A Coif 👩🏼🦰, A New Monitor 🖥️, and A Train to Derby 🦌
Whether it’s because I’m speaking at an event, taking a classical music stage or taking a big trip somewhere, the thing I regularly do beforehand is get myself to the salon. Here’s the driver—one cannot leave a GHD (a good hair day) to chance!
“So what’s all the fuss?” you may ask. It's another Hive Meet Up!! 🙌🏽
Tomorrow I’m meeting up with Hive OG, 
Then, two weeks ago I got an invitation to attend a concert of a colleague of mine from the British Clarinet Ensemble near the area where she lives. So I sent her the concert details and it turns out that the venue is even closer than anything we could have deliberately planned.
So when I write you tomorrow, the post will feature two happy Hivians sharing time together on a damn-near spontaneous weekend. I'm so excited—I can’t wait to see her tomorrow!
Long Awaited Kit
Getting my GHD locked down, I was free to move toward my flat to get packed for the weekend. But wait!
A lady’s gotta eat! Between the salon and my Leeds flat is the glorious retail centre Victoria Gate. It features primo shopping 🛍️ including a bejewelled John Lewis department store, the most glamorous retail building I know of in the Western world.
What I noticed on my walk to the salon is that John Lewis were promoting a massive inventory reduction event. To drive the point home, they cloaked all the dressing windows and clad them with large format paper. The only detail revealed was the enormous typeface that read in sans serif, “S A L E.”
The restaurant, by design, is on the fourth floor, so strolling right through the fragrance & cosmetic department, I took to the escalator. From ground floor to first, onward to second, my designer brain took in the lights, the colours, and the textures of goods on offer.
I have to watch places like these. They are rich with dopamine hits. For me, in even one visit I can over do it without spending any money. It’s such an adrenaline rush for my highly visual designer eyes! The photo above, shows the fourth floor window in the women's restroom. Had I not felt the need, I would have missed this glorious view!
Arriving back down to the third level my analytical mind said, “Hold up. What’s that? There it was. In clear sight. The Samsung S50C 34” ViewFinity monitor.
I’ve been in need of a monitor for the two years now since I came to the Leeds Creative District from America. I’m on camera for three hours a day hosting CWH events and more, then another eight hours a day working like we all are. These small format laptops 👩💻 are killin’ me.
So what’s been the holdup? Freaking perfectionism. Paralysis of analysis. Do you relate?
But in November when a lot of us were shopping for Black Friday deals, I was looking through monitor product features, reviews, and costs. The thought occurred to me that the massive retailer John Lewis has a whole team of tech kit guros to select their offerings. These must be sound or else the company suffers returns, complaints and bad press. I concluded that if I was willing to "stop the shop," hedge my purchase bet and simply go with a fair-end market leader I’d get at least a good enough product for my daily needs
I approached the Samsung monitor. It shone so brilliantly, so chromatically, so widely. It was much better than the idea of going with two monitors. It would always be in alignment. It would always display the same colour rendering and brightness. No context switching!
Then I saw the moderate price tag, compared to what I had been considering...and at a reduction of 25% off due to the same paper-clad window purpose. To give myself time to think it through, I proceeded to the restaurant in search of my missing meal. Once sorted, I returned and secured the purchase.
A 34" monitor ain't heavy but it ain't nothing either. It was the excitement of this belated Christmas morning present that helped me traverse that end of Leeds all the way home with my new piece of kit in tow.
Onward to Derbyshire 🚉
It was time to pack and head for the station. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm having some troubles with my otherwise desirable flat. The opportunity to leave the place is welcome, but I don't have my act together right now, so I was packing like a college student as in, "what's clean and fits that I can pack?"
I hadn't had time to book the train ticket. So, after I dropped the boxed monitor in my hallway, I knew I better make quick work of packing. I'm sure I've forgotten a key thing or two, but I got out the door within an hour and called an Uber to Leeds Station. On the way, I booked a train ticket!
As exhausted as I was boarding that train, it took me most of the way to write up the CWH Crew rosters and get them posted to the two Discord servers. We maintain two because we host a dynamic combo of Web2 & Web3 creatives and we've learned this method allows them to pace themselves in the learning journey. One server is Hive-lite and the other is Hive-intensive.
But by the end of business today, I was in Derby. When I emerged from the train station, I saw the magnificent crest in the photo (above).
What I learned from about Derby as illustrated in the Coat of Arms is that it prides itself on being a hard working city and that lies at the core of their self-respect and civic identity. On the way to the Breadsall Priory, about five miles the crest I read about the history of Derby
"INDUSTRIA, VIRTUS, ET FORTITUDO"
"INDUSTRY, VIRTUE, AND FORTITUDE"
The Stags represent endurance and long continuity.
The Shield represents the stewardship of the land and protection of shared resources.
The Ram represents strength, stubborness, and self-reliance.
The Oak represents endurance, tradition, and moral strength.
I arrived in the dark, but in the morning's light I have a feeling I'll fall in love with one more part of England.
For now, I wish you the best as I power up 23 HIVE for 23 January.
Much love, 🥰
Alessandra