a day to explore the inside - at last

So many things I want to do but have not done.  But today the things at the top of the list are not so much about visiting someplace new, finding new friends, or socializing.  And not about any of the other things that have to be done to maintain a so-called life in the modern world - errands, cleaning, paperwork, bill paying, shopping - none of that stuff.

More about exploring on the inside:

  • Working up some of the hundreds of photos I have taken over the last 3 months.
  • Fleshing out some of the tunes I have sketched on the guitar and the keyboard but have not really started to define and arrange.
  • Exploring some ideas in 3D graphics.

Mostly creative work.

It is hard to do this kind of work when my day is busted up into a million pieces by conference calls, meetings, travel, and managing.  And hard to do when I am sitting in a hotel room thousands of miles from home without my stuff - my gear, my guitars, my books, my tools.

So today has been a pretty good day.  An unbroken stretch of a few hours to "get in the zone", think, practice, try.  There has to be some insulation from the ever-more-intrusive outside world to do this.

It would have been a great day outside, too.  As if the sea and the wind had been watching the calendar, the weather really turned the corner right around the last day of Summer.  Although it is sunny today, there is a cool breeze coming off the ocean.  A submarine anchored just outside the harbor last night and at 7 AM this morning, they got underway.  I guess they are doing sea trials or some sort of training, as they have been cruising around on the surface for the past three hours, doing S-turns, one-eighties, and then stopping and doing nothing.

But today I won't go out to enjoy the Autumn weather.  I did two hikes last week, and today is an inside day.  Play some music, start this blog, look at some photos, and occasionally glance out the window.

And, then tomorrow, off to Hong Kong.  Three trains and three hours to the airport, wait in the lounge for 90 minutes before departure, and then 4 hours flying time.  It makes for a long day, but the trains here are great, and I can get some paperwork done on the laptop and check mail on the iPhone on the way to the airport.

Back home on Friday, and hoping for good weekend weather for my next outside adventure.