novella and a Dennis the Menace collection. (Naturally I didn't include any short comic books; neither would I ever include any magazines although I can easily spend multiple hours on some.) At least graphic books are still books and you are still reading. They're certainly not high literature, but there's nothing wrong with a little fluff and pure enjoyment in your reading diet either. I guess it comes down to an issue of guilt, actually; I feel I should have spent at least a minimal amount of time on a book for it to really "count" or be significant and worthy of inclusion in such a list. Unfortunately on Goodreads there is no way of adding a book to your record but not including it in the reading challenge total. My own solution for this year is to set a substantially lower goal - somewhere between 75 and 100 books - and to just know within myself that, if I do exceed it, there were likely some shorter volumes padding the numbers but I at least read a minimal number of "real" books - ones 100 pages plus at the very least.

And I would surmise that, excluding the comics and audio books, that's probably somewhere in the neighbourhood of what Jeff Ryan actually read last year too. After all, like most people he does have a life with a job and family he can't neglect. The biggest asset I see in the whole reading goal setting process isn't the end number anyway. It's the fact that you are prioritising reading, saying you want to make it a significant part of your life and committing to do it on a regular basis. Ryan gave up listening to music and playing video games, as well as severely limiting his movie/TV viewing. It's all about choices, and he deliberately chose to make reading an important activity. Whether he read 100 or 300 books by year's end is almost irrelevant. The choice to read more is what matters, and it's a choice most people could benefit from making as well.

Why Not ... Make a Resolution or Two?

Well, I'm not off to the best of starts: it's late, and I'm a bit tired and grumpy (I actually stayed awake until midnight last night to welcome 2013 in). Still, finally I'm taking a little time to sit down at my laptop and do what I wanted to do all day: write down my year's plans.

My theme (so far, at least) is Why Not?

That's as in:

• why not ... do it
• why not ... use it
• why not ... try it
• even why not (gasp!) ... spend it

In the past I've postponed too much, put things aside for later too much, worried too much, sacrificed too much. Now it's time to perhaps not be quite as cautious, to perhaps live a little bit more, use the things I have, do what I want to do - just enjoy life as it is in the moment instead of always waiting for another day.

There are a few other things too, broken down roughly into the following categories:

Physical

• Get a checkup. It's been quite a few years now and though I think I'm fairly healthy, it would be good to make sure I stay that way.
• Also keep up with Pilates class (at least in winter) and do other exercises too - anything from Wii to skiing to biking; my cardiovascular system could use the challenge.

Intellectual

• Write SOMETHING daily - whether a lengthy blog or a tiny haiku or even an email.
• Read more and read less. Not as contradictory as it sounds. I want to read more of the things I truly enjoy - books - and less of the stuff that fills time and may even be interesting, but ultimately isn't as enriching - things like articles on Zite, magazines, and internet browsing results.
• Use my iPad less. Yes, that's right, less. I'm getting too addicted to acquiring apps and I'm not really enjoying and using what I have. I'll check key sites for bargains, but try to get rid of the fluff and focus on my two main joys of the iPad: photography and writing. Rarely anything more.

Social

I am not a very social person. I'm sociable - I love chatting with people on walks, for example - but also fiercely cherish my privacy. However, I think I'm a tad too private - or at least I don't make much effort to be any less private. So I want to keep in touch with others a bit better.

• My goals here are to check my email every weekday, to catch up with the people I've neglected electronically, and to do at least a little posting on Facebook and Flickr.

Spiritual/Emotional

• Here I want to continue the daily readings as I've been doing for over a year already. They're very worthwhile and are gradually helping me to become a happier person.
• I also want to really focus on being positive, hopeful, and optimistic (quite the challenge for me). On my trip I finally felt what it's like to have good things happen and really started to believe that God actually wants me to be happy and to have good things happening in my life. I need to be open to that and to turn away from worries and fears and grudges and petty concerns. It's time to believe I'm meant to have a good life, full of blessings and abundance.

So those are my 2013 objectives. Hopefully, if I keep my mind on them it will be a very good year indeed. I'm certain it can be. After all ... why not?