February 19, 2005

• It's funny and somewhat ironic that the very things I complain about keeping me from being creative are the things that usually bring me the inspiration to create. If all I had to do all day was sit at the keyboard and type, I wouldn't have anything to write about! In fact, most of my writing of poetry is done away from the keyboard. I rarely sit and "compose". Usually I am driving or in the middle of something and POW! Then I try to memorize what I just thought of (not so easy anymore, I think my brain is full  ) while I scramble for a pen and something to write on. Napkins, bags, even my hand!

  
  

  If we actually stop and look around us as we go about our business, the world is a pretty interesting and inspiring place. Different colours and textures surround us. An endless array of people from all walks of life move around us. Even looking out my apartment window can be fascinating. On the surface it may look like the "same old scene", but it is never the same twice. Something is always changing. Even the.....pigeons! can be interesting. There is a rainbow of colour on their wings if you look close enough, and watching them soar through the air can be exhilerating. (The fact that they have made my balcony uninhabitable and a distinct health hazard notwithstanding. )

  
  

  Sheila has unwittingly inspired me with her new "baby". She has adopted a beautiful siamese cat and is trying to integrate it into her home which includes a little grey parrot. This has me thinking of cooperation and instinct and our capacity for love. ( I hope they are getting along okay!). T. has been filling my head with thoughts of challenge and bravery, of overcoming adversity and maintaining strength; of love and sacrifice and the meaning of love. My patients always remind me of the frailty and fragility of life and how precious it is.  The old hound.....well the old hound always inspires me in many different ways!

  
  

  His computer has crashed so he has been disconnected from the cyberworld all week. No internet, no email, no (god forbid!) blogging!! Of course this is completely his choice to remain "unplugged" as he could easily use my computer, but it is an interesting situation. A chance to explore creativity the "old" way. I always believe an integration of technologies is best. People tend to take the next new thing and expect it to do everything, to replace all the old things. An example would be the microwave. Yes, you can bake in it, but why would you when the oven does it so much better. Just because something can do it doesn't mean it should do it. Microwaves are good at microwaving, so leave them to it.

  
  

  Computers are good for so many things, but they cannot ever replace face to face human interaction. They can howevr facilitate communication between people that wouldn't ordinarily be able to communicate at all. My blog is read by people in eight different time zones. I think that is remarkable. I can't think of another medium that would allow that much exposure to one lowly person tapping away on a keyboard in an apartment in Toronto. When I look at the map and see the graph of where my readers come from I wonder about who they are and what their lives are like. I wonder what draws them to my blog in particular and what we would have in common if we were to meet face to face. Computers have shrunk the world down to the size of a keyboard.

  
  

  Many people complain about the influence of computers and the internet on our lives, but coming from a generation that didn't have them as a child I would not want to give it up. It is so much easier to find information on virtually any subject. I wanted to know if you could paint over tiles....a few clicks and I had my answer. (yes you can). This tile painting query marks a change in me that I find quite interesting.

  
  

  I noticed when I bought my usual weekly slew of magazines that something was a little bit different. I hadn't picked up In Touch, US Weekly or Cosmopolitan or In Style.... I had picked up Better Homes and Gardens, Paint Decor and Window and Wall Ideas. (Yes, those are actual magazines!)When I turn on the TV I am watching shows like Trading Spaces and This Old House. I am gravitating towards Home Depot and Rona Hardware instead of Winners..... No, that's not true, I am always in Winners.....but I'm not even looking at the shoes!  I'm looking at the housewares. I've actually been thinking seriously about buying power tools! Me, the woman who can barely hammer a nail in the wall without inflicting serious damage on either myself or the wall. I saw a magazine called "Woodworking for Women" but did manage to restrain myself. I figure I'll wait until I get some tools...and some wood to work upon.

  
  

  The old hound had the suggestion that it might be possible to finish the hardwood floors in the house ourselves. This was a novel idea to me, I have always been one to hire folk who know what they are doing or who at least claim to, but the more I think about it the more it appeals to me. What a feeling of accomplishment when it is finished! What a wonderful way to save money! The fact that I haven't got a clue as to how this is done is immaterial. (I can look it up on the INTERNET!) How hard can it be? (don't answer that and burst my do- it -yourself  bubble) T. tells me she knows of a machine I can borrow so I am halfway there already!

  
  

  I can just picture the new me......clad in overalls, smudged with paint, hammer in one hand, drill in the other making all manner of shelves and whatever else handy people make. This opens up a whole new creative frontier for me! After all, I did manage to put together my Wal Mart bookcases this year. They aren't all that crooked and they haven't fallen apart... yet. And I did manage to change my broken tap....no, that was the superintendent. Well I did manage to unplug the drain....no, that was the old hound! Still, I am eager and willing to learn!

  
  

  Today I am off  to drool at Home Sense, pick up a Bombay Company catalogue, (I'll get one for you Sheila and T.) , and buy some groceries. Then this apartment is going to be tidied from top to bottom because this chaotic atmosphere is playing havoc with my psyche. After that, I shall settle into a nice hot bubble bath with a glass of wine and my pile of magazines and dream!

  • 11:42 am
  • 4 Comments