13 August 2015. Happy Books (and drunk advice)
© janice142
I have been collecting short pithy
statements otherwise known as aphorisms for a long time. There is
a page on my website devoted to same entitled
Aphorisms
that may be of interest to some. This is
probably a weird thing to collect. Still, aphorisms do not take up
much space and never require any dusting. There are worse
collections and I do so enjoy re-reading what others have said.
Those are the smart folks, and I learn from them.
Decades ago I had
a cigar box filled with blurbs from Reader's Digest, New
Yorker cartoons, and newspaper articles that interested me. I still have them,
except they are now in home-made books. Some call them Scrap Books
and for a time they were quite popular. We have called mine Happy
Books since day one.
Two pages from an older Happy
Book:
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Creating
your own Happy Books (how-to) |
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Back in the 1980's I was
faced with a wine box filled with scraps of paper,
newspaper articles, pictures of food, etc. Originally they had been in
a cigar box. Then the size of the collection grew and I found a
small wooden wine box that became the new home for the items.
The contents were messy and
disorganized.
There were recipes and
pictures of steaks and salads. Our boat, the 40'er, did not
originally have refrigeration so the pictures were Wishes and
Dreams. I would dream of steak, while eating lobster. I know: it
is
a rough life, eh?
The papers, and there are a
plethora of them, were simply put in the wine box. It was untidy
and disorganized. Then one day I was at an art store and spotted
a sketch book. It gave me the idea to take my wine box of paper
clutter and turn
it into a book easily perused. |
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That one book has turned
into a series. I am now working on Book #10. |
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As you can see, I have
included pretty pictures from magazines, art work from my
children, and simply a collection of Stuff. It is however
organized stuff, and that makes it lots better in my view.
All items are glued in
using Elmer's. The cheap stuff doesn't last well. Also, I never
use tape. It either dries and falls off or gets gummy and sticks
everything together.
Gluing instructions: I
have
been doing paper crafts for decades and this is what works well
for me. Put a small bead (a very thin stripe) of Elmer's around
the perimeter 1/4" in from the edge. Then simply stick it to the
paper. It does not take much and is never messy. Too much glue or
too close to the edge will allow the glue ooze out. Less is
better. |
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The Kidlet has the Happy
Books now. I have the two
I am working on but all
completed ones are at her house.
The original plan was for the
children to swap books each year so one year Kidlet would have book
Two and Son have One. The next year they would trade.
When they needed to calm down or
just to relax a Happy Book would come out. They had times (surgeries
for Son,
or when Kidlet was sick) that they had to stay in bed. The Happy
Books made their time there a bit better.
Almost every boater I know is a reader as well.
It was also easier to tell my children
something second hand. To the kids I might be omnipotent, however anyone
else was an expert and to be believed without doubt. At least that's the way it was
with my duo.
The kidlets trusted
the words of strangers, especially if in print, more than my own.
For instance one article told them
what to do if they were ever in a vehicle with someone inebriated or
who was driving recklessly. Instead of saying "slow down" the
article advised them to say they were sick and going to throw up.
Thus the driver would stop and they could get out.
Simple enough advice, and how often would a drunk pull over if
you say 'slow down'? Let them think you're going to vomit in the
vehicle and the brakes will go on immediately!
As for a way to stop a drunk running a boat in an imprudent
manner, I suspect the same warning of impending sickness would have
a similar effect.
One thing I do in every area is get the phone number for the FWC
(Fish & Wildlife -- basically Florida's water cops)
and the local Coast Guard station. Find the phone numbers for your
cruising locale online or via VHF in advance of needing them.
Know this: If I see
anyone acting like an idiot while boating I WILL CALL.
As a soloist I would not make a call on the VHF --
but a
simple phone call? In a heartbeat. Do not be stupid afloat.
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Final advice on
Happy Book creation: |
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Do not worry that your
book is not perfect at the beginning. Like anything, with
practice the pages will become more visually appealing. And too,
when you first start you probably will not have the number of choices I had
available. After all, I had been collecting for 30+ years!
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Portrait style pages shown above, as is the
norm for books. |
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Landscape pages →
You also might have noticed that some of my pages
are landscape (sideways) versus the more standard portrait
style. Initially the pages that were oriented sideways were at
the back of the book. Essentially I simply flipped the book over
and started from the back working inward until the two met.
At some point I opted to make a second book with
only landscape pages. This a better option and I wish I had done
that from the get-go. But I did not and Good Enough continues to
be a worthwhile mantra.
And really, it is not a big
deal to read through with the standard pages then flip over and
start from the back... the Precision part of me says it's wrong,
however the Good Enough side of me says it's a-okay as is!
Go with Good Enough. It's
always fun to see our progress over time and my Happy Books show
that.
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The first books are from me,
afloat, and then when the children were young. There were Sesame
Street things whereas now, none of that is present. The
books show my growth as an individual, from childhood, through
becoming a young mother. The Happy Books are a chronicle of my
life and interests. |
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Today my articles in Happy Book #10 are far
different than they were decades ago, and that is good too.
Some
day they will be a peek into my world as it was. I hope my Grand and her children's
children will find value in my collection. If not, I had fun
making it so 'tis Good Enough for me.
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Thus if you ever wonder what I am doing when I get busy, it is just possible
I am working on or making more pages in my Happy Book. This is a legacy
of sorts.
Minor Update on
Engine: The newest mechanic has been hired.
This is the third. It will take a couple weeks before he gets to it,
but I am on his list. My Project Management skills have improved.
The first two mechanics are history. My job seemed to be too small
for the second mechanic. He was busy and with big, well-paying jobs.
No malice, mind you. On the other hand, I am not going to tolerate
disingenuous behavior either. If you say you will call by Friday...
well, do so.
In the meantime, happy cruising to you all.
Addendum. 16 August 2015. I
did not mention that the pages will become thick. Your sketch
book will not close flat like it did when originally purchased. I
leave ours opened on a table. And the rest are in the bookcase
opened about half way and stacked. |
Are you a scrap-book maker?
What other hobbies do you do afloat or ashore?
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