Thoughts on Paper

Is precise typing a lost art? Maybe it was never an art to begin with unless you were a secretary.

Maybe we just take typos for granted and have gotten so used to the convenience of computers and the ability to use the backspace key to correct mistakes.

There is a beauty in using a typewriter however that I have always felt a comfort in. A few years ago, Greg found an electric typewriter from around the late 1980s/early 1990s and asked if I wanted it. I took him up on the offer. We then saw a manual typewriter from around the late 1950s/early 1960s and got that one too. That was a pain to use, but I decided to start using it for a personal, typed journal. I ended up getting more often than not annoyed with how often the strikers would jam up with each other when typing too fast. Or that I would have to smack the keys hard to get results (which was a common complain of typewriters of that era.)

We ended up selling both of them well before we moved to Atlanta.

Fast forward to last weekend. Greg sees this beauty in a store:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is a Smith Corona Electra 210. I’m guessing it’s from the mid-to-late 1960s, maybe early 1970s. It’s hard to date because Smith Corona is notorious for not putting date tags on any of their products. The only thing we needed to get for it was the ribbon, which fortunately is easily found.

It works great! I have resumed my typed journal after almost 5 years. I am going to make something of this.

In case you are wondering, a typed journal might look like this:

There is more to the entry than that, I’m not going to show you everything.

Now you may be asking yourself: why in the world am I not just typing in this blog instead of doing this? That’s a good question.

A lot of stuff I want to put down on paper is really not fit for the darkest recesses of the interwebs. I don’t want anything salty that I way write to really come back and get me when I least expect it. The internet has more ears than a field of corn and once you put it out there, you’re never going to get it back.

And, by the way, White-Out correcting tape that is instantly dry really helps when you commit mistakes.

Hi Blog? Why Are You Here?

Maybe this is PJTP. But I wonder why I even need a blog? I mean, with social media being the shit show that it is where if you post an opinion you either get instantly praised or justly vilified. I wonder about the popularity of this very remote corner of the vast internet.

That’s all. Maybe this would have worked better as a Google Plus post. (Oh, right, that’s not a thing anymore.)

Carry on.

RIP Blogging

Why I Don’t Get Political On My Blog

With all of the #ComeyDay stuff going on today, I feel that I need to put my thoughts down on why I don’t post about politics on my blog.

This isn’t to say that I’m not deeply concerned with what goes on in politics.  I do care in what goes on in the world around me.  I surely can’t escape hearing about it every day I’m at work and directing a newscast.

This blog has and always will be an escape.  An escape to the topics which interest me and only me.  You might find these topics either very interesting or very boring.  I don’t personally care.  I don’t play it up any more than that.  This is a place for my thought and my discoveries, and I feel like there are plenty of people out there to digest and have opinions about what goes on in politics already.

I am not an expert on government.  I am not a pundit.  So why talk about something that you have no confidence in discussing?  That’s all I am getting at.

If only certain people in the world could realize when they are wholly unqualified to talk about anything.

Blogging From a Train

So we are on our way as of this post on Trip #4 to the Big Apple.  After driving the entire way by car the previous three times, we decided to go up to Lynchburg, VA and catch Amtrak the rest of the way, via the Northeast Regional Train #156.  I’ve got to say, this is a great way to travel, albeit a bit bumpy at times.  The staff on the train is very friendly and the experience is truly delightful.

This trip has gotten off to a great start!