Lightning, Tornados and Dart Placement, Oh my!

So i am about to draft my first sloper--ok, not my first, but my first using the proper methods and not some thrown together research from the internet. (for those of you unfamiliar, the "sloper" is the base pattern one uses to create other patterns--the mother pattern if you will. It is the Bechamel sauce of patterns) And i've been pondering my two options--do i draw it by hand, or use my CAD program? Both have skills in which i am strong, and skills which frustrate me.

As a child of public education, my math skills are mediocre at best. I love to lay blame at education, but really, math skills just don't sit well in my wheelhouse. Don't get me wrong--i made it through the college prerequisite of Algebra II with little trouble, although pre-Calculus did prove to be my black knight. I can do math--even in my head (including fractions!) but it may take me a minute more than others. This is what i mean. I've taught myself and been taught to do the proper functions--i'm just not as speedy as others, and it's even worse if i am distracted. If that makes me a moron in some people's eyes (and you know who you are) then you can suck it.

Anyway...

in order to draw out patterns by hand, math is involved. Some measurements have to be cut in half, quartered or what have you. And you say--well, just bust out the calculator! Yeah, but then you still have to convert to fractions in order to get the measurement correct on the ruler, etc etc. I'm sure it's a piece of cake for some, but it turns out to be a little more work for this dominant right brain. So i figured (after the quote from Pete--"well, the computer, right?" when asked what he thought i should do) I'll do this on the computer. I have to fight the fact that i don't sit right in front of the computer, which leads to head and backaches (and yes I've tied to fix this--I'm not a moron--see above) and of course the ever present eye-strain. And frankly, i feel a little guilty about letting the "machine" do my work--even though i have to plot every line and angle.

So I work though these feelings, put the boy down for a nap, set up my work area with my measurements and my book and...Lightning. Have i mentioned that it's been raining like one might want to build an ark? Turns out this super storm is rolling through Los Angeles, and rather than the usual traffic snarling rain, we've had a few extras--thunder, lightning, and the report of possible tornados down by the beach. my my my. Even now, as i look through my front window, i can see that Burbank is catching hell, and we ain't really dry over here either.

yeah--one could interpret this as a "sign" that i should do this by hand. Except that these little storm amenities don't just affect the use of my computer. If i were to do this by hand, i have to go down to my studio and get the supplies and bring it back up here--which requires another trip outside. Rain and our outside stairs are hardly a good combo. So i interpreted it as another "sign": watching post-Golden Globe fashion reviews and waiting for it all to pass. And as the weather clears, my son awakens, and today's chance to draft this sloper is washed away. But the snow on the mountains is pretty, and sky is clear of smog for a change...