Rainy days
I’ve complained a lot about the weather this Spring early on, but honestly, it’s been really nice so far this year. So I won’t complain about the rain today, and it makes a nice break to stop and be contemplative about things. So if you feel like listening to me be contemplative, read on.
There are a few things I’m pondering right now. Most have to do with trying to discover what ‘normal’ is. For a long time I’ve felt that things just weren’t right in life because either I’d put too much pressure on myself to be perfect (and usually succeed, says I, smuggly – just kidding), or there was some sort of extraordinary external pressure that made me act very defensively. (Don’t ask me to explain exactly what I mean by that – it’s rather vague, but you can assume that I simply wouldn’t let myself enjoy life. Also, please don’t assume you know what ‘external pressure’ I’m referring to, as I have several totally unrelated things in mind.)
I actually think it would be swell if I could actually get some feedback on this first thing. Namely, I haven’t ever really been on a pure vacation, and I’d like some suggestions on where to go and what to do. I just got a new passport a few months ago and really, no place in the world is out of bounds. First off, let me tell you what I don’t want – I absolutely am not interested in cruises or places where the primary focus is on the beach. Next let me tell you that one of the places I think would be lots of fun to go is a place like Iceland. It’s got really nice urban areas within quick reach of really nice natural areas. That means I can go out and explore, hike, take pictures, etc. during the day and still hit the bars and get a good sleep in a nice hotel at night.
The Iceland trip is one I will make at some point, hopefully within a year, so I guess what I’m soliciting is advise on other places I may potentially find interesting. Feel free to leave any thoughts you may have on the topic in the comments or send me an email.
Next in the same line of thought is trying to find more activies that I like to do and can keep me occupied. I used to really like doing photography stuff, but I pretty much stopped doing it when I lost access to a darkroom. I’ve pretty much ruled out building a darkroom, but the new generation of digital SLRs make doing photography stuff again a pretty interesting proposition. So I think I may be picking up one of these
in the near future. That’ll also go well if I start taking more trips on places. Maybe CCF will send me to Vegas again this year for a conference and I can take a few extra days and travel to the Grand Canyon to take pictures. (Of course I could just do that on my own, but why if they are willing to pay for the flight? 🙂 )