Click to embiggen
The bed was a complete pain to cut out. I am not happy with the result but there came a point where I had to walk away before it drove me crazy. If anything, this project has helped sharpen my rust Photoshop skills.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Dream Home: Art Nouveau & Art Deco - Master Bedroom
I was initially going to make all of my inspiration boards for my dream home in Art Deco but then I absolutely fell in love with this Art Nouveau bed. This was actually the second inspiration board I made using my favourite pieces but it would seem anti-climatic to show anything after it.
The bed was a complete pain to cut out. I am not happy with the result but there came a point where I had to walk away before it drove me crazy. If anything, this project has helped sharpen my rust Photoshop skills.
The bed was a complete pain to cut out. I am not happy with the result but there came a point where I had to walk away before it drove me crazy. If anything, this project has helped sharpen my rust Photoshop skills.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Dream Home: Art Nouveau & Art Deco - Family Room
I had the hardest time with the family room since I couldn't find any Art Deco cabinets that would suitable for entertainment units. I broadened my search to include Art Nouveau and then I found one I loved. The Art Nouveau period came right before Art Deco so pieces still go together quite well. The white cabinet is early French Art Deco which was sort of a transition period between the curves of Art Nouveau and the more angular geometry of Art Deco. I think it ties the two styles together nicely.
My real inspiration for the room was the painting The Starry Night. I choose pieces that mimic the swirls and colour palate. The couch originally a wretched olive green but that is the only piece that I changed.
Feedback is appreciated!
Side note: My dad is such an engineer. He doesn't understand how I could be planning what furniture to put in without making a floor plan of the house first.
My real inspiration for the room was the painting The Starry Night. I choose pieces that mimic the swirls and colour palate. The couch originally a wretched olive green but that is the only piece that I changed.
Click to embiggen
Feedback is appreciated!
Side note: My dad is such an engineer. He doesn't understand how I could be planning what furniture to put in without making a floor plan of the house first.
Friday, September 16, 2011
In Response to Roger's Mathematical Frustrations
This started as a comment on a blog post but then turned very long...
Trust me, I know that math is hard. I have cried many times with frustration over how difficult math is. After a year, I had to humbly except the fact that I was not capable of an Honours degree in mathematics. It had been too long since the prerequisite courses. It would take too long for me to relearn the what I had forgotten in time to make sense of the new material. I understand what 99.9% of the world population does not but that 0.1% completely KICKS MY BUTT
So why learn math in the first place? Why is it worth all the effort?
Ken Dryden in his book In School describes it perfectly:
Somethings that have help me along the way:
Find a study buddy
The only reason I made it through Abstract Algebra is because I had a classmate who explained almost everything to me. At first I felt bad because I took up so much of her time until I realized that it was part of her studying process. She knew that explaining to someone else gave her a deeper understanding.
Similarly, you might find a benefit of trying to explain it to someone else. There have been many times as a teacher I started to answer a student's question where I didn't feel completely confident. The more I explained the more I realized "Hey, this actually makes sense!" Sometimes questions from others can lead you to an understanding.
Learn when to walk away from a problem
Many people don't realize that even if you haven't solved a problem your brain keeps working on it (whether you are conscience of it or not). A familiar example: you remember someone's name and just can't. Three weeks later you are in the shower and out of no where it pops into your head. You're brain was working on it the entire time. Sometimes you need to just walk away from a problem, give the conscience part of your mind a break and do something else.
I've been part of group projects where a single problem takes weeks to solve. Sometimes your brain gets so fried you become completely unproductive. We'd stop a couple times a day to go outside and play Frisbee. From experience we all knew that taking a 45 minute break actually saves you time in the long run. A frustrated brain only takes long to solve the problem. Similarly, if I started feeling fatigue from studying I would run up and down the stairs of the library until all I could think about was how tired I was.
Know you are in good company
A little girl wrote a letter to Einstein complaining about her difficulties with arithmetic. His response:
"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Roger, don't worry that you find math hard because even Einstein did.
Trust me, I know that math is hard. I have cried many times with frustration over how difficult math is. After a year, I had to humbly except the fact that I was not capable of an Honours degree in mathematics. It had been too long since the prerequisite courses. It would take too long for me to relearn the what I had forgotten in time to make sense of the new material. I understand what 99.9% of the world population does not but that 0.1% completely KICKS MY BUTT
So why learn math in the first place? Why is it worth all the effort?
Ken Dryden in his book In School describes it perfectly:
But so little of math is really x’s and y’s, learning, recalling, applying theorems twenty days and twenty years later. It’s learning how to find your way to an answer when you have none. Taking what you know and discovering what you didn’t know you knew...To puzzle and stumble, to know what it feels like when you do understand, that vibration of excitement and pleasure, and the addictive need to feel it over and over (p. 25).
Somethings that have help me along the way:
Find a study buddy
The only reason I made it through Abstract Algebra is because I had a classmate who explained almost everything to me. At first I felt bad because I took up so much of her time until I realized that it was part of her studying process. She knew that explaining to someone else gave her a deeper understanding.
Similarly, you might find a benefit of trying to explain it to someone else. There have been many times as a teacher I started to answer a student's question where I didn't feel completely confident. The more I explained the more I realized "Hey, this actually makes sense!" Sometimes questions from others can lead you to an understanding.
Learn when to walk away from a problem
Many people don't realize that even if you haven't solved a problem your brain keeps working on it (whether you are conscience of it or not). A familiar example: you remember someone's name and just can't. Three weeks later you are in the shower and out of no where it pops into your head. You're brain was working on it the entire time. Sometimes you need to just walk away from a problem, give the conscience part of your mind a break and do something else.
I've been part of group projects where a single problem takes weeks to solve. Sometimes your brain gets so fried you become completely unproductive. We'd stop a couple times a day to go outside and play Frisbee. From experience we all knew that taking a 45 minute break actually saves you time in the long run. A frustrated brain only takes long to solve the problem. Similarly, if I started feeling fatigue from studying I would run up and down the stairs of the library until all I could think about was how tired I was.
Know you are in good company
A little girl wrote a letter to Einstein complaining about her difficulties with arithmetic. His response:
"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Roger, don't worry that you find math hard because even Einstein did.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Dream Home: Art Deco - Office
I couldn't really find any Art Deco office furniture I liked so I repurposed a dining table as a desk and a buffet and a curio as bookcases. [nerd alert] I'm overjoyed that my laptop and external hard drives will fit right in.[/nerd alert]
10,000 Awesomeness Bonus Points: Can you spot the piece I used before? I change the shape of it slightly.
Click to embiggen
10,000 Awesomeness Bonus Points: Can you spot the piece I used before? I change the shape of it slightly.
Fantasy on Ice
It is starting be that time of year when I get antsy for the new hockey season to begin. Today I set up my fantasy hockey teams and I starting to get even more anxious:
Same as last year, I have two teams. Organized Anarchy is in a competitive league and I picked my players in a live draft. The Burninators are in a casual league where players are auto-drafted based on my preferences.
James, you'll be happy to know that Brooks Laich is on both of my teams.
One month and five days until the new season...
| The Burninators | Organized Anarchy |
 |  |
James, you'll be happy to know that Brooks Laich is on both of my teams.
One month and five days until the new season...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
