I want to write about what has been happening, including thoughts and trails of thoughts.
I have my usual five notes about today:
Cloudy here again - maybe this is the time of year when we experience prolonged periods of no direct sun. Overcast and gray seems like lighting especially likely to produce a sober mood, if not a negative one.
CNN's Five Things and Numlock News - These two regular items in my email help start the day. I like the language and approach used in CNN's Five Things. Concentration on numbers can produce boring or superfluous observations but can also, sometimes, highlight interesting angles on the world.
Browsing v. searching - I think it is informative to be aware of the difference between browsing and searching. Many web sites have a simple drawing of a handheld magnifying glass that is a button to launch a search for a particular word or phrase, idea or source. When searching, the searcher needs to have something or somethings to search for. Browsing is looser, more like walking through a store or marketplace looking to see what is available. Browsing is more like shopping in general while searching is going after a particular item.
Wearing shoes that don't match - most of the time, people wear shoes that look more or less alike. I read that at one time shoes were not usually made for the right foot or left foot but rather either foot. On her recent trip, Lynn found one day that she was wearing shoes that were different colors and was surprised.
Breaking conventions - my go-to source on modern art is the book "Civilization", augmented by the book "A Child of Six Could Do It", a book I met in the Tate Museum of Modern Art in London. Both books, and I am sure others, express the rage and shock that many people felt and feel now when they see visual and other artwork that does not adhere to traditional expectations of form and content. I think it is true that noticing conventions and experimenting with breaking them or deviating from them can lead to new and pleasant and valuable results. But, as with much research, mistakes, trash and failures abound.
