The Journey Begins

The true art of memory is the art of attention.

Samuel Johnson

Preface

I’m not sure if most blogs have a preface; actually, I’m not sure that blogs are even a thing anymore. But I’ve decided to start my own. I’m not promoting or selling anything, just using it as a place for my thoughts and experiences. Why not just keep a journal? Well, this format allows me to post photos and also share my musings with anyone who happens to be interested. I got the idea when I went to Japan in November of 2024. I was just going to take pictures and maybe write down my observations in Word. Then I remembered that I used to have another blog on the appropriately named Blogger platform, where I used to post about family matters. Rather than just send home emails, I decided that I’d start a Japan blog about my travels. I would explore Osaka, Kyoto, Kanazawa, and Kobe during the day, and between 3-5 PM when I was recovering, I’d do my blogging. Funny thing, just sitting around a Japanese cafe or the lobby of the hotel turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable. It helped me focus on the things I saw and experienced, and I enjoyed picking out photos and formatting the pages. I did have some frustrations doing it. I went on the trip with only my Samsung tablet and a Bluetooth keyboard, and it wasn’t that easy to type. Also, Blogger has become kind of clunky and difficult to use; if you go to my Japan blog, you’ll see that the font size keeps changing and the placement of the text and pictures is kind of haphazard. 

I’ve switched to WordPress. Its a more flexible platform, but there is a bit of a learning curve. I looked for a platform designed for newbies that would make it idiot-proof and didn’t find one, so here we are. 

I have only a general idea of where I’m going with this enterprise. I think what I have in mind is a journal with pictures that I can share. I’ve done a fair amount of public speaking over the years, and I find that I express myself best when I have an audience. A blog provides the experience of telling a story to an imaginary audience, and that works for me. So here we go, gentle reader. This is mostly for me, but if you happen to read my observations and musings, I hope they are entertaining.