And in other news...

In this morning's news I bring you a few observations from the life of Terri.

Recently, invited into a mentor's office to help with spreadsheets, I was calm until I heard the phrase "Are you good on (spreadsheet-application-name)?". This was when I panicked; thinking that I had to help with complex computations, vlookup statements I'd only heard about or even use a pivot table properly (as opposed to the playing around I normally do). I like to think that I'm proficient at spreadsheets - I'm in no way a super user but I use the common functions often. I learned from a friend who uses spreadsheets to write music for percussion instruments that spreadsheets can be used for almost any purpose and I use them a lot. As it transpired my mentor needed to add text annotations to a spreadsheet - very simple stuff. This is what I learnt: super smart people may not be spreadsheet people. One day I hope to be both.

Through frustration and fatigue I realised that Pyott's may not really want you to snack on their Provita crackers. This is especially true of the last 10 crackers in the packet. This is based on the fact that they're almost impossible to get out of the packet without force and breakage of crackers. Pyott's if you're listening: what are the chances of the little pull-tab strip on both ends of the packet?

Paper

Now that's a good topic for a writing assignment[1]. Thanks Leia! A writing assignment with the aim of reminding me about a useful writing state; a state that as I become more familiar with I can access at will and get writing, since 2010 will entail a lot of writing for me. This state is just about writing: long-hand on paper; judgement free. The editing state will come later. So write now it's me scribing for the writer in me and I'm jotting down the words that float to the surface. The surface of the paper, as if this was a tracing paper with invisible letters and moving the pen fluidly across the page, the letter, words and meanings appear. How fabulous this would be when writing papers, articles for scientific journals - the measurable outcome of my research. Imagine if you could find a magic notebook where the words are not on show to everyone but as you access the write state the words appear as if they'd been there all along. That'd give confidence; an untapped source. It's really easy then to be a writer, published, a research scientist.

Consider all the paper used to publish all these seemingly important findings about the world around us and how we are in the world. Paper is really a visual documentation of our history. Even the history of our planet, once "written" in stone in the shape of organisms and geologic events preserved for all time is now transcribed on paper, in journals, in books, in libraries that'll be outlived by the fossils they describe.

Would we write or transcribe anything in this digital information age if not for rock paintings, papyrus leaves, parchment and A4 white bond 80g/m2? Would we know how far we've come and how much we still have to write?

[1] This was the product of a free-writing exercise over a timed period of 11 mins. There have been some edits from the rushed unintelligible long-hand - although these have been generally cosmetic and the integrity and style of the piece has been preserved.