My Bruvver

Did I mention I have a very talented brother?

I think you did Awa Rich, there's a linky thing over there---->

He lives in New Zealand and exhibits his painting in galleries all around the country and they're proving very popular. I know when the painting frenzy is upon him - and an exhibition dead lion is looming - as I don't hear from him for ages.

This morning I got a short email directing me to YouTube and Jimi Colzato's promotional video for his paintings in the Lightwave Gallery.

My socks are currently in orbit around Proxima Centauri! I knocks my little video into a cocked hat.

Something to aim for Awa Rich.

Cernly is.

Let's all go on a Buddha hunt

Marie has been hankering after a Buddha figure to sit in the corner of the living room for ages. Confirming that law of the universe that reveals things to you all over the place in great profusion - until you want one, when they all disappear from the face of the planet. I went hunting for one for Christmas but to no avail.

We went a hunting on Sunday around Covent Garden and - ironically - bought one that I'd looked at before Christmas. I had it in my head that she wanted a fat Chinese Buddha but the Balinese pineapple hat variety proved squally suitable.

Today - Monday - we went to the DIY superstore at the end of the lane to get a suitable plant. Marie set up The Corner of Tranquility and photographed it to send to her friends and family.

She sent me a copy too so "You could post it on your blog!" So here it is. The second thing I noticed when looking at it was my collection of 'New Age Hippy' books behind it.

Developing Applications with Microsoft Access
Developing Applications with Microsoft Outlook
AppleScript
Cascading Style Sheets
HTML Goodies
JavaScript Goodies
Agile Development with Ruby on Rails
Microsoft Excel Expert Solutions
The Richard Feynman Physics Lectures
Analogue Electronics
and etc.

All deep spiritual stuff eh Awa Rich?

I'll Ohm with that!

Good one Awa Rich! Buddhist electronic puns. Whatever next?

Show us the picter then.

Paddleboarding update

Previously on this channel... 

I recounted my adventures on the Thames with W. A. Ellis Estate Agents practicing their paddleboarding skills prior to a charity event on 21st September.

As well as putting my photographs of the afternoon on Flickr I created a very short slideshow using Apple Keynote. I thought some sort of animated slideshow is more interesting than static photographs - though both have their place.

This prompted me to shell out a chunk of cash on some software I've been meaning to buy since I discovered it a eight or nine years ago. As I was away last week, and it rained a lot, I had a chance to play with my new toy.

The results will be used to promote the paddleboarding event.

Why Keep a Journal?

TechFactoid

This post was composed using Markdown in Byword and Brett Terpstra's Marked 2. I'll tell you about them sometime.

I was reading through the beginining of my current journal - a bit like tidying an attic - and became thoroughly absorbed by this past life and my brain started listing the reasons why keeping a journal is so useful. Here's a few of my thoughts.

There are so many benefits to keeping a journal.

• To record events.
• To keep track of recurring events.
• To capture thoughts and ideas and organise them.
• To collect information.
• To get your feelings and emotions out of your head.

Record Historical Events

To record what happened, events that occurred in the world. Things that you and others around you experienced. Who did what and when and where it happened and in what circumstances. What you thought about, what you said, what they said and how your felt.
A physical chronological record, so when you look back you know the what, the when, the where, the who, the how and maybe the why too.
Whether the weather. It was interesting to read in my journal that this time three years ago the weather was much the same as it is at the moment.

Record Specific Things

What I Eat

You might want to record what you eat for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you’re on a diet or you want to remember what you ate at a certain time and place. Make comments on the quality and quantity of what you ate. Maybe you eat out a lot and want to review the places you ate.

What I Drink

You might want to record what you drink to keep track of your:-

• Fluid intake
• Caffein intake
• Sugar intake
• Alcohol consumption

These are health reasons but you might be more interested in the quality of the things you are drinking like:-

• Tea
• Coffee
• Wine
• Beer
• Spirits

This could be for your own interest or as a reviewer.

Numbers, numbers, numbers

How far, how fast, how long, how much, what time? We quantify so many things in our lives because they are significant in certain contexts.

“Them as counts counts moren them as don’t count” Riddley Walker.

“Just because you can count it doesn’t mean it counts. Just because you can’t count it doesn’t mean it doesn’t count” Albert Einstein

Now make the sound of one stone clacking.

How I Felt

What sort of mood were you in when you were eating or drinking? The context is important. Where were you? Who were you with? What were you doing? Why? Did you want to be there?

Legal

If you think your employer or employee is behaving badly, a chronological record of significant events and conversations is essential if things turn nasty.

Capture Thoughts and Ideas

You always think you’ll remember that thought, idea or flash of inspiration. “Of course I’ll remember. It was such a fantastic idea” but a minor distraction shifts your attention and it evaporates leaving only the memory that you had a great idea. So, write it down when it happens.

Florilegium

Other useful things to capture are:-

• Quotes and sayings
• Recipes
• Where to find that certain thing
• Books you want to read
• Music you heard and want to buy
• Anything else you want to acquire
• Where you found wild blackberries
• Any other useful facts
• Interesting words or phrases
• Instructions
  • How to do it
  • How to get there
  • How to make it
  • Nifty tricks and shortcuts
• Names and addresses (that really good plumber)
• A good restaurant
• Places to visit
• Bits of that book you’re writing, song you’re composing
• Lists, lists, lists

This is a florilegium - literally ’a gathering of flowers - a miscellany. These notebooks were kept by 16th century clerics to gather information that might be useful when writing sermons. They escaped into the wild and became fashionable with ordinary - albeit wealthy and literate - folk.

Mind Dump

Catharsis. The benefits of dumping your thoughts, and emotions onto a page are manifold. It gets them out of your head and exposes them to the light where they are less likely to cause mischief. Thoughts and emotions can run amok inside your head but get them out in the open air and they seem different. Not quite so powerful or menacing, perhaps mundane, even ridiculous.

You’re using a different part of your brain to evaluate your thoughts when you write them down and read them. The more logical, analytical part which dampens their emotional power. You put some distance between you and them. It may be only the few inches between your eyes and the page but at least they’re not inside your head.

Writing your thoughts allows you to structure and organise them and cause other thoughts and ideas to appear spontaneously. Like walking down a street and seeing all the side streets leading off to who knows where - other places to explore that you were previously unaware of, offering new possibilities. Or walking to the end of a dead end street only to discover there’s a hidden alleyway leading into a market square.

Your scrivenings can build a map that shows you the lay of your mindscape and reveal patterns and connections you didn’t know were possible until this bird’s eye view was available to you.

Writing is therapeutic and cheaper than a shrink - who may have motives different from yours that may not be in your best interests - if you become dependent on your journal, that’s a minor problem that may - in the long term - provide you with solutions. Becoming dependent on your shrink/mentor/councillor is the path to Trouble with a Capital T.

Reflect and Review

It’s always informative to look back on the day, week, month, year, decade to see how far you’ve come - or not, to see what’s changed - or not.

What do you need or want to do? Where do you want to go? Where would you like to be the next time you sit and review?

Times of Change

Something else that’s worth recording in your journal, which is related to creating a historical record, is recording events during times of great change. For instance, when Mam became ill and died. It would have, or will be, useful at some time to read about what was happening at specific moments, to note how I felt and acted. The same for others too, what they did, said and felt.

Reading it as history might make it easier to spot patterns, trends or significant milestones. It’s easier to forget and lose track of things during times of rapid change or flux - especially when emotions are heightened - as you’re devoting so much time and effort to dealing with what’s going on. What’s pressing and proximate.

Sitting quietly and writing a few notes can be an oasis, a safe haven, a time to reflect, gather your senses, think, regroup, organise and plan. Your journal can become a map in turbulent times. A valuable navigation aid.

Keep it handy!

Top Billing

Awa Nick gets Top Billing at Dunedin Art Exhibition.

If you haven't seen my brother's stuff yet, here's a taster.

The Artist's Room Gallery

If you happen to be in the Dunedin area this weekend, pop in and say Hi.

Frida Cowhlo or Vaca Sagrada

Up the Creek

Got this email forwarded from Marie on Friday morning.

“Do you think Richard would meet us at Kew Bridge at 2.30 to take some team shots and some of us on the water – perhaps even from the Bridge would be good?   I shouldn’t imagine he’d be there more than an hour.   I am not sure ‘after’ shots will be necessary tomorrow – we don’t want too many soggy team photos!”

The Boarding Party

Why not I thunk. So I wandered down the river to Q but no one there, had a mosey around and found some dude setting up boards so I asked him if he was expecting a bunch of estate agents. Yep, he sure was. "Do you want to come with us?" er, nope I've just come to take a few photos then I'll bugger off.

Aynho, they started drifting in around 2:45. The dude says "Sure you don't want to come?" Nah, a nuther time mebbe.

"You'll get some better shots from the water" I thought they just wanted a group shot with them all posing and a couple from the bridge.

"Tell you what" said the dude, "I'll get the canoe out" So I was in. I got home about 9:30 so the hour turned into 7. Good fun though and we fell into the pub afterwards.

Here's a short slideshow I created in Keynote. Just messing around.


W. A. Ellis Paddle boarding on the Thames from Richard Eggleston on Vimeo.

Showing off more like Awa Rich!

(if this staggers along and stalls - due to internet slowness - just wail until it finishes then replay it. I should be a lot smoother as your device has buffered the whole file)

Click the link below to see the rest of the antics.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vtre-felix/sets/72157645693069289/