Bee - coming a Webhead
You can't always get what you want...
I just wish I were more reflective than action oriented. I wish my day contained more hours (though I wonder whether I would use them judiciously...). I wish I could read all the books piling up on my night table, which I long for but can only leaf before my eyes close in exhaustion. I wish I could remember half of what I read ... but you can't always get you want...
This is the song that was playing while we were driving to our country house last Saturday morning and that gave me the idea for this short clip. (you can click on the link if you cannot open the embeded file...but this means you will have the big screen open instead of the small console below...and will not be able to read the narration...which, unfortunately, I have not been able to insert successfully on top of the song...will keep trying though...with a little help of my friends)
You see …we live in Sao Paulo…, an octopus of a metropolis, which we flee every time we can to breathe and to oxygen mind and body. This is where we relax, where the family gets together for endless Saturday lunches and barbecues, where we celebrate Christmas together. It is our refuge. However, last week, while painting one of the bedrooms, my husband discovered that the ceiling was rotten, eaten by wood worms and was about to give in. To make things worse, in this cleaning, painting and remodelling spree in the country, we also decided that in the city, our fitted carpet had already served its years and we opted for a new clean white parquet, which was delivered this week. However, what we did not realize when we bought it, was that installing it would be soooo messy and dirty.
The flat is an egg, barely containing all the books, computers and a family of four. Add to it three workers, all the furniture upside down and being moved from one room to another while the old was being replaced by the new. For three days we lived on a campsite, swept by a dust tsunami, which covered every nook and filled every recess. As a result, we spent the whole Friday of evening wiping, cleaning and tidying, sorting out the wires hanging loose so as to get everyone connected again.
And Saturday morning we just overslept … and on our way discovered we had left the list of what we needed to buy at home…happens in the best families...
The positive thing about it is that we had the whole weekend unable to carry on what we had planned, so I got into Windows Movie Maker to make this clip. I have also tried posting it to my personal blog at Livejournal but the console would not appear (???). I wonder whether there is a different type of code that must be inserted there. Any ideas?
posted by Bee @ 6:01:00 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
When someone interviewed a group of elderly people about what they would change if they could have their life over again two of the more common answers were 1) they would be more reflective and 2) would take more risks.
It's so hard to find time to be reflective if you are action oriented (as you say you are Bee). I am too. I finish one thing and then it's immediately on to the next. It's clearly got to do with the pace of life these days too. But we should not reach old age and wish we had more reflection time!
I enjoyed your first digital story. I love that song. I used to sing it years ago. And in Movie Maker you can't have 2 audio tracks - it's either music or narration. Unless you use a third party like Audacity. That's why Photo Story is better IMHO - you can have 2 audio tracks.
I loved the Moviemaker clip, Bee. I agree with Michael too about today's pace of life lending itself to being more action-oriented than reflective.
I also have a dream holiday, have had it for some time now, where I take a week off and do nothing but read literature for pleasure and relfect about it. I'd have to go somewhere with no computer or Internet connection however...
I am, too, an action oriented person, Bee. I guess I reflect on things but haven't got the time to verbalize the ideas. Implementing them seems so much more important.
The story about the dust tsunami reminded me of the times when our house (it's over a century old) was being renovated. It's hell, you right. But then it's sooooo nice when things are back to normal. Warm regards from terribly cold and windy Slovenia.
I would not place myself in the elderly people category yet, Michael, although sometimes my memory lapses indicate I am close to it.
I agree that the problem sometimes is finding the time to think when you have so much to do. However, as Sarolta says, I think that more than that, it is also the effort to organize our ideas and finding the precise words to verbalize our thoughts is what sometimes prevents us from putting them down. I'd say the reflection is always present, the thinking is there...but in chaotic, fuzzy, fluid form, only making sense to our own minds.
I do not think I'd change much if I could have my life over again... I have already taken many risks and am not afraid of embarking on unknown journeys...as to being more reflective...well...what I meant perhaps is that I would like to be able to communicate my thoughts in a clearer way. Let's see if blogging can help me find my voice ;-)
That was so good, Bee. I nice way to pass a weekend, and it brought back many memories of similar "lost weekends."
You have a beautiful family--reminds me of our extended family gatherings--usually at weddings--when all the cousins get re-acquainted. How nice that so many of you can be all in the same place more often.
--Elizabeth
Hi Bee, I remember reading this post way back in march and thinking how true it was and that i too would like to remember more of what I read and have time to think etc etc. but I had completely forgotten about the work in your flat. Unfortunately I can't see the clip (probably a mac issue again) all i see are nonsense characters. Anyway, expect to hear a lot more about my building work, it looks as if this is just the beginning! Yikes.
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