Holy Smokes, It’s October Again
Karen in Korea recently mentioned I haven’t updated my blog in a while. It’s easy not to get around to writing a blog post or two, and I haven’t had much to say lately. My big project at the office finally launched after nearly two years of work, and so I’ve been able to relax a little and take my bearings, thinking about what I want to do when I grow up, that sort of thing.
I have a few ideas. First among them is to reduce consumption of social media and news aggregators to zero, or as near to it as possible. I haven’t decided if I’m going to shut down my Mastodon or not, but I’m leaning in that direction. The broader goal is to reduce screentime overall, optimizing computer time for high-value activities.1
I’ve been drawing a little—I’m very bad at it, but I’m practicing. I have some ideas for paintings. I suppose those will be awful for a couple of years, too. Looking around for classes at the local art center, I couldn’t find any open courses that interested me and were held at a time I could make. I will keep an eye out.
I’ve also decided to have another go at learning to play the guitar. I ordered myself a new guitar and amp for my birthday, and signed up for some well-reviewed online courses. If things go well, I’ll take in-person classes somewhere. The only thing that makes this third go at it different is that I now have a basement, where I can turn up the volume pretty loud without bothering anyone. I think that might make a difference.
I’m back to long walks and taking photos most days. I haven’t quite found my suburban photography voice. Or perhaps I’m more in need of a muse.2 At any rate, the pictures are technically good enough, but I’m not sure what I’m saying with them. It’ll come to me in time.