It Is Well: Lost at Sea

In late 1873, a heartbroken father stood on the deck of a ship gazing out to sea at the site of the disaster that had tragically claimed the lives of all four of his daughters. This was only two years after he had lost his son and his business. Now this.

Horatio Spafford was a lawyer and real estate investor who had seen great success. He had an amazing wife and beloved children. He had a lucrative business. But his successful life began to unravel in 1871 when his 4-year-old son contracted and succumbed to scarlet fever. It was a tragedy no parent should have to go through, having to bury their own son. But things would get worse. The Great Chicago Fire tore through the city, leaving large swathes of it in charred ruins. Shortly after losing his son, his successful business was quite literally up in smoke. In the face of such unimaginable loss, he could not know that even worse tragedy was on its way.

The Sinking of the Steamship Ville du Havre
Currier & Ives, 1873
Hand-colored lithograph
Image courtesy of Springfield Museums
Used with permission

Horatio and his wife Anna were devastated. The stress of raising children and rebuilding a business in the face of such unspeakable loss was heartrending. They decided that they needed a change of scene. A vacation to England would be just the thing. Horatio was detained by unexpected business obligations, so he saw his wife and four daughters off as they boarded the SS Ville du Havre, bound for England. He would take another ship and join them soon.

November 21, 1873 was a day that would shatter their lives, literally and figuratively. Over the Atlantic Ocean, the Ville du Havre collided with the Scottish iron-hulled ship Loch Earn. Anna Spafford gathered her four young daughters on the deck and they desperately prayed to be spared, or to be able to endure what was to come. The ship sank in 12 minutes. Over 200 lives were lost that day.

A few days later, Horatio received a telegram from Cardiff, Wales that began:

Saved alone. What shall I do?

A sailor on a small boat had spotted a woman floating on a piece of wreckage and pulled her aboard. They were then picked up by a larger boat bound for Cardiff. As soon as Anna arrived, she telegrammed her husband back in Chicago. Anna told another survivor of the Ville du Havre, "God gave me four daughters. Now they have been taken from me. Someday I will understand why."

Horatio and Anna Spafford's daughters

Gutted, Horatio booked the next available ship to Wales. The captain was aware of Spafford's tragedy and brought him out to the deck as they reached the site of the collision. As he looked out to sea and thought about his daughters, he was filled with a mixture of grief, comfort and peace. His emotions flowed on paper as he wrote the words that came to him to comfort in this horrible tragedy:

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll—
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to know,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

As the waves buffeted the ship back and forth, he wrote on:

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate
And hath shed his own blood for my soul.

Some of this is speculation on my part, but having gone through tragedies of my own, I know we are often plagued by the "what ifs" of life. What if they had stayed home? What if he had gone with them and could have protected them? What if he had committed some sin God was punishing him for? At their hour of greatest need, he was miles away, helplessly and ignorantly unable to help. Rational or not, I know my mind has gone to places like that, and I'm sure his did as well, particularly in light of his poem.

My sin—oh the bliss of this glorious thought—
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, & I bear it no more;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Oh my soul.

As he pondered, prayed, and agonized, it helped to remind himself that this was in God's hands, and God would bring him through it. Whatever sins he may have committed, whether or not they contributed to the tragedy, were forgiven and atoned on the cross. But even so, he missed his son and daughters horribly, and couldn't wait to see them again someday in heaven.

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll—
The trump shall resound, & the Lord shall descend—
A song in the night, Oh my soul!

The above poem is from the original manuscript, which you can see here. A few words have been changed over the years for the hymn that we have grown up singing, but it is mostly intact. The biggest change I see is the last line. He would also write, 

"On Thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down in mid-ocean, the water three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs, and there, before very long, shall we be too. In the meantime, thanks to God, we have an opportunity to serve and praise Him for His love and mercy to us and ours. I will praise Him while I have my being. May we each one arise, leave all, and follow Him."

Naufrage du paquebot transatlantique la Ville-du-Havre.

L'arrière du navire est encore au-dessus des flots,

et le Loch-Earn envoie ses embarcations pour sauver les naufragés.

Translation:

Shipwreck of the transatlantic liner the Ville du Havre.

The back of the ship is still above the waves,

and the Loch Earn sends its small boats to 

save the shipwrecked.

Artwork by Évremond de Bérard in Le Monde illustré, 

December 13, 1873 based on information taken in 

Le Havre, France and a sketch by M.G. Roullet

Public Domain

After returning home, their friends rallied around them. Among those friends was Phillip Bliss, who was gifted in music and was so moved by Spafford's poem that he set it to music. It has comforted and moved generations ever since.

Following the tragedy, the Spaffords had three more children, losing another son to pneumonia. They would eventually move to Jerusalem. His "faith became sight" in 1888, when he passed away and was buried there.

This hymn has been special for me, particularly when I learned as a child that I was born on the anniversary of the shipwreck that inspired it. The first time I heard the story behind it was on the radio. We sang the song growing up, and hearing the story moved me. But now, it means more to me than ever.

In 2019, I took my parents on an errand to Bellingham, Washington, about a 2-hour drive north of us. On the way home, I could feel myself getting drowsy and pulled into a rest stop so I could get coffee and stretch my legs. But just as we were on the freeway exit into the rest stop, I dozed off momentarily. The car veered off the road into the grass, taking out a road sign as I desperately tried to regain control. The car went neatly between trees and slammed into another tree, momentarily going airborne and landing perpendicular from where it had hit the tree. (I'm hearing the crashes and feeling the shock again just typing this.) The airbags deployed. My dad found my glasses on the ground outside the passenger door. I was badly bruised. My parents were injured worse. My brother Tim, who was at work at the time, immediately left work and rushed to the hospital where we were taken. I was in the hospital a few hours, and my dad was in a bit longer. After nine days in the hospital, my mom had to spend a few weeks in rehab. I did a sleep study and CT scan to determine if there were any sleep or brain issues. (On one visit to the neurologist, I joked that I had to have my head examined.) There were no brain issues, but I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. While my glasses were thankfully intact, I got a new pair that wouldn't come off as easily. I went through terrible feelings of guilt and "what ifs"... What if I had pulled off the freeway sooner? What if I had stayed alert for five more minutes? On the other hand, what if we had been on a bridge over a river when it happened, which would have been worse? So many "what ifs"! My family and friends had to reassure me over and over that it wasn't my fault, and the feelings of guilt were not helpful. After I had worked through that, a well-meaning friend asked me if I was feeling guilt about it and offered unsolicited advice—but by that point, her efforts were a bit counterproductive as it revived it a bit. Never assume what someone is feeling when they are grieving. You could be reawakening things they've already worked through and don't need to be reminded.

In mid-November 2021, my dad was in the family room watching football. I thought it was a bit odd that he was still sitting there at midnight, which was not like him, but I told him I was going to bed. He offered to turn the TV down, but I assured him the volume was fine. About 3 and a half hours later, my mom woke me. She was in tears. My dad was still sitting in front of the TV, but the screen saver had come on, and when she asked him questions, his answers didn't make sense. I got up and went in and talked to him. Most of his answers to my questions also didn't make sense. At one point I commented that we were very worried, and he said, "I can see that." He didn't want us to call 911, because he was afraid they would ask him questions and he wouldn't know what to tell them. We finally decided to call 911 anyway, and paramedics rushed to the house. At the hospital, he was diagnosed with a hemorrhagic stroke, which involves bleeding in the brain, and eventually transferred to another hospital a bit farther away that was better equipped to help. While he was in the hospital, their COVID guidelines only allowed for one designated visitor throughout the stay. My mom was the obvious choice, so Tim and I waited in the parking lot while our mom visited him nearly daily. His condition was up and down. Due to COVID, I was working from home, so one day while I was working, Tim took my mom. They made the painful decision to move him to comfort care, as all attempts at getting food into him were failing, and the only other option had the potential of doing more harm than good. Tim called me and told me they were coming home to get me. I alerted my manager that I had to go, and once they arrived, we returned to the hospital. Since he was on comfort care, the one-guest rule didn't apply, so we went up. I had some things I needed to discuss with my dad, and I wish I could have discussed them with him when he was coherent. But I was able to tell him, clear some things up, and get some closure. He was clearly in pain, and was unable to talk right then, but I'm fairly certain he could hear me. We were hoping he would feel a bit better the following day and I might be able to talk some more. But that night, shortly after midnight, we were back home and had gone to bed. Tim got a call from the hospital. Once he had turned the phone over to our mom, he came and got me. I will never forget his next words: "Dad just died." We hurried back to the hospital. He was gone.

Once again, the "what ifs" came. What if I had realized before going to bed that something was physically wrong? What if we had called 911 sooner? Could they have saved him? With a stroke, minutes count. What if the accident in 2019 contributed to his stroke? What if I had listened to his lessons more and appreciated him more when he was alive? What if? What if? What if? I even had to work through some of the "what ifs" from the accident again.

It has been a difficult road since losing my dad. So many times I want to tell him something, ask him a question, give him a hug. While he was fighting for his life, I felt helpless. But "Christ has regarded my helpless estate and has shed His own blood for my soul." In some ways, I felt I failed as a son, and didn't honor and respect my dad as much as I should have. But "My sin—oh the bliss of this glorious thought—my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Oh my soul!" I miss my dad horribly, but I cling to that "peace like a river" that "attendeth my way" as "sorrows like sea billows roll." Someday the faith WILL become sight. I will see my dad again. He is completely healed. I miss him, but for his sake I don't want him to come back. So I sing with my brother in Christ Horatio Spafford:

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll—
The trump shall resound, & the Lord shall descend—
A song in the night, Oh my soul!

Don't get me wrong, I plan to live for a long time yet, and I want to make an impact while I'm here, but a part of me yearns for that day when we run into each other's arms and joyfully sing Jesus' praises at His feet!

Sources:

https://www.staugustine.com/story/lifestyle/faith/2014/10/17/story-behind-song-it-well-my-soul/985525007/
https://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/articles/it-is-well-with-my-soul.html
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-it-is-well-with-my-soul
https://seelemag.com/blog/story-behind-it-is-well-with-my-soul-cportee
https://springfieldmuseums.org/collections/item/the-sinking-of-the-steamship-ville-du-havre-currier-ives/
https://www.spaffordhymn.com/

Darcy

My cousin Darcy is an amazing, talented person. In the years since I did this portrait of her, she also got married and has an amazing son. Those facts have nothing to do with the fact that I did a portrait of her. Did I mention that I'm thankful for my family?

Darcy
Steven Sauke
Illustration

Days of Yore Post-Credits 2: Glasses

Some movies even have two post-credits scenes! I'm pretty sure this is the last "Days of Yore" post, but never say never! :-)

Back in January of this year, I shared my story about when I had retinitis pigmentosa, and it miraculously healed! I got my first glasses at that time, and it took a long time before I really enjoyed wearing them. Now I'm proud to be bespectacled, and wouldn't have it any other way! I wish more people understood how helpful and awesome they are. Many who need them don't realize it for various reasons, such as not knowing anything different, or their eyesight diminishing so gradually that they don't notice it. It's common for the newly-bespectacled to be shocked how much better they can see with their glasses. I've heard multiple people comment that they can suddenly see the leaves on the trees that they couldn't distinguish in the past. I was one of those who didn't know any different.

Image by bravissimos on Adobe Stock

The process of getting glasses has changed a bit over the course of my lifetime. When I was younger, the doctor had to put drops in my eyes to dilate them, in order to be able to look into my eyes easier. After the exam was done, I had to wear sunglasses for a while because they were sensitive to light while the dilation was wearing off. While people still do this sometimes, I much prefer the Optomap that they do now. You put your eye up to a fancy camera, and it takes pictures. I also like this because I can then see the inside of my eye on the computer screen as well. It's a more educational experience, as the ophthalmologist can point out parts of my eye, as well as indicate any issues. I find that fascinating, and I like to ask them to send me the pictures. (I call it my super extreme closeup.) The Optomap costs extra, but it's worth it for me, particularly because then I'm not super-sensitive to light for the next while. I've never particularly been a fan of the part of the exam where they puff a burst of air in the eye to test the pressure, though. While painless, it's a weird feeling.

In a different part of the office, you sit on a chair, cover one eye, and read from an eye chart on the wall. Then you do the same with the other eye. Then they pull out the phoropter. It looks like this, or some variation on it:

Image by ijeab on Adobe Stock

You look through the eye holes, which have panes of glass in them that the doctor can change. They look a bit like magnifying glasses in there. They then have you look at the eye chart and compare two thicknesses of glass... "Can you see better with 1...or 2? 1...or 2?" After going through these and trying different ones, they can tell your prescription. That part hasn't changed much at all in my experience.

There is of course more to the eye exam than that, but those are the highlights. This site has good descriptions and pictures of the common equipment, if you'd like to learn more.

Once that is done, they can give you a printout of your prescription, though you sometimes have to ask for it if you want it.

Then you get to select frames (I love this part). Once you've picked out your frames, the optician (in the front office) has you put them on and look straight forward, and marks the temporary lenses where the centers of your pupils are. This tells the pupillary distance (PD), which is important for the people adding the lenses. (If you order frames online, you need the PD, and you usually have to ask for it. There are other ways of measuring it if you aren't picking frames in the shop.)

I went into changing frame styles over my lifetime in my post about what the cool kids wore.

Anatomy of Glasses (some of these may seem obvious, but people may find this useful):

• Lenses. These are the clear (or sometimes tinted) panes that have the prescription. The rest of the glasses are there to hold these in place in front of your eyes.
• Frames. These go around the lenses to hold them in place. They are basically everything that is not lenses. They can be made of any number of materials, such as various metals (such as titanium) or plastic. The frames have several parts:
• Rims. These are the part of the frames that go around the lenses. There are also half-rim (also called semi-rimless) glasses, which have a rim around the top and a fishing-line-type cord made of nylon around the bottom to give the illusion of no bottom rim. (Occasionally, mainly in some readers, this is switched and the rim is around the bottom and the fishing line on top.) They also have rimless glasses, which don't have rims, but they drill holes in the sides of the lenses to attach the rest of the frame.
• Bridge. This is the bar (or sometimes bars) between the lenses that holds the sides together. It goes over the top of your nose.
• Temples. Also called stems or arms, these are the two bars that go from the sides of your glasses back over the temples of your face, and rest over your ears.
• Temple Tips. These are at the end of the temples to provide padding for the ears. They can be varying shapes, from straight back, to bent down a bit, to a half circle that wraps around the ears. (That latter one isn't very common any more in my observation.) If you wear headphones, I find it's best to have the ones that go straight back as there's less touching the ears that the headphones could squeeze.
• Nosepads. These are small gizmos that provide padding for the nose. Depending on the material of the frames, they look different between frames.

Over the centuries, there have been multiple kinds of eyewear:

• Monocle. This was a round frame with a lens that people could either hold over their eye, or scrunch their cheek and brow muscles to hold it in place. It only went over one eye.
• Lorgnette. This was a pair of glasses without temples/stems that people had to hold over their eyes. It often had an extra bit to hold so you didn't have to get fingerprints on the lenses.
• Pince-nez. Literally translated "pinch nose," this was similar to a lorgnette in that it didn't have temples, but you didn't have to hold it because it clamped to the nose.
• Glasses. For lack of a better term, as most of these could be classified glasses, this is what we normally think of as glasses. They have temples so they can rest on the ears.
• Bifocals and Progressive. Bifocals were invented by Benjamin Franklin and provided an option for both far vision and close-up vision in one lens. They had a line down the middle that marked sections. More recently, they have developed progressive lenses, which serve the same purpose, but eliminate the line. (I just got my first pair of progressive lenses a couple weeks ago. It is a bit of an adjustment, but not as bad as I was expecting. The biggest adjustment for me has been getting used to looking through the right part of the lens for what I'm doing.) Some people need trifocals, which add another level of complexity.
• Reading Glasses. Also known as readers, these have magnification rather than prescriptions. They generally sell them in drugstores, and they can be helpful for people who don't necessarily need a prescription, but do need to have their text magnified a bit. They are only used for reading or other close-up stuff, as they don't work for distance.
• Blue-light Glasses. These look like regular glasses, but have a film over the lenses to filter out harmful blue light from screens and other sources. (This includes computers, cell phones, tablets and more. I think many mistakenly think they're only for computer use.) This is a fairly recent development. Depending on the strength of the filter, it can look different from regular glasses, though. The strongest filter has an amber tint. The kind I prefer is clear, but has a bluish sheen if you look at it from certain angles. The past few years I have made sure my glasses have a blue light filter, but they are also available in non-prescription glasses, which I recommend even for people who don't normally wear glasses. They are most commonly worn when using screens, but as the biggest source of blue light is the sun, I think it's a good idea to wear them all the time, even if they are non-prescription (unless of course you have a blue light filter on your readers).
• Sunglasses. Some people call these glasses, and while they are a kind of glasses, I don't feel they count. They are very useful, though, and I feel everyone should have a pair. For people who wear regular glasses, there are several options. There are some that attach magnetically to glasses. Some clip on the glasses. Some are larger and fit over glasses. Transitions lenses are clear when you are inside and turn dark when you go outside. (While I like the concept of Transitions, I wish they had a way of turning the sunglasses off when you want to take pictures outside and sunglasses seem odd.)
• Smart Glasses. These have been developing in recent years and have various capabilities, depending on the brand. Some have earphones built into the temples and can play music. Some can take pictures. Some can count steps and do many of the things a cell phone can. There has been some controversy around these, and while I'm excited about the possibilities, I'm waiting for further development before getting some.
• Contacts. These are small lenses that fit in the eyes. I'm not a fan of the idea of putting something in my eyes, but they do have some advantages. For me, it isn't worth the eyedrops, keeping track of them, the risk of them shifting back in the eyes (I've heard horror stories, though I don't think this is common), and more. But that's just my opinion.
• LASIK. While not eyewear, this replaces eyewear. It is an operation where doctors use lasers to correct some vision problems. It doesn't work for everyone, and depending on your age and other factors, may or may not hold for long. For people who are good candidates, it works great. It is a bit expensive, though. In some cases, it is necessary to prevent blindness due to injuries.
• Sports Glasses. These are specifically made for people who are into sports. They are more durable than normal glasses, and often have better padding. (Speaking from experience, I don't recommend wearing regular glasses while playing basketball, because the ball hitting them is a painful experience, but I think sports glasses take that kind of thing into account.)
• Doggles. These are also a fairly new development, but now they have glasses specially designed for dogs with vision problems!
• Safety Glasses. These are generally used for industrial work, and anything where you need to protect your eyes from being hit by flying objects. They also have versions that fit over regular glasses.
• Goggles. These protect the eyes when diving, and for various other purposes.
• I'm sure there have been others, but those are the ones that come to mind.

I have a theory that, especially with the development of blue-light glasses that come in prescription and non-prescription, everyone should wear them even if they have good vision. In the case of people with good vision, it can help preserve their vision longer by protecting from the harmful blue light. Some people object that they don't look good in glasses, but I have another theory that if you feel you don't look good, you just haven't found the right pair for you. Opticians can help with that, but it also depends on your tastes. There are also sometimes issues with discomfort in the nose and ears. Opticians can help with this too. 

If you order glasses online, it's important to know the size of your face, as well as your PD and prescription. Once they arrive, it's best to go into an optical shop to get them adjusted for your face. When selecting glasses, in the shop or online, you want to be sure they aren't too large (which could make it easy for them to fall off) or too small (which could cause them to squeeze your face and cause pain in the temples and possible headaches). If they become loose or askew, you can go into any optical shop, and they typically adjust them for free.

The size is often indicated on the interior of one of the temples (or occasionally on the back of the bridge). It also generally tells on the website when you are ordering online. For example, if the size numbers say 54-20-140, that means each lens is 54mm wide, the bridge is 20mm long, and the temples are 140mm long.

Personally, I've been a big fan of the Oakley brand in recent years. My new glasses are Nike, and they are just as great. I love how both brands cling to my face, and I don't need to push them up as often. Your optician can advise on other brands, but those are my recent preferences.

If you are looking for more information on glasses and eye health, I have found some great YouTube channels. Doctor Eye Health and That Glasses Guy are two of my favorites.

SMS

One assignment in one of my design classes was to make a personal logo. If I remember right, I made this one in Adobe After Effects. I also have a simplified version without the blue background, which I use for the logo on my blog.

Steven Sauke
Personal Logo

Days of Yore Post-Credits: Video Games

You know how the past few years, certain movies have enticed you to stay through the credits by including a scene at the end of the credits? It often reveals something you need to know for the sequel. (Pro tip: Pirates of the Caribbean and Marvel movies are never over until the credits have finished rolling!) Think of this post like that, except that this isn't necessarily important to understand for future blogs. But you never know!

Image by Sergey Nivens on Adobe Stock

As you may recall, I covered some aspects of video games in my post on computers, but there is more! We had games on floppy disks back in the '80s. When friends came over, sometimes they brought their games on floppy disks to play together. I loved playing games like Digger, Carmen Sandiego, Mario Bros, Arkanoid, Galaxian, Tetris, Pac-Man and others. I learned how to play Solitaire on the computer and have only played it a couple times with real cards.

At that time, most of those games could be played using the keyboard (particularly the arrow keys, and certain numbers and letters). Some could also be played using a joystick, a small hand-held device with a knob that looked a bit like a gear shift in a car. Joysticks were generally pretty cool, but could be frustrating as well. For example, if I accidentally moved the knob in the wrong direction playing Tetris, the blocks would drop where I didn't want them to drop. As I grew up with a tremor, involuntary movements from time to time could be annoying. (That can also be annoying at times when trying to hold a camera still to take a picture.)

Space Invaders
Jason Kotecki
Oil on canvas
Used with permission

Occasionally we would go to a video arcade where we could play games on bigger machines. Depending on the nature of the game, we would be standing and pressing buttons or a joystick knob built into the machine, or we might be sitting on a motorbike built into the machine. Or we could be seated and turning a steering wheel. Games like Duck Hunt involved a toy gun that you pointed at ducks as they crossed the screen. Last time I was at the Seattle Museum of Flight, I used a flight simulator that works very much like an arcade game, where you try to land a plane smoothly.

As I grew older, smaller devices became more popular, such as Game Boy, Nintendo DS series and others. There were also some tiny ones like Tamagotchi, which involved a digital animal or character that the user could feed and nurture.

Photo by Cláudio Luiz Castro on Unsplash

Some of my friends in school got into Call of Duty, which I haven't tried. One job where I worked, a bunch of my coworkers were into World of Warcraft. As I am told it is very time-consuming, I haven't gotten into that one, but I'm curious. My brother Aaron works for Blizzard, who makes it. I did a seasonal job testing the French versions of games at Nintendo in 2009. That was when I got to know the Wii. This is a bigger console, and includes a board that you put pressure on in different places. The console also has other components. I tested Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort, which had exercises you could do on the board and it kept score. The player was represented on the screen by a customizable character called a Mii. I also tested the New Super Mario Bros Wii, which didn't use a Mii due to Mario, Luigi and Toad already being there. I then got to know Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks on the much smaller Nintendo DSi. I'm not sure why I didn't get into Zelda when I was younger, but it was fun! 

As time has gone on, video games have become more available. I even (I know this may be shocking) have some on my cell phone! (My favorite story there is one time when I downloaded a Mario Bros app. I can get very competitive, and I got so into it on my cell phone that my thumbs were sore the next day!) Pokémon Go was particularly popular a few years ago on cell phones. "Gotta catch 'em all!"

This seemed to be an appropriate way to end this post:

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

Tim and Annika

I made this portrait as a wedding present for my cousins Tim and Annika a few years ago. They now have two amazing kids! Today Annika advances in years. I'm super thankful for my family.

Tim and Annika
Steven Sauke
Illustration

Days of Yore

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more

So wrote Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane in 1943 in their song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." It was featured in the 1944 musical Meet Me in St. Louis, sung by Judy Garland. It has been a Christmas classic ever since, inspiring a sense of nostalgia. It has been recorded by multiple artists.

This is me back in the days of yore.

"Washington Heights. Say it, so it doesn't disappear."

So wrote Lin-Manuel Miranda much more recently in his musical In the Heights. Usnavi, the main character, is reminiscing with a group of children about a time in the New York neighborhood of Washington Heights before they were born. He wants to pass on his experiences from the past to the younger generation and ensure that these memories endure.

I feel it is important to remember how things were in the past. Usnavi had a point that we need to remember what we have experienced, as well as what previous generations have experienced. There is so much inspiration, along with other things we can learn from the past. Of course, we shouldn't dwell in the past, but we should remember and learn from it. The past couple months I have been writing about how things were when I was younger in an effort to remember and preserve these experiences and trends in society.

These are just some of the things that have changed radically over the years. Click on each one to read the associated post.

• Computers 
• Audio Recordings
• Video Recordings and movies
• Photography
• Books
• Mail
• Shopping
• Telephones
• Listening to Music
• Hot Drinks and Food (such as coffee, cocoa and chili)
• Transportation
• Julius Caesar (this was before my time)
• St. Patrick's Day
• Research and Organization
• Slang
• Lighting
• Restaurants
• Clothes and Hairstyles
• Chores
• Social Media
• My Time Trilogy (not to be confused with Madeleine L'Engle's Time Trilogy of A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door and A Swiftly Tilting Planet)
• Part 1: small clocks
• Part 2: larger clocks
• Part 3: time travel (or as close as we get to it)
• Broadway (guest blog by Michael Kape)
• Navigation
• Office Equipment
• Job Search

My brother Tim and me
at Crystal Hot Springs
Laguna, Philippines
A few years ago

Victor Hugo

"To err is human. To loaf is Parisian."

- Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

Victor Hugo had a very distinctive writing style. Best known for his novels Les Misérables and Notre-Dame de Paris (some English translations call it The Hunchback of Notre-Dame), but also the author of The Man Who Laughs, 93, The Toilers of the Sea, along with other novels and poems, I have found it useful to have a pad of paper and pen handy when reading his works. He often inserts a random statement in the middle of a narrative that is quite thought-provoking. He also spends whole chapters discussing concepts that may or may not be relevant to the story (I find reading the abridged version first is helpful, and then I can go back and read the full version).

Victor Hugo
Steven Sauke
Text-Based Illustration

One such random statement in Les Misérables is his observation when introducing the students who will figure prominently, "To err is human. To loaf is Parisian." Reading that made me burst out laughing.

One assignment in one of my design classes was to select a quote from an author and make a text-based portrait in Adobe Illustrator using the words of the quote. After narrowing it down, I selected this quote from Hugo. This was perhaps the most tedious assignment, particularly since my computer crashed at one point, causing me to lose hours of work. But I was very proud of the result.

Days of Yore: The Epic Quest for a Job

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far

To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

- Don Quixote de la Mancha
The Man of La Mancha, music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion

Image by New Africa on Adobe Stock

As a fan of both musical theatre and high adventure, "The Impossible Dream" seemed an appropriate start to this post. The job search has been the great quest that most adults encounter at some point in their lives and careers, in some cases multiple times. The means of the quest have changed over the years.

Continuing with the theme of musical theatre (since we all know how extremely accurate that is), the musicals Thoroughly Modern Millie and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying give us a glimpse into the methods of job search in the 1920s and 1960s, respectively. In Thoroughly Modern Millie, Millie Dillmount physically goes to different businesses to speak to them in person. I am guessing her aim in wanting to find a boss she could marry was likely not typical, but it does indicate the need to go physically and search that way. In How to Succeed, J. Pierrepont Finch ("Ponty") is also going to businesses on foot to find a job. But he has obtained a book with specific instructions, not only on finding a job, but also on getting to the top quickly (which he does within a few days). That show is satire, so again, much of it is not typical, but it also shows that the job search was more of a physical endeavor than it often is today. Of course, even today doing it that way doesn't hurt (at least i don't think it does), but things have changed considerably.

In 1935, the US government created unemployment insurance to help job searchers while they were searching for work, by temporarily providing a salary to help in paying bills. These days the requirements vary by state, but you generally have to be actively searching in order to get it. Washington State requires that you do at least three job search activities per week (which could include sending a resume, doing an interview, taking a course on work-related skills, and other things) and keep a log of it. Every week you have to file a claim and report what job search activities you did that week, in addition to certifying that you were "able and available" to go to work, and a few other requirements.

How did we search for jobs in the past? As mentioned above, people generally went to businesses and talked to the people there to find out if they were hiring. Newspapers had a "Help Wanted" section where businesses could advertise job openings, providing brief job descriptions (usually only a few words due to space restraints and per-word charges from the newspaper) and contact information. Many people searched the Yellow Pages in the back of their phone book and called businesses to find out if they had openings. When I was in college, our career center on campus had bulletin boards where they posted job openings sent to them by local businesses, as well as on-campus jobs. Colleges provided "work study" positions as well, so that students could have an income while attending classes. This was also nice because work could be scheduled around classes. I worked in the libraries both at Edmonds Community College and Seattle Pacific University when I attended. When I returned to Edmonds Community College, I took advantage of a "worker retraining" program related to unemployment, where I had an income from the state while attending school. This did not replace tuition, but it was a big help. This program is related to unemployment insurance, but differs in that you are learning a new skill to become more marketable, rather than searching for a job.

Image by New Africa on Adobe Stock

Even in the old days, there was a lot of calling potential employers. In the past, it was when responding to want ads. On the phone you could schedule a time to come in and bring your resume, possibly schedule an interview. While interviews were almost always in person in the past, it has become more common to do them over the phone in recent years. However, it is still common to do them in person. An interview would often consist of questions to assess a person's fit with the company and how well they might do the job in question. They may also include assessments either on computer or using a typewriter or other means to show how well the candidate can do the job. Most commonly, the phone interview these days is used in the initial screening process. If the company wants to proceed with the candidate, they may schedule a second interview in person.

Another option that worked for me in the past was going through staffing agencies. They contracted with companies looking for temporary workers, also called temps. Companies would need temps for various purposes, such as a limited project that will only last a short time, covering for a worker out on vacation or maternity leave or other kind of leave, or for any number of other reasons. Some temporary positions were considered "temp to hire," in which case the company would contract the person on a temporary basis to get a more practical idea of their fit. If they do well, they can be converted to a permanent employee. Most of my positions in the past have been with the help of staffing agencies. An agency placed me at Wireless Advocates in 2017 for a "3-4 week" position, which ended up getting extended multiple times, and finally became permanent at the beginning of 2018. It lasted until the beginning of 2023, when the company went down. My initial interview for Wireless Advocates was over the phone. I would have another interview, in person this time, a few months later when they were considering converting me to permanent employment.

While I was working at Wireless Advocates, COVID changed everything. We transitioned to working from home in March of 2020. This was a new experience for me, and I was impressed how well our team adapted. It was also great, as I have been taking care of my parents, and I was more available for them while still being able to devote much of my time to my job, often even doing overtime. I was thankful to have a steady and dependable job when so many people were unemployed due to the pandemic.

When Wireless Advocates folded, I once more filed for unemployment, and found a changed method. Many of the requirements were the same. However, in the past, we were required to go to our local WorkSource office for an orientation session. They didn't ask me to do that this time (though they did state there was a possibility they may require me to go at some point). Methods of hiring had changed. Staffing agencies post their openings on their websites, and I didn't have as much success as in the past at contacting them. For the first time, much of my job search was done on LinkedIn. In the past I had posted my resume there, but I hadn't done much job searching there. LinkedIn has also added some excellent courses that I have taken to help with job skills as well as blogging.

Years ago, I often used online job boards, such as Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, and others. This time, I used LinkedIn, indeed.com, and a few others, but didn't have as much success on the boards that worked in the past.

Image by New Africa on Adobe Stock

When doing interviews this time, more were over the phone than ever before. Rather than do it in person, some were done over Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other online video chat services. After an initial phone screen at USI Insurance in Seattle, I was invited to the only in-person interview I have done during this job search. I was truly excited with how well it went. This one seemed a perfect fit. My amazing previous manager was a tough act to follow, but this manager seems an excellent candidate. Following that in-person interview, I had another interview over the internet with a manager in another state.

All that to say...

Today I start my new job at USI Insurance! I am super excited for this new adventure, and I can't wait to get started!

Canvas Trek Chocolate Wrapper

In our ongoing campaign to introduce the Canvas LMS (Learning Management System) to Edmonds Community College, our fearless leader Steve Sosa challenged me to make a wrapper to put on chocolate bars, and do something that was different from my normal "look and feel."

Canvas Trek
Steven Sauke
Illustration, Chocolate Wrapper
2013

To work with this challenge, I considered that we would be putting it around a chocolate bar and researched the origin of chocolate. I found out it originated with the Maya and continued with the Aztecs. As my previous art for the project had a more overt Star Trek theme, I decided to go with a more Mesoamerican theme in this case, as a nod to chocolate's rich history (pun intended). But this was also related to Star Trek, so I managed to include some subtle nods to that theme. In my research, I found the Mayan glyphs for Star, Road, Life and Wealth. Thus, as close as I could approximate it, I included "Star Trek, Live long and prosper" in Mayan. (Of course, not being an expert in their language, they may have used different glyphs that more closely worked with the meaning and grammar and such.) I also found a Mayan mural with a chief preventing a servant from taking his vat of chocolate. I based the illustration on that, but modified the fingers to make a Vulcan salute. I selected a texture that looked most like it might be on a rock wall. The background is a photo of the Mayan ruins at Chichén Itzá on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.