Journal of David Atlee @ Frozen Designs

David Atlee designs and builds websites, takes photos, plays with digital design and writes stories about odd things.
 
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    USB Dad

    Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

    OK, so things have change since my previous posting claimed. My Dad is still having some problems with his sense of rhythm, but then Dad’s are not meant to have have rhythm it shows in their dancing. Anyhow, after the raging success post-surgery; he has had to have some shocks directly to his heart to improve his rhythm. So whilst he is stable he is still not quite out of the woods yet.

    I saw him yesterday, venturing into London amidst the G20 protests (off which I only saw anything of in newspapers and the BBC website).  All those cables and tubes kinda made me think I have a USB Dad now. I’ll see if I can plug him into his PC when he gets home, maybe I’ll get the ‘This device can perform faster if you use a USB2.0 port’ message. There was numerous machines around him, all connected to a central power stem, thoughts of science fiction jumped to mind. So if not USB will he be assimulated or maybe a cylon infact? Sorry geek humour in bad times help me stay sane (ish). It’s the best conversation outside of hospital things i can come up with.

    Thanks to everyone for their support and kind words, espesically those people in London who are either under similar duress in the hospital and random meetings outside the hospital. Funny how fate deals the cards you need when you need them most.

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    Alaskan Dreams

    Thursday, March 19th, 2009

    This is a bit of thoughtful journal entry. I’m watching ‘The Natural World’ on BBC iplayer (what a wonderful thing it is), its about the life around the Alaskan shores, how the plankton bloom provides so much life in such a hostile environment for not only around the oceans, but it provides half our oxygen. It features seal lions, orcas, humpbacked whales and many more sea creatures and plants. I went to Alaska many years ago on a snowboarding holiday, I had an awesome time, excellent people, awesome snow and amazing wildlife. I went on a whale spotting boat trip and by amazing luck saw a pod of orcas. It was a truly fantastic experience and in the last year decided to makes plans to go back there for a real adventure.

    I got made redundant 4 months ago and lost a lot of motivation about living where I do, so decided it was time to get off the rat race for a bit. I planned to rent out my flat, move back with the folks, find work and save up. Then 2010 take 3 months out to travel Alaska. See the islands and seas off the southern coast, travel up north to Barrow and the artic circle to see Polar bears and then get some snowboard time in back in Girdwood, where I was before.

    Not a bad plan all in all, but has fallen short with the current economic climate, the finding work thing has not gone so well. Luckily life in Southampton has improved personally and I found work back at the Coastguard from where I once left. It has opened opportunities to experience the world of journalism, which from my writing perspective is awesome.  The downside is that if I follow this path then the whole Alaskan trip would need to be reworked as I would have to stay in my flat and it would take longer to save up and I expect only to be able to take a month off work with out risk of unemloyment on my return.  Still a month is month and a job is a job.

    I hope that freelance web work will help with the Alaskan fund, I get one of two potential perm jobs at the coastguard and my writing amounts to something. In the meantime I have stories to write, photos to take, friends to be with, a girl to cuddle and journal to write.  It’s all good and dreams can come true with the right perspective.

    So as I blow my nose which is either the result of a spring cold coming on or the scene of the mother sea lion trying to awaken its dead baby on the rocks after it had been killed by a passing storm. Who knows, but I am off now to be creative, either photos or a story, which ever grabs me first.

    Have a marvellous evening all :)

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