October scenes

October is very transitional. I remember thinking in early October, "It really seems like the leaves aren't going to fall this year." Of course, it's completely impossible, but nonetheless I have had that thought before. I suppose it would make an interesting novel; "The Year the Seasons Stopped Changing."

This past year could have been the one. We almost didn't have a summer. And when it finally arrived, it was short. I think the late arrival really through the trees for a loop. The leaves seemed to forget to loosen their grips well into late September, and continued into the early throes of October.

Fortunately my wife and I had already planned a summer trip to Winnipeg. It's always hot there in the summer. Vancouver had more of a summer that wasn't. So it wasn't an altogether abstract thought to imagine a year where the leaves remained firmly attached to their branches.

I was thinking recently that I do tend to have abstract thoughts while walking our dog. It's those times when I really try to take in my surroundings. When a new product hits the market I often wonder, "How did anyone come up that?." Sometimes it seems it's just not a product of rational thought. But whoever said you have to be rational all the time? The abstract leads creativity, in my opinion. And I have my dog to thank for accelerating my creative process, especially photographically. Who knows, maybe one day I'll successfully act on an abstract idea.

While not altogether abstract (except maybe the grandfather clock image), these photos are a taste of what I've seen lately, and are an example of what I've thoughtfully processed, in this month of October.

BTW, the "Keep out" photo was taken at the site of the old Jericho Beach wharf. It's been removed lately because it was deemed unsafe. This view is looking East early on a recent Saturday morning.

Coincidences

Coincidences are indeed thought provoking, i.e. things that make ya go, “Hmmmm.” (How the word “go” ever replaced “said” I’ll never know, but that’s for a future rant.)

A couple of days ago a work colleague of mine told me about two commuter trains colliding in China. The same or next day (I can’t remember) this same colleague phoned me on my way home from work to say he’d like to drop by after work to give me some documents I’d need for the following day’s site investigation. I was lying on the couch watching the news as he pulled up in front of my house. And wouldncha know it; I was watching the report of the collision of those two trains in China.

This morning my wife told me about a new fitness centre a neighbour of ours is planning to open soon. I started thinking about fitness clubs because I’ve started going to Fitness World again, and the company I work for has a reimbursement available to cover part of a fitness club membership. I was thinking I should contact our HR rep to find out how to do it. I opened a job file this morning to work on a current project, and there right in front of me was an old draft document I’d physically cut and pasted some project photos onto for a field review report, and lo and behold, on the back of it was the Health Club Reimbursement form I’d filled out in 2007. I guess I never submitted it. This was the same form I was going to look for this morning!

There was another one of those “Huh?” moments that happened in between the colliding trains and the fitness club membership reimbursement form, but I have forgotten what it was. I made a mental note of it at the time, but it seems to have been sucked from my head to blend with the ether as seemingly permanently as parfum de skunk does with my Spaniel’s big floppy ears.

But, never fear. Another coincidence has just occurred (these always occur in threes, right? Or does this count as four?) This morning I was arranging a business trip for early next week to Sechelt to conduct existing conditions reviews of some buildings. I had just finished arranging a time and place with the client when I received an email from my department manager, asking if I’d issued a proposal first. I hadn’t because I thought from the phrasing of his original email that that portion of the job was already complete. Apparently not.

Considering this assignment is out of town, I thought back to the last existing conditions review I’d done; it was in Whistler. Bingo. I’d use that as a template. I had just pulled that proposal file on screen at the exact moment that Evan, the project manager of that Whistler job, walked past my office in search of my department manager. He almost never comes into this department. I’ve seen him around here maybe twice this year.

If I could display that distinctive opening music from The Twilight Zone in easily recognizable characters (not everyone reads music), I’d do it right here.