I can recall listening to talk radio (something I routinely do when I'm at home), and hearing Danielle Smith, leader of the Wild Rose Alliance Party, being interviewed by, I think it was Dave Rutherford, and hearing her making a response to one of his simple questions that to me - sounded as though she might drone on for hours in some unnatural corpo-speak fashioned language that drove me entirely nuts to the point that I had to slam the radio's off button before she got to drawing up any strange or asinine conclusions to her convoluted ramblings. Sorry ma'am, but I just don't reckon that I can handle your jargon 'cause it simply ain't about to jive with this cowboy!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Using Star Office Writer for my article this time. I suppose I'm a fairly heavy computer user, and some people I know ask me where I find the time to do so much writing. These folks should see me type! I've been typing since I was about five or six, and a few years later, would find myself spending hours inputting lengthy computer programs, written out on the glossy pages of computer periodicals from the mid-to-late 80s, and then, of course, proofing your efforts after you type the “RUN” command, only to see the computer spit back, “Syntax Error Line 2090.”
The resulting computer games and programs varied in their playability and functionality, but they were always a good lesson-by-example in how the BASIC computer language worked.
Anyway, I often change up the software I use for various media publishing tasks. Sometimes I get to thinking I should make more of an effort to employ the multitasking capabilities of modern personal computer by always having multiple windows on the screen visible at the same time. While I often have dozens of programs running in the background, I'm more of an [ALT]-[TAB] program changer. I tend to run things in full screen, finish what I'm doing in the moment, copy what I want to import to another program, and then jump right into the next program like.
I'll move images freely between Microsoft “Paint” and Corel “Photopaint” to circumnavigate my limited ability in using the fairly complex Photopaint software. When it comes to working with graphic images, I discover new ways of doing things nearly every time I decide to work with an image – come up with new ideas, and in my experimental pursuits would end up with something that I'd describe as: album cover art.
"Third Bedroom"
The picture above was originally taken using B&W film exposed by a Nikon FE, processed by a shop, the resulting prints scanned into my PC at 1200 d.p.i. using an Hewlitt Packard C-4210 "All in One" Printer / Scanner / Copier. The one you see above, though, is of course the rendered JPEG. I once stayed in that room for a couple of months - it was one of two bedrooms in an old "war house" not too far from the banks of the mighty North Saskatchewan River here in Edmonton. The community is known as Rossdale. Now-a-days I live in the Grandin neighbourhood.
"Kid Rock"
My efforts to “put the plug in the jug” and to not live my life like a careless hammerhead recently have been going very well for me. I'm greatly enjoying the sobriety of my thoughts, and I hope that I can sustain my self-discipline – commit to doing a great deal more writing of things both frivolous and serious – the writing itself being the subject of my work...
Still love making videos. Still haven't given up on the dreams of rock music stardom. My folks still don't want to hear it! Oh well.
Just kicking back allowing the breathy, sultry sound of Hope Sandoval's forlorn voice singing "Fade Into You" with her band, Mazzy Star as it gently renders me love-stricken. She's like a hybrid of Diana Ross and Margo Timmins? It really takes me back to that special place in my mind that began to develop in the early nineties when I first discovered the melancholy joys of smoking herbal jazz cigarettes whilst listening to late night radio within the confines of my "trip emporium" / bedroom of my parent's basement. I'd sure like the opportunity to fade into Hope Sandoval someday! I think she even gives the young Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas a run for her money in the cuteness department. Yowza! I wonder if she ever smiles? She's so dreamy!
It's always a fun trip considering how long I've lived in my studio apartment here in Edmonton. Just moments ago, as I was walking home from the corner store this evening, remarking to myself about how much I appreciate the familiarity of the neighbourhood - from the old Victorian houses lining the avenue down to the old cracks in the sidewalks - the streets turned inward; all the congruousness therein caught me off guard. As a crayon, I was forced to move around like a lopsided top, spun around haphazardly by a couple of the greatest diplomats in the world, and now, on my fifth year of living in this tiny downtown abode, my surroundings feel ever more like home with each passing season. Running into familiar faces, chatting with the shop keepers... my own sort of Coronation Street reality with a Canadian twist to it.
So much time wasted? While I haven't been as productive as I could've / should've been, I like to think my ship will eventually come in - in due time - if it's even bound to moor at all. All those booze fueled, debaucherous nights, listless and unemployed days, dreaming about writing songs and singing them to the enthusiastic young arts majoresses in the front row at one of the local open stages... certainly the wastrel lifestyle must be leading up to something great? I keep trying to convince my benevolent parents that this is indeed the case.
Just finished painting my rather large walk-in closet a sort of cappuccino colour - the same as I painted the rest of the walls in this apartment. Perfect tone for a heavy smoker like myself without being too dark. I find the light brown colour really works well to mellow-out the intense deep green of the baseboards, vertical blinds, and doors. The colour was even hand picked by a professional Benjamin Moore dude with an eye for hues and such.
I plan on transforming the biggish small closet space into an office of yesteryear- an oasis from modern-day info-tech status quo, complete with a desk, a Rolodex, a typewriter, a telephone, and extensive reference library. A place where I can break free from the internet and do some writing without the distraction of the World Wide Web and super-PC at my fingertips. My own personal time portal. Maybe you'd like to call me at the office sometime? I'll jot down your vitals on a reference card and get back to you pronto!
Are you nostalgiac like me? Would you consider yourself a solitary man / woman? Care to start a band?
