SoFoBoMo:Somehow I finished
Though it was not my intention to finish, somehow, I did. I started “a” project on May 10th, then quickly abandoned the idea. I started another and another and another. All were abandoned. The spirit wasn’t there. It was, and still is, knocked about by a number of outside influences, all family related. I continue to read and grow and trying to maintain some modicum of presence. We all have challenges on multiple fronts. My life is no different.
When I went to my niece’s graduation, I took time to visit my old neighborhood, schools, and surrounding areas. I had wanted to do a book about them for some time, yet, each time that I went there, I never took the time to do so. All of the photos were taken in the space of about 4 hours. During the past week, I have been assembling those photos into a book complete with my thoughts about growing up. I wanted a book containing text as well as photos, not just photos. Even when I uploaded it, I had no idea if I had even met the minimum number of photos, 35. I find that I had met it with 47.
This year, Scribus fought me all the way. It crashed a few times. As the book was getting longer, it was taking 5 to 10 minutes to load it and then was very sluggish. Later, I found that it was partially my fault. I had exported all of my images as TIFF files and they were each 69 MB. As a software developer, I can see holes in the design of Scribus. They try to load all pages into memory at once … this is what took so long! But, that is neither here nor there as they say. I finally got it done. I redid all of my pictures in JPEG, which made them much, much, smaller.
Anyway, here it is.
Paul, love your book. It is an intimate look at where you came from. And I like the “color” treatment of the images. It enhances the life and times. I’m so glad you found a way to participate this year. Sometimes the muse just leads us where we need to go.
Good Job,
Thanks for this wonderfully personal history in photographs. And I also like very much the use of color in the images.
This was unexpected, a positive surprise, indeed. You have really been on a journey the last few weeks; your book speaks for itself. I read it page by page without a pause and could really get a good feel for how you experienced you school years. In fact, I recognised myself a lot in what you wrote, having to survive through the intermediate years in school and all what that means regarding trying being as everybody else, yet not succeeding very good. Tough years that forms character and individuality. Well, I guess I was thinking of my past equally much when reading about your past, so however good I believe your book was, it’s been biased by personal experiences. And that’s a good thing in my world, when you really touches somebody at the very heart. Thank you for sharing this with us. I have to do the same thing. I started already last year, by taking photographs on the school I went to in my first grade. But it’s a long way from taking it as far as you did. Well done!
Hey Paul,
Congratulations on finishing SoFoBoMo.
I see that you graduated high school the same year as I did. My memories are similar in that junior high was pure hell and there was nothing at all redeeming about it. I think I’d rather home-school my own kids rather than put them through that. It seems like a near universal experience for middle school, but it seems to me that we simply need to design better schools do deal with the unique problems of that age level.
Maybe we’ll see some pictures from your HS reunion?
Regards,
–Eric
One of my favorite things about your book is your promise that it isn’t finished. That may seem a strange thing to say, but what you have done is so rich it makes me want even more.
The writing is wonderfully simple, as if you tapped into the youngster who lived those years and the tones in the photos are beautifully matched to the nostalic tone. You have made me think about times and places I had long ago forgotten. I only wish they were not so far away—both in years and miles. If only we had all taken photographs and written down thougths over most of our lives. Think of who we might be.
Conratulations on what I hope is only the beginning of your special book.
Paul, congratulations on discovering the inspiration for your book! It comes across very genuine, both in textual matter and the photos. I thoroughly enjoyed it! As others alluded, may it be many, many years before it’s “finished.”
It has nothing to do with your project or SoFoBoMo, but the title of Joe McNally’s book “The Moment it Clicks” came to mind. Well seen and verbalized, I enjoyed every picture and reminiscence. I can see this may be an ongoing project.
We visited our home towns last month for a family wedding and I had very much the same feelings you have expressed, but I didn’t make any pictures. That will be remedied on our next visit next month. I am an earlier vintage than you, so much so much of the old is gone and some of I can’t really remember. Maybe a walk on the old paths will refresh my memory.
In the vernacular of my youth the highest praise I can give is “Good stuff Maynard”.
Well done Paul. I know that was once heck of a commitment.
WONDERFUL picture. I dig pictures that make me thing what’s going on. This one: Someone decided to take a quick swim and hung the key there not to loose it.
Good job on the book.
Well told story Paul. It should remind us all of our own memories.
@All: Thanks for your comments and compliments. This was actually very fun to do, but in some aspects, difficult, especially the middle school stuff! I’m glad to see that it resonated with some of you. It is the highest honor to hear that my work affected someone.
@Tom: I really like the key myself. I’m glad that you liked it.You were close to right about the story, except, it was left by some guy who was going surfing. I wanted to see if I could work around and get him, out of focus but recognizable in the background, but couldn’t manage it.
Hey, that’s great
It just cost me some sleep, but it has been time well spent. I really like the very personal approach. Love it.
Great book and so very much you!
Was really rewarding to read and digest. And also a very personal insight into the US education system.
Great job with the book. It is quite compelling and somehow by looking at the images and reading the text it made me relive my youth in the old neighborhood even though I still live there and my kids went to the same schools for the most part. Interesting! Great images as well.