April 8: Daily Reflection

Today is the third first day of working on this project at school. I use strikethrough text because today has been so much more involved than all the previous days of this project combined. After acquiring all of my materials yesterday afternoon, the only thing left to do before actually building the model was to get the map enlarged to the scale that matches the vertical step of 10 meters. I went to FCA in the morning then left campus to go to FedEx/Kinkos for the enlargements. And I'm embarrassed to admit it now, but I really had no idea what to expect with the enlargement process.

I walked into the store with the original relief map of Siempre Verde and I went up to the counter and asked if I could get it blown up 46 and a half percent. The clerk gave me a strange look, as if to say, "What on Earth has this boy been doing up so late to ask for a forty-six and a half percent enlargement?" But he was very polite and told me that the process was fast and easy, and showed me how to work the large format copy machine. He informed me with a genuine regret that the machine does not do half-percents, but 46 itself would be very close. So I ran one test copy at 46% and put it on the measuring board to confirm that the long side of the map was 40". Nope, it was around 42". So I tried 44%. It came out 41". A bit shaken, but my cool not lost, I tried 42%, and the result was oh-so-infinitesimally-close 39.999999999999999999999999999999 inches. This of course was an eyeball measurement; precision is questionable but it just didn't quite look like 40". This negligible difference was a problem only for the inner perfectionist that visits me every other Thursday of the month for book club and aromatherapy massages. I got five more copies and headed back to Lovett.

When I arrived at my office, Mr. Reynolds was in the middle of botany class, but as soon as class was over, I unfurled the new big maps and he was instantly taken with them.

Here you can see Mr. Reynolds explaining where the trails are on the property, and where future trails or campsites would be located. I was equally as captivated as he was, which is to say, extremely captivated. I want to go to Siempre Verde now!



This picture shows a clear comparison of the size of the old map against the size of the new, blown-up map. The bigger map is much easier to work with!

During Chapel, I got the two useless maps (useless for my purposes - they're still really helpful for Mr. Reynolds) out and I converted the scale on each of them so that it would be centimeter-based instead of 14.5mm based. I drew the new scale with a little science ruler, and then I rolled up both of those maps into one roll and put them with all the other maps on Mr. Reynolds' desk. Then I got out my can of spray mount and a piece of chipboard, and I finally got the first cuts made! I did NOT realize how tough it would be to cut through the chipboard with this X-Acto knife. It's a double-whammy where the chipboard is tough and the blades break more frequently than I had anticipated.



The first cut is NOT the deepest, Cat Stevens, but it's definitely the hardest! I had no idea how much hand and arm strength it would take to cut these contours. My right pinky is sore from holding the knife so hard, and my left thumb is numb from pushing the board to keep it still. Alas, I took a break to share with my friends and followers! Shortly into my very first layer, I had to interrupt my progress for an epic showdown of Cuarenta, an Ecuadorian card game that was first introduced to me while I was at Siempre Verde. The match-up is SE and I versus Cooper and Mr. Reynolds. Somehow, Cooper and Mr. Reynolds had the winning move twice, but SE and I actually won the game. Only in a game so Ecua is that possible. And by the grace of Mr. Reynolds too.



After Cuarenta, I went back to work, and I finished the first layer in a little under 30 minutes. I admired my work and then moved right on to the second layer, which took me about 20 minutes. Hopefully each layer will get faster for two reasons: 1) I will get better at cutting. 2) The layers get smaller. Currently I am halfway through layer 3 (there are 94 total), and I hope to finish all 5 pieces of chipboard by the end of school. I gotta eat lunch quickly again!



Here you can see the first layer finally being revealed!

To recap, here's what I have learned today: 1) Chipboard is hard to cut. 2) I will need a new X-Acto knife soon. 3) The X-Acto blades will come out of the knife even when they're supposedly tightened down. 4) It will be a miracle if I never cut myself by the end of this project. 5) Enthusiasm is the biggest motivator. 6) This is gonna look really awesome when it's done.

That's all for the first part of today. I gotta eat quickly. Thanks for stopping by. You stay classy, San Diego.