I have done printmaking before, so I decided to take it up a notch and make a digital text of the process while I was at it. I just got a top-down phone mount for work and wanted to test it out, so I made a stop-motion.
Archives: May 2020
Voice to Text
My Story
This is a story about my new house 10 years ago my parents moved this neighbourhood and it was love at first sight and I was bummed that it wasn’t the ones my parents had purchaseda few years later it did go on the market but unfortunately I was in the middle of my undergrad and couldn’t possibly buy it myself at that time jump ahead to the summer of 2017 when the wildfires hit the Cariboo chilcotin this neighbourhood was the first in the northern Caribou area to burn three houses were lost two of which are right across the street from my new house I was there for most of it I’m at my parents house my dad and I were fighting bushfires grass fires root fires and watering our neighbours gardens it was a very strange time because while we could legally be home during the evacuation order we could not return if we left the property otherwise we would be charged with insanity dad and I especially took care of this house because it was my dream home whether or not I would ever get to live in it jump ahead 2 after the fires when I met the previous owners and jokingly said to them that if they wanted to move away for retirement to let me know because I I would love to buy their houseturns out they were planning to retire sooner rather than later and they gave us a timeline of about 5 years which was shortened to a year which was shortened to a matter of months we got to go inside for the first time in October and it was eerie because it’s floor plan was identical to every dreamhome I ever built for myself in The Sims miraculously my partner and I were able to raise the down payment and actually get a mortgage and now we’re here and it’s crazy and I’m so overwhelmingly I know it’s corny but I’m so overwhelmingly blessed I can stand on my porch and if I was a good spitter and the wind was blowing in the right direction I would be able to spit on the the tree that is half burnt so not only am I lucky that I get to live in this beautiful home with its beautiful views I’m lucky that this house is even still standingand part of that luck is self-made because I stayed when so many others left the Caribbean I helped protect this house and others in this neighbourhood PS I was raised with fire training and my dad was certified by the US Navy to fight fires and had been a bushfire volunteer for decades I understand that people with less fire knowledge felt safer following the evacuation order and leaving for Prince George in Kamloops during the 2017 wildfires
– Recorded using Google Keyboard’s Voice-to-Text button
What’s In My Bag?
This is the bag I take to-and-from work every day (along with a little red backpack that’s a glorified lunch bag). Its inventory consists of:
- The aids are quick fixes to tide me over until I get home again. Advil, sugar-free mints, Rescue Remedy (it may be a placebo), and water.
- I kept the miscellaneous receipt in case I needed to return a branch lopper that I bought last week. The OMG note is a reminder to call my cell-provider—it had been on my desk, but got shoved in my bag during the move at the start of the month.
- The cosmetics are there to help me look more put together. Chapped lips? Moisturizing mineral lipstick. Shiny face? Compact powder. Dry knuckles from fastidious hand-washing? Lanolin ointment.
- The sketchbook is where I jot down my ideas, designs, plans, and to-do lists. I made the vinyl stickers as demos for my Graphic Production class. They are also helpful reminders and mementos of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, there are two other stickers on the back. One is a smiley face that says NO WORRIES, and the other is a pink flame that one of my students gave me.
- I recently thinned my arsenal of pens but still carry a wide selection. Be it studious, creative, formal, or even digital, I have the right tool for the job!
- My wallet contains my ID and bank cards (especially necessary when cash is rarely accepted). I bought it in 2014 while teaching summer science camps in Haida Gwaii. I was also collecting insects that summer, thus the dragonfly.
- The laptop is a portal to connect, work, and create. It has some scars from a terrible mishap with the bag in question. The sticker on it is one of the first I ever made. Its a character from one of my favourite games, Oxygen is NOT Included.
- NOT shown is my phone, which was being used to take the photo.
Hello!
My name is Laura Ulrich, and I am a high school teacher in BC’s Cariboo region (the central interior). In the past three years, I have taught Biology (my academic background), Social Studies, Computer Science, Career-Life Ed, and Digital Arts (my passion!). This blog is my exploration through Text and Technology.
The view from my new house– we just moved in at the start of the month!