It has been a long time since I’ve done any writing to speak of. Years, in fact. I think part of the reason is that I simply wasn’t inspired to do any, for quite a while. Not writing, I think, was a mistake; there has been quite a bit of water that has flowed over the proverbial dam over the past few years. For whatever reason, my creative juices have started to flow again, and I’ve decided to pick this back up.
I think one of the things that caused this – and it was actually a little bit strange when this happened, but I don’t question things I have no control over – was that I inadvertently opened the WordPress app on my smartphone and was prompted to transition to JetPack. For grins, I did. When I opened it up I discovered it has a lot of really good features; more than the original WordPress app. My initial post using this app was done on my phone, and I decided to download it onto my iPad as well. Since I have a Bluetooth keyboard, I find it is easier to work on this (what I’m working on as I write now) than the phone, and I can actually type faster. So this post is coming courtesy of a larger screen and a quasi-mechanical keyboard.
One thing to mention is that my wife and I are traveling, so this is a partial travelogue post, among other things. We were invited to the wedding of a family member – our nephew – who lives in central California. I am actually writing this post from the Hotel Del Monte, located on the campus of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. I had never been here, but I’m glad we came. The hotel itself has a rich history; it has been moved a couple of times to where it is now, and the current building has had to be rebuilt from the ground up twice. It is a beautiful setting, and the campus is both much smaller than I initially expected, and it is a typical military installation in that it follows protocols I know from when I served in the Marine Corps. That, at least, was some familiarity that I found some comfort in.
We are staying in a room which is actually a small suite. It consists of a bedroom, a kitchenette, a sitting area, and a bathroom which is actually in two parts. The toilet and bathtub/shower are in their own little room and the bathroom sink in a space outside of this little room. The kitchenette is surprisingly outfitted really well. It includes a sink, a refrigerator, two burner induction stove, and a bunch of kitchen cabinets. There is one large closet and four small ones, which I can’t quite figure out. And there are two ceiling fans, one in the bedroom and one in the sitting area. Plus two television sets, which I find a little mind-blowing. All in all, it’s really quite nice. In terms of space, it is almost as big as the second floor of my house.
As I look out the window, I am overlooking a couple of small buildings which I suspect are maintenance buildings, but I don’t know this. One consistent thing I have noticed about California every time I’ve been out here is the terra cotta roofing. It is not nearly as common in the Northeast; most of the roofing back home is either metal or asphalt shingles. I imagine both are effective enough if they’re compared to each other. But I think it is really a situation of where utility is in the eye of the beholder.
Well – this is the second post I’ve written today. I’m actually reasonably surprised that I’ve been able to do this, and I’m pleased with myself. One of the things this application allows is to set prompts as to when to post. I have set a three day per week prompt, and I’ll have to see if I can maintain doing that. Hopefully I can. Another thing: this app asks a question daily, and depending on where I am for head space, I may try to answer. We’ll see.
Qui Interrogat 