This is one half of my graduation present from mum (thanks ma!). Beautiful isn't it? It's from a 1939 Remington typewriter, probably portable, but unsure of model.
I like typewriters. The sounds, the tactile response, the sensory overload, the carbon copies. I wrote and typed a lot when I was younger, and in school, I belonged to the sub-nerdy Typing Club. Typing skill (stop laughing) sure came in handy for IRC, and in later years, for copious law assignments, self-employment as an arbitration stenographer and for taking in super-fast flashes as a wire reporter. It's mainly used now to craft a better message as a research editor :P
There were other keys I could have chosen for my necklace, but I'd like to think the shift key chose me for 2011 - a call to arms, if you will.
The shift key amplifies what's already there, ratcheting up to a higher frequency. It reminds me to keep my sense of perspective, and that any change of perspective also requires effort (a pinky's worth!). It's also about being aware of the persuasiveness or otherwise of other views. I'm used to hearing other people's views, but not of having my own view. In non-opinion piece journalism, objectivity and a balanced argument rule. That sort of stuff runs a bit too deep in me.
In 2010, Sean and I toasted to Enjoying Who We Are Becoming. It was an amazing year, something I'll write about in future posts.
This year, however, will be about shifts in perspective, which means being catalysed from a lower case e into a capital one.
So, in 2011, let us Surpass Our Own Expectations and Go the Distance.
