Uncovered During Some Digital Digging

Buried in one of the many old files that have been passed down from computer to computer over the last seven years I stumbled across a small word document containing the notes for a few story ideas that I jotted down back in 2009 while riding the train to work. There are a few interesting ideas and a number of options regarding the directions that these brief glimpses can go. What I find most interesting is I can remember each building, station, and person that I passed when these ideas came to mind. However, there are also many issues and a heck of a lot of polishing that needs to be done in each instance but thought I would share because it is interesting at times to consider the raw idea…

Her neck flexed and vanes protruded as the rope swung forward and back. A dripping lead pipe kept time in the echoes of the opposite corner. In the cool cavernous corner of the basement she pursed her lips for one more breath of musty air. Her body relaxed, she struggled to caress her lungs with one more pollen laden breeze.

She found the staccato of the braided hemp stuttering as it rubbed across the wooded floor support to be soothing. The light shaking reminded her of collecting tickets for the roller coaster at the amusement park on the boardwalk. At the end of the night, with the cool ocean air swollen with the stale smells of caramel corn and hot dogs, she would take the last ride.

She knew every turn, every drop. She sat in the same seat, front right, every night.

Pressing the start button, the hydraulics would hiss, and she would run to her seat. As the car began to climb the spiraled ascent she would pull the lap bar down, cross her legs, smile, and watch as Ocean City went to sleep.

As she neared the top the clicking crescendo echoed across the now empty park. Slowly, the car would tip forward and she would close her eyes and listen for the crashing waves.

The wind filled her lungs and caressed her face as she recalled every turn and dip, side to side, front to back, until the ride was over.

***

What is written by the hand is determined by the mind. The devious script of the foreseeing mind tells all. These hands shall harm no more than paper.

He studied the hand written letters line by line, word by word, letter by letter.

“See here. He Stopped. Like he was thinking. Like he didn’t know what came next.”

“Where? I don’t see it.”

“Right here.” He pressed his calloused finger to the middle of the first sentence. “Right there, as the d trails in the word hand there is a hesitation. The ink bleeds.”

“You’re right. As if he didn’t know what to say. That might explain why it is so cryptic.”

He brushed the note with the tips of his fingers mumbling something that, by his expression, seemed to be a circle of questions.

“What is it?”

“A man who takes so much pride in his writing, in his work, but no signature.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know yet.”

***

The elderly man stared out the lower deck window of the arriving New Jersey Transit train.

“I know that walk.”

The half asleep crowd paid no attention to the hunched over man with the long white beard.

“I know that walk!”

Not a single look glanced his way as he pressed his hands against the window trying to grasp the shoes walking past.

“I know that man!”

The train hissed to a quick stop, the doors slid open, and the determined herd hurriedly pressed toward the nearest escalator.

The old man waited for the crowd to pass, slowly pressed himself to his feet, and took slow, measured steps toward the grinding paddles of the moving stairs.

As his eyes passed the horizon of the Penn Station lobby floor he saw those same salt stained brown shoes that passed by his window.

He slowly lifted his head and as his eyes met those of the owner of the brown leather shoes his brow lifted.

Both men stood in silence. They were of similar age and height. The two old me slowed their breathing. Mist pouring from the other man’s clean shaven face while the warm breath rolled from under the old man’s white beard.

The other man strained to stand strait, wincing as he pulled his chest up. In a disbelieving raspy whisper the other man said, “I thought you were dead.”

The old man responded with deliberate words, “I’m surprised you didn’t kill me.”

There may be something to the ideas above… of course, there may not be anything at all. I guess I am going to have to give them some more thought and try to find any notes or outlines that may be scribbled somewhere else. After that, it will all come down to finding the motivation to pursue the stories, develop the characters, and let everything unfold before me without over thinking the process of progression. That has always been the hardest part for me.

Filling The Planner

It is amazing how fast my daily planner has filled up this year. As soon as I purchased the paper planner at the beginning of the year, I quickly started filling in the events and appointments that I had on hand at the time. This included work, lodge, personal and other reminders of what each day had in store for me. It has also served me well in scheduling different topics for the blog and had come in handing on a number of occasions both as a means to remind me of what I am writing about but, more importantly, of where I can move some topics when another blog needs to be written right away.

While some, many in fact, will see my bound paper planner as an antiquated form of organization, it still remains the most efficient form for me. Not only do I seem to do better when I am able to write things down, cross items off, and budget my time accordingly, it also forces me to slow down and remember what I am putting into my schedule. This is especially true for work engagements as it is too easy to simply accept a calendar invite. By pulling out my planner and recording the meeting, I tend to recall the commitment days earlier rather than fifteen minutes prior.

Of course, the most important part for me is the simplicity of this paper based system. I still enjoy writing many things by hand and editing documents by hand and having this out has allowed me to maintain my tactile focus without the constant windows and websites loading in the background just beyond the word document. It also eliminates the digital clutter that can become commonplace in an industry that relies so heavily on the digital world. Even when crossing off multiple items and shifting appointments around, the physical paper still seems cleaner than the digital jumble.

Another benefit of this ‘old school’ system has been the fact that I am able to schedule anything I need to without having to consult my computer or smart phone. It is a system that still transcends generations and given the frequent communication I have with many older generations, this can be a huge asset. Lastly, there is a sense of permanence and obligation when you write down a meeting in front of someone. The digital divide is still alive and well so appointments change regularly when simply typed into a computer or phone. Write down an appointment in front of someone and they tend to honor that arrangement more regularly.

In the end, I guess I am one of the few remaining that still prefers the physical planner over the digital calendar. In a sense, there is something a little out of touch about this method and I am okay with that. I don’t mind being ‘behind the times’ as it pertains to how I go about my day. There is a calmness to nostalgia and the simpler way of doing things that seems to be lost in most technology. All of these things are designed to make our lives easier but is that really what they are doing? For me, the pendulum swings both ways and sometimes it is nice to swing into the past.

Between Two Worlds

On a daily basis at work I deal with the digital world and many times the same can be said when conducting business for the lodge between meetings as many of the records, correspondences, and other tasks are largely completed on the computer. However, paper still prevails in the world of Freemasonry. That is the way it has always been and that is the way that things will remain in the future. And, unlike some people I know, I am perfectly fine with this.

Actually it is a rather nice respite from many of my daily tasks to revert back to the physical world. After all, there is a reality to paper that I still don’t get from the words and forms that shuffle across my desktop. And this is the world that I lived in for a few hours this week as I got caught up on many of the letters, forms, and cards that I have been meaning to complete and hand to the postman.

While there is usually a lot of catch up that needs to be done in the updating of records and other digital endeavors, there are times when things need to be done by hand. Even many of the things that I do complete on the computer need to exist in the physical world. This is especially true during weeks when I know there is a lodge meeting quickly approaching. After all, dues cards are still actual cards, many members still prefer to receive their notice in the mail, and because of fact that we don’t have computers or cell phones on during the meetings, all information must be present in black and white organized on my desk for easy access.

I know that there is now an entire generation that doesn’t understand this concept but there is something relaxing about turning off all those distractions from the outside world and focusing on what is going on within the walls of the lodge. However, in speaking with some of the recent petitioners this is actually appealing to them as well. Seems as though more and more people are noticing the information overload that exists just below our thumbs as we flip through the apps, pages, and emails on our cell phones. It has become an addictive habit rather than a convenience.

It is this dichotomy that helps me to appreciate the time during which I grew up and the way that I was raised. While exposed to computers (and typing) early on, I was given the option of writing all of my assignments by hand for about 95% of the classes during grade school. Even in college I would write early drafts and edit both creative and academic assignments by hand before typing the final draft. I have always lived between the physical and digital worlds and I am now at a point in life when I am really starting to appreciate both ways of life. Even if I still prefer pulling out a fountain pen, I definitely appreciate the conveniences of technology. After all, you are reading this on my blog.

Sunday Search: Digital Digging And Rediscovering

Toward the beginning of the year I was finally able to start sorting through many of the items that I tossed in my desk in an initial effort to get everything put away shortly after we moved into our new home. While there were countless pens that needed to be organized and old power cords and technology that needed to be tossed, there were also a number of digital storage devices that piqued my attention as I rescued them from the grips of the office clutter.

Once I consolidated everything into a couple of plastic sealable bags (one for SD cards and the other for flash drives), I shoved them into a pocket in my work bag with the plan of scanning the contents later in the week. A few days and then a week passed without even a single look. Then, having accidentally pulled one of the bags out by the corner while retrieving my laptop, I unsealed both bags and slid the first of about a dozen SD cards into my computer.

I was actually quite surprised when I found absolutely nothing. However, that was the only empty card as each of the others contained the photos from all of our summer trips from the past several years. Great items to hold on to for the current twigs of the family tree but nothing much more than that. Thankfully when I plugged in the first, and the oldest, flash drive into my computer, there were a multitude of documents that I hadn’t seen in at least a decade (not really a surprise given that I remember this 256kb card being the first I ever used). And as I loaded more and more into my computer, I was able to pull older photos, documents, and the entire digitized genealogy binder that my great aunt put together.

Not satisfied with these rediscoveries I tried to think of all the other means of digital storage that I have utilized over the years… this lead me to pulling out my wife’s old external hard drive as we both used this 1TB monster for many years and it primarily served as our joint computer backup in the past. Well, on this I found even more photos and documents that I had long since forgotten about including the random pieces that I had come across years ago… items that I still don’t know if they are relevant to our family tree.

The digging was almost done as there was still a group of pictures that I had yet to find. Well, actually, I had found them some time ago stored on Shutterfly but only in low resolution. I wanted the originals, I wanted to see the memories from our wedding and honeymoon the way that I remember them… as clear as the moment they happened. A few boxes and CDs later and these too where added to our story, our small leaves in our ever-growing tree. It’s nice to have most of the pieces together for at least one generation.

Sunday Search: Paper Or Plastic

Over the past couple of weeks I have been scrambling to find documents and pictures both on my computer and in my files. It seems as though whenever I needed a physical copy I only had it digitally and whenever I needed a digital copy I could only find the physical one. It have just been one of those streaks but it also reminded me of the importance of the need to have family pictures and documents stored both physically and digitally. Simply put, you never know what might happen in the future and you don’t want to be in a position where you find yourself without all the research that you worked so hard to compile.

In my search for certain records and in the stories passed down the family, there are numerous examples of physical photos and files being destroyed by fire, water, or things that have simply vanished. All of these instances happened at a time when the digitization of these records was not possible making their loss permanent. There isn’t a week that goes by when I wonder what information could have been found in those records and the details that we will never have again.

On the other side of the equation. I have gotten to know a number of people in the genealogy community over the past few years and there have been moments when I have spoken to someone who had amassed a massive database of family history which they stored on their computer. Unfortunately, they had not gotten around to printing out all the documents and pictures when their computer crashed. While most of the time it is possible to retrieve the data from the hard drive, in this instance all the records were lost. All they were left with was a few physical pictures and documents here and there… they hadn’t even gotten up to loading everything on Ancestry. It was basically a return to the beginning.

While I am admittedly behind in this endeavor, I am slowly chipping away at syncing my research so that I have digital and physical copies of everything. Note that this includes storage on my computer and on an external hard drive. Once this has been achieved I will begin loading everything onto Ancestry. That’s not to say that I don’t load things to my tree from time to time but there is much more to be shared, more than most people in the family realize. Maybe I will be able to relax once this first big project is done and the ongoing maintenance becomes manageable. However, just stick to remembering the important thing… when someone asks you whether you prefer paper or plastic always pick both.

Mortgage Monday: House Files

When we first made an offer on the house one of the contingencies that we put in the contract was to have all the files related to the property. Given the simple fact that the people from which we were buying the property are the ones that built it (the former owner was actually the contractor for the house) and I had seen him produce the paperwork during the inspection process, I knew that the files would be thorough and we would be able to really know all the details about the land and the structure.

While inclusion of this paperwork is usually assumed during a sale I didn’t want this seemingly small item overlooked so we included it anyway. Of course, now a couple of months have passed and while I know where everything is, I am still trying to properly organize everything into my filing cabinets… because I didn’t have enough files already. This seems to be an ongoing project and even with the headway that I have made during the sporadic bouts of organizing, there is obviously still a lot of work to do and the number of items that need to be filed just keeps getting bigger.

I guess the sheer number of files that I have is all about wanting to have as much information available to me as possible. There are a number of things that most people would consider trash or would simply digitize and destroy the physical copy. However, more often than not, I have utilized the amassed hoard of information that I have on hand to find different items or figure out dates on short notice. Additionally, I have gone through enough computers and digital storage devices to know that just because something is digitized doesn’t mean that it can’t be lost or destroyed. For me, having both available is the best option.

And that presents another issue. Well, in reality, it is simply a project that has to be completed. All of the files that we now have about the property need to be scanned and sorted for easy reference. We obviously have the physical papers on hand but, as stated above and what will be written about again in the near future, it is prudent to have both the physical and digital copies stored and easily retrievable. More so than some of the other documents I have crammed into my drawers, we really can’t afford to lose these. After all, it is not just a house as it was when we made an offer, this is our home.

Sunday Search: Moving Our Archives

As we are slowly getting settled into our new house, all the boxes that I spent packing long into the night are starting to get cut open and the contents roughly organized. Not only are we having to put clothes away, line the books neatly on the shelves, organize the boxes of toys, and get the kitchen put together, we are also having to get all of our binder and boxes of photos and figuring out a system for storing as well as a place to put all of them. Of course, now that we have a home and we are not anticipating any further moves, we are taking things a bit slower this time around and really figuring out a system that works for each of us.

Thankfully, we have enough room in our house that we each have an office to go along with an abundance of storage options. However, with options and wanting to take things slowly this time around, we are falling a bit behind in getting things to a place where we can readily pull out images or information. And with things previously so scattered it was a bit overwhelming when we realized just how much we have… we knew we had a lot but we didn’t fully grasp the sheer volume of research and images that we have collected over the past several years.

With a few more storage options, and more boxes, my wife has figured out her own system. While I have a few less places where I can hide the disarray, I have figured out a way to get organized and have started putting thing in an order that will allow me to pull out information I want fairly easily. Of course, this is only half of it as much of my information is still in a digital format. While there are certain advantages to this I still prefer to have hard copies and many times find it easier to pull up information rather than rummaging through files on my computer.

While there have been many attempts in the past to get all the family information and history organized, we are finally in a place when we can get it done and not worry about what would happen if we had to pack it all up and move it into a completely different space. So, for now, we are going to take a quick break from researching and focusing on the archiving of our legacies. In the end, this can be just as important as finding that next new piece of information.

Digital Cleanup

The office situation at the lodge is pretty obvious to all the brethren who have ventured down into the basement. One thing that they don’t see is just how much digital clutter is accumulated on the weekly, monthly, and annual basis. Not only that but there are other documents and lists that need to be updated and organized in order for me to do my job without pulling my hair out. It is definitely a process but at least I don’t have to actually be at the lodge in order to make progress on this front. It is all on the computer and on the email server which makes it both easier and harder at the same time.

Over the summer I did my best to try and make some headway with the dozens of folders and thousands of unfiled emails but there never seems to be much progress when time is limited and the emails keep coming in. Besides, this project, while important, is well down on the list of things that I need to get done on a monthly basis. However, it seems as though there is now a time limit to this virtual endeavor as there is a new system rolling out in the spring which will switch over everything from what I know to a platform of which I am familiar but with which I do not agree.

At this point it is really a question as to how much work I want to put into this digital cleanup when I am not sure what the transition is going to mean over the next few months. I agree that the other ancillary files on the computer, those not reliant upon the online portal, should and will be updated but what about all the records being housed there? I actually believe that, having had some previous experience with the provider chosen, I should be backing everything up, copying it from the current portal, and hoping that I don’t have to manually input it later. In this highly digital age, there is something to be said about the additional security locally housed data (and hard copies) can provide.

So I guess this is all a roundabout way of saying that while the digital housekeeping will continue, it will be more strategic than productive. We are a fraternity full of history, tradition, and ritual most, if not all, of which relies on the accuracy and completeness of our records. I don’t want to run the risk of losing any of that. Sometimes it is best to stick with the way that things have always been done. At least for now.