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In October 2001, I had come to the realization that my computer skills were seriously lagging and I didn't know how to use any current software. The extent of my knowledge was: could turn on a computer, use Word and Excel, operate a data base program for the hotel where I work, but nothing beyond that. In my job as Hotel Manager at the YMCA, resumes would come across my desk, all of them displaying great long lists of impressive computer and software experience … software that I had never heard of. I knew it was time for me to jump onboard, otherwise I would drown in technological oblivion. I decided to buy my first home computer. At that time I was hanging around with my best friend Waldo, a student from Saudi Arabia. Waldo lived and breathed computers. All his free moments were spent tapping away at his keyboard, hacking, cracking and conjuring up all kinds of magical and mysterious things. He owned an outmoded laptop that had a mere 7 gig hard drive with 128M Ram. Despite what would be to most people an extreme limitation, his fingers would fly over the keyboard like some sort of wizard, working wonderful and mysterious spells. He began teaching me everything, the basics, the innards, the hardware, software. I don’t know how many times he patiently explained again and again what RAM was, what a kilobyte was, a megabyte, gigahertz, motherboard, etc. Waldo taught me the magic & endless possibilities of what could be created using software. He taught me never to be intimidated by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, ie: crashes, viruses... One morning my computer crashed and after the computer technician had long given up on trying to help me restore my data, Waldo kept tap-tap-tapping away at the keyboard until finally the hard drive was resurrected long enough to do a back up (many of the graphics that I have displayed on my website would otherwise have been lost). Soon I bought my first digital camera, which was followed by graphics software of all kinds, gif animators, 3D font makers. Then I discovered Photoshop and a great love began. Many nights were spent in deep concentration and experimentation. The sun would often be rising and birds chirping before I finally went to bed. I would fall into such a state of trance that phone ringing and water boiling would fade far into the background. But as life in this world often goes, events sometimes bump into our lives in startling ways, changing the direction of our fate. September 11th had just occurred, and Waldo’s application to stay in Canada was denied, (likely due to his country of origin). Waldo returned to Saudi Arabia. He was returning to a country where creativity is so often supressed, where independence is discouraged, where so much is forbidden, where heads can be 'removed' for expressing alternate opinions, where little school girls running from a burning school are forced back inside to get their veils (where 14 little girls burned to death as a result). Waldo and I continued to email eachother. After a few years had passed, Waldo was struggling with depression. His emails became sporadic, then finally stopped altogether. The purpose of my website is to provide a place where I can continue to develop skills. It is also a place where I can share my graphics with others, and where like-minded people can contact me to compare notes, make comments, or give critiques, etc. I love every aspect of graphics and animations. I appreciate every style, even those on the opposite spectrum from my own. I value new techniques and thoroughly enjoy every kind of discussion that might enrich me. I hope my images provide some inspiration. I dedicate this website to Waldo. Sincerely, Gale Franey galefra@shaw.ca
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