GRIZZLY PEAR

written snapshots

Category: Notes

  • Productivity software

    Currently my productivity software is a single page, two column list of everything that needs to be done (by me) on all my projects at work.

    The page sits on Microsoft OneNote, primarily synced across of my devices (personal and work), but I can’t help but be tempted by web apps like Trello or my new find this morning Airtable. There are a lot of power in all these apps.

    But as my experience with Basecamp a few years ago taught me, the increased power comes with increased complexity, and I’m just not sure its worth the tradeoff.

    One day, I’m certain a consultant will drag me into working with some sort of software that will be an awesome epiphany.

    But it will be difficult to beat a single screen (or printed page) that gives me a snapshot of everything I need to do in all my projects.

  • Chalk lines of bygone years

    I was outside an old industrial park and I noticed a chalk line on the slab outside one of the storefront doors.

    It was about an inch back from face of the finish so I suspect it was the line of the studs when they did a refresh of the place. That would make this chalk line maybe two decades old?

    I’m certain it survived over the years because this tenant had two doors, and this door was typically locked and unused. But still, that’s a long time for a chalk line to hang around!

    Sometimes our most insignificant marks last much longer than we could imagine.

  • Paprika, Satoshi Kon, 2006

    I’ve been watching and rewatching some tai chi videos from my school to relearn the 48 form they teach. It would have been a whole lot easier (and better!) if I just kept practicing and I don’t have to relearn it every couple years. That said, it has been good to go over some things which I never really got figured out correctly in the first place.

    Also my wife and I just watched Paprika. We watched it a decade ago in the theater. I still have no idea what just happened, but dang it’s a glorious spectacle.

  • Lake Mead, Nevada

    Coming back from Overton, I took a slightly longer route via the Lake Mead Recreation area. It was an absolutely gorgeous drive.

    So this weekend we trundled up in the van and went back to visit.

    It did not disappoint, though partly because it is run down, with buildings from the late 70’s we’re heading towards a half century now, and the falling water levels certainly add to the air of disuse.

    I’ve always had a fondness for lonely roads and straggly architecture and this got both in spades.

  • Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln, 1863

    I was doing the dishes while my father-in-law was watching a trivia game show on Chinese TV. Amidst the hijinks, I snapped to attention when they host quoted in English “government of the people, by the people, for the people”.

    My Mandarin isn’t any good so I have no context on what was going on before or after the quote drop, but I’m pretty sure the folks out there had no idea about all that is embodied in this line.

    But it was a great reminder to take a moment to revisit this speech as a cornerstone of our shared mythology, defining who we are as Americans.

  • Good places

    When you find one in this world, hang on to them tightly. There is a sacredness to such places.

    Time flows slowly but inexorably, inevitably such a place will transform and change, and it may no longer be the right place for you.

    Savor the moment, and count yourself fortunate.

  • Nevada State College Cafe

    I was about half an hour early to a meeting so I ended up grabbing a coffee at the campus cafe and surveyed the setting.

    It was good to contemplate the users of my building. I needed to descend from the fog of bureaucracy and see the young women and men who will be using this building.

    The people in that shop will be graduated by the time my building opens up, but the next round of future teachers of Clark County will be following right behind them.

    And not long after, my daughter and then my son will be following behind them.

    My two little ones are closer in age to these young folks than I am.

    How time has flown.

  • Whispers at the park

    The Clark County park system has program where one can purchase a memorial plaque at a tree.

    My girl has always been intrigued with these plaques, and she likes having them read out to her.

    To her it’s all so abstract, but when I get something near 1979, my eyes open up.

    They are reminders that life is short, and it runs quick.

    Go make the most of this time, it’s what we got. Nothing more is promised.

  • Graham Oakley

    I’ve always been a big fan of Graham Oakley’s cheeky Church Mice Series. The illustrations are great, and the stories are really fun. My sister and I loved reading his books at the library.

    But they are out of print and you can’t find any copies at the library. Though oddly enough, they do have some taiwanese translations that reformatted his books to a portrait format.

    It’s a sad tale of what can be discarded with the ebbs and flow of fashion. Or reframed more optimistically, a tale of what the internet enables — a couple clicks of a button and I’ve got a copy headed home.

  • Frisbee

    One of the local parks has a frisbee golf course so we brought one with us this latest visit.

    First, I most likely could use “better” frisbees. I remember the game store in Berkeley having a whole wall of different frisbees for aficionados of this hobby.

    Second, I have no idea if it made me any better, but I was constantly reminded of what I learned in Tai Chi. I tried to root my self in the ground and let the body relax, whipping around to initiate a wobbly sad flight trajectory.

    Third, my almost 40 year old body was pretty compliant while on site. But it only took the ride home for my left arm to decide that this sudden uptick in this particular repetitive action was traumatic enough to send alarm bells for the rest of the day.

    Finally, my daughter had a ball running up and down the hills chasing the frisbee and throwing it around.

    My last two decades in a nutshell, encapsulated in a plastic disc.