Footnotes to a Conversation, September 26, 2022
“Pray that in our later years / On our bedside table there will be / More books than jars of pills; / Pray that when we dim the light / It is on a world of complex plots / Rather than one of rancour” (On the Bedside Table, Alexander McCall Smith)
Slow Looking
When I was in Manchester a few years ago, I participated in an event at the art gallery. A group of us were invited to sit and observe a painting for 5 minutes. I would normally have walked straight past the painting as I didn’t particularly like it. But there was so much to see when I took the time to do so – the brush strokes, the combination of colours, how one element related to another.
An article in JSTOR Daily invites us to look closely at two different photographs and to work out from the details in the background and foreground as well as the actual subject what is involved in the scene. I was surprised by how much could be uncovered by simply taking the time to look slowly and carefully at the images. Try it out yourself. [JSTOR Daily]
We All Love a Bargain
I have friends who can’t resist a visit to a thrift store. Me? I can’t resist a little free library! Because who knows what treasures it may hold. So it was a smart plan to move to Victoria where there are 650 little free libraries! And the libraries aren’t just for books; “there are little libraries for poetry, children’s toys, seeds, plants, art supplies, yarn, puzzles and board games.” [CHEK News]
Luxury Purchases
I buy two paper magazines on a regular basis (all my other magazine subscriptions are online). I always feel a little guilty as they’re expensive and an apparently wasteful use of trees. I felt a little better after reading an article by Tim Bray who discovers all sorts of advantages to reading a paper magazine.
“Wait, am I saying that the Web was a mistake, that we should all go back to dead trees? Not at all. I couldn’t tap on the pretty-decent Jack White article and watch a YouTube of the songs. I couldn’t share a particularly tasty written morsel on Twitter … But on balance I was left thinking ‘This feels like a luxury product.’ I can’t think of an obvious analogy… Perhaps the enveloping, focusing hands-on experience of putting a record on the turntable as opposed to a streaming service on the earbuds? … I’m thinking purveyors of print ought seriously to consider luxury-product business strategies.” [ongoing]
Making It Safe - For All
Have you stopped wearing a mask because you don’t think you need it? "This says to vulnerable people, ‘sorry, but you’re not important enough for us to make it safe for you to be here.’” Someone I love starts chemo this week – please help keep her, and other vulnerable people, safe. [Go Make Things]
Photo: Monteux, France
Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.
If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.