Tracing Your Daily Steps

Back to form and function.

I mentioned before that I like to design things. I've dabbled in clothing and vehicles, including boats.

Mostly, I like to design homes. Specifically, floor plans, since my decorative ideas tend to be different from other people. Colour, material, finishes, that is up to whoever has to look at the stuff. I like to design the space people live in. I even took a drafting course in high school.

The key to designing a working space is to think about how you will use it. The best way to do that is to trace the steps you take in a given day. You get up, go to the bathroom to get your day going, and then aim for the coffee and breakfast. At least, that is the common start up routine for most people. Your mileage may vary. But that is where knowing who you are planning for comes in. The form of the home MUST follow the function of the space.

When the floor plan is first drawn, I actually act out a typical day, tracing with a pencil. It would amaze you how quickly you can pick out inefficiency and wasted steps. This is how they came up with the optimum work triangle for the kitchen. The same thing works well for the bathroom, public spaces or an office.

You've naturally heard that you cannot know somebody until you've walked a mile in his or her shoes. The same is true of design. You can't make something for another person to use until you have followed in their footsteps and know their routine.

Form, function?

Today's discussion is about my sweater. Okay, yes, that is a little off the wall, but there is a point to it. You'll have to trust me on that one.

Years ago, when I went to University, I asked my mother to knit me a cardigan. I had a very definite feel in mind. Naturally, I wanted something warm. That is the whole point of the sweater. The difficult part was, I wanted something longer and larger than usual. If you've ever seen the length of a standard lab coat, you get the idea. I also wanted something rather "baggy" that had space.

You see, form follows function, as the old saying goes. The function of my black sweater was to be almost like a blanket with sleeves. I can wrap myself in it when I'm cold, or I can let it fall out behind me like a cape. It is not uncommon for one of the cats to curl up on the section that falls on the couch beside me when I don't have it wrapped.

There pockets even conform to my needs. There are two large outer pockets for me to shove my hand into. Inside of them are two smaller pockets. Those fulfill the needs of a regular pocket. I can stuff my cell phone or a pen in there. Two functions for the price of one.

Now to the point. (I bet you were wondering when I'd get there.)

All to often, we decide on somethings value from it's look. It's not until you wear your sweater that you really understand what you need, and how to achieve it. It may look odd on the rack, but when it's on you, it feels natural. Designers these days put so much emphasis on the "rack" look, that we have given up comfort and usefulness for style. If we applied a "form and function" to how we design our clothes, our homes and other articles, we'd all be more comfortable.

The Perfect Car

I've been putting a lot of thought into vehicles lately. Mostly, I'm just grateful to have access to one that works. Too many of us take reliable transportation for granted. Having been without it a few times in my life, I can't do that.

I think the most important ingredient to the ideal vehicle is to make sure it fits the driver. For example, I have been considering what would be ideal for my niece, whom I have been giving driving lessons. The vehicle should be sized right for the driver. No point putting a girl five foot nothing into a Hummer now, is there? Similarly, it makes no sense for a man over six feet tall to be behind the wheel of a Honda Fit.

Now, for my niece, I think a Civic or a Golf would be ideal. Four doors, for the convenience of carrying friends (of the quiet, responsible type) and stuffing junk. She has a bit of a lead foot, so I don't recommend anything larger than a four cylinder engine. The new ones have more than enough power for anyone.

Myself, I think I'd like to have rather a small truck, say a Ford Ranger or something similar. There is something to be said for a vehicle that only has two seats. No more passengers than you really want. It's either that, or a small, two door hatchback, like a Civic or a Hyundai Accent. I really don't need to carry a lot, and seldom have more than four people on any given trip.

There is still some debate over the whole manual vs. automatic transmission. I favor the automatic myself. My legs just aren't up to switching pedals fast enough for a manual. Besides, with the distractions out on the road, the last thing I want to worry about is rolling back into the car behind me. There isn't THAT much difference when it comes to drivability and fuel economy.

Granted, this is all academic. It will be ages before I have to even consider looking at a car for myself.

On the other hand, I take the same approach to designing things for others.

More on that another time.

Enough already.

Okay, I'm not usually one to gripe about the weather, but enough already! I had to clear a ton of snow off of the car yesterday. This was after a snow storm only a few days previously. This time, I didn't make it out to the parking lot before they plowed, so I had to clear out the parking space too.

I can just be grateful that I live in Ontario and not out in the Maritimes. They have gotten over two metres (About nine feet!) of snow in the last few weeks. I've seen pictures of people having to clear off their roofs, and they didn't need ladders to reach them. Now that is snow! I guess that's the silver lining in those dark clouds hanging over us today. Somebody always has it worse.

On the plus side, the water level in the river might be up to something approaching normal. It has been low for several years, when we have had a green Christmas and the last snowfall was in early January.

I think it must be a universal right to complain about the weather. Maybe I should have become a farmer to have a legitimate reason to complain.

Super Bowl

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the popularity of the Super Bowl. I suppose it's just that I'm not a jock, or sports fan in general. I don't get all excited about March Madness or the NHL playoffs either. There just seems to be so much hoopla made over the event being played out tomorrow.

This isn't just an American phenomenon either. The grocery stores up here in Canada have been laying in the party supplies as well, trying to grab their share of the cash cow. At the end of it all, that cow must look like ground chuck. Chips, cola, beer, you name it, it's on sale. There has been a rush on large screen televisions, and from what I hear, subscriptions to satellite services are up, at least for the month.

Don't even get me started on pay-per-view.

There have been very few televised events that I just HAD to see. To be honest, our set is on mostly for the sake of the background noise. Stupidly, I guess, most of my time is spent on-line, doing nothing that matters.

Perhaps, that is the saddest thing about it all. We spend so much of our time doing things that are isolating us (Ironically using what is called "social media".) that when something, anything "big" comes along, we have to make as big a production out of it as possible.

Is it time I found that something big that works for me? I'll let you know. In the meantime, I guess you will still be able to follow my ramblings.