Musings on gratitude

I'm kicking back at my favorite cafe in downtown Tacoma and feeling a little like I'm back in college - art everywhere, people studying (although they are studying computers rather than textbooks,) world music playing and the steamer of the espresso machine forming some odd, musical harmony line. Does a taste or smell ever send you reeling back in time? Out of the blue I decided to have some almond syrup in my latte (my drink of choice back in the day) and all of a sudden it feels like school days. It was just my birthday and I'm guessing this is what happens when only one year south of 40.

I guess it's better than what I was doing before I got here. Bitching. After dropping off my son at his bassoon lesson I left to go find something to do for the next 2 hours. In the spring and summer I typically fill this time doing a bit of waymarking, however with dusk hitting around 4:30 it's not like I can really get out there and take any photos. So I was driving downtown (Tacoma) and as I drove I was making a list of all of the things that I was pissed off about (constructive, huh?) So here's how it went: my son bitching at me because I want to leave on time to get to his lesson, the wet worthless snow that I was having to drive in, the ice sheets that will be on the freeway by the time I need to drive back home, the constant rain, the early dusk that keeps me from waymarking, the fact that there's no parking to be found around One Heart Cafe and I will have to park 3 blocks down and lug my laptop up to the top of the hill where the cafe is, the fact that I will have to walk alone in the dark with a computer through a not so great part of town when it's time to go home.... Then after I parked I saw a lady pushing a shopping cart with all of her possessions in it through the wet sleet and I woke up. What a jolt of reality. My stupid list vanished and I felt lucky - lucky to have a computer to drag up the hill, lucky to have my warm, dependable CRV to be driving through the snow in, lucky to have the money for the hot cup of coffee and sandwich that I would be buying to munch on while I sat farting around in a warm cafe. And now there's a jazz band setting up and I'll get some live music for the next hour. Boy, life is all about how you look at things.

So, apologies for my off-topic musings. I have no waymarks to chat about, but I sure am having a good time visiting one of them. The coffee's perfect, the band is jamming and I have a couple of hours to kick back. How great is that?

P.S. - The photo above is of the chair that I'm kicking back in at One Heart Cafe', except now it actually has a sheepskin across the back of it making it more comfy than seems possible.

Ready to Waymark!

Things have been so crazy busy lately that I haven't had a chance to do any waymarking. I didn't mind so much when it was overcast, but the last few days have been those beautiful, clear, cold days and have made me long to be out taking photos and finding new spots to waymark.

Over the weekend we took my in-laws to the sculpture park in Seattle and got some beautiful shots in the park, however I've waymarked just about everything there so there's not a lot to do other than upload some photos.

I did do some searching on the Internet for some new categories that I want to waymark and found a couple places that I want to visit on Saturday. It's my birthday, so I'm going to request a little waymarking time to soothe the sorrow of being one step closer to 40. ;)

The photo above shows Alexander Calder's sculpture "Eagle" framing the Space Needle. Below are a few more of the photos taken at the Olympic Sculpture Park in downtown Seattle. In order: "Seattle Cloud Cover" under a Seattle cloud cover; Ferry crossing the Puget Sound, seen from the park's beach area; shadow of a tree cast on Richard Serra's 300 ton "Wake".

Take your time when creating a category!

I know that most of you who read my blog have a lot of experience under your belt when it comes to creating a new category. This post is to urge you to positively mentor new waymarkers who might be a little over excited to see their first category on the grid.

Recently I've noticed some categories coming through peer review that would make wonderful categories, but I still feel I have to vote no on them because either the description is too vague or the requirements are odd or even non-existent. I try to leave a lot of kind feedback about how I think it's a great idea, but "here are some changes you might want to make and then try sending it through peer review again."

When you first get into waymarking it can be a blast and many people want to fully throw themselves into the hobby! That's great!! Let's welcome them with open arms AND a little kind advice when they stumble because they've tried to run before they can walk, so to say. The longer a person waymarks, the more familiar they become with the typical posting requirements, how a category is structured, and how broad or narrow a range of category can be.

Kudos to the seasoned waymarks who I see joining groups just to help out a new person who isn't sure about how to go about creating a category. Sometimes its a topic they aren't even interested in, but they give of their time anyhow, and it makes a big difference in the quality of the categories. I had this kind of help when I created my first category, Abstract Public Sculptures, and now that I've been around awhile I can pass on what I was taught by elder, waymarking sages. :) And now I'm seeing people that I've helped go on to help other beginners. To me that is the true spirit of the waymarking community. Sure, you get some asses, but they are everywhere. Concentrate on the positive and you will find it everywhere!

A familiar icon

So, I've been meaning to post about icons for awhile but have never gotten around to it. Koko has been an icon-making machine and is just pumping those cute little 1/4 inch wonders out as fast as she can.

I can't help but brag about the "Freestanding Arches" logo, though. Doesn't it look a bit like the photo I've added to this post? That would be my oh-so-cool Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch, a Civil War memorial that we waymarked in Hartford, Connecticut. I'd love to think it is so awesome that it deserved to be the category logo/icon, but if you check out the more recent additions to the category you'll notice that the European arches have definitely got this one beat. I think it was more the fact that it was the only old arch that was in the category when she was looking for icon examples. Or maybe it was the fact that I am such a kiss ass about icons. :)

Some other icons that I've noticed lately -

Beaches: Did you notice that the "Beaches" icon is the "Nude Beaches" icon , but she added clothing to the the people?

Roller Skating Rinks: How about those disco lights behind the skate? Tres groovy!

Tattoo Parlors: Doesn't this one just make you wince?!

Other detailed masterpieces: The closed drive-in icon with its tattered screen, the whitewater rafting icon that shows 6 paddlers working the water, the miniature landscape painting for the Natural Springs category icon, and last but not least, the Noodle Shop category's noodle bowl, complete with chopsticks - I swear you can see the chopped scallions and bean curd in that one!