I’m waiting for our cable box to reboot….
I’m waiting for our plumber to show up…
I’m waiting for my co-worker to come up to my desk so I can leave for the day…
I’m waiting for dinner to finish cooking…
I’m waiting for my co-worker to come up with some work for me to do…
I’m waiting for the traffic light to turn green…
I’m waiting for my husband’s dvd to finish so I can watch TV…
I’m waiting for lunch time to arrive and then time to leave for the day…
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
End of an (Technology) Era...
I read in yesterday’s news that Sony has ceased production of their once popular ‘Walkman’ cassette player. Like most people who grew up in the 80’s, I had one. It was white with purple buttons and served me well. It never wore out, so I ended up selling it in a garage sale.
Fast forward twenty years or so and the I-Pod has replaced the Walkman as the compact music player of choice. My almost ten year old niece may or may not have ever seen a Walkman, but she’s going to get an I-Pod touch for Christmas, which (as most people know) is about two thirds the size of a Walkman, but much slimmer and sleeker, and sexier to be completely honest. I am almost jealous, but know that I could have one if I really wanted to.
Thinking back to what I had (gadget-wise) when I was her age, it’s almost laughable. When I was nine years old I got my first tape recorder for Christmas, a 12” x 5” one or two pound monstrosity that I absolutely fell in love with and carried everywhere. To General Electric’s credit the tape recorder was so well-made that it’s still fully functioning today, over thirty years later.
I also had a 110 camera that was a ninth birthday present if I remember correctly. It was a great starter camera because not only was it literally point and shoot, it had film cartridges. There’s nothing easier than drop-in loading.
A co-worker of the same age said she once had a clock radio that she was really excited about. Another co-worker said he had an 8 track player with a radio (it was round and orange) and a Mattel handheld football game (red lights were the football players).
If you go back even further to our parent’s day, among the things they had were: transistor radios, reel-to-reel players, 8 track tape players and phonographs (which go back even further to the days when they were called Victrolas).
It’s interesting to imagine what technology our children’s children will have someday as things gradually get smaller and more powerful.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Year Long Projects
I’m not sure when my love affair with year long projects began. Perhaps it was inspired by reading all of Danny Wallace’s books, particularly Yes Man, when he decides he’s going to say ‘Yes’ to everything for a year and see how it works out for him. As it turns out, it was mostly a good experience for him. Anyway, I digress…
Perhaps my interest came from watching reality TV (shows like “Frontier House,” “1920’s House,” “1940’s House,” etc.) where the participants had to stick it out for the duration of the show and it wasn’t always pretty.
All I know is I especially love reading about people who decide to better themselves by taking on a year-long project and writing about their progress in a blog and maybe a book later.
My five favorites are: Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine; Julie and Julia by Julie Powell; No Impact Man by Colin Beavan; On a Dollar a Day: One Couple’s Unexpected Adventures in Eating in America by Christopher Greenslate and Kerri Leonard; and Living Oprah by Robyn Okrant.
Each certainly had their points and their struggles covering everything from food to product consumption to simply living your best life. Of course they all learned a lot from their experiments and came out as better people afterwards. However, that’s not what inspired me, but rather the spirit of the project, having a goal and purpose and sharing it with others. I especially appreciate that some of the authors above also had day jobs (especially Julie Powell), but still managed to find time to stick to it and keep a log at the same time.
Even though I’m really no different than any of these people, I’m just not sure I could commit to doing anything day after day for a year. After all, I don’t live life in a vacuum. Things come up (“Life is what happens when you make other plans”), and my husband is only so patient and probably wouldn’t appreciate me staying up extra late to complete the day’s assignment if that’s what it took to get it done.
Plus, I’m not even sure what kind of a project I’d like to do. I tend to have lots of great ideas, some I even start to execute, but then eventually fizzle as I lose interest. Perhaps I could dedicate a year to actually following through on some of these things. I’ll get back to you on that…
Perhaps my interest came from watching reality TV (shows like “Frontier House,” “1920’s House,” “1940’s House,” etc.) where the participants had to stick it out for the duration of the show and it wasn’t always pretty.
All I know is I especially love reading about people who decide to better themselves by taking on a year-long project and writing about their progress in a blog and maybe a book later.
My five favorites are: Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine; Julie and Julia by Julie Powell; No Impact Man by Colin Beavan; On a Dollar a Day: One Couple’s Unexpected Adventures in Eating in America by Christopher Greenslate and Kerri Leonard; and Living Oprah by Robyn Okrant.
Each certainly had their points and their struggles covering everything from food to product consumption to simply living your best life. Of course they all learned a lot from their experiments and came out as better people afterwards. However, that’s not what inspired me, but rather the spirit of the project, having a goal and purpose and sharing it with others. I especially appreciate that some of the authors above also had day jobs (especially Julie Powell), but still managed to find time to stick to it and keep a log at the same time.
Even though I’m really no different than any of these people, I’m just not sure I could commit to doing anything day after day for a year. After all, I don’t live life in a vacuum. Things come up (“Life is what happens when you make other plans”), and my husband is only so patient and probably wouldn’t appreciate me staying up extra late to complete the day’s assignment if that’s what it took to get it done.
Plus, I’m not even sure what kind of a project I’d like to do. I tend to have lots of great ideas, some I even start to execute, but then eventually fizzle as I lose interest. Perhaps I could dedicate a year to actually following through on some of these things. I’ll get back to you on that…
Friday, October 8, 2010
Things that have recently made me laugh....
Last week's episode of "Top Gear." Jeremy Clarkson, the tallest member of the trio that currently host the popular BBC car show, was doing a segment where he had to drive a Reliant (3-wheeled car) from point A to B somewhere in Britain. Although it was a relatively short distance, due to the instability of the car and the fact that Jeremy likes to take corners rather fast, he kept tipping over (and lucky for him local celebrities always seemed to be around to push his car back over). Since he never got hurt, it was all in good fun and laugh out loud funny.
Last night's episode of "Big Bang Theory." Mayim Bialik was hilarious playing Sheldon's new 'not girlfriend' that Penny nicknamed "Shamey." Even funnier was when Leonard called Sheldon's mom, played by the always funny Laurie Metcalf (of "Roseanne" fame). She's probably my favorite guest star on that show (right after Wil Wheaton of course!)
One of my co-workers telling me that they were making up a rumour about another co-worker losing all his money in Vegas and trying to hitch a ride home. Even though this was a most unlikely scenario, I could still picture it playing out, and I admit it brought a smile to my face.
Last night's episode of "Big Bang Theory." Mayim Bialik was hilarious playing Sheldon's new 'not girlfriend' that Penny nicknamed "Shamey." Even funnier was when Leonard called Sheldon's mom, played by the always funny Laurie Metcalf (of "Roseanne" fame). She's probably my favorite guest star on that show (right after Wil Wheaton of course!)
One of my co-workers telling me that they were making up a rumour about another co-worker losing all his money in Vegas and trying to hitch a ride home. Even though this was a most unlikely scenario, I could still picture it playing out, and I admit it brought a smile to my face.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
COLUMBUS GEMS
After having recently visited the newly renovated Grandview Theatre, I was thinking how I should pay homage to some of my favorite places in the greater Columbus area. I could only come up with a few, but here they are in no particular order:
THE GRANDVIEW THEATRE
After having been leased by David and Jennifer Nedrow back in 2008, they've come a long way with major renovations and redecorating. There's still work to do, but the theatre is fully functional and has been showing films during much of the work.
We were just there for the Manhatten Short Film Festival on a rainy Monday. Only about a dozen or so people braved the wet weather for this enjoyable selection. Being a Monday, and a wet one at that, that may be the norm for many theatres depending on the movie. Still, I wish attendance was at least double. I'd like Mr. Nedrow to be able to make a decent living as well as keep the theatre open for many years to come.
JENI'S ICE CREAM
Until I sampled Jeni's unusual flavors, I don't think I had tried anything much more exotic than your usual grocery store fare. The variety excites the taste buds and expands your horizons in ways I never thought possible. Some of the more unusual flavors I've tried (that I can recall) are: lavender, goat's cheese & cherries, carrot cake, stout (which tastes more like coffee), and the signature salty caramel.
My husband and I were recently in Italy and didn't have to be too strongly encouraged to sample the gelato. Having tried the unusual flavors offered by Jeni's, it didn't phase me to continue the adventure in Italy. However, I did also stick to a few tried and true flavors like chocolate mousse and Tiramisu. The most memorable flavor I tried was gorgonzola, which tasted just how I expected, but was delightful nonetheless. That's a sensory memory that will stay with me for awhile!
COLUMBUS METROPOLITAN LIBRARIES
I understand Issue 4 in the upcoming November election is a plea to increase funding to the library system by paying just a little more ($5.24 per month per $100,000 of home value) in property tax every month. Since both my husband and I (though mostly me) use our local library and very much appreciate their vast collection, I have a vested interest in seeing the collection continue to grow. I would also hate to see more people lose their jobs if any branches have to close or hours are cut even further. I know how I'm voting on November 2nd.
COLUMBUS (Dublin) LANDMARKS: "The Dancing Hares," the Cornrows, and Chief Leatherlips
Where else can you have lunch while sitting under a trio of rabbits, beside an oversized concrete ear of corn or in front of/or behind the largest stone face you've seen since Mt. Rushmore? Only right here in Dublin. All three are free for public viewing at almost any time. I've picniced by two out of three, and attended concerts near Chief Leatherlips, as well as photographed all three on many an occasion.
THE GRANDVIEW THEATRE
After having been leased by David and Jennifer Nedrow back in 2008, they've come a long way with major renovations and redecorating. There's still work to do, but the theatre is fully functional and has been showing films during much of the work.
We were just there for the Manhatten Short Film Festival on a rainy Monday. Only about a dozen or so people braved the wet weather for this enjoyable selection. Being a Monday, and a wet one at that, that may be the norm for many theatres depending on the movie. Still, I wish attendance was at least double. I'd like Mr. Nedrow to be able to make a decent living as well as keep the theatre open for many years to come.
JENI'S ICE CREAM
Until I sampled Jeni's unusual flavors, I don't think I had tried anything much more exotic than your usual grocery store fare. The variety excites the taste buds and expands your horizons in ways I never thought possible. Some of the more unusual flavors I've tried (that I can recall) are: lavender, goat's cheese & cherries, carrot cake, stout (which tastes more like coffee), and the signature salty caramel.
My husband and I were recently in Italy and didn't have to be too strongly encouraged to sample the gelato. Having tried the unusual flavors offered by Jeni's, it didn't phase me to continue the adventure in Italy. However, I did also stick to a few tried and true flavors like chocolate mousse and Tiramisu. The most memorable flavor I tried was gorgonzola, which tasted just how I expected, but was delightful nonetheless. That's a sensory memory that will stay with me for awhile!
COLUMBUS METROPOLITAN LIBRARIES
I understand Issue 4 in the upcoming November election is a plea to increase funding to the library system by paying just a little more ($5.24 per month per $100,000 of home value) in property tax every month. Since both my husband and I (though mostly me) use our local library and very much appreciate their vast collection, I have a vested interest in seeing the collection continue to grow. I would also hate to see more people lose their jobs if any branches have to close or hours are cut even further. I know how I'm voting on November 2nd.
COLUMBUS (Dublin) LANDMARKS: "The Dancing Hares," the Cornrows, and Chief Leatherlips
Where else can you have lunch while sitting under a trio of rabbits, beside an oversized concrete ear of corn or in front of/or behind the largest stone face you've seen since Mt. Rushmore? Only right here in Dublin. All three are free for public viewing at almost any time. I've picniced by two out of three, and attended concerts near Chief Leatherlips, as well as photographed all three on many an occasion.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A Memorable Moment...
Since we all live in the digital age of camera phones and smaller and smaller cameras, it's quite easy to record fleeting moments and then file them away. I sometimes wonder if by recording things this way, we're giving our brains a vacation from actually absorbing the moment in its own way. The reason I bring this up is because I'm sure we've all had times when we wish we had our camera with us to capture something truly amazing. This is fair enough, but I sometimes wonder if in our frenzy to record everything, are we simply cheapening our experiences?
I've recently had a couple experiences where I didn't have my camera with me, or at least wasn't able to get it out in time, but it didn't matter. I trusted my brain to file away the memory just as well as if I had it on film (or a memory card).
The first moment was meeting a national celebrity while he was passing through our local airport. I've learned not to become so star struck that you ask for an autograph or picture unless you're at a book signing and everyone is doing that. Also, the thought simply didn't occur to me. However, I admit if I had seen him from a distance, I might have tried to whip out my camera, but am glad I didn't. Albeit brief, I was able to chat with him before he continued on to his gate. Plus, I felt much cooler about that than being an adoring gushing fan (which I might have been just a little bit like).
The second moment was when walking around Florence one evening with my husband when we came across a huge crowd of people gathered around a busker (a street performer) dressed like Charlie Chaplin. He was using a whistle to get people to comply with his wishes. First thing he did was get people lined up just how he wanted them, which was funny enough.
However, the 'a picture's worth a thousand words' moment came when he pulled a little girl out of the audience. She was one of a pair of twins, with short blond hair cut in a timeless pixie cut with bangs straight across her forehead. She barely came up to his waist and kept a very serious demeanor the entire time she was in front of the audience. 'Charlie' proceeded to dress her up to look like Jackie Coogan's character from the film 'The Kid.' He started out by giving her a pair of black shorts connected to suspenders. The shorts hung just above her ankles. He then gave her an oversized black t-shirt that draped almost to her knees. To top it all off, he placed on her head one of those old-fashioned black hats that old men sometimes wear. To say she looked adorable would be an understatement. No doubt that child got photographed more that night than almost any celebrity might have done. It was even cuter because she maintained the deadpan look the entire time almost teetering on tears at times (she was only 4 and separated from her family after all).
I've recently had a couple experiences where I didn't have my camera with me, or at least wasn't able to get it out in time, but it didn't matter. I trusted my brain to file away the memory just as well as if I had it on film (or a memory card).
The first moment was meeting a national celebrity while he was passing through our local airport. I've learned not to become so star struck that you ask for an autograph or picture unless you're at a book signing and everyone is doing that. Also, the thought simply didn't occur to me. However, I admit if I had seen him from a distance, I might have tried to whip out my camera, but am glad I didn't. Albeit brief, I was able to chat with him before he continued on to his gate. Plus, I felt much cooler about that than being an adoring gushing fan (which I might have been just a little bit like).
The second moment was when walking around Florence one evening with my husband when we came across a huge crowd of people gathered around a busker (a street performer) dressed like Charlie Chaplin. He was using a whistle to get people to comply with his wishes. First thing he did was get people lined up just how he wanted them, which was funny enough.
However, the 'a picture's worth a thousand words' moment came when he pulled a little girl out of the audience. She was one of a pair of twins, with short blond hair cut in a timeless pixie cut with bangs straight across her forehead. She barely came up to his waist and kept a very serious demeanor the entire time she was in front of the audience. 'Charlie' proceeded to dress her up to look like Jackie Coogan's character from the film 'The Kid.' He started out by giving her a pair of black shorts connected to suspenders. The shorts hung just above her ankles. He then gave her an oversized black t-shirt that draped almost to her knees. To top it all off, he placed on her head one of those old-fashioned black hats that old men sometimes wear. To say she looked adorable would be an understatement. No doubt that child got photographed more that night than almost any celebrity might have done. It was even cuter because she maintained the deadpan look the entire time almost teetering on tears at times (she was only 4 and separated from her family after all).
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