Sunday, December 20, 2020

Wondering Where to Wander

 Well.  

Here we are again. Another year winding down. Another year I committed to writing more, to doing things differently, and another year where I find myself looking back and wondering where the hell it all went .

Today, let's talk about hobbies, shall we? 

I have a lot of hobbies - these days I find myself obsessing about Photography and cameras, about my growing Ukulele collection, and about woodworking.  This year found me doing far more things around the house (Thanks, COVID) and trying to make the time to get all the stuff I wanted to do actually done.  If you know me, you know I have a passion for many things, and I wonder if I actually spread myself a little thin when it comes to what I want to accomplish.  I've invested in not on, not two, not even three - but FOUR camera systems. I've got a big old Canon 5D MKII (and I still have my older Canon 5D Classic, too) as well as a EOS-M5 mirrorless rig. I've got a pair of Fuji's (X-E2 and an X-T1), THREE Pentax cameras as well.  That started with a pair of Pentax lenses I bought off Craigslist with the intention of trading them, but the seller included the broken K30 along with the lenses, and it suffered form a non-working aperture solenoid. When I discovered that it was a pretty straightforward repair, I broke the camera open and fixed it. Using that camera, and realizing I hated the ergonomics led to the purchase of first a K5IIs, then a K3. I added a bunch of manual lenses, then a few less manual ones. I also reinvested in a Panasonic GF-1 beacuse I traded mine for the Canon 5D and miss it.  I got that to bring to work for macro shots using a macro lens I still had laying around. In addition, I had my old Canon AE-1P CLA'd and got another AE-1 for shits and giggles. Those are both film cameras if you didn't know.  I've taken some pretty decent pics with all of them, and each brings a different approach to my photographic game. The big Canons give me full-frame images that are spectacular, the Fuji's are Kings of the JPGs right out of camera, and the Pentax cameras all get me the ability to take very long sky exposures using the SkyTracer function.  

I won't mention the triplet of different point and shoots I've got in the pile because they were really inexpensive and added to the arsenal. I invested in a laptop that could actually drive my Lightroom needs, and added a 27" monitor so I could get some real work done on my pictures. As I said,  I like my camera gear. 

In addition, I've grown my Uke collection over the past year. Where I once had a Lanakai soprano and a Kala archtop tenor, I've added a Gretsch resonator, an Oscar Schmidt tenor, a Fender tenor, and a Vorson solid body strat-style.  I actually play them all. 

What else is there, though? How else do I spend my time? I bought a table saw worth using, and have plans to make my own frames. COVID made getting appropriately sized frames difficult, especially larger ones, so I'm going to try my hand at making my own - which means I'll need to make a crosscut miter sled, which means I'll need to spend a little more time there. 

And let's not forget my minor interest in Gaming...Jedi Fallen Order was a downright blast to finish, but then there's the board games and, well, D&D. I'd play more if I just could find the time to invest there as well. 

More time. 

That's the challenge for all of us, isn't it? Where to find the time to carve out and get to doing all the things we want to do. Between work, and the Have-To's we all have the same challenges - "finding the time"... So where does that time come from? Lately, my mood hasn't been all that great. The year in isolation has made travel impossible. Yes, I went to Chicago in February, but that has pretty much been it. I've gone for the same walks so many times that I no longer want to go. I've been to the same places so many times that they are no longer interesting. I miss travel - one of the main reasons I dove so deeply into photography was to take great images of the places I've been.  So what now? What do we do when we can't travel? What did I do before that particular bug bit into me and infected me with a lust for seeing the world? 

Simply put - I don't know.

But I'd like to find out because I need to.  I need to see the wonder in the familiar things, and I need to keep pushing that shutter button. 

Plus, I haven't written a goddamned thing since last year. That, to me, is a shame. But I managed to kick my Facebook habit this year. I keep the page because I don't feel the need to delete it, but I'm not spending much time there at all. THAT was a really good thing for me, I think. (And if you haven't seen it, watch Netflix's "The Social Dilemma" it's amazing)

So here it is. Hopefully, not the last for the year. Hopefully my Muse gets off her ass and decides that I need to get the words out. 

I'll try to see you all before the end of the year.


M