Watching Glue Dry
20/03/12 05:26
I have been reading about reported problems with the new iPads. It seems that they get hot when they are used. It is a problem with other types of computer technology. The electrical chips produce heat as a byproduct. Years ago when the only kinds of computers were mainframes, they were kept in basements with air conditioners running year around to keep the components cool. Many computers, even laptops, have fans to help keep everything cool. The desire for super lightweight, super thin, super bright computers creates compromises. No worries for me at this point. I don’t have an iPad and I don’t have a plan to obtain one at this point. I like technology, but it isn’t uncommon for a new device to be in its third or fourth generation before I enter the market. Even though I was one of the first people in our city to get an iPhone, mine is an iPhone 4. There were three models before I got mine.
Our modern technology creates a sense of urgency. We become frantic about delays. Before the invention of microwave ovens, no one thought that waiting for water to boil was a long delay. We expected it to take some time to prepare a meal. Recently I read an advertisement for a single cup coffee maker that proclaimed “no more waiting.” Is the wait in an automatic coffee maker really too long?
But I know some of the impatience has seized me as well. I get frustrated when a web site runs slowly. The eye doctor that I see for my glasses has a new online registration process. When it took me fifteen minutes to complete the process, I was frustrated. There was a time when it was routine for a medical office to have 15 minutes of paperwork before being seen by the doctor. I have found myself in a local bookshop frustrated that I have to wait two days to obtain a book.
As a result, I try to keep a few things around me that run at a slower pace. I love to cook outdoors on my barbecue grill, but I haven’t yet gotten a gas grill. Waiting for the charcoal to become the right temperature is a gift. It means that I have to plan ahead a little bit in order to cook. There are always a few small outdoor chores that need to be done while the coals warm. I use a charcoal chimney, so it doesn’t take very long for the grill to get up to temperature.
Building boats is another area of my life, where I am intentional about slowing down. I use modern methods and tools in my work. In fact I have only made one boat that did not involve the use of epoxy. The modern two-part adhesive is a gift to amateur boat builders. But epoxy takes 24 hours to cure at 75 degrees. I don’t know any boat builders who keep their shops at 75 degrees. My “shop” is an unheated garage, though I do have a kerosene heater to warm the place when I am working. When the weather is cold, it takes at least twice as long for the epoxy to cure, even with a little space heater. That means that there are times when I am literally waiting for the glue to dry.
And I can be impatient. Especially when I have a day off from work and would like to get all sorts of things done. It means that I have to plan my work. It also means that there are times when all I can do in a day is to place one or two parts.
The gift of this is a different perspective on time. In order to build a boat, I need to slow down and take my time. The time delays probably result in a better boat, because I have time to re-read the instructions. I have time to study the plans. I have time to just stare at the project and think about how things will go. Down time also is an opportunity to sharpen and clean tools and to pick up the workspace a little. My area is cluttered. I am not the best at keeping everything organized all of the time. But I do have good toolboxes and places to keep my things when I take the time to put them away properly.
Yesterday I cleaned out a small toolbox that my father-in-law kept at his apartment. As an electrician, he kept a good assortment of pliers, wire strippers, screwdrivers and nut drivers. He wasn’t a woodworker. It took me more than half an hour to put an edge back on a small wood chisel that was in the box. The handle was all beat up. You could tell he used a claw hammer to pound on the chisel to carve wood. Most likely he was trimming to make a place to run a wire in an area where it would never been seen. Still, I couldn’t put the chisel into my toolbox without sharpening it first. There was also a pocketknife that was in need of some time with the stone. I don’t need another chisel or another pocketknife, but I added them to my toolbox all the same. Using tools that belonged to my elders is a good way for me to maintain the connections with them.
Today is a busy day at work, with meetings that stretch into the evening. I’ll be going from meeting to meeting all day long. I will need to be prepared and will need to be able to exhibit a different kind of patience – this time with people who need to be heard. There won’t be any time to work on my rowboat project. That’s good for the project because the epoxy needs to cure. It’s good for me because I need the contact with people. But it is also good that I take time away from the constant flow of meetings to practice the discipline of patience.
Sometimes it is good to just watch the glue dry.
Our modern technology creates a sense of urgency. We become frantic about delays. Before the invention of microwave ovens, no one thought that waiting for water to boil was a long delay. We expected it to take some time to prepare a meal. Recently I read an advertisement for a single cup coffee maker that proclaimed “no more waiting.” Is the wait in an automatic coffee maker really too long?
But I know some of the impatience has seized me as well. I get frustrated when a web site runs slowly. The eye doctor that I see for my glasses has a new online registration process. When it took me fifteen minutes to complete the process, I was frustrated. There was a time when it was routine for a medical office to have 15 minutes of paperwork before being seen by the doctor. I have found myself in a local bookshop frustrated that I have to wait two days to obtain a book.
As a result, I try to keep a few things around me that run at a slower pace. I love to cook outdoors on my barbecue grill, but I haven’t yet gotten a gas grill. Waiting for the charcoal to become the right temperature is a gift. It means that I have to plan ahead a little bit in order to cook. There are always a few small outdoor chores that need to be done while the coals warm. I use a charcoal chimney, so it doesn’t take very long for the grill to get up to temperature.
Building boats is another area of my life, where I am intentional about slowing down. I use modern methods and tools in my work. In fact I have only made one boat that did not involve the use of epoxy. The modern two-part adhesive is a gift to amateur boat builders. But epoxy takes 24 hours to cure at 75 degrees. I don’t know any boat builders who keep their shops at 75 degrees. My “shop” is an unheated garage, though I do have a kerosene heater to warm the place when I am working. When the weather is cold, it takes at least twice as long for the epoxy to cure, even with a little space heater. That means that there are times when I am literally waiting for the glue to dry.And I can be impatient. Especially when I have a day off from work and would like to get all sorts of things done. It means that I have to plan my work. It also means that there are times when all I can do in a day is to place one or two parts.
The gift of this is a different perspective on time. In order to build a boat, I need to slow down and take my time. The time delays probably result in a better boat, because I have time to re-read the instructions. I have time to study the plans. I have time to just stare at the project and think about how things will go. Down time also is an opportunity to sharpen and clean tools and to pick up the workspace a little. My area is cluttered. I am not the best at keeping everything organized all of the time. But I do have good toolboxes and places to keep my things when I take the time to put them away properly.
Yesterday I cleaned out a small toolbox that my father-in-law kept at his apartment. As an electrician, he kept a good assortment of pliers, wire strippers, screwdrivers and nut drivers. He wasn’t a woodworker. It took me more than half an hour to put an edge back on a small wood chisel that was in the box. The handle was all beat up. You could tell he used a claw hammer to pound on the chisel to carve wood. Most likely he was trimming to make a place to run a wire in an area where it would never been seen. Still, I couldn’t put the chisel into my toolbox without sharpening it first. There was also a pocketknife that was in need of some time with the stone. I don’t need another chisel or another pocketknife, but I added them to my toolbox all the same. Using tools that belonged to my elders is a good way for me to maintain the connections with them.
Today is a busy day at work, with meetings that stretch into the evening. I’ll be going from meeting to meeting all day long. I will need to be prepared and will need to be able to exhibit a different kind of patience – this time with people who need to be heard. There won’t be any time to work on my rowboat project. That’s good for the project because the epoxy needs to cure. It’s good for me because I need the contact with people. But it is also good that I take time away from the constant flow of meetings to practice the discipline of patience.
Sometimes it is good to just watch the glue dry.