Music, smells, sounds…they can all be so powerful in invoking memories. I was reminded of this while watching a short video about ABBA’s recently premiered Voyage Concert series in London. Hearing those old songs, and with listening to them on Apple Music as I type this, I am transported to the time that they won the Eurovision Song Contest and my teenage years, which (along with the Sex Pistols and others!), were the soundtrack to that time in my life.
A clear, starlit sky over our home.
The struggle sometimes (always?…no, I’ll stick with sometimes) of putting pen to paper, tapping on the keys, and getting a piece of writing finished and ready to go public. This critical, judgmental voice in the head crying out the piece’s imperfections or the way it will be received. And, of course, the longer the delay in publishing, the less the output.
Recognize the voices, David. Hear them, acknowledge them, and then allow them to sit in the corner and chat amongst themselves while I carry on tapping and producing. They’ll jump up occasionally wanting attention, but just help them back into their seats and get back to the writing.
There…that wasn’t so difficult, was it?!
Morning rainbow 🌈
Another day draws to an end.
I’m nurturing some stiff muscles this morning, along with happy memories after hiking through Haleakala Crater yesterday.
I’ll be hiking through Haleakala Crater tomorrow. I’m looking forward to being in that other world environment. Not so much to a couple of steep climbs on the route.
Here’s a video of a rainbow at the summit, dropping down into the Crater, in early December last year.
Sage advise in a public restroom.
A new version of iA Writer has dropped today, version 6.0, along with a new website. I have been beta testing v.6 and while there are new tools that I like and appreciate, I am generally underwhelmed by such a major upgrade. UI changes on iOS are welcome (lightening menu) content blocks feel tidier across the platforms, and there are more options for file sorting.
One major addition is wikilinks. I use these in other applications where I manage notes, but at the moment I am unsure how (if) they fit into my writing workflow. I am thinking that this is the reason behind me saying that I am ”underwhelmed” by such a major upgrade? I had hoped for inclusion of the outlining tool that is in the Windows version of iA Writer.
I had expected this to be a paid upgrade, but “no,” if you have the previous version you just go ahead and upgrade. iA’s website does hint though at some price changing policies,
We value ownership and choice. Our products are offered as standalone purchases per platform. Soon, the choice between ownership and subscription will be extended to all our products.
I still love the easy access to and working with plain text files, and for that reason iA Writer is staying in my arsenal of tools.
Just a few years after the movies release(1989!), I finally got round to watching Dead Poets Society and enjoyed it very much. What a lovely man Robin Williams was, and such a loss in his passing. 🍿
I won’t be watching the WWDC keynote. I have never watched an Apple Keynote. However, I will be keeping an eye on news sites and the Micro.blog timeline later in the day to learn what goodies Apple has in store for us - and opinions of those goodies!
Let the party begin. My grandson is having his 6th birthday party today. This water slide appeared outside this morning.
I’ve started playing around with Tot Pocket and Siri Shortcuts for getting text to different places. I don’t know if I will stick with this setup, but I realized what I have at hand and don’t use.
We watched the movie Language Lessons on HBO Max last night. Very different. Very “of the times”. Like a series of Zoom calls. Well acted, it held me. I recommend it. 🍿
May 2022 Dear Friend, Following a day of interruptions and what I might call discombobulation I wrote the following in my journal last week (and posted it to my blog), It’s been hard to find time to write today. I’m feeling it. Writing is important to me, very important. I can trace the start of my time putting pen to paper back to when I was traveling in my mid-twenties.
Finished reading: Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It felt to me like a contemporary presentation of Buddhist teachings on death, impermanence and letting go. I’m already trying to bring an awareness of what Burkeman talked about into my life, and will be returning to this book. 📚
Coming back from time at the beach and a swim in the ocean, taking a shower, and that taste of salt as water washes away the dried salt in your hair.
Remembering my father: sitting at home on a Sunday morning, listening to Classical music and reading (though he would probably be doing the weekly difficult crossword puzzle in the Sunday newspaper).
We watched The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) this evening. I knew nothing about the Tammy Faye & Jim Baker story, but thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Jessica Chastain’s performance as Tammy Faye was superb. 🍿
It’s been hard to find time to write today. I’m feeling it.