writing

Over the years, my handwriting has changed. Actually over the course of writing a letter my handwriting can change. This has always fascinated me. I can actually write a word with multiples of the same letter and each time that letter will be written slightly differently. I don't know what this says about my personality. That I am inconsistent? unreliable? or just creative?

In some ways, I like the old style of writing, where every one learned cursive script the same way. You can identify the writing of a prewar letter by its style, and an 18th century script by its flourishes. But I also chafed against it when I was in public school and I remember arguing with a teacher about why I couldn't write my b as it is printed. I have practiced writing my a or a and I am totally inconsistent with the tails of my g and y. I actually longed for a name that began with Q just so I could write that letter every time I signed my name. I have never, ever, ever, signed my name with a heart or a circle over the i. I am proud of that.

I am not so proud of the era where I thought it was cool to write with a serious back slant. Or the time when it was so tiny as to be almost unreadable. Now, I find I start out writing huge letters before they finally settle down to a more appropriate size. Sometimes I will look at my penmanship as I write and wonder if my hand is possessed, it looks so unrecognizable.

I have a collection of pens for this task, too. Some are the run of the mill Bic (though I always preferred Papermate) and many are now of the gel variety. Depending on my mood, I may use a fine, or very fine point, though in my heart I prefer the medium point with the wide swath of dark blue ink. I like the way the pen scratches on the paper and even the way it makes an indent when you press too hard. Writing is the one way we can all display our creativity or individuality. We also display our mood and personality as we write. You cannot detect that from a keyboard.

Now most of my writing is on postcards. And with some of the long names or addresses from places in China and Finland, for example, I need to be vigilant and neat, and write small to fit it all in. It is at times a challenge to write neatly, but I do want these people who may not be so proficient in English to at least be able to read what I’ve taken the trouble to write. I have seen some pretty elegant handwriting on some of these cards that I would like to emulate. I have also, unfortunately, seen some that I could not decipher at all, mostly because of the script, not necessarily the messiness. I try to guess about the writer – their age or sex or interests even, before looking up their profile when I register the card. I also received a card from another blogger and found her handwriting to be exactly as I would have expected. That does not always happen. Sometimes, one is appalled by the chicken scratches that other people pass off as penmanship, or surprised by the flow of letters that doesn’t seem to match the personality.

So, bearing in mind all I have said above… I have tried several samples and this seems to be the best I can do today. It really doesn’t feel like me. and yes, that is purple ink.

this post inspired by Jazz

under a violet sky

Today, at about 2:45am it snowed. Sortof. It was more like a slightly whiter, slightly more crystallized rain, than snow. But, it was enough to get the woman at the checkout counter in the grocery store clapping her hands with excitement (seriously, clapping her hands?!) And then it was all over by about 3am.

But, it was after midnight.

And this has made all the local weather forecasters and climatologists, and morning radio people, almost giddy with excitement. Never, ever, ever since records began - and they began way back over 160 years ago - have we made it through this most dreary of months, this cold, sunless, usually wet month, November, with NO SNOW. Not a drop, nary a flake, nor even a flurry. In fact, for most of the month it was bright and warm and full of sunshine. And coloured leaves. Highly unusual, but most enjoyable.

There is now (at 6am) salt on the roads, though the skies are clear and the moon is shining brightly and the stars are fading... a storm is brewing...

For the past decade, I have been delivering papers and the first thing I do when I get up is look out at the sky. If I am going to be spending hours outside, I want to know what to expect. Is it clear, or foggy? Dark, or bright with snow? Is it a moonlit night? Are the stars shining?

Do I need to bag the newspapers, or can I get away with just an elastic band?

Can I spend the rest of the night daydreaming...? writing blog posts in my head?

Because that is when most of my posts get written.

In my mind, I can transform the sky from however it appears, to be beautiful, in a violet way. It can be a dark violet, or a pale violet. It can be a stormy evil violet, or an intense bright sunrise violet. No matter what is overhead, I imagine myself creating under a violet sky. When I see the stars, what few are on view, I get a renewed sense of awe. A lunar eclipse is magical. A sunrise is a reward.

There are some people in Ottawa who thought my blog name was vee-o-LET-ski. They were very wrong and have been set straight.

I am a Violet Sky.

Who is taking my coffee to bed to sleep off the morning. And wait for this "storm".

See how easy it is to change the sky view - get a medium cup and it is all brightly dark; get a large and we have the pale, dusty look.

This post was inspired in part by the lack of snow and in part by Ruth over at synch-ro-ni-zing who asked "how did you get your blog name"?

And in part by coffee.

organization is fun

Ususally around this time of year I am busy wandering in and out of various office supply stores, stationers, booksellers, etc. seeking out the most perfect appointment book for the following year. For some reason, I love doing this. It fills me with great pleasure and a sense of fulfilment when accomplished. And great hope that the appointment book will be well thumbed and full of notes and well, appointments.

I am very particular about this book. It must be a weekly, so that when you open it up the whole weeks worth of daily activities can be seen on two pages. And, because the majority of my appointments are in the evening, the time must go beyond 5pm, preferably to 9pm. I like to circle the time and write in the name beside it. This limits the choices severely. I usually like it to be a professional black cover, but often alternate between black and burgundy. Secretely, I would love to have one in one of the bright springy green or light blues so that I can find it more easily. But not pink, I hate pink. And, it must feel right - the paper has to have a certain weight to it, the cover mustn't be so flimsy as to get bent, laying flat is a bonus, as is a bookmark. It should also be of a size that fits easily into a purse, or even a large pocket, but not so small that I will lose track of it or have to write neatly with tiny letters. I have been known to spend a good month or more researching every available new appointment book before making my final choice.

Then last year, I found the perfect book. So perfect, I want no other. It doesn't have a time going well into the evening, but I've learned to not be bothered about that. Mostly I have only one appointment an evening anyway, so that was the first particular to fall by the wayside. It is a weekly, but not on two pages, only one. But the other page is lined and I find I am using that for notes more often than I thought possible (sure saves on the bits of paper I usually use then lose). It has a ribbon bookmark and an elastic band thingy to keep it all closed. And the cover is nice and soft and pliable. It lays flat when open. There is an envelope attached for keeping receipts handy. It is used by the most creative and freethinking people the world over (or so it claims). It is actually a pleasure to write in its pages. I write down thoughts and ideas and overheard conversations and books I want to read and things I want to buy and addresses (she says breathlessly) and can easily find them again and when they were important enought to be noted.

I managed to get it on sale for half price. Which was good because it originally cost $40.

And is a Moleskine

And I love it.

I cannot wait to get my 2009 copy.

But I will. Because, I am cheap. No, I am thrifty.

And I know that by the middle of January it will again be half price.