This is the third iteration of Before I Die. The first one was published on 2009-06-14. The second one appeared 3070 days later on 2017-11-09. They are both found in the same post. Now, a third was published yet another 3070 days later on 2026-02-06. It occupies a different post. The span of time, 6140 days, between the first and the third is not quite seventeen years. The fourth version should appear 2034-07-04.

Being 77, I may only have between 5 and 20 years to achieve lifetime goals. I have already begun to get frail and forgetful. Thus my first goal is the same as it was in 2009, to remain content with what I have, and not to seek novelty for its own sake.

Back in 2009 I said I could live with the car I had, then yearned to be unfaithful to her.  At this moment in time I no longer own a car, but am content to use Trish’s Buzz. Later this year I will have to undertake an eye test to see if I am still fit to drive. A more comprehensive medical comes when I turn 80.

Literature

My favourite authors remain, in order: Arthur Ransome (1884 – 1967); Peter Dawlish = James Lennox Kerr (1899 – 1963); Archie Binns (1899 – 1971). All produced books for children. Perhaps I should add, in alphabetical order, other contenders, that wrote books for adults: Donald Barthelme (1931–1989); Victor Canning (1911 – 1986); Erskine Childers (1870 – 1922); Douglas Copeland (1961 – ); Ivan Doig (1939 – 2015); Lawrence Durell (1912 – 1990); Stanley Evans (1931 -); Tony Hillerman (1925 – 2008); Colin Macinnis (1914 – 1976); Haruki Murikami (1949 – ); Annie Proulx (1935 – ); Jean Rhys (1890 – 1979); John Steinbeck (1902 – 1968); Jules Verne (1828 – 1905) and David Young (1958 – ). Not all of these are writers that I have read recently, but they are all found in our library. Previously, I also mentioned scientific writers: William Beebe (1877 – 1962); Rachel Carson (1907 – 1964); Ralph Buchsbaum (1907 – 2002). Here again, I should add some broadly non-fiction authors: Derek Hayes (1947 – ) with his historical atlases and books about British Columbia, Obi Kaufmann (1973 – ) with environmental books about California; Terje Tvedt (1951 – ), with books about water, including the Nile.

Later, in 2026, I am looking forward to acquiring Derek Hayes’ Coastal Connections: A History of British Columbia Ferries and Passenger Ships.

I also mentioned authors of religious books, but will not repeat those here.

Music & Video

Most of the music I listen to these days has its origins with YouTube. Some of it is ancient, such as Hawkwind, a space rock and proto-punk band with its Silver Machine (1972) with dancer Stacia Blake (c1952 – ) making a lasting contribution, along with Lemmy Kilminster (1945 – 2015), notably arrested in 1975-05 at the Canadian border in Windsor, Ontario, on drug possession charges. Then there is Jan Hammer (1948 – ), the Czech-American musician and composer, with his Miami Vice Theme (1984), popular in the Americas, or Crockett’s Theme (1984), more popular in Europe. At one time, the musical group I listened most to, was from Iasi, Romania = Iron Cross band with hard rock and heavy metal covers. Band Members consisted of Andrei Cerbu, Andreea Munteanu, Matei Gasner and George Pintilii.

Tony M2 has had a number of channels on YouTube. It seems that these channels get banned from time to time, and he has to start something new. The latest is called Planet ASA. Of course, I also appreciate Tony Basil (1943 – ) and Hey, Mickey. It originated with a song first recorded in 1979 by the English pop group Racey, titled Kitty.

While I have mentioned it in other posts, I still fondly remember Approaching Nirvana, and the first track I listened to: 2nd Flight (2011). I also appreciate music by Savfk = who creates royalty free music, including Instructions for Living a Life (2021). For additional information about my musical preferences see this post.

If I have to choose a modern musical genre, it is EDM = electronic dance music, and other variants of synthesizer music. Here, I often listen to the music of Stephen McLeod, from Glasgow.

Plants

Currently, I am attempting to restrict my gardening to Lego Botanicals. A Japanese Maple Tree has been purchased for me.

In addition I am attempting to acquire a hornbeam = Carpinus betulus. The most northerly native example of it is approximately 50 km south of us in Levanger. However, there may be cultivated examples further north. Hornbeams yield a very hard timber, giving rise to the name ironwood. The wood can be used to make products where a very tough, hard wood is required.

Travel

No, I will never be as well travelled as my mother, Jennie.

Some of my travel goals involve the Baltic. I would like to visit: Latvia and Lithuania at some point, and Königsberg (also known as Kaliningrad) if it is ever free from Russia. There are two islands in the Baltic I want to visit: Öland (belonging to Sweden) and Rügen (belonging to Germany).

In terms of the Mediterranean, my priorities are Sardinia (already booked at the end of February 2026). In addition I would like to visit the wilderness areas of Albania.

In the summer I would also like to visit more of Ireland (especially County Donegal and the area around Strangford Lough) Scotland (many places) and Canada (Quebec is still on my list, along with Churchill, Manitoba and some other places).

If I was not boycotting the United States, there are many fine areas to visit, including:  Grand Canyon, the Everglades, Florida Keys, Carlsbad Caverns, Yellowstone Park, Four-corners, Maui. I also have biological origins in Schenectady, in upstate New York.

In terms of Ukraine, once the war ends, I would like to visit Odesa = Одеса, which is a sister city with Vancouver. Further east, I would like to visit Kharkiv = Харків to meet members of the 225th Separate Assault Regiment = 225 Окремий штурмовий полк. In addition there is the longest trolleybus route in the world, the Crimean Trolleybus Line, which stretches 86 kilometers from Simferopol = Сімферополь to Yalta = Ялта. This route, built in 1959, offers scenic views as it travels through the Crimean mountains and along the Black Sea coast.

Languages

I have decided that I do not need to learn major languages. I am fluent in English and Norwegian. I can read Danish and can understand Swedish. When it comes to Duolingo, I use it for Scottish Gaelic – mostly. This is the language spoken in the Highlands and the Hebrides. With a trip to Milan and Sardinia planned for the end of February, I am currently using Duolingo to learn some Italian.

In addition, I am learning another Scottish language Norn, or more accurately Nynorn = New Norn, a modern variant. Norn was previously used on the Shetlands and on the Orkneys, as well as mainland Scottish locations near Caithness. It is a Norwegian variant.

In terms of my ethnicity, other languages that I should consider learning include Sardinian and Mohawk. Other languages that hold appeal are Finnish and Ukrainian.

Workshop

My workshop is in the process of being transformed into a playshop. My priority is to improve my mechatronic skills: computer aided design, basic metalworking, programming, microelectronics. As I wrote previously, “my secret goal is to combine craftsmanship, video, embedded electronics and 3D production to create an educational environment that promotes a better understanding of sustainability.” I have the same goal today, but with more time and money to achieve it.

Both my son, Alasdair, and my daughter, Shelagh, are at home, and I am trying to get some order into my blogs.

[Note: Originally there were three blogs: Brock at Cliff Cottage: brockmclellan.wordpress.org; Design Needs, Seeds & Weeds: designeeds.wordpress.org; and, Unit One: unitwon.wordpress.org. These were subsequently merged into one on 2018-04-03 at 9:00: brock.mclellan.no This post originally appeared in the first, and original, one. The second, looks at design. The third, started the day before publication of this post, involves a number of personas interacting harmoniously and otherwise. ]

As of today, I retire in 232 days. I am looking forward to entering a new age of freedom, that ends with frailty, forgetfulness or death.

In my original post I mentioned “Prosperity without Growth” and our addiction to novelty. Now, I’d like to mention Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows” which addresses internet addictions. I am now trying to spend at least an hour each day reading books.

My Citroën Evasion died in 2012, and was replaced by a Mazda 5. It is not the best of relationships. Every time I refuel I feel a twinge of guilt about global climate change and local emissions. I am looking forward to a future with three important forms of transport: walking as my primary means of transport,  a more occasional use of Lyft (not Uber) combined with autonomous electric vehicles, and – for intra and intercontinental travel – the hyperloop, which a couple of days ago had a successful test run of its propulsion system.

Literature

I am trying harder to avoid being inspired by the literature I’ve read as a child. I am actively trying to find new literature. Not many new authors of fiction, with the exception of works by Ivan Doig (1939 – 2015), Armistead Maupin (1944 – ) and Colin MacInnes (1914 – 1976). Marc Reisner’s (1948 – 2000) Cadillac Desert has been inspiring. Carmen Aguirre (? – ) has been fun. Robert Riech (1946 – ), Joseph Stiglitz (1943 – ), Ha-Joon Chang (1963 – ) have improved my understanding of economics.

Travel Goals

Islands and archipelagos continue to attract, especially British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, and Washington State’s San Juan Islands. In Europe, the islands of the B-7 Baltic Islands Network hold considerable appeal, Denmark’s Bornholm, Germany’s Rügen, Sweden’s Öland and Gotland Islands, Estonia’s Hiiumaa and Saaremaa Islands, and the Finnish autonomous Åland Islands.

Portugal and Portugese territories continue to attract, especially the Azores and Madeira.  In the USA, Hawaii attracts me, the wind, the waves, the geography, the geology, the volcanos and hot springs, the plants, the animals. With Shelagh living in San Francisco, I would like to explore more of California.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is still at the top of my travel list.

Winters

As mentioned before, Norway’s winters do not appeal, and I would still like a home in a winter warm area. Contenders still include: France and Portugal. There are large English speaking populations in Provence, the Algarve and on Madeira.

Languages

While I speak and write English and Norwegian, I have spent 500 days improving my French (and Swedish).

2009-06-14 19:39:20

I am inspired by my daughter, Shelagh, to write a summary of my goals.  Being 60, I have only another 30 or 40 years to achieve these goals before I begin to get too frail and forgetful.

Chapter 6 of Prosperity without Growth comments on our addiction to novelty. We are not content with what we have, but want something bigger or better or at least different.  Marital infidelity is rampant and, in Western civilization, the same is true of economic infidelity.  I am sure that I can live for the rest of my life with my Citroën Evasion, but there are days when I yearn to be unfaithful to her.  The petite Mitsubishi i MiEV and the Citroën Nemo both attract, but neither offers anything better. After the first week in a new relationship, the feeling of novelty wears off, but it is probably too late to return to the old lover.

Thus my first goal is to remain content with what I have, and not to seek novelty for its own sake.

Literature

Many of my goals have been  inspired by the literature I’ve read as a child.  I first read Arthur Ransome soon after the opening of the new New Westminster public library in 1958.  He ranks as my favourite author, although there are many contenders for the places immediately below this.  Peter Dawlish, and his Dauntless series; Archie Binns, with Sea Pup and its sequels; William Beebe was my hero in terms of underwater exploration; Rachel Carson my inspiration in terms of exploring the sea; Ralph Buchsbaum has inspired my interest in invertebrates.

As a Baha’i, religion and Faith have influenced my life, as have the following books: Baha’u’llah, The Seven Valleys; Abdu’l-Baha, A Traveler’s Narrative; Nabil, Dawnbreakers; Mirza Abu’l-Fadl, The Baha’i Proofs; Michael Sours, The Prophecies of Jesus. Later in life I have found inspiration and an understanding of theistic evolution in the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Theodosius Dobzhansky, Niles Eldredge, Ronald Fisher, Stephen Jay Gould and Eugenie Scott.  I appreciate the works of Richard Dawkins, but not his atheism.

One of my goals is to reread books that have influenced me previously.  These include the following: Jules Verne, Vingt mille lieues sous les mers; Eden Robinson, Monkey Beach;  Haruki Murikami, Kafka on the Shore; Donald Barthelme, Snow White.

Another goals is to read a previously unexplored book (and unrelated to my work) once a month.  This can be difficult, since I spend vast hours every month reading work related books.

Music

Patricia, my wife, has a hearing disability.  For this reason I don’t listen to music that often, since she regards it as noise.  I guess I should learn to use headphones.  My goal is to set off time to enjoy a wide variety of music:

Regularly: Bax, Biber, Bliss, Bridge, Britten, Davis, Dowland, Dufay, Dunstable, Elgar, Feeney, Frye, Holst, Muldowney, Parry, Purcell, Tallis, Vaughan Williams.

Regularly: Loreena McKennitt, Maggie Reilly, assorted celtic music.

Occasionally: Assorted new age, Jane Birkin, Kate Bush, Chris De Burgh, Celine Dion, Amanda Lear, Mike Oldfield, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull.

Less occasionally: The Byrds, The Clash, Foreigner, The Kinks, Kraftwerk, Lillix, Midnight Oil, Tangerine Dream, Wallflowers, The Who.

Travel Goals

Coasts and Islands

Having built my first sailboat in 1962, sailing has held a life long interest, although I admit that I am at best only a fair weather sailor, and probably no more than an armchair sailor. Despite this, there are several islands and archipelagos that attract me.  These include British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, and Washington State’s San Juan Islands.     Forty years ago, the South Pacific (including New Zealand, Easter Island, the Galapagos and Hawaii) and the Atlantic (especially the Caribbean)  all had their allure.   Thirty years ago, the Aegian, Ionian and Adriatic Seas would have headed the list.  More recently,  Mauritius, the Seychelles, the Maldives and other exotic locations in the Indian Ocean would have been at the top. Yet, when I owned a small cruiser,  the Norwegian coast, the Åland Archipeligo and the Baltic in general, and Scotland  appealed, but I never ventured far from Trondheim Fjord.

Despite this, the Azores remain a mystical place that enchants me. If things had been different, Hawaii could have been even more attractive, but excessive development has spoiled the islands.  It is nature that attracts me, the wind, the waves, the geography, the geology, the volcanos and hot springs, the plants, the animals.

Scuba Diving

I earned a diving certificate back in 1972, but probably should take a refresher course.  However, the idea of diving still appeals to me, especially in the warmer seas of the world including the Egyptian Red Sea and  Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Colder parts that appeal include Norway’s many dive sites, Canada’s sites on Vancouver Island and Ireland’s sites on Strangford Lough.

Europe

Let’s face it.  Norway’s winters are not all that appealing.  I now have less than ten years before I retire.  In that time I would like to secure myself a home in an area that is relatively warm in the winter, and relatively cool in the summer. I remember thinking at one time that I should like to divide my life into 3s.  The first third was in Canada, the second third has been in Norway.  Who knows where the third third should be spent. Contenders for a winter home include: France (Ruffec, Charente); Portugal (Yes, somewhere in the Azores).

Canal holiday in Britain and France.

America

The United States has many of the finest areas in the world to visit, including:  Grand Canyon, the Everglades, Florida Keys, Carlsbad Caverns, Yellowstone Park, Four-corners, Maui. The next step is to work out a ten year plan to ensure I get to visit these areas in the next decade.

Imagineering

At the age of 14 I started out building a Sabot sailboat.  At one time I expected a career as a boat builder. This combined with my studies in wood and metal working indicate that I should be able to make things.  The result is minimal.  I think a contributing factor is that I have no workshop to build things in.  So, one of my goals is to find a place that is large enough to become a workshop.

By the age of 16, photography had become my dominant interest, and many times I think I should have taken a two year program in television production at BCIT.  Thus, one of my major goals is to produce, direct and edit a video film, or better still to combine video production with some of the other activities listed below.

Another mislaid interest was in electronics. One of my goals is to learn how to build circuits using microcontrollers, and to program them.  I came half-way there with my post-graduate degree in computer science, but should have attended an institution that focused more on hardware in addition to software.

In this connection, I also want to improve my skills in computer aided design, including rendering.  In addition, I would like to be able to master use of CNC tools.  Here, I would like to focus on the more creative aspects of 3D production.

Actually, my secret goal is to combine craftsmanship, video, embedded electronics and 3D production to create an educational environment that promotes a better understanding of sustainability.

Languages

English and Norwegian are the two languages I have learned to master.  The latter with an American pronunciation that I have tried to eliminate for 30 years.  In addition, I am constantly feeling I should learn more French, Persian, Arabic and/or Portugese, as well as refresh my Latin skills.  The next step is to determine if I should learn another language, and if so to select that language, then set off time to learn it.English and Norwegian are the two languages I have learned to master.  The latter with an American pronunciation that I have tried to eliminate for 30 years.  In addition, I am constantly feeling I should learn more French, Persian, Arabic and/or Portuguese, as well as refresh my Latin skills.  The next step is to determine if I should learn another language, and if so to select that language, then set off time to learn it.

Before I die (revisited)

 2017-11-09 06:34:40

The original Before i Die page was written about eight years ago, in 2009. Now that I am 69, the time I have left is only even less. As I see my mother at 101, I realize that I may not be accomplishing much in another 30 years. The biggest difference between 2009 and now is that I retired at the end of 2016.

I didn’t have to be unfaithful to my Citroën Evasion. She died, but I am not that happy in my relationship with Endeavour, a Mazda 5, bought because I wanted a sensible vehicle with sliding doors and Japanese quality. I probably would have been happier with a Berlingo. In five years, I may spend my fortune on one last vehicle, a Volkswagen Buzz, with at least level 3 autonomous capabilities.

So much for “my first goal is to remain content with what I have, and not to seek novelty for its own sake”.

Literature

All of the literature related in the previous version remains relevant today. I am reading fewer books, and have less joy from reading. Today’s top three in the book world are Rutger Bregman’s Utopia for Realists, Susan Cain’s Quiet and Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics.

Music & Video

It is months since I listened to any music or watched a film. Trish and I used to watch a documentary once a day, but our current rate is about once or twice a week. In October 2017, I don’t think we watched a single documentary. I am watching more youtube DIY shorts.

Languages

English and Norwegian are the two languages I have learned to master.  The latter with an American pronunciation that I have tried to eliminate for almost 40 years.  Duolingo is being used to improve my French, on a minimalistic but daily basis. I have also used Duolingo to study Swedish, German and Portuguese. I still feel I should learn Persian and Arabic, and am waiting for a Duolingo course in at least one of these languages.

Travel Goals

Compared to 2009, there are fewer places that attract me.  At the top of list are British Columbia’s Vancouver Island and adjacent islands including the Gulf Islands. Washington State’s Puget Sound, including the San Juan Islands are still high on my list. This year we visited Madeira for a month, and walked extensively. I wouldn’t want to visit a place where the maximum temperature at the time exceeded much over 25. The islands of the Baltic still hold their appeal.

Overwintering

Previously, I wrote that I would like to secure myself a home in an area that is warm in the winter, but cool in the summer. I no longer think I can divide my life into 3s. I can’t afford to return to Vancouver, and while Westminster Quay holds some appeal, don’t think I want to. The east coast of Vancouver Island, or Port Townsend and western Puget Sound (if they were in Canada), are still places I would consider living either year round, or overwintering.

Instead of relocating, I am focusing on turning our house at Vangshylla into a center for research, training and prototyping of an ecological future. In the previous version I lamented the lack of a workshop. This situation is being corrected with the transformation of a single car garage into the Unit One work space to allow me to work in and develop mechatronic skills: woodworking, metalworking, programming, microelectronics, computer aided design, CNC tools, 3D printers and laser cutters.  All with a focus on the more creative aspects of 3D production.

One of my major goals remains to produce, direct and edit video film starting with DIY videos, but only when I have something important to say. After that, I would like to work more with drama.

As I wrote these many years ago, “my secret goal is to combine craftsmanship, video, embedded electronics and 3D production to create an educational environment that promotes a better understanding of sustainability.” I have the same goal today, but with some money and more time to achieve it.