great spaces :: the library

it seems like people haven't really discovered all of the best spots in our new library yet (ok, it did only open on monday). that means that i have this long, beautiful table down at the end all to myself. right next to the outlet. with quasi-employee rights to make a pot of coffee (i'm here a lot, so i feel like one of the family), i can settle in to do a little writing and research on a couple of articles. the new library is in an old building - first it was a school, then it was the city hall and the library itself even used to be here. and now, after a major refurbishment, it's back again. and although i didn't know it in these surroundings before, i'll hazard a guess that it's better than ever. it's light, bright, fresh and there's not a boring chair in the house.

screen time limits

do you think your kids spend too much time glued to their screens? i've long had my doubts, so i was happy to read this fresh perspective on one of the nytimes blogs. i think my doubts were for different reasons, but in light of the alarming stories i've read recently about something called free-range parenting (which we just call parenting here in denmark), this one rings true on some level.  but to this swaddling in cotton (to directly translate a phrase from danish) that we as parents do to our kids today, i would add that giving them screen time prepares them for the workplaces of the future. the fact is, we are surrounded by technology today and if you aren't comfortable with it and it's not second nature to you, you will be left behind.

and that's why it's after 11 p.m. and i'm still sitting here with five screens glowing gently on my face (including the phone i used to take this photo). just trying to stay relevant.

kidding aside, i listened to a 2-part freakonomics podcast about sleep. they interviewed a researcher who was looking into sleep patterns. she recommended that you leave aside the glowy devices for a least a half an hour before bed if you wanted to have a good night's sleep. but she also admitted that she doesn't follow this advice herself. as she said, the iPad is very compelling. and i'll admit i'm horrible at this. i often read something (a book, the nytimes, facebook) on my iPad as a prelude to falling asleep. and i'm sure that it means that i don't sleep as well as i should. which, according to the podcast, probably means that i don't do anything else as well as i should.

maybe i need to put aside the glowy devices at bedtime...

* * *

squee! there really is an x-files revival coming!

contrasts

on the same day, i picked up a vintage typewriter that we bought on an auction because it reminded me of one dad had at the enterprise during my childhood and i also got a new 21.5" iMac to replace my severely aging 24" iMac from 2008. talk about a contrast in technologies. i can't believe how thin and sleek the iMac is! and fast. and quiet. it is good to upgrade, but it's also nice to do a little old school typing. i think it's a little bit of a shame that today's computers aren't going to be able to be acquired in the future as working machines that can be used in the same way as a good old fashioned typewriter.

i feel a cold coming on

i know it's supposed to be throwback thursday, but i can't really go back any further than the weekend for a photo. it seems like it would take too much effort to dig out old photos and scan them this evening. i fear my tiredness is an impending cold. we've had gorgeous weather, the kind that lures you outside without a jacket for hours when it's just a little too nippy in the wind. it's not good if i'm getting sick, as i have big plans in london town this weekend. mostly work, but also a bit of fun.  and let's face it, even work is pretty fun.

tho' speaking of that, i realized this week that despite working in what is arguably one of the most creative companies on the planet, i have been feeling cramped by the way things are still outlook-ruled and powerpoint-driven. and i definitely feel those frames snuffing out my creativity and inspiration. but as soon as i clear out the snot forming in my head, i'm going to come up with a plan for resisting both. i suspect powerpoint will be easier to resist than the tyranny of outlook. any tips on this front are most welcome.

another reason for my absence this week has been that i'm reading scarlett thomas' popco, about a hip girl who works for a toy company. just imagine that storyline.

* * *

what do you think of the cool little fisheye lens i got for my iPhone?

isn't it fun?

hungary, you say? #tbt

she had no idea of the troubles that lay ahead.

you will be relieved to know that even when you have what is arguably the best job in the world, you can still have a bad day. that bad day will likely be brought on by computer issues, which nearly frustrated you to the point of tears. in fact, the tears were there in your eyes, unbidden, but you managed to realize how utterly ridiculous it was and fight them off. no inanimate object or ridiculous software setup should have the power to make you cry.

but it might have the power to make you be sort of absent from yourself. so absent that you forget your purse at the office and don't realize it until you're all the way home and going to the grocery store, which you then can't do since you don't have your purse. so you kind of stumble home and hope there's enough in the fridge to come up with something for dinner (there is).

and then you go out to feed the animals and find that talking to the cats and searching for the latest place the hens are hiding their eggs and measuring out grain and carrying buckets of water and the smell of hay and the crunch of contented horses eating their dinner will actually go a long ways towards making it all better. because tomorrow is another day and your purse will still be there when you arrive at the office. and even tho' your computer isn't talking to SAP (who can really blame it), it will still be a mac and it will eventually all get sorted out.

and you take a deep breath and have a glass of wine (despite your best intentions) and you realize that life is pretty good anyway. even when the help desk is in hungary.

* * *

in the midst of a bad day,

a project like this collaboration between olafur elliason and ai weiwei (and the world)

will give you hope.

when time is of the essence we use it more wisely (and by we i mean me)

there's something about knowing that your time is limited that makes you way more efficient. when i used to have all the time in the world and could schedule things how/when i wanted to, i totally pissed away a whole lot of time. now that i have a more fixed schedule, i'm using my free time so much more wisely! like making this leather case for my new macbook pro. i also made up a new recipe for roasted cauliflower soup that you can find here. husband has me drawing trees for a logo for his sawmill, but i'm not there on those quite yet, so i have nothing to show. other than that, there was a lot of boring but necessary tasks, like laundry and tidying up. but i just felt so virtuous and efficient.

but now, back to the computer case...i bought this super soft, buttery leather a few weeks ago and have thus far, just fondled it lovingly, but now, it's put to use protecting my new computer. the feathers are much more cream colored than they appear in these yellowish evening photos. it's been dreary and rainy and cold all weekend, so the light wasn't great for photos. very little time was spent outside, aside from feeding animals and taking horses in and out and dashing out to take minifigure photos between rain showers. we also got a new spotty hen from a neighbor and she's settling in with the others nicely. 

i am keeping up my daily list art journal, but have yet to photograph it, so i'll do a catch-up post later in the week. i was efficient, but not that efficient, apparently. i'll blame the lack of good light. 

here's hoping your weekend was wonderful and you're ready to face the week ahead.

* * *

i love unsolved mysteries like this.

and spy stories like this.

worth the wait

it wasn't easy, but i got through the waiting at long last. i spent the morning ironing and cleaning and tidying and at last selecting my outfit. i shouldn't have gone with the vintage boots because one heel (which i didn't even know was weak) cracked as i walked from the main building over to where i will work. i was able to glue it and hold it together for the day, and now it's just a funny memory.

had to have a selfie, of course. this is, after all, the age of the selfie.

and this is what was waiting for me on my desk when i arrived. a whole stack of apple awesomeness. it really doesn't get any better than that.

and i got to fish through a box of minifigs for the ones i don't have (alas, they weren't all there, but i will get the final two, i'm certain of it).

in denmark, you nearly always get a welcome bouquet of flowers when you start a new job. i had to bring mine home to enjoy them. most jobs, however, don't come with a whole lot of lego. but then, most jobs aren't this awesome.

on a creative binge

some kind of weird planetary alignment made today, the first official day of autumn (at least here), the most creative and productive day i've had in recent memory. i don't think i've had these many creative synapses firing since we moved away from my beloved blue room. i'm almost loathe to go to sleep, because i don't want it to stop. but i've learned that sleep is also good for creativity, so sleep i shall. and all of that gorgeous fabric and thread and butter-soft red leather will be waiting for me in the morning.

happy autumn, one and all!  i think it's going to be the best season yet!