BLOGAHOMA

I have a gift, propensity for spotting patterns. When it began I cannot say. I remember scoring the highest you can in abstract reasoning, 99th percentile in high school. It may have been my favorite test score right up there with scoring tops in logic (1) . Right now for instance I was thinking about Land Rovers in Ireland, the ubiquitous Land Rover covered in dust found heading to the same small town, castle ruin or Celtic ruin where we were heading. Ireland is full of patterns, so for me it mind expanding as I record and store these patterns. It is, in a way, a smaller, easier study then try to figure out the patterns in the US or even patterns in Oklahoma. Grant it had we toured larger cities it may have added too many variables to my pattern observation to make it a valuable study. Junking it up as it were. Be cognizant of the patterns also helps to bring out the uniqueness or note what is absent. Although there is a beauty in pattern observation there is also downside. Pattern observation can be, and has been used as a tool to stereotype. Then there is the problem of setting out to discover patterns in that you might be blinded by your goal and overestimate the occurrences.

I wasn’t looking for patterns they found me. Ireland, being a completely new experience and not having done any significant reading, allowed my brain to open a fresh notebook in which to compile the uninfluenced info that came streaming in. In absence of preconceptions I was able to collect data without being aware of the collecting.

Not so surprising patterns in Ireland: Celtic crosses and Celtic motifs, tractors, sheep blocking the roads, tour buses, rock fences and walls, castle ruins, bed and breakfasts, music pubs, men named Mike, Mickey and Michael, American tourists going to Blarney castle.

Less expected patterns: Land Rovers, Micro brews named after city or towns, Eastern Europeans working in service industries, Brightly painted facades, American country western music being played in pubs (2) , radio stations that were talk radio (3), radio stations that played hip-hop, beautiful scenic byways with absolutely nowhere to stop.

Of course within every pattern are differences (stone fences like snowflakes are each different in how the stones roll and rest). Where I could probably easily point out the differences in fences I would be hard pressed to distinguish between Land Rovers. And tractors seemingly universal provided many more functions than I imagined. Sheep came marked with different pastel spots making their differences detectable at first sight (4) .

Of we captured much of this pictures. Choosing which ones and how to group them for an art show in Spring will study in logic itself.

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