Human Archives

The Triumphant Return

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This past weekend I played my first concert since October 2019. At that time, I took a few months off for personal reasons. I returned right as the pandemic descended. My first concert was supposed to be March 14, 2020, one day after Covid was declared a pandemic.

From that moment, the pandemic and restrictions hit orchestras hard. This really impacted wind players since we don’t have the option to mask. Additionally, some wind instruments (e.g., trumpets) are particularly powerful for spraying aerosols. Definitely not ideal circumstances when we’re all trying to avoid an airbourne illness. Also, we usually sit close together so we can hear better to align our parts.

In the early days, people made a few creative attempts to rehearse over Zoom. I tried this a couple times. We basically all muted ourselves while the conductor blasted a recording and waved around to the score for us to follow along. I didn’t find this approach satisfying.

From that point on, everything was on and off for a couple of seasons. Until finally the moment was right to join again. Exactly two years from the last rehearsal, on March 9, 2022, I attended my first rehearsal with a new orchestra. My heart swelled along with my lungs puffing along to familiar show tunes. My eyes misted up playing along to a medley from “West Side Story.” I was back!

A week before the concert, I got covid. Once again my plans thwarted by the pandemic that has plagued so many of us. I had finished with the isolation period, but still had some fatigue and coughing. I’m sure nobody minded I sat out for that concert. However, I jumped back in for the next cycle, confident I was immune until at least the end of the season.

And so, I made it through my first concert in more than two years. We were a bit under rehearsed because the conductor got covid and we missed a week. More signs of the new covid “normal” included last minute changes in the orchestra due to illness or exposure and spaced out seating. At any rate, the show must go on. This time I was thrilled to be a part of it. It definitely wasn’t my most flawless performance, but I will remember the sensation of performing again after such a long break fondly. A real joy.

Digital Dilemma

Emoji Decoded

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While reading an article about people dying from overdosing on illegal drugs, I stumbled across an Emoji Decoded poster from the Drug Enforcement Agency. I know emoji can symbolize certain things under the radar, or illegal substances. However, it was interesting to see it published in a poster. It reminded me of a similar danger when I was in elementary school. At that time, someone was selling temporary tattoos laced with LSD. The tattoos looked like common cartoon characters, so of course there was concern over school kids getting them.

With modern technologies available the intent is the same, but the methods are more sophisticated and far reaching. I must admit when I first blogged about Snapper in 2016, the interpretive emoji specialist from “In the Mayor’s Chambers“, I only had a faint idea of how important emoji interpretation would become. My focus was on people relying on emoji, rather than written or spoken words, to communicate. To that point, I’ve noticed when I message on my iPad, emoji is offered instead of words in the predictive text area. I thought this was strange. I still rely on words to communicate, with emoji for emphasis. I’m not big on rebus messages, which are subject to a lot of interpretation.

Looking at the DEA poster, I feel stumped by some emoji. I would never guess that a banana could mean Percocet & Oxycodone. Or that a chocolate chip cookie means “Large Batch.” Or that a baby bottle could mean cough syrup. I’m assuming the cough syrup contains something strong. This took hard work and effort to decode these symbols.

The emoji faces are confusing to me, since they can be used for many different purposes. Perhaps the most puzzling to me is the red maple leaf as the universal symbol for drugs. Maybe this is because I’ve lived in Canada for a long time and it looks a bit like the Canadian flag. As far as I know, Canada doesn’t have more illegal drugs than any other country.

Like most things, context is everything. I’m sure to somebody in the DEA analyzing these messages, the emoji makes sense. As much as I love emoji as a message enhancer, is it productive for us to rely on it so much? Is it a good replacement for words? In the future, we’ll have to follow Snapper’s lead and become interpretive emoji specialists.

Digital Dilemma, True Confessions

The Dead-Tree Book Dilemma

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I first read the term “dead-tree book” in an article about kids’ sleep. One mother allowed her child to read “dead-tree books” before bedtime. The description sounded odd to me, I suppose because I think about books as either paper or electronic. Dead-tree books has a rather morbid ring to it and resurrected my usual debate between ebooks vs. books.

I’ve blogged about the pros and cons of each format a number of times (read Tangible, Gateway to the World, The Basics of Reading a Book, and Digital Decisions). I’m always conflicted about which one I like better. For convenience, I love the ebook. My ereader is so portable. It’s lightweight and small. Plus it’s easy to read in any position. With regular books, I often find my hands or neck in an awkward position when I’m reading on my side or sometimes laying down on my back.

I find both formats equally immersive. My ereader is only for books so there are no digital distractions. However, I find paper books are better for variety. Many books on my reading list are currently not available in an electronic format.

I’ve been reading a lot of regular books lately. Every time I go to the library they have great books on display and I can’t resist taking at least one. This is one advantage over the ebooks. There are lists of ebooks, but I find scrolling through them can get tiresome. Whereas a good book display is very easy and visually appealing to peruse.

However, hearing the term “dead-tree book” made me think about waste. When I was a kid, throwing out or recycling a book was inconceivable. Now in today’s disposable culture, people can’t even give books away for free. I’m always walking past boxes and stacks of books left out in the elements on the curb for people to take. I’ve seen books peeking through blue, recycling bags and mixed in with other kinds of recycling. I was always horrified by this, but now I’ll look at these things and think “dead tree.”

On the other hand, I can’t honestly say going electronic is any less wasteful. I’ve owned 4 ereaders in the last 10 years. Each one replaced for various reasons. Needless to say, they don’t last very long. Although I recycle them as e-waste, it’s likely they’re hanging around in a landfill somewhere.

Human Archives

Sweet Magnolia and Bird Song

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For Mother’s Day, we went for a long walk at the Royal Botanical Garden’s Arboretum. The magnolias were in bloom. It’s only been warm and sunny for a few days, but I think we missed the fleetingly short peak of the blossoms. Even so, the air felt warm and heady with the sweet, sticky scent of the magnolias. An array of whites, pinks, and purples dotted the landscape, sticking out against the yellow-green shoots of spring and a cerulean, cloudless sky.

We ambled slowly through the blooming trees, into the woods, making our way down to the lake. Along the way we saw leafy shoots of skunk cabbage and fresh buds sprouting from all the trees. Spring is officially here and ready to be enjoyed. I kept a watch for woodpeckers, often seen, but difficult to spot flitting about pecking the trees.

On the way back I stopped for a moment on the trail to listen to the sound scape. Around me I could distinctly hear five or six different types of birds, some of which I couldn’t identify. Though different species, they were clearly having a conversation with their respective bird songs. In a flash it reminded me of the early days (weeks, months!) of the pandemic when it seemed as though the whole world had shut down. At that time, an eerie stillness and silence filled the space. There was no traffic, no airplanes, no construction. Nothing to be heard… except for bird song.

I recall going outside for part of every day to listen. Hearing the birds felt comforting, as though providing something normal and consistent to latch onto in that crazy time. With the noise pollution minimized, it was easy to hear the birds, something I hadn’t realized I’d been missing until it was suddenly there, all around me. An unexpected delight from those early, dark days.

Two years later I make it a point to stop and listen to the birds. I’ve even started learning how to identify some of them through their songs.

True Confessions

Sounding Board

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One thing I didn’t notice I’ve been missing until recently is the public sounding board. By that I mean the ways we keep ourselves in check. How we develop our own internal scale to figure out if something is acceptable or just plain off. For example, is it okay if I “go” to work in my house only dressed from the waist up? It’s not as though we would see this particular example demonstrated in public, but there are other scenarios.

I started thinking about this more now that things are opening up and people are unmasking. All of a sudden I’m questioning things that I normally wouldn’t. My scale of what’s acceptable in public is skewed after spending so long in lockdowns and relative social isolation. Throughout the pandemic, my main form of communication was digital. It’s very easy to hide things on a tiny phone screen. Or point the angle of the camera just so…

When I meet new people, I’m not sure of the customary greeting, though I’m glad handshaking is out. It eliminates awkwardness. I always hated shaking a clammy hand, a really limp one, or one where the other person wouldn’t let go. I’ve been doing the elbow bump, but it feels strange. Is this normal? I used to take it for granted I would hug my friends hello. Now we have conversations before meeting up about covid status, rapid test results, and who wants to mask. It’s just bizarre. Hugging as a greeting is not a given.

I’ve also developed a lot of strange habits and routines during the pandemic. I wouldn’t necessarily share them publicly, but I do wonder sometimes, is this what other people do? Is it normal? Does it have to be?

Growing up, my father used to always dress nicely before taking a flight. It was a social custom. Now it’s common to see people in pajamas, or comfy sweats and flipflops, getting ready to board. My first year in college, it would’ve been unthinkable to me to attend class in my pajamas, yet I routinely saw other students casually strolling to class in their flannel pjs. This was especially bizarre to me when I worked in NYC at Columbia University. I used to see students sauntering down Broadway wearing pajamas!

Are we entering a new phase of social customs where “anything goes” now?

Digital Dilemma, True Confessions

Post-pandemic: Dealing with the Information Fire Hose

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For the last year or so I haven’t been able to keep my email inbox clean. It seems emails pile up by the dozens each time I check. Though imperfect, I’d always managed to keep my inbox under control. I answered or actioned emails. Then either filed, saved, or deleted. I wouldn’t say I’ve given up, but I do notice I rely on the search box to find things more often.

It’s not just my email inbox that is drowning from a persistent influx of content and volume. My text messages are out of control. Messaging chains are long and sometimes very detailed. Every channel possible contains shared photos and videos. Everything is everywhere, all the time.

Until recently, I hadn’t really thought about why all my usual systems for keeping my digital life organized started failing. Suddenly, two main reasons for the system breakdown occurred to me.

  1. Since the pandemic started, we’ve all been relying heavily on digital communications. Some conversations that might have happened in person now take place over emails, messages, shared photos, posts, etc. Pre-pandemic messages with friends likely would have centered around making plans to meet, i.e., messages that could be easily deleted and cleaned up. With in-person socializing restricted for so long, many messages are more substantive. This makes it more complicated to just delete them without losing context for future conversations.
  2. Burnout and information fatigue. This is related to the first reason. Since I now receive nearly every communication or interaction digitally, I’m constantly inundated with a variety and volume of content. This is part of the reason I’ve been unable to stay on top of my systems to keep me organized and my volume of content manageable.

All of this to say, I’ve fallen behind. For example, my inbox contains over 400 emails. Over the last two years, I slowly watched this number grow. Occasionally I made a feeble attempt to clear out a page or two.

I face a similar struggle with my professional life, too. Since we work remotely, many casual or quick conversations take place over email or messaging. Before, these kinds of exchanges would be in person without anything to file or process after.

Hopefully, now that many of us are resuming in-person activities, that will help to reduce the volume so I can get back on track.