"If we only had time, only had time for you" - Gone Hollywood (Supertramp)
Sometimes it seems like time isn't this fixed thing that we seem to think it is. Maybe that's the "relative" part of "relativity" in action. Such things may be a bit above my paygrade, and while they are sometimes fun to ponder, in the end, it's a bit like shoveling water: A lot of effort but little practical result.
It's been a bit since I've written, but things have been busy. On the professional side of things, I have been working harder than ever before: Not exactly for more money, but it's now at the part of my life when my desire to do good work sometimes exceeds any sensible reasons (to be working this hard). On the non-work side of things, well, I have plenty of other work to do, including helping out with my older stepson's new home. One has not experienced sweat until you are steaming wallpaper off in a house that is in the 85+ degree range. That work is mostly done, and things have now moved to the wall prep for paint phase. Mind you, there is a bathroom that still has wallpaper in it, but I'm waiting for those marching orders. My work at the house extends beyond wallpaper removal, although I draw the line, as usual, at plumbing*.
Anyway, this summer has been something of a blur. And now it's October, a month that has provided more than a few challenges for me over the years (many, many related postings here over the years). I won't tempt fate...or October...with any further commentary, other than to say, "let's just be friends October, okay?".
These past few days have provided a kind of late punctuation to the summer of 2023 in that Ms. Rivers and I have been spending time with her parents in Cape May, NJ. In fact, tomorrow we head home, with Ms. Rivers stopping in The Philadelphia on the way back (we took two cars). I'll note that I've never really spent much time in Cape May, but I would come back in the future, as long as it was either before or after the summer season.
Speaking of Cape May, it is an old place, saved in so many ways from the kitsch of the 1950's/1960's motor inn phase that became something of a statement for New Jersey shore points. Many of those motor inns have gone the way of the early 1970's land yacht cars, but certainly a few of them still remain. Just not in Cape May. Here, well, it seems that efforts have been made to keep something more distinct, at least from an architectural (and possibly larger cultural) basis. While I didn't bring any camera gear with me, my Google Pixel is more than capable of taking some wonderful pictures.
There's a real kind of beauty to be found in older places that have been well maintained and remained purposeful over the years. In a way, that's something (well maintained & purposeful) that we should all be striving for in our own existence. Being here with Ms. River's parents puts an exclamation point on this overall sentiment, as how they are now, we will all be, more or less, if we are blessed.
The above noted, this has proven to be a very difficult posting to write. I find it more and more difficult to take the step back required to actually think about these kinds of things in a way which can translate to rational thoughts that make some written sense. In other words, writing is hard sometimes, and my lack of it speaks more to my own life priorities than anything else. I'm not just failing to make time for writing, by the way...there are several other (non-work) things I am not doing these days that don't seem to be making the cut. That needs to change.
Here's to cool Fall evenings and better life priorities to come.
(*) Reasons why I despise plumbing work, in no specific order: A) I have big hands that don't fit well in small spaces. B) It's dirty work. C) It always leaks after round one of the repair. D) You often need specialized tools that make no sense for non-plumbers to actually buy.
