Oh! The irony! Technology and Writing

Am I creating, consuming or just wasting time?

The following was a test of composing and publishing a blog post using an iPad Mini, Safari and Chrome.  It proved to be a royal pain in the ASCII. 

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I would like to get in more creative writing these days.  Seems that most of what I have been writing lately is about electronic distractions and how they are keeping me away from writing.

I have managed to conquer the clutter and placement of objects in my living space.  I need to prioritize the things that are taking over my precious time.  I'm sure other writers and hopeful authors will agree.

See this social media bashing post in another blog:  

http://shewrite63.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/cant-avoid-being-social/

  

To balance out the space and time theme, I am typing  on my nifty, trendy iPad Mini.  It is small compared to a MacBook or desktop computer.  it is handy for reading news, blog posts,Tweets and books.  Unfortunately, its features hinder my content creation activities!   I am keeping this blog entry short because I am struggling with the on-screen keyboard.  Where in sanity's name are the arrow keys on this thing?  Give me a qwerty keyboard any day! 

Thanks for visiting and reading this wee post - if it ever gets published.  Safari kept choking on the preview.  I had to download Chrome from the App Store to continue.  Ack.  Technology. 

T

Harmony in Space

This is not a blog post about outer space or science fiction.  It's about using a 5,000 year-old practice to improve harmony in one's living space, one's little corner of this beautiful planet.

Many years ago, under the influence of my respect for ancient practices, I picked up a book about Feng Shui.  It provided some well-illustrated explanations of the proper placement of objects in one's home, landscape or work place.  Since I didn't have much control over my personal and shared living space at the time, the book went onto the shelves.

I now have better control over the placement of furniture, art and books in my abode, the shared living space and my bedroom.  Of course, having cats somewhat influences where you put things too.

  

As a welcome distraction on a Saturday, I attended a two-part workshop on Feng Shui, hosted by one of the East Winds stores in Ottawa.  I brought my colourful book but didn't need to open it because participants were given handouts with charts, illustrations and instructions. We also had the opportunity to ask questions of our instructor as she patiently walked us through the content and made suggestions based on our floor plans.

One important thing I learned was that one should not have a washroom directly facing or above the entrance to the home.  

The instructor and fellow participants had a good laugh when I explained the dilemma of our kitty litter box that resides in the front hall closet due to limited space anywhere else in the petit apartment.  Yes, a cat box counts as a toilet sooo, I proceeded to re-locate it after I arrived home last night.  I also moved a few paintings and plants plus hung some pretty, colourful crystals.  

No, I am not superstitious at all.  

I also found ways to counteract the influence of bathroom walls and not to let wealth or health get flushed down a toilet.  Holy sh*t!  I should talk to the landlord about that run-on toilet in the master suite..

 
No, I am not superstitious at all.  

During the workshop,  I also learned that one should not approach the practice of Feng Shui with fear.  It is based on an ancient practice and is not a cult or religion.  

I figured that 5,000 year-old i-Ching book was still being read and referred to for a reason.  Of course, as with many ancient teachings, there are different schools of thought and experts that criticize other experts or teachers.  Sigh... 

The main reasons I attended this workshop were to help maintain harmony in our little home and to provide a clean, loving space that will support the educational and career aspirations of its residents.
  
The cats weren't too impressed with my moving things around - especially their litter box.  Judging from the smell I encountered in one of the other rooms this morning, I know they found it. 

  
As for old, outdated spiritual texts, I feel that some have outlived their purpose for setting a moral compass.  Yes, I think the human mind and civilizations have evolved enough to know it isn't right to hit your wife, your child; to stone homosexuals or to perpetuate a spiral of revenge by justifying an eye for an eye and dragging humanity into a cycle of blind violence. 

That's all I have to say about that.  

One comfort with moving stuff around was that my much-loved Tree of Life print would counteract the flushing away of energy now that it is moved to another wall. 

The birds are still facing in the correct directions as indicated in ancient Egyptian texts. 

No, I am not superstitious at all.

If you like my writing style, you will enjoy reading The Year of the Rabbit - A Novel about Fate, Family and Forgiveness.  It contains influences from my love of ancient civilizations and respect for some well-lived practices. 

Thanks for dropping by, for visiting my quaint little space in this world.  

T     


 

 

Satisfying a desire

If you have followed my deep blonde thoughts for the past couple of years, you will be aware of my efforts to downsize my family's home, my attempt at living a more minimalist lifestyle after moving to a small apartment. You may also recall my 2010 post about coveting furniture.

Last weekend, I succumbed to the siren call of that desk (or his cousin) while passing by an English Butler outlet.  I saw the object of my desire. It was signalling to me from inside the store.  "Remember me?" he whispered, "Come closer.  Play with my pull-out writing surface.  You know you want to play with my drawers."

I paused in front of it.  I stroked the dark wooden surface, opened the drawers and pulled at the knobs with visions of getting this beauty into my bedroom. All I had for a writing surface in my tiny room was a folding table which had recently disappeared, being borrowed by a resident budding artist. 

This was not an impulse purchase, dear readers.  It was more of ... an obsessive love affair.  

I had been coveting this desk for years, every time I'd walk by that store.  If it wasn't near the front, I'd find myself craning my neck to see if it was somewhere at a side wall, hidden by the frivolous ornaments, candles and tapestry. 


Once the sales clerk confirmed that they could deliver, I was at the precipice to purchase.  My justification?  I had recently come into some coin plus needed a private place to write in my journal, to store stationery and books that were cluttering my tiny bedroom. 


My other justification was that due to the other procurement demands and errands of the day, I did not have time to study the PMBoK - something I tried to do on a weekly basis after escaping our crowded apartment for a visit to the local library.  Other than the dining table, there was no other decent place for studying.

So there it sits, waiting for me to organize my books, stationery and files into its mouth and belly.  I'll save that  activity for tonight - in-between loads of laundry.  I lead such an exciting life... 

Thank you for reading this far.  If you like my writing style, you may also enjoy reading "The Year of the Rabbit - a novel about Fate, Family and Forgiveness".  

T
 





 

Mission Accomplished: Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Smaller Home.

I am relieved to say that I have satisfied one of the goals I set over a year ago. 

My family is settling in to our new, smaller place.  We are being creative with placing items according to need and... aesthetics.  I aim to continue to provide my children with a happy, healthy home now that the dark, emotional clutter is far behind us.  One little bird is spreading its wings, getting ready to leave the nest.  The others will need more encouragement...

Home is what you make it.  

Home is where the heart is.  

In my novel, The Year of the Rabbit young Sera loses her family home due to sad circumstances beyond her control.  She finds a new home at the Red Hare Restaurant which is owned and managed by the Young family. 

Cute Tiny Houses

I caught this in one of my tech rss feeds a few weeks ago.  

"Started by Jay Shafer, who began living in a 75-square-foot house in 1997, Tumbleweed Tiny Houses specializes in designing homes that are both functional and highly efficient. Sized between 65 and 837 square feet, the homes are meant to be affordable while emphasizing the need for organization and minimalism."  

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/2300-11386_3-10005492.html

I really like how he made space for the necessities like the tiny wardrobe closet, the pots on kitchen walls and even the composting toilets.

"While many of the Tiny Houses are actually "tiny" and are geared toward single people, some are meant for couples, or even families. But all are meant to be very space efficient."

I could see these being good for newlyweds (for snuggling) or empty nesters (for less places to lose things) but they don't seem very practical for families.  

Where would one put all of her books?  Or wine? 

Visit Tumbleweed Houses
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

Poking humour at hoarding tendencies

One of my favourite TV blondes did a humorous portrayal of a hoarder on Thursday night. I'm talking about Amy Poehler on NBC's Parks and Recreation in which character Leslie Knope decides to hold a dinner party at her house so she could impress her new boyfriend.

When her friend Ann arrives to help her prepare, she is greeted by piles of newspapers and other items that Leslie just can't release. It was quite a hilarious episode.

http://www.nbc.com/parks-and-recreation/

Things turn out okay with the help of continuing education instructors that get pulled in to her vortex to tidy the house, prepare the meal, entertain the guests, etc.

I think the episode provided a clever way to poke fun at our tendencies to keep things "just in case" we may need to use them in the future. I've been there.

If you don't have the space, there's NO "just in case"!