A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

I grew up analog. My first wrist watch was a Timex with hands.

The first video tape I ever saw was 1/2" reel-to-reel B&W in high school.

I spent most of yesterday afternoon converting an hour and a half of 8mm analog camcorder tape to DVD. (There are hours and hours left.) This particular trip was a summer spent touring India.

During retirement, I'll probably be able to dump all archived video, text, and images to IP-accessible, personal data storage. Will a copy of the blog reside there too?

Labels: analog

Posted by: Dennis S Hurd / 6:12 AM 0 comments

This is a normal week for me, so I have today off. Normally, when I teach the intensive COMM courses, I go in Mondays to Thursdays. Even though this may sound like a simple schedule, having 16 hours of language learning per week is hard work.



Yesterday, my class had an assignment in the BCIT library. After one hour, we returned to our usual building. I would say that it was about a half mile to the classroom where we meet. It was a pleasant stroll though. Along side the creek, I nearly stepped on this mother and baby duck. Isn't it strange that I only saw one duckling?

Labels: BCIT, flora and fauna

If you can find a copy of Deepa Mehta's, Water on DVD, then get it. This film was stunning in the theatre and is worthy of viewing on a small screen too. I've years of watching international film with subtitles, so it's not distracting for me. The film is in Hindi. The DTS version sounds great if you've got a home theatre system.

The movie takes place in the 1930's struggle for independence in India. It involves the story of a child bride who's forced by circumstance to live in a 'widows temple' (ashram). Cast and religion are questioned but in a respectful way. It's a shame it was banned in places where it'd make the largest impact. In fact, it had to be shot in Sri Lanka after insurgency kept it from being filmed in India.

It's another reason the celebrate Canadian cinema. Mehta's first two of the trilogy, Fire and Earth, are also visually stunning and thought provoking.

Labels: India, movies, temple

The present household rodent is getting old. I'm speaking of the one that lives in a wire cage. Little Buddy was given to us through mutual friends. His first owners were leaving the country and we were without a hamster at that point. We'd previously played host to three others.

Unfortunately hamsters' little lives burn out rather quickly. I've heard it said that their lifespan is about 1000 days. Only a thousand days from birth to death isn't much. It is as if they age before one's very eyes. Each hamster has exhibited different symptoms of old age. Before dying the first one had back legs that were paralyzed. One lost chunks of hair and developed sores.

This guy is simply getting frail. He's quite wobbly when trying to get around and isn't as interested in exploring his world. He also has less of an appetite. I'm not sure how many days he has left.

It's sad running through such a series of pets but it is a constant reminder of what life holds for us all in the end .... no matter what salary or standing. I'm not being morbid; just realistic. This morning we're all one step closer to death.

Labels: pets

Yesterday was the first time this year when I needed to work on a gorgeous day. The weather was perfect, the sky blue, and we were inside a classroom.

I usually maintain a very upbeat attitude in the classroom. I figure that I'm competing with fast-paced television and entertainment from the video-game generation. Additionally, time goes much more quickly for me, when I inject a bit of enthusiasm.

I was feeling a bit low-key. I think I've been fighting off a spring cold. Over the weekend, I slept a lot. During my class break, I really wanted to recline on the green grass and take a nap in the sun. The temperature couldn't have been better.

Maybe, at times, I take my job too seriously. I can see other teachers who teach a far greater number of hours than I do. I get exhausted by what I do. I don't understand how they can manage. They certainly can't be putting in the same amount of energy and effort.

Labels: BCIT

This was a road trip from exactly two years back. This road trip was not a long one. We crossed the border into Washington State and headed east on the North Cascades Highway. Our goal was the Grand Coulee Dam. We spent a night there and also one visiting the Thomas family in Easton, WA before returning home.

Labels: Joel, places

Occasionally, I find a TV commercial worth saving. Maybe I have something for ads with animals in them. The Stella Artois guy and his pig come to mind. In this case, I like a newly-aired, 30-second spot for WestJet Airlines. A family ships an unaccompanied dog. Upon arrival, it is hesitant to return to them because it was so well treated by the WestJet staff.