First, I do believe a good vent is in order. Number one, why can’t I add plug-ins to my WordPress Blog? Why did my Timeline photos all decide to be too small? They weren’t small before. Why are online guides always so out of date compared to the current versions? Mysteries I will never solve…

As for the process of using digital tools, I am skeptical but intrigued. I actually had a friend who was hired to do a major digital media project for the city of Camrose. It was entitled Boomtown Trails or something to that effect, and basically, the thinking was to use digital tools to make history more contemporary and accessible. I remembered thinking, “wow, that seems like a massive waste of time.”

I always felt like the people that care about the history of Camrose are people in their 70’s who wish to return to the days when you could still be blatantly racist on tv. And as for contemporaries, that demographic is comprised of roughnecks, University employees, and people who have a yearly yoga-pant budget of $10,000. Who is out there thinking, “man, I really wish Camrose would spend thousands on some digital project, that would sure disrupt the stranglehold the cult of hockey has on this city.”

I still carry many of those beliefs with me today. Who is this for? Who’s mind will be changed that isn’t already? My hope waxes and wanes, and in this season, it is waning. The scope of the problem drives my cynicism, my current circumstances poisons my paradigms. Yet, unexplainably, I feel… pretty good. And as I said in the onset, I am intrigued. I can’t even explain why, and that contributes to the excitement of the whole thing. And the last time I felt excited is when I woke up hung-over and remembered I had left-over Chinese food in the fridge. The process of building the timeline was even kind of fun, in a strange, infuriating way. Will my project have any meaningful impact? Doubtful. Will it even be worth the effort I put in? Questionable. Will I grow as a person through the effort? For sure that’s a maybe. But like I said, I am intrigued. And I do like being intrigued.