A Toy that Saved My Life
This is about a toy that saved my life. Not literally, as it was my academic life that was threatened, not my biological one. Years ago at Uni, I had a final chance to re-sit an particularly nasty biophysics exam. In addition to being my last chance, it was going to be an oral examination, meaning I was convinced I really had to know my stuff. I had a few months to prepare, and prepare I needed to do.
For some strange reason, I convinced myself that what I needed was a white-board. I would pace up and down my room, thinking, repeating formulas and checking myself when writing them down on the board. I could wipe mistakes away, redo calculations, correct formulas. It seemed the perfect solution. And - lo and behold - it was. After some hunting around, I got a nice, large and heavy one and hung it in my room. From day one I was enthralled. Much to my surprise, it had exactly the effect on me that I had hoped for. I could pace up and down my room, think, repeat, write... it was fantastic. In a geeky, studenty kind of way. I loved that white-board. The daily sight of arcane formulas was reassuring in the days while preparing for the exam. Later, the use was more mundane, when I noted shopping lists or to do's. Friends would jot down stuff or leave messages, if I was away. I splattered it with ideas, doodles, telephone numbers. Whatever came up, went up. Up on the board.
Now - I have been living without this board for the past years. When I moved to England, there just wasn't space in my luggage, and neither in the small college room where I stayed for the first months. After that, accommodation was always university property, and drilling holes into walls was severely frowned upon. No white-board. Luckily, this didn't have a major negative effect on my academic life here (although I did miss it occasionally), and time passed and degrees were awarded. Some years and a PhD later, I am still without white-board. Until today, that is ! Once again there is this creeping feeling that I need to wander and think, plan while holding a fat marker, being able to walk while going over ideas. So, I walked into Staples, and out with one under my arm. It's still on the floor, the power-drill is charging its batteries. I have high hopes again, although no biophysics exam is waiting for me this time. But projects are nonetheless, and ideas, and doodles, and telephone numbers...
For some strange reason, I convinced myself that what I needed was a white-board. I would pace up and down my room, thinking, repeating formulas and checking myself when writing them down on the board. I could wipe mistakes away, redo calculations, correct formulas. It seemed the perfect solution. And - lo and behold - it was. After some hunting around, I got a nice, large and heavy one and hung it in my room. From day one I was enthralled. Much to my surprise, it had exactly the effect on me that I had hoped for. I could pace up and down my room, think, repeat, write... it was fantastic. In a geeky, studenty kind of way. I loved that white-board. The daily sight of arcane formulas was reassuring in the days while preparing for the exam. Later, the use was more mundane, when I noted shopping lists or to do's. Friends would jot down stuff or leave messages, if I was away. I splattered it with ideas, doodles, telephone numbers. Whatever came up, went up. Up on the board.
Now - I have been living without this board for the past years. When I moved to England, there just wasn't space in my luggage, and neither in the small college room where I stayed for the first months. After that, accommodation was always university property, and drilling holes into walls was severely frowned upon. No white-board. Luckily, this didn't have a major negative effect on my academic life here (although I did miss it occasionally), and time passed and degrees were awarded. Some years and a PhD later, I am still without white-board. Until today, that is ! Once again there is this creeping feeling that I need to wander and think, plan while holding a fat marker, being able to walk while going over ideas. So, I walked into Staples, and out with one under my arm. It's still on the floor, the power-drill is charging its batteries. I have high hopes again, although no biophysics exam is waiting for me this time. But projects are nonetheless, and ideas, and doodles, and telephone numbers...
posted by sven at
1:34 am
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