dewline | Entries tagged with goals

Some day, I want to do something like this for Ottawa:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/first-person-ode-to-montreal-mile-end-1.7092013

I've lived here since the summer of 1985, so...

Current Mood: busy

So I've started setting up a presence there.

https://www.artstation.com/dwightwilliams-ottawa

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: Home-for-now
Current Music: "Truganini" - Midnight Oil

Can I please just grow old and die in a small-l liberal democracy? That's a thing I still want. I don't apologise for wanting this, and if someone rigs up a "Monkey's Paw" punishment for me in reply, I am SO gonna haunt their sorry hindquarters forever.

I was hoping for a response along these lines, but am pleasantly surprised at the speed of it.

Details in the Twitter thread starting here:

https://twitter.com/ruperto1023/status/1334184780192223232

Current Mood: hopeful

When we have a vaccine ready to go against COVID-19 - should I be alive at that point - I will take the vaccine.

Current Music: The Dose on CBC Radio

Got some work applications in and some poetry for workshop written for tonight. Seems like, despite all the Bad Stuff happening elsewhere in the world, I managed to be productive anyway.

So, there's that. Maybe I might actually get some sketchbook time in as well today?

Something to remember to keep doing as part of pursuing any of my goals.

http://qz.com/858887/how-to-know-if-fake-news-is-fake-learn-to-think-like-a-scientist/

Current Mood: busy

...I want to get back to drawing. Pencil, pen and ink, digital tablet...take your pick. But I want to get back into practice for at least some small part of the day tomorrow, along with everything else I'm expecting and expected to do.

I live in a neighbourhood full of different kinds of people.

I like it that way. I don't want that aspect of my neighbourhood to end. Ever. Not even after I die.

Some BBC Envy in play there, maybe?

I've mentioned thoughts of mine on the subject of funding the Ceeb before, right? The entry's four years old, but the idea of just putting a "Point of first sale" levy on everything capable of receiving, storing, replaying, retransmitting, copying, printing out CBC content and leaving the garage sales, second-hand stores, pawn shops and whatever else out of it still strikes me as a logical and relatively non-intrusive one as opposed to the BBC's annual license fee system.

I do like the idea of expanding the range of coverage of the news division, not to mention making the CBC a cultural ambassador-brand to the rest of the planet. It's as good a goal as promoting national unity within Canada.

Will return to this topic again at some point, no doubt.

At least it'll be on a more hopeful note next time.

Current Mood: hopeful

For now at least. I understand somewhat better now why the makers of the family snowblower machine prefer that we not run it during rainfall immediately following a snowfall. Thankfully, the understanding has not required the destruction of the snowblower, but I'm going to give the machine another once-over later on today to make sure that the slush does not make further trouble for the rest of the machine in future usage.

Despite taking a new contract at an old job, I'll still be looking for better opportunities in the meantime. None of the alerts I've subscribed at Workopolis, Monster, Indeed.ca or elsewhere will be cancelled. I simply can't afford it.

I hope to make time for further practice with my software and at the classic drafting table in the weeks ahead as well. I've got to get back in the game, not necessarily to become a rich(er) artist, but simply a more competent one. Again.

The details in those two paragraphs are general, broad-strokes goals for the next few months.

More on other matters of interest later...

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: The House - CBC Radio One

So Joe Fiorito wrote an opinion piece for the Toronto Star a few days ago. He was moved by the state of politics as he currently sees it, and I cannot fault him in his perceptions. It may be that the lack of participation by larger numbers of Canadians in our own nation's politics has a role in bringing about what he abhors. There are likely other factors involved as well.

Meanwhile, some closing thoughts of his on Canada's pending 2015 federal election struck a chord with me. Six things that he considers desirable in a political party, in candidates for public office, that I will quote for your consideration:

"I will vote for any party that supports stable and generous funding for the national public broadcaster.

I will vote for any party that will commit to developing public policy based on evidence rather than ideology.

I will vote for any party in support of fully funded, forward-thinking health care.

I will vote for any party with a plan for national public daycare, a national housing strategy, a national harm reduction strategy, a guaranteed annual income, enhanced safety in the workplace, and status of the artist legislation.

I will also vote for any party that puts green energy research ahead of oil-and-gas research.

And...I will vote for any party that restores door-to-door mail delivery."

One major caveat: I'm not sure about "Status of the artist" legislation despite my continuing ambitions to be a full-time writer and illustrator. It would be good to have a much better sense of what that will entail.

As to the rest of it, I hope that I can find such a party to support. I suspect that I have, but a certain degree of skepticism is useful at times.

Current Music: The Nature of Things on CBC TV

There's this group on Facebook that I signed up with. It's one of hundreds that have caught my eye to varying degrees since I was talked into joining Facebook. It's devoted to promoting and supporting the arts and culture of my home country.

Recently, this one fellow's been popping up this past week or two and making noises about how we've expanded our horizons as a nation too far for their liking. Anglophilic, Monarchist, doesn't think we know how good our ancestors - of the proper ethnic extractions, of course! - had it back in the 19th Century and that we threw away too much.

I don't agree with that.

So I wrote the following by way of reply:

I was born in the age of the Maple Leaf, the Pearson Pennant.

Multiculturalism, diversity...these are part of my birthright as a Canadian: the opportunity to learn from the histories, the languages, the traditions of the First Nations of this land, and those of the nations beyond the borders of this land as well.

The chance to try to take the best of all of those and learn to build something upon them for those who come after me. Even if they never learn my own name and story.

I am not a subject of any empire. I am a Canadian citizen. By birth and by choice.

And that is one of the reasons why I am here in this group.

So...did I go too far there?

Thanks again to

ms_danson for inspiring this list. Expect this to be revised as the year goes on.

1) Not die.
2) Exercise more.
3) Blog things other than filler.
4) Make art. This covers everything from drawing comics to font design to writing novels.
5) Read books for fun.
6) Stay warm enough during the winter.
7) Stay cool enough during the summer.
8) Play with people's minds.
9) Do at least one thing I've never done before.
10) Be as politically active as possible.
11) Keep exploring the city.
12) Keep writing for

spacing_ottawa
13) Learn at least one new skill.
14) Be prepared to add stuff to this list at need or whim.

Update - 5 Jan. 2012:

15) Visit local "farmers' market" operations around town more often, and buy what seems appealing.

Current Mood: contemplative

...should I even bother with anything like a list of goals for the year?

Current Mood: curious

I'm not quite ready to call these "resolutions". They're more accurately called a list of things it would be nice to chalk up as "done" over the course of next year. It's almost a certainty that I won't be able to get to them all, but...here goes:

1) Walk the distance along the Ottawa River pathway from Ogilvie Road to the Aviation Museum. Anything further west towards the downtown neighbourhoods would be gravy on the potatoes.

2) Get at least one more comics project drawn and professionally published.

3) Improve my skills and understanding of Manga Studio.

4) Ditto for Photoshop...

5) ...and for Illustrator...

6) ...and on InDesign.

7) Help get the 2011 edition of Can-Con going with the design/illustration skills and experience I've already got.

8) Do more writing for Spacing Ottawa.

9) Get at least one writing project professionally published.

10) Get back into a regular walking exercise regimen.

11) Visit one part of Ottawa-Gatineau I've never been to before.

12) Visit another part of Canada I've never been to before.

13) Visit either Toronto or Montréal again this year.

14) Stay on speaking terms with as much of my extended family as possible.

15) Learn a new skill. Not sure which one yet.

16) Leave the list open to adding more goals as circumstances permit/require.

17) Learn more about transgender people and their concerns. (Suggested by

radargrrl)

More as we think of it...