The last week has been nutso. I've been taking vacation time at work to stay home and do contract work until the wee hours of the morning. It was just like being back in school again (except for the part where I'm being paid).... super stressful, crazy deadlines, and hours and hours and hours working on one thing. Fortunately, I find said thing interesting. And the end product was pretty good, I think.
I got to have a normal work day on Friday, which was quite lovely, and then didn't have to work at all on Friday night. Sweet. I've got a bit of work to do tomorrow, but I'm taking today off so I don't go bonkers.
I spent last night watching a video about this new thing, Google Wave, which, like all google products, seems like it will be amazing and change the way people communicate/collaborate. Very cool stuff. And very intuitive interface, looks very easy to use.
In complete contrast to that kind of software, I then tried to use this feature at my library where you can download/borrow audiobooks via your library card (your library probably offers this too).
This required downloading a bit of microsoft software (Overdrive), updating 1 other bits of software (windows media player, iTunes), and spending hours on the internet reading tech forums to find out how people solved all the glitches and problems that were involved in every. single. step of the process (which are not covered in the 'help' anywhere. This disaster of a set up requires 3 pieces of software and guess what? Doesn't work for me. One bit of software can't find the other bit of software, so even though I have the audiobooks downloaded, I can't transfer them to my ipod because they're all wrapped up in digital rights management stuff and the ONLY way to transfer them is via this terrible piece of software that won't work. This would be a prime example of how NOT to program stuff. If only google people could program everything. *sigh*
I'm going to go ignore technology and play with yarn for a while. I've had enough of computers for this week.
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Update - I lied, I couldn't step away from the computer in defeat. And I finally got it to work!! It was saying I needed iTunes 7.6.blah.blah or newer. I had iTunes 9.0.1.blah so I thought I was good. I updated to iTunes 9.0.2.blah and it fixed the problem. Oh technology. Now I'm off to craft, secure in the knowledge that stupid software glitches have not yet defeated me.
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Saturday, October 31, 2009
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Full time job + contract work + tight deadlines = tired Lisa.
But it's all interesting stuff, so I'm certainly not bored! In fact, it's all kind of exciting stuff and if I could just get a bit more sleep, everything would be okay. =)
In the meantime, amuse yourself by admiring the latest bit of jewelry I made.... it's kind of bold.
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Saturday, October 24, 2009
Today I attended a Vancouver event for the International Day of Climate Action.... which had events in hundreds of countries to bring attention to the issue of climate change so that our leaders will take serious action at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.
The events were organized as part of 350.org which is a movement to highlight the fact that scientists think that 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is the safe upper limit. We're at 390 right now. (Historically the planet has been around 250 ppm, until 200 years ago.)
That should scare the pants off you.
At the very least, it should get you to write your political leader and tell him/her to take drastic action. (Canadians can click here for an easy way to do it.)
Unfortunately in Canada, our leader doesn't seem to believe in this climate change stuff, and as a result, Canada may well be the country that holds the rest of the planet back from taking serious action. Many European countries are way ahead of us on this stuff (and they did it while improving their economy so the idea that fighting climate change and having a healthy economy are at odds is bunk).
The thing about greenhouse gases in our atmosphere that I think a lot of people don't understand is the idea that we live in a system, a very complicated system with feedback loops. We will, at some point, have fracked up our atmosphere to the point where we can't undo it. We will trigger systemic changes in ecosystems that will irrevocably change the way they function and their ability to support life (including us). And we won't be able to put them back.
Seriously. You need to email someone about this. Do whatever you can to make your voice heard.| 0 comments | | |
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Sunday, October 18, 2009
Random quote:
"Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed."david foster wallace| 0 comments | | |
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It's stupid o'clock right now.... that's the side effect of a headache remedy with caffeine in it. My headache is gone and I'm kind of tired but VERY ALERT and not sleepy.
I did get fabric for eighty gagillion bike cuffs cut out today (before the headache) which I will sew up tomorrow because I find making things indescribably satisfying. Have you picked up on that at all? Sometimes I feel that making things is an addiction that maybe I should try to break myself of.... that maybe I'd be healthier if my brain wasn't always buzzing with project ideas. Other days I think that being a maker is just an inherent part of who I am and it would be silly to try and fight it. Other days I don't think about these things at all. Mostly I think about these things when I'm up at 2am for no reason.
Today was a good dance day - a lesson and two group classes. Here's a little dance tip for you. The correct timing for cha cha is: 1, 2, 3, cha cha. If you count like this: 1, 2, cha cha cha.... which is the stereotypical cha cha counting.... you'll actually be off. I danced with a guy in group class today who I think was using the bad timing - although maybe he had some other issue. In any case, it's really hard to follow someone who is not in time with the music, just fyi. Now you know - when you watch a dance movie and some instructor is calling out 1, 2, cha cha cha.... that's weird.
Also - I'm n
ow finding parallels between my dance and yoga instructions. My dance instructor was trying to describe a waltz movement to me last week which was basically to lift my heart centre, in yoga speak. I find this awesome.
You know what else is awesome? This picture of my late grandparents.
And - if you've got some time to kill.... watch this video. It's so..... strange. A north american/brit thing (boy bands) with a whole other cultural spin. I watched it a few times now, I find it entrancing in it's weirdness. "Fantastic. Elastic." Those are some deep lyrics.
When you're done with that one, try this.| 0 comments | | |
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Sunday, October 11, 2009
Peter is home! I went out to the airport to get him (yay Canada Line rapid transit), then we went for sushi, and now he's having a nap with all the cats. We have the rest of the day to hang out at home, and then a family dinner out in the burbs tomorrow. =)
October is looking to be very busy for me. I'm probably going to be doing some consulting work (planning stuff) on the side of my full time job. I haven't signed the contract yet, so knock on wood, but if it does happen it will be very interesting. It's an international project, so definitely something different for me. I've got some vacation time I have to use up before the end of the year, so I'll probably take it to give me some space to work on this job (not to travel, I won't be going to the site) - which is a weird thing to do, but I'm keen to get some consulting work under my belt and this project is seriously a great opportunity.
This will put a crimp in my crafting plans though. As work always does.
The latest crafty idea my brain has latched on to is really simple, which is all I can handle right now. It came from the fact that most of my co-workers all know of my craftiness and how I delight in repurposing stuff that will otherwise be tossed. So, one of my co-workers saved a stack of obsolete 2007 city bike maps for me, she figured I could do something cool with them. I did the most obvious thing I could think of, and love the end result (I'm easy to please) - I laminated them with contact paper and sewed them up into simple little wallets.
While it sounds easy, the contact paper I used to laminate them is actually a pain to use (because it's all rolled up.... does this stuff come in flat sheets anywhere?). Still, it's a relatively easy project. I've been using mine for a week or two now, testing out the construction to see if it holds up, and it's doing great. I made a few more while Peter was away, thinking I might stock them for the holiday craft fair, since they're perfect little stocking stuffers for Vancouver cyclists. I haven't figured out a price point for them - if anyone wants to chime in with the price they think is appropriate, please do!
| Labels: crafty | 0 comments | | |
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Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Hello blogworld. Guess what? I've been busy! Funny how being busy coinsides with not blogging.
Things are awesome. I've started a new position at work, a temporary role over in a new group doing sustainability stuff. It's awesome and I'm loving it.
I've been loving the new dance classes we get to go to - I'm learning some waltz technique that is blowing my mind.
The weather in vancouver has been insane - bright and sunny every day for weeks. this is not normal fall weather but we're all enjoying it.
My craft group, Maked, got accepted as vendors at the awesomest craft fair in town - Got Craft. We're super thrilled to be doing again this year and have come out of our hiatus just because its such a great event. (Dec 6 - put it in your calendars!)
so -to sum up: things are good!| 0 comments | | |
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