Today's interesting idea: 4 colour theorem

Today I learned about the 4 colour theorem: Namely, that no more than four colors are required to color the regions of a map so that no two adjacent regions have the same color.  This was a major breakthrough because it was proven by a computer during times when computers weren't the main way people computed numbers and math.

The four color theorem was proved in 1976 by Kenneth Appel and Wolfgang Haken, and it was commonly called the Appel-Haken theorem.  Haken was a mathmatician who specialized in topology, especially 3-manifolds. (Who knew such an interesting, nerdy thing existed as a speciality?)

The thereom, according to wikipedia, states that "in graph-theoretic terminology, the four-color theorem states that the vertices of every planar graph can be colored with at most four colors so that no two adjacent vertices receive the same color, or for short, "every planar graph is four-colorable"

It's interesting that a large amount of contreversy around the theorem had to do with the way it was produced, as it was one of the forumlas that was set out in the list of mathmatical problems of the 20th century by David Hilbert, who was an influential mathmatician in his own right.

It cannot be overstated how important some of the scientific discoveries of the early 20th century were.  A lot of very important math was done, often in reference to Hilbert's problems.  We've only known about the atom in its structure for about the last hundred years, and quantum physics is still in its infancy.

However, this problem is an interesting one, and one I wasn't expecting to discover while researching 20th century science.

My goals for 34

Here's some of my goals for 34 that got accomplished this year.  I tried for 250 before I turned 35.

• Clean my office at work (Update: It needs a cleaning again)
• Make a podcast (Did it for work)
• 30 Day push-up challenge (Did 200 per day for 30 days)
• Do guided meditation 5 times
• Run a charity event for a good cause (Raised over 4K for my hospital this year)
• Make a new facebook profile photo that I really like...it was this one

• Build a rig, which we did! It was something that held the camera so we could use it while making food videos.
• Get a new camera for video (Done!  But I want a differrent one now. 😶)
• Collaborate on a creative project. (Done, but it's in post-production)
• Visit Port Dover with Liz.
• Go to my brother Clayton and Cailin's wedding (Done!)
• Do photos of the month, and do a portrait shoot.  Also done!
• See Stephen Fry...was amazing!
• See cherry blossoms
• See Shakespeare in the Park 
• And many more!

Here's a few of the goals I didn't finish:

• Lose 20 pounds (but I've lost over 10, so I'm getting there!)
• Do more drawing (Sadly, didn't happen)
• Make a fruit salad 
• Take a dance class 
• Visit Ottawa 
• Visit Norman Bethune's house

 And funny enough, I didn't finish the list itself, which is always the first I put on a list like this.  I created 187 out of 250 goals....which was pretty ambitious to even have a list that big, since I started it about six months into 34.   I completed 92 of the 187 I created...and probably I would have completed more if I completed the list. :)

I will be working on my goals for 35 soon, some of them a continuation of last year's goals.  Overall I'm pretty happy with how this year went, even though not everything went the way I hoped.  I learned a lot, I laughed a lot, I got a lot of experience.

A small eulogy to an old friend

Kyle Plamondon died this month.  He was someone I went to school with in university for 3 of the 4 years I was there, and I saw him in and around Saskatoon for several years after.  He was only 39 when he died, and he died of a heart condition (which I knew about), not unlike another friend of mine who I had to see put to rest while I was still doing my bachelor's degree (who I didn't know had a heart condition, and died on the bus leaving the university, of all things...).

Kyle was a funny, loving guy with a big heart and a deep voice.  You always knew if you had anything to say to Kyle, he would have something funny to say back to you, and with a big smile and chuckle.  He liked hockey, and I think other sports, but unsurprisingly, we didn't talk a lot about sports. (I tried my best to pariticipate in that kind of conversation politely, but he was really into it, so that was ot of my league.)

He was a military man, who, if not for his heart condition (and inability to manage zero gravity) he would have been a fighter pilot.  Military life was a good change for him.  He went from jolly and plump to a fit, focused young man.  It was a side I didn't see of him normally in my day-to-day interactions with him.  His military career was cut short by health reasons, and he went on to study to be a pharmacist.  (He was nothing if not driven, in a quiet, no-nonsense kind of way.)

The way we connected most days, was through the Newman Centre, which I was involved in for my entire university career. We went on retreats, held ecumenical suppers, and just generally hung out.  I remember just having him around, along with Marianne, Dean, and a few other long-time stay-ons that were constantly running all the events and showing up to most meetings for council.  A lot of sofa time was had just chilling out and chatting.  They were happy times with good people.

I remember Kyle worked part-time for St. Thomas More College, working shifts doing chapel work, and helping out the priests around the college.  I never asked him in a deep and serious way, but I was always impressed with his commitment to the Church, and to his spiritual values.  I felt like he had a strong relationship with God, and that it was a grounding place for him in his life.  And I think it shone through into his personal life, and personal work. If anyone had God shining through him, it was this happy, smiling guy. 

Kyle, I know you are in heaven, smiling down on your family, your sons and your wife that are grieving your loss.  I feel lucky to have met you...we were not best friends, but we were part of a larger circle of something where we met in odd moments that meant we got to be friends for a time.  Thank you for enriching the time in my life, in small ways that are hard for me to recall.  You deserved longer on this earth, if for no other reason than you brought joy to everyone around you.  I say a little prayer for you, mon ami.

Today is my birthday

I have been very contemplative this year.  It has been a year of ups and downs, a lot of work stress.

It's also been a year of growth, though maybe not in ways I expected.   

34 has been a year of learning.  And I think, 35 will also be a year of learning as well.  Because I am starting to realize, as the book title goes, what got you here, won't get you there.  And I have a long way to go, I realize, as I head into the next stage of my life.

But one of the best thing about life, right now and hopefully always, is the amazing and often surprising people who show up in your life to add dimensions to it you didn't think were possible.  And people will surprise you.  The ones you didn't know very well will turn out to be great people who add so much to your every day.  And sometimes people will drift way when you didn't expect, in ways you didn't expect.  But I'm still smiling, through it all.  Because what's life without a couple of surprises?

Stephen King: On Writing

There are only two books I would ever really say have been helpful 'writer' books for me.  One of them is Strunk and White, the Elements of Style.  The other is Stephen King's On Writing.

I have looked at a variety of other ones...I even read a few blog posts about the topic. (This one seems particularly nice and not complete crap.)  I find that people who don't know what to write have a lot a to say about writing, most of which I disagree with.

This is not so much a how to about writing, but more of a thought process as I reread King's book of writing advice, which is part autobiography, part King's literary history, and part writer's advice from someone who captured the American mind in many ways, and spoke to both its desire for the fantastic and horrible, as well as the deeply cultural roots of how people are in America, and their relationship with religion and politics.  It's fair if you say you don't like a lot of his books (I know I have a take-it-or-leave-it relationship with about half of what he's written) but you'd be hard pressed to find a better modern writer who is also what people would deem a financial success.  (And someone who people still consider a writing powerhouse today, even though his novels haven't recently made headlines like Carrie or It did.)

His writing style is very heavy, and probably not my writing style, nor is his subject matter what I would try (thrillers edging on horror).  What I do think, is that his books are for people who want to learn about writing. Even his worst books are something worth reading. 

I think the one thing missed by most books on writing is how little people care for technical advice: people want to believe that people like them exist.  And King does an excellent job of explaining his life as a writer, and how much his life has been made better by writing. 

In this day and age, writing well is a hard skill to master...people are moving away from words, and toward images.  But King is 70 years old, and still publishing almost a book a year.

If I could do anything half as good as that, I think I could be quite happy.

 

Trip through the Mountains 2018

This is probably my favourite vacation I took last year, only being beaten by our Denmark trip the year previous around this time.

 

While in Edmonton, we stopped by West Edmonton Mall for a total of 15 minutes, and decided we could find the same things in Toronto.  I forced Alex to come with me into an antique store, which I found MEGA FUN.  So many cool things, but all of them breakable.  We also visited Andrea and Francis, two very good friends of mine, and I didn't take a group photo of everyone. :(  But we had a great time before going off to the mountains! :)

 

Probably my favourite photo as we drove into the mountains

 

I loved this photo, even though something odd happened when I took it...it was a mountain I fell in love with 

 

We discovered goats right by Miette Hot Springs 

 

We hiked to the water sources of the Hot Springs, smelled terrible, looked beautiful.

Took some really great mountain photos

Stayed in a very cute bed and breakfast that served the best banana bread, fresh every day!

 

 

Stood on top of a mountain in near Jasper

Found a new favourite waterfall, Tangle Falls

 

Spent a rainy day in Banff....the place I hate most on earth.  (Complete tourist trap...)

 

Pretended to meditate to pretend I enjoyed hanging out in Banff...

 

But we did go for a short hike, and had some fun doing it.

 

Once in Calgary, we stayed across from 'The United Brotherhood  of Carpenters and Joiners of America.' (Also, on way to Lake Louise, learned how fast people drive on the highway.  It's fast!)

 

Visited with my Aunt Jodi and Uncle Jake and family

 Went to Lake Louise, and captured 'the photo' we went on this trip for! 

Had a $100 lunch on the patio of the hotel (Which I didn't pay for, ha!)

Drove home so I could get a kiss from my momma

And then got upgraded to first class on our flight back...say what??? Wow!

Overall, there were so many memories and moments, it's hard to count them all.  It was definitely a road trip to remember!

Wedding #2 this summer

 

My favourite photo I took of the bride and groom, my brother and sister-in-law

Me in my new suit jacket, with pants that I was told were 'too short.' (But I looked good anyways!)

I took fewer photos at the wedding because they had an official photographer and videographer (the norm these days, since having a video of your wedding is easy now, more than ever) and I was busy catching up with family and old family friends...some of whom I hadn't seen in 10-20 years.  If there's one thing a wedding is good for, it's catching up with everyone and celebrating an important family event!

It was a great start to my vacation with Alex, though there was some stress for him, this being his first family wedding of my family he had attended.

TOW: Phantom of The Opera

Nothing is quite as iconic in 90s musical theatre for me as the opening chords to the Phantom of the Opera.  Those chords foreshadow darkness and uneasiness, combined with an upbeat tempo, that suggests action and adventure.  The electric rock sound, contrasted with the operatic dreaminess of the rest of the musical numbers show how different the two worlds of Christine and the Phantom really are.  And watching the musical for the first time, in contrast to my first reading of the book, opened my eyes to new ideas on this iconic story.

For those who have never paid much attention to the Phantom of the Opera, it's a classic romance, in which Christine is torn between two male love interests.  The Phantom, who has threatened and tricked the theatre management into making Christine a star of the opera, and has fallen in love with her.  Raoul, her childhood friend, and benefactor of the opera, has found her in adulthood, and wishes to have a normal courtship with her as times would allow.  The Phantom teaches Christine how to sing, comes to her in the middle of the night, and is a creature of dreams and suggestion. In comparison, Raoul is a classic Prince Charming, not a devil of any kind, but a normal hero.

One of my theatre-going companions made the comment that a good Phantom has to be three S's: Scary, Seductive, and Sexy.  (She felt this one didn't have all the goods, unfortunately.)  And it's true, the whole point of the Phantom is that he is both a sexually appealing man with a mind for great things, and a monster of epic proportions, both physically and mentally.

Seeing the Phantom of the Opera in person, it reminds me that so much is determined by what we look like.  If he hadn't been hideous, if he hadn't a horrible disease, if his own family had loved him, if, if, if.  I think that's why, even with all his cruelty, we can sympathize with the Phantom.  He's a character who should be loved, but is unlovable.  It reminded me of how many people play in that world of darkness and magic, where as long as no one shines a light on them, they are mysterious, interesting, and powerful.  It is only when they are shown love, that we see them as they are: broken, wounded, and in great need.

Wedding #1 this summer

I just thought I would post some pictures, and some memories I had of this wedding:

• Got to see my brother's office and where he works
• Got to hang out with my nieces, who are growing like weeds
• Made some new friends with the groomsmen
• Hung out with both my dads on father's day this year, for the first time in what must have been 10 years

For one weekend, I had so many laughs, my throat hurt!  So much family love.

Five year anniversary

Alex and I have been together for five years now...what a milestone!  Some highlights:

• Visiting Niagara Falls together
• Going to beach resorts (which was something new for me)
• Going to Europe multiple times, for lots of silly adventures
• Lots of nice meals and breakfasts cooked for me.

The funny thing was we both forgot until halfway through the day it was five years since we met.  We took time that weekend to do something special, and he made me a lovely meal.

We made so many memories this year! I wonder what next year will bring.

Wow, been so long!

Who knew I would be gone from blogging for so long? 

It's been a very busy two months, so I haven't really had time to post on here. Most days have been work, gym,  home, bed.

And it will still be like that until next week.  March is the worst time for people in non-profits, most of us our fiscal year ends in March.  Which means everyone tries very hard to spend a lot of money very quickly.  Which means my life has spiraled out of control, as per usual, until fiscal year end!

I was watching a youtube video of someone who I really like, and he got me thinking about social media as a platform.  Back in the days, I remember when all these platforms were used for fun, conversation, and some business. 

I miss the days when online felt like a bunch of online communities and secret worlds. 

Everyone talks about wanting to be found online, or wanting to find things online, but sometimes, I don't want to be found, or known about, or commented on.  Every now and then it can be fun, but most of the time, you can't replace being together with people in person.  Sometimes digital can bridge the distance, but often we are missing those things that matter most to us.  Being close to someone...physical contact, being in common places together. 

At my friend's concert band last night, there was, as always, multiple members of the community in the audience, from politicians to local activists and people from the local old folks home, etc. It was something you don't always see these days.

Real communities are ones where people know what they care about and why, and what they definitely don't care about.  In today's world of too much information, sometimes cutting things out is as good as adding something in.  We live in a world of many choices, but few good decisions. Sometimes, it's a world of few decisions, paralyzed.  A place, a real place, with a community, means that there are traditions and  things people come together to do regularly...it's something that's very precious in a big city, in a digital world, etc.

I guess I hope that in the future, technology doesn't get in the way of people living their lives, like I feel it does now.  I think most of the things we use that are short form technologies, are bad for most of us.  Other than email, online maps, and a few messaging services, the world would probably be better off without the rest of it, honestly.

And that's my Luddite thought for the day.

Ursula K Le Guin

Ursula K Le Guin was one of the authors who inspired me and sparked my imagination, especially in philosophical thinking, at a young age.  It's with great sadness that I read of her death today.  She was a humanitarian, a feminist, a person who wasn't afraid of speaking her mind.

For a good introduction to her as a person, check out this article.

 For her most popular series, check here.

Earthsea is forever a place in my mind, and the battle all of us face with inner darkness and the need to make whole what is inside of us.

2017 in review

What a great year. Overall, 2017 was the year I really grew, even though a lot of things stayed the same.  I thought I would share my favourite photos from each month, highlights from what was a very eventful, travel-filled year.

January

A wonderful walk with my beautiful mother shortly after New Year's Day.  We had a wonderful time.





That time I accidentally painted a 'meat tree,' with witch and tombstone at a paint night instead of a tree that said 'Enchantment.'  (Maybe just not the right kind of enchantment?)

February

Teaching Alex to ski was an amazing moment for me.  Such a fun adventure as a couple!  We have already gone skiing once this season, more to come!



Alex and I filmed our first cooking video!  Hard to believe it was almost a year ago!

March

Liz and I went to see  Chris Boti for what must be the third time...it was just as good as always.  No members of Guns 'N' Roses there this year in the crowd, unfortunately.

April

Anne, our VP Ivan and I raised $1,000 for our hospital. I definitely need to up our game this year, and raise more! :)  



Tried the unicorn frappuncino.  It was disgusting.



Liz and I visited the McMichael gallery.  Here she is painting her latest masterpiece for a collection.

May

A very good friend night out with Karl and Danny...where I did some karaoke and they watched. 



U of T shaker at Wonderland...a great event as always.

June

Sarah, Liz and I go bouldering.



Pride 2018



Liz, Heather and I go a-wine-ing.  They both bought a lot of wine, and we discovered champagne in a can.

July

 

A giant duck visited us on Canada Day.





Alex, Tyler, Tammy and I went to Denmark, then Sweden.  A trip of a lifetime.  Met new family I didn't know I had!




We visited the ABBA museum in Sweden and saw some scandalous things.

August

 

Reconnected with a great friend from high school in Stockholm...who now is a great adult friend! <3 p="">  

Let's go to the Ex!

 September

 
My first real LGBT wedding...was beautitful.



Ran a 5K with work peeps.



Volunteered with this fantastic group of people and made some new communications friends with the Invictus games.  Also got to have Prince Harry walk right by me.



Also got to hear Bruce Springsteen and Bryan Adams play together.  That was something.  
October




That time Alex and I did two costumes for Halloween

November



Said goodbye to a great friend who went to work overseas.  Trish, I miss you.



Toronto Christmas Market with Judy, who came to visit Liz.

December




Christmas....chaos as always!


What a year!  Looking forward to 2018 being even better!