Last Monday was the final session of the best OLLI* class I have taken in several years. Leslie Brookman taught a five-session class "Digital Scrapbooking," at the Duke ContEd computer lab. While the purpose was to teach scrapbook layouts and design, the program used was Photoshop Elements 7. EXCEPT, that DH had just upgraded me to Photoshop Creative Suite 4 (missed CS3 altogether!), and I was doing the many layout manipulations while learning new tools at the same time.
Nevertheless, while time consuming and sometimes frustrating, I learned loads of stuff about Photoshop including but not limited to: copy to layer, import .png files, recoloring decorative elements, use of shadows, using under-layers (ghost layers), deleting word text from layers, extracting objects from backgrounds, using decorative brushes and stamps, AND most importantly finding online resources Like DesignerDigitals.com decorative elements. Wow! still with me?
The real purpose of this course was to design a basic format for the monthly quilt guild meetings so that I can drop in photos, names, dates etc., and have the monthly photo page done in PDQ time. And I have developed a bang-up new format.
One of the pluses of the course has been learning to use the wiki (the controlled-subscription, online message board for the class). Brookman would post the homework and resources on the wiki (PBWorks.com), so each of us could download various items and also upload our own work for others to see in the Class Gallery. What a nifty program!
Now that one course is over, the next begins Thursday with a lecture course comparing Moll Flanders (Defoe), to Madame Bovary (Flaubert); that is an eighteenth- century female protagonist to one of the nineteenth-century.
You may ask why am I suddenly taking a literature course? Catherine Frank, Ph.d, is teaching the class for the last time - Frank leaves her position as Director of OLLI* at the end of the term for a position with UNC-Asheville and will be moving away. I am sorry to see her leave after a short three years in the job but her opportunity with UNC are big moves upwards. Besides after this term I may not be taking any OLLI classes until after we sell the house and move. One can only do so much.
Currently I am about 50% of the way through Bovary on Kindle2, about ready to download Moll Flanders. Wonder how many in the class are reading the works on Kindle; have already checked out the authors on the iPod/Touch screen getting all sorts of references. One could download the books on iPod but reading the tiny print is near impossible, better on the Kindle screen.
This morning's Zumba class with Beth has left me breathless, worn out and due for a nap. Not! Have much to do before the week begins not the least of which is sewing the last of the details into the scrap-patch-quilted sunglass cases I am making for all the girls in the family this summer. All done but sewing the snaps inside the case - do you know how long it takes to sew a snap (two parts) inside 18 cases? Neither do I and it's taking much too long.
Still to set the music playlist for Monday's practice ballroom time. I expected to have more free time this weekend as there is no homework for the scrapbook class to finish; BUT all those details that were ignored over the past five weeks have suddenly re-appeared. Bummer.
bbf
* Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke University
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