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Both of my school-age granddaughters are complaining about recent school events. This is a great sign that they are alert and aware of what is going on.
There is the little rumble about their homework that must be done 4 days a week.
It must be done, so it is.
There are the standardized tests that are beginning to make their appearance. That's OK too, since there has to be baseline for understanding who knows what – no matter how irrelevant it is to objectively gauge a person's intelligence, genius or overall usefulness, not to mention that a test could never measure the depth of kindness or potential for courage for sacrifice they may be able to make.
There are also the disturbing reports they bring home about other things going on like the HVAC units and vents being sanitized to keep them from getting H1N1 but that same day their deskmate was in class 30 minutes after a visit to a physician had confirmed they had pneumonia and they had been given an antibiotic with assurances that the strain of pneumonia they were carrying was probably not contagious to most children. Of course that raises the questions as to what to do about the 3-12% that might be sensitive to the bacterial strain?!?
So, with lungs irritated by chlorine bleach and the stress of school in general, we stir in a child who is a walking petri dish.
This is one Papa pretty angry at a parent treating a teacher, class of children and a school like a sick-child clinic.
It is sad the child is sick but worse that the parents are so callous.
Just where is that test for stupid parental behavior?
Speaking of test and bringing up tests throughout the ages ... in the latter stages of Middle Ages, which is technically pre-second Renaissance, our modern university system was developing and scholars who wanted the recognition of their masters and their institutions went through rigorous examinations which lasted for long periods of time. So difficult were the tests that bodyguards were assigned to the examiners to protect them from assault.
We've come a long way haven't we?
Plague and security problems in school. Imagine.
Now, if the 14th Century University Of Paris had buses, what color would they have been painted? © tim tim@timjohnsonphoto.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesday_Book
A recent newspaper article cited the demise and near death of handwriting. This is not the first time that writing and, essentially, any handcraft has been "lost".
Sure, there is Tupperware and cheap stoneware - but the gifted and determined Seagrove potters that turn out beautiful art in clay and porcelain in NC will continue to do so. So nobody tell THEM that their art is dead.
I see people stitching and sewing and see announcements about shows of quilts. THEY don't know that you can buy a Snuggie and look like a fool watching TV and getting your guacamole and cheese dip all over yourself. Of course you can clean your Snuggie with a Sham-WOW and have at your chili-cheese dog and other slap-it-on-your-thighs and stick-it-in-your-heart snacks. I see the next BIG 800 number seller is going to be a BIBBIE for your SNUGGIE. Some of you might have a lap dog, not for sitting in you lap, but for lapping up all the stuff you've dropped.
Cloth can come from just about anywhere, but some pretty special stuff is still being made in England in a place called the Cotswolds. They might make a very special wool $3000 Camelot Snug-A-Lot.
There is a plethora of books and they are in print and online - but I am waiting for more good writing. Great writers abound. Good books are still being written and people are discovering why classics are called classics.
Well, back to handwriting.
Just Google IAMPETH and decide the real condition of handwriting. You can also look on YouTube and find thousands of examples of calligraphy. (Even my videos have a small following and have had a few thousand views.)
People still buy "calligraphy" kits and, sadly, because they make little progress on their own, they put the kits away and stop trying to write beautifully. Classes are offered - mine through Wake Tech and, of course, privately. Don King and Tim Havey also offer classes. So, the Triangle is not without opportunities to learn good handwriting and decorative lettering techniques.
In reality, there are tens of thousands of people who write legibly and well.
The reference at the top of this post is a link to information about The Domesday (Doomsday) Book. Richard the Conqueror wanted to know just what he had conquered in 1066. He had everything in Great Britain counted that could be counted down to the last pig and duck. That way he could tax them. By the time the books (there were actually 2 of them and the little book was bigger than the other) were done, England was truly Norman - Germanic and very little was left of the Angles or Celts. The book is still in existence and can be accessed online. It was handwritten and was one of the very first documents ever to be photographed - in the mid 1860s. More history, imagine that. The book is a testament to the power of having things written down.
Palmer and Zaner-Bloser students like myself abound. Plus, there are many people who passed through the Catholic school systems where good handwriting was expected.
My classes through Wake Tech crank up again in January. You bring your Snuggie, I'll have the exemplars, ink and share the enthusiasm for well-made letters. © tim www.timjohnsonphoto.com
I recently looked through my collection of things in cans. Mostly this is now film. It is mostly professional roll film and some bulk film. I also have some cans of dry pigments and I keep some rare nibs and leads (real lead and some silver and gold) in small tins.
When I was a feral young one in the Appalachians, things in cans were everywhere. Canning was just part of every annual cycle. Every season had its harvest, preparation and storage. Every home had pantries and cupboards full of Ball and Mason jars.
My Mom, grandmothers, aunts and great aunts and neighbors - and all the grand neighborhood - county-wide - was involved. Vegetables, fruits and even meats were preserved. Some canning was done on a family basis and some was done by church, club or community.
During the less productive months or in times of crisis, people would draw on what they had preserved.
Everyone helped. However, I speak for myself here. I have not planted a damn green bean in 40 years and I have not snapped nor canned one either. Rarely do I eat one. The memory of a large lap full of green beans and the prospect of having to sort, clean and snap them makes the current green bean swell and sour in my mouth and hang in my throat.
But, back to the cellars and the marvel of canned things: preserves, jellies and myriad treats.
Rows of canned GREEN BEANS. Tons of tomatoes, corn, okrawful, beets, limas, spinach and a bit of everything that had been taken out of the gardens and from the tree throughout the year. My great aunts even canned cakes and they were the best treats of all.
There were also canned, pickled eggs, pickles (pickled cucumbers), and pickled things that didn’t need pickling. Pickling seemed natural for the folks. They had the ideal brandies for candies, rum for very flammable Christmas rum balls and some extra dangerous fruit cake that was not safe to have near a Yule Log.
It is not hard for me to imagine that some of that fruit cake is still around and is just dangerous as an unexploded civil war cannonball.
There were also canned meats that might have tasted good, but looked somewhat like things I had seen in the science lab at school - COOL.
There were also freezers - after freezers came along.
We had dried things hanging - beans and fruit and jerky- and my folks smoked and salt and sugar-cured meats.
We once sent a sugar and pepper cured ham to a friend in Pittsburgh. Today that ham would easily cost about $100. We got a note back thanking us for the thoughtful gift, but they threw the ham away because it had some mold on it. Dumb Yankee, stupid, know-nothing ... Ack!
Jars, salt, vinegar, sugar, pepper, spices, herbs and sweat.
I do treasure my cans of film and frozen boxes of printing papers ... but I think I have talked myself into a trip to the State Farmer’s Market. However, the green beans can rest in peace.
I do love okra now that I know how to cook it myself ... to my taste. © tim tim@timjohnsonphoto.com
Anyone who knows me knows that my weakest link is the chunk of metal between my ears. Most of the time I do quite well - with the list of caveats ... for a man of your age, considering what you've been through ... with your health issues, etc.
All that aside, I do pretty well and do manage do get Papa tasks done, work on images and writing tasks, the occasional tutoring session and photo or calligraphic projects.
The one thing that totally slams the door on any useful and productive work is the appearance of a migraine headache. Mine are the cluster variety.
I do have a TEAM of caring health-care professionals that help me manage these things. They have provided me with a TENS unit, a super-big cold pack, a moist-heat heating pad and some medication that helps dull the pain. I also get trigger point injections - but now they are two days away.
My eyes, pitiful as they are anyhow, go awry. My face, mouth and two fingers on each hand go numb.
There is no comfortable position to be had. Dark and quiet are my only allies. Presently, no one can reach in to help.
The problem is that nothing helps with the anger and frustration of being incapacitated.
I don't like this feeling and I certainly don't like to be away from my loved one.
However, it is not safe for me to drive, handle sharp objects or power tools. Precise writing and working in Photoshop is out of the question because the monitor is just too much and I don't want to do a slice-o-matic on my fingers.
Managing this kind of pain is difficult, but I will feel better on Thursday. I will get about 30-36 injections in my skull, neck and back and the pain will go away.
I will rest and on Friday I will be taking pictures of 250 or so United Way volunteers. Saturday I am going to see a niece married off.
Since I was not otherwise occupied, I pulled out my trusty tennis racquet a couple of weeks ago. I stretched and hit a few balls to see if I could get back into tournament shape to add a trophy or two to the ones I have already.
That experiment lasted only an hour. Trifocals and tennis balls are a poor mix. My brain had to sort out which ball to hit and which of the several lines were in and out of bounds. I also was playing 3-5 people at a time. That process took time and too much thought.
So, the next time I hit the court it will be with single vision glasses and fresh trigger-point injections.
No migraine.
The strokes are still there - muscle memory. Now to make a little racquet on the courts, or at least groan loudly to sympathetic ears.
© tim www.timjohnsonphoto.com
Mark The Fall & Spring Holidays With A Good PC and Laptop Cleaning!
EVERYONE knows to change the batteries in their smoke and radon detectors On Memorial Day and Labor Day. Don't count on those alkaline batteries that have been near that ceiling for six months to save your life - just in case.
You could also choose to change out smoke detectors every five years and upgrade to a smoke and CO (Carbon MONOXIDE) detector combination. Dying in your sleep is just no fun at all and robs family and friends of the chance of lying about how "natural" you look.
Having done that very essential chore, move on to your PC and laptop.
I just recently did some upgrades for a couple of really good friends. These folk keep clean houses and their PCs were not resting on the floor. However, when I opened the case, i did not find dust bunnies - I was violently assaulted with dust BADGERS.
The power supplies, the ram and each of the fans was almost stalled with fibrous dust. The Dust Mite Programmers Chorale was singing background for Kanye West and it wasn't pretty this time either.
This kind of situation leads to poor air circulation inside the unit and the heat build-up can lead to unit failure and worse - FIRE!
I have written recent posts encouraging you to back up your precious files. I am not kidding or writing just to use up electrons. Your hard drives are going to fail you and so is your ram and motherboard. This advice will not let you down.
Back up your backups!
Develop the attitude and practice of protecting your data. Even if you are saving regularly to an external drive, regularly save to some DVDs. That way the badgers can't bite YOU.
Back to the cleaning.
You might want to wear a dust mask.
If you haven't cleaned in a while, disconnect all your cords and cables and place your PC in the middle of some paper in the middle of the floor. Open the non-motherboard side of the case and set the panel aside. If your muffin fans are really dirty, pop them out and clean them separately. Ack. Have a very long, soft bristle brush (preferably anti-static) nearby and tip your open PC toward the floor. Brush everything you can see OUT and DOWN and AWAY from your machine. Approach it from a different angle and repeat the action. Now, lay the machine down and carefully vacuum out all the motors, pieces and parts, being careful not to touch or dislodge any component. Brush again and make sure that even the tiniest, dust BB is gone. Vac from the inside and out and then vac the panels and the switches, drive openings (USB and Firewire ports too!) and then put everything back together.
The putting back together means making sure the cards and chips are seated properly and that all the screws are tight.
Then, reconnect your cables, reboot and look for the extra, "AH" & "Thank you", from your PC as it goes about its regular boot-up.
Your LAPTOP
Most laptops don't have fans that pull air into the machine - but there are vents and that means dust does enter. Pulling it out using the vac nozzle is OK.
The very most abused part of the laptop is the connector to the external power supply.
The second most used and abused part of the laptop is the keyboard.
It is open to the world, especially if your laptop is your communications, work and entertainment center.
Keyboards don't like liquids. AMP may make you alert - but it will fry your keys.
Keyboards don't like food. It may be nourishment for you, but food will junk up and french fry your precious 102s+.
MOST laptop screens don't like being touched. They certainly don't like sharp objects and pens, pencils and pointed fingernails are sharp objects with a lacquer coating. Just NO.
Many people have hardened laptops - that is fine. Most people don't. Laptoppers still need to back up data to an external drive and to DVDs.
Keep the laptops and netbooks out of the heat. Bad.
You wouldn't want to murder ALL of the little dust fairies living on the electrons, now would you?
By the way, replace your surge protectors every 3-5 years - they lose their power to protect your equipment over time.
Take care of your pennies and they will grow into piles of pennies.
Take care of your dust bunnies will keep them from turning into badgers. © tim www.timjohnsonphoto.com
High Tech Heck
Bitten By The Blue-Tooth
Technology Escalation Aggravation
All these were contenders for the title of this post. The REASON for the post is unfortunate. On a perfect Saturday evening with a perfect bridal couple in a perfect setting the weak and failing link was the amplified sound system.
The DJ was absolutely expert and professional. The problem was not essentially of his making. He was a victim. So was I.
I was officiating the ceremony with a carefully crafted, unique ceremony. It had the structure and flavor of the traditional Book Of Common Prayer ceremony, but softened for the modern ear. It also had a couple of additions that personalized it for the couple.
I had rehearsed the words out loud and balanced the rhythm and even allowed for the fraction of a second of delay that you have from the microphone through the speakers.
Hey, I AM the old A/V guy from high school. I made the projectors, slide machines, amps and speakers work and can set up an auditorium and even a Moog and soundboard. If you are not afraid, ask me about the reasons to choose high and low impedance mikes and input devices. Go ahead, make my month.
Mixing is no big deal - but YESTERDAY. ACK!
The wedding guests and wedding party fell out of the pages of Vanity Fair and GQ. The entire procession was flawless and sweet.
The bride was presented and the bride and groom took their places in front of me and locked eyes, hands and hearts. All the audience was focused.
Then the speakers lost volume, I spoke louder ... then they boomed. I softened my voice. The speakers cut out. I looked toward the DJ. He was being professional and looked helplessly at his state-of-the-art blue-tooth equipment and offered prayers to the gods & demons of electronics for mercy.
They kind of answered the prayer with understanding if not immediate relief.
Popping up in the audience were OTHER blue-tooth devices, some taking pictures and others recording movie clips.
When these cellular devices and cameras were ON, the signal between my mike and the amp were slain.
What to do?
The task at hand was simple. Ignore the distraction and focus only on the bride and groom.
The ceremony continued, people heard what they could and the marriage was solemnized.
The lesson?
Maybe the latest high-tech is not the BEST tech. And, if it going to be used, it has to be protected by warning people with potentially conflicting devices to keep them OFF. If pleading does not work - THREATEN and maybe let the ushers explain what an egression is after a transgression is committed.
You see, when BIG JOHN is the DJ he is working in OLD TECH and he and I can just whup up on any and all distractions that may arise.
The couple was still married, people understood and we all learned something.
Next time we will KNOW and on the couple's 75th wedding anniversary, they can talk about the good old days when blue-tooth was low tech. © Tim www.timjohnsonphoto.com
The beginning is really the beginning of the day.
The artist, like anyone else, needs a really good breakfast. I generally have my McCann’s Irish Oatmeal and a Thomas’s English Muffin with some Damson preserves and some good or bad coffee or Earl Gray tea. However, that is not the breakfast that Mom taught me to make.
Now my best friend like eggs sunny side up, loose and juicy. Mine need to be over easy, a tiny bit on the solid side: no runny whites. There’s nothing wrong with an omelet, but that’s another post and a tribute to Mr. Dumpty.
The sides can vary, but biscuits, toast, maybe a meat (maybe two), of course the Damsons or cherry preserves, good or bad coffee and some juice for the potassium.
The best part is company for the conversation. In lieu of that, a paper will sadly have to do.
Mentally preparing for the day of writing or gilding having had the benefit of a good breakfast, it is time to set out to work.
The egg is a marvelous creation. There are 4 parts. The shell, the albumen (the white), the yolk (the yellow) and the glair (the part of the white that never becomes meringue).
You CAN unscramble an egg. Feed a scrambled egg to a laying hen and the hen can digest the egg and create a new one, with very little loss of the constituent components.
You need to have your wet or dry colors at hand, mixing trays, stir sticks and distilled water.
For tempera you can use the yolk. Break the egg, separate the parts, white, yolk and set the shell aside.
Tempera is a cheaper version of gouache and is great for posters, signs and large area coverage. It is sticky and adds a tiny bit of color to your dry or wet media.
The egg white is the choice material for mixing with colors. It too is sticky and flexible. If you store it in the refrigerator, you need to pull out the stringy parts occasionally.
The real treasure of the egg is the glair. It is the light, clear substance that remains in the bottom of the bowl after you have removed the yolk and the albumen.
It is the stickiest part of the liquid and the part you want to add to your gouache and save for mixing with your raised gold or gum ammoniac compounds.
If you are saving it for a long time, it too will develop some stringiness. Use tweezers and get rid of the nasty parts. You can also filter it.
The shell? That goes to the garden. Wash them and put them in vole holes. They hate the sharp edges. Put them around tomatoes. Cutworms hate them and tomatoes love the calcium. Broccoli loves calcium too.
Let’s hear it for the artistic, incredible, indelible, edible EGG. tim tim@timjohnsonphoto.com
