Make Fire with Sparks and Wood Shavings


I went to work today.
At one point I played serious project manager on the phone for effect.
At one point I reflected that the Cadbury Fruit and Nut bar from England tasted good.
At one point I wrote a limerick.
At one point Matt dropped by after having a meeting describing the core architecture of the software product he is leading up for a top-secret project he wouldn't even tell me about even though I have known him for 18 years or more and been through numerous life changing movie moments with him and in fact I seem to recall him looking around nervously in the pizza joint as though the top secret project authorities were watching him or maybe I'm just making that up but then we plotted to take over the economy.

At one point my information architure diagram was minimally successful.

  • At one point I ate a can of Walmart Baked Beans.
  • At one point I taught someone behavioural interview techniques.
  • At one point I discussed versioning control software with someone.
  • At one point I pondered about karma.
  • At one point I pondered about camping.
  • At one point I pondered about my shoes.
  • At one point I polished my shoes.
  • At one point I drank a chocolate milk.
  • At one point I drank a coke.
  • At one point I drank a coffee.
  • At one point I drank a pepsi.
  • At one point I sneezed.
  • At one point I stretched.
  • At one point I yawned.
  • At one point I couldn't think of any at all of much interest to say about my day and wondered why I couldn't think of anything at all and thought maybe it was because I used up all my brain cells today managing the crap out of a panoply, a host, nay verily I say a plethora of software and non-software projects.


Earlier this week I pulled my camping gear out of the storage space and began to sort everything out so that I could reduce the load, pack my new expedition backpack and ensure I had no matches at all packed for my next trip.

I intend to make a firebow and make my fire that way.

But first I wanted to see if I could at least make a fire out of a sparking piece of metal, some wood shavings and my new drop-point rose-wood handle hunting knife. I gingerly trimmed some dry wood shavings from a twig I had laying about into the a large cast iron frying pan. I turned on the oven range-hood extraction fan. Then I scraped the back of my knife against the metal bar and after a while made a few sparks. After about a minute or two I had a couple of sparks catch on the finely shaved wood chips and then I got fire! I watched it in fascination. First time I'd ever made fire like that.

So next trip I make I will have no matches or lighters or any crap like that. I shall make fire with sticks.

And catch a fish.

And cook it and eat it.

Go now and do something else.

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