Thoughts from her chair

This past week I have been working on something that, I feel at least, is kind of exciting. After helping with a funeral Monday morning, as I sometimes do when I can, the church's Interim-Priest-in-Charge approached me and asked me to talk to my grandmother and see if she was willing to write something for the church newsletter each week. Granny gladly said that she would.

What has me excited is that her writing this article each week means that I will be typing them up for her, so I will be involved along with her. Also since I am typing them up any way I have set up a blog where the articles can be accessed anytime. It is my hope that by doing this she will be able to reach a wider audience. Maybe even those young people in our church who have gone off to school and because of this have fallen away from the church somewhat.

Due to her age (91), and her long service and history with the church of Canada as a whole, the blog already has had quite a few hits. Right now all it is right now is a request for prayer as she takes this on and a few links to the church and its’ news letter. This fact has given me a great deal of hope that this undertaking is going to be a fruitful one.  It feels good to be involved with something that seems to be taking off so well.

One of the things I find most interesting is the fact that chances are that Granny will see the article in its’ blog form. Like most people of her age my granny does not work with computers. That I s why starting this week I am going to be meeting with her in her room at the nursing home to type it up. I am looking forward to this time with her. For a few years now I have wanted to seat with her and learn more about her, and the history of our family. Working on this article is going to give me a chance to get to know her in a way I might not have other ways had.

Thoughts from my chair (link)


I have posted a link to the blog I have set up for her so that you will be able to read it as it grows over time.        

eReading

I recently got an ereader as a gift. Since then I have had people asking me what I think of it.

First off the content is the same, but the medium is very different. I have never had an issue with glare, but with lack of light. I have found that the ereader requires better lighting then a paper book does. This was a bit of a shock. Before I got the reader I watched a news report about how they work. They use something that they refer to as "digital ink". They able to power by using this ink and not a normal computer type screen. Moving this ink around when the page changes requires power, but it uses very little to maintain the image on the screen.

I have also had people ask me about viewing pdf format files on it. I think it works well for that, but it you were planing to do a lot of that kind of think you would want to get one with a larger screen.

I have not fully made the switch to using the ereader full, but I see it happening in the near future. I am taking a  train trip later in the year and I am planning to take it alone as my reading.

There is a list of what I feel the pros and cons are.

Pros- 

• lighter then most books.
• Able to keep an entire library on it.
• Able to get new content as long as you have Wi Fi excess 
• much harder to lose place
• adjustable text size
• easier reading

Cons- 

• requires charging
• huge loss if damaged  
• needs better light then reading paper book 

Journal Writing

This past week I started a new college program, Pre-Health. It is a program that is offered for students who are looking into taking a health science program and are not sure what area they would like to enter. I myself am taking it because I applied and could not get into my first choice, practical nursing, and taking pre-health knocks off some of the courses I need to take when I do get in. Many of the students are looking at becoming nurses and paramedics , but we do have members who wish to becoming massage therapists, veterinary assistants, and one or two lab assistants.

In my math for life sciences course the teacher asked us to write a math journal. She told us this is for her own use so that she is able to get a better idea of where we are as a new class. This first math class is designed so that she is able to adjust it to match where we are as a class so that no one is left behind because it is to advanced. By the end of the term we all will be at the level we need to be in order to pass the exam and do well in what ever we plan on going into later.

I found the writing of this single journal entry about my history and comfort level with math fairly easy. Along with this blog I also write in a personal journal, and write for a few other things as well. The act of journal writing has become part of my day to day life and I find it to be very helpful and calming. Having a journal helps me to organize my thoughts and keep a record of this I would like to remember.

I started journal writing as most young people do, it was part of my school work. When I graduated from school it was something that a moved away from. I only came back to it later after I had a accident and was left immobile for about three months because I had broken bones in my feet and was told to stay off them. In that time I rediscovered the love that I had for journaling and I have kept it up since then.

As  a hobby I find journaling to be very easy and practical. Yes, journals you find in some stores can be expensive, but there is nothing saying you need to buy them. All you really need to use is what you find most comfortable. Some people like to use fancy journals with nice paper and write with fancy pens. Other like to use cheap school type note books and what ever writing tool they have on hand. A growing number are writing journals on computers. Some in the form of blogs, others simply save the entries in a passworded file folder on there hard drive. When I ever I talk to people about journaling I always like to end off saying that journaling is about nothing more then doing it. The how and way do not matter as much as the simple act of doing it.        

Cyborg

cy·borg

   [sahy-bawrg]  Show IPA

–noun

a person whose physiological functioning is aided by or dependent upon a mechanical or electronic device.

    I often find myself thinking about the nature of where people end and technology starts. I myself rely heavily on my laptop for writing and a great many other things I do every day. Now few people would say that this in some way makes me a cyborg, but allow me to go farther into other devices that are used every day that could make people cyborgs.

    Recently my Grandfather was fitted for a pair of hearing aids. He still could hear, but not very well and the hearing aids allow him to hear as well as most people. He could live without hearing aids. People who can not hear live full lives, as do people who can not see. But for those who do use hearing aids, or glasses have their lives improved and the life they have relys on the use of those devices. Clearer examples of this is people who are missing limbs and are fitted with replacements, people who have pacemakers or mechanical valves placed into their hearts The technology in these devices is the example of what a cyborg is.

Anyone who has any thoughts on this subject, I would love to hear peoples thoughts.