Random learning, things that stick (day 94)

Some random things I learned today:

• you can become addicted to your own stress hormones
  
• stay away from chiggers (they'll make you sick and dissolve your flesh so they can eat it).
• Corelam is a very good sound absorbing material (amongst other things) and it was invented by one of Emily Carr's Industrial Design faculty, Christian Blyt.
• CMHC allowed an exhibit of small houses ('Homes for Less') designed to help homelessness but drew the line when one of them became inhabited.
• The repetitive nature of the commute (or the running track) can be exploited for narrative design.

A song for this post.

A bo challenge (day 1)

My friend bo asked me if I write. Only under duress I said. In my mind I pictured grant deadlines and reports on said grants. You should write she replied. Other people have asked me to write over the years.....oh no I don't write is the standardized response.

Meanwhile the 365 trend which surfaced a couple years ago (flickr self-portraits for example) is getting popularized by the new Julia Child movie (for a great commentary on what she meant to a generation of home cooks, read this beautiful writing by Michael Pollan.) 365 is a daily practice of something, doesn't matter what. Do anything once a day and you will be amazed by the patterns that emerge. Of course I already know this...at least I have an inkling. When I do manage to meditate daily for more than days at a time, I see the commitment that is required to stick out the bad days. And that's it, 365 is a practice, not of the thing you are doing but of the patience and generosity it takes to not give up.

Also meanwhile, a new year's resolution of becoming more public will be getting satisfied.

So here's to you Bo. I will write something each day. No need to stay tuned. This is the age of speaking out into the void...unspeakable generosity. But if you are tuned in, randomly, then feel free to randomly give me a random topic.