{"id":20368,"date":"2018-06-18T10:00:44","date_gmt":"2018-06-18T14:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/?p=20368"},"modified":"2025-06-18T09:16:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T13:16:31","slug":"potpourri-june-18th-2018-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/potpourri-june-18th-2018-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Potpourri, June 18th (2018 edition)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/potpourri-june-18th-2018-edition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3WZSo1-0C2w?si=JFS4fBRNSefPexVX\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p class=\"smalltext\"><em>[Above: I have had this track playing incessantly in my head for the last couple of weeks&#8230; maybe by posting it here I&#8217;ll free myself of it, at least for now. The performance is not a particularly famous one to those who haven&#8217;t heard it; it came at the tail end of a suite of songs, a sort of &#8220;history of jazz&#8221; which Goodman et. al. performed that night (particularly for the sake of those unfamiliar with the sound of jazz in such a venue). Billed as a &#8220;jam session,&#8221; although they&#8217;d rehearsed it earlier in the week, it worked out more or less to earn the billing. A series of foreground soloists (some from Count Basie&#8217;s and Duke Ellington&#8217;s bands as well as Goodman&#8217;s) take turns improvising against one another&#8217;s themes &#8212; all over Gene Krupa&#8217;s driven backbeat. Harry James&#8217;s trumpet, it seems to me, kind of <\/em>owns<em> the thing.]<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"float: right; width: 50%; margin-right: 0; border: 1px solid brown;\">\n<div id=\"sb_instagram\"  class=\"sbi sbi_mob_col_1 sbi_tab_col_1 sbi_col_2 sbi_width_resp\" style=\"padding-bottom: 4px; width: 100%;\"\t data-feedid=\"sbi_17841401273503080#2\"  data-res=\"auto\" data-cols=\"2\" data-colsmobile=\"1\" data-colstablet=\"1\" data-num=\"2\" data-nummobile=\"\" data-item-padding=\"2\"\t data-shortcode-atts=\"{&quot;num&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;cols&quot;:&quot;2&quot;}\"  data-postid=\"20368\" data-locatornonce=\"0c5234cc66\" data-imageaspectratio=\"3:4\" data-sbi-flags=\"favorLocal\">\n\t\n\t<div id=\"sbi_images\"  style=\"gap: 4px;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"sbi_item sbi_type_image sbi_new sbi_transition\"\n\tid=\"sbi_18089872652276183\" data-date=\"1772549057\">\n\t<div class=\"sbi_photo_wrap\">\n\t\t<a class=\"sbi_photo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DVbRQoyFcJq\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"\n\t\t\tdata-full-res=\"https:\/\/scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com\/v\/t51.82787-15\/640417905_18568035868042451_266300837857643647_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&#038;_nc_cat=106&#038;ccb=7-5&#038;_nc_sid=18de74&#038;efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&#038;_nc_ohc=0CYT2pYhR4cQ7kNvwE2o1oN&#038;_nc_oc=Adojw6EckIJea-Ea2yPwMopgI9L4Dwtjeh3DdRuohFcZ6LieU9h2hcYnzua4QYuBVCA&#038;_nc_zt=23&#038;_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com&#038;edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&#038;_nc_gid=B5x1fQncK7t3sdkba_WFrQ&#038;_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQGN7dW4OvffGp0Ea6PsbZRJasstKT9fSlKla1datudiNKuQEwKqGwv4y1I3Jx65KhJC5Hy3ZPa2dg&#038;oh=00_Af3ZYSIPS8OgxLN7zR_9DcXcHmVCJKMQfbNdNmCrkqmeXA&#038;oe=69F0289A\"\n\t\t\tdata-img-src-set=\"{&quot;d&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com\\\/v\\\/t51.82787-15\\\/640417905_18568035868042451_266300837857643647_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&amp;_nc_cat=106&amp;ccb=7-5&amp;_nc_sid=18de74&amp;efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&amp;_nc_ohc=0CYT2pYhR4cQ7kNvwE2o1oN&amp;_nc_oc=Adojw6EckIJea-Ea2yPwMopgI9L4Dwtjeh3DdRuohFcZ6LieU9h2hcYnzua4QYuBVCA&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com&amp;edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&amp;_nc_gid=B5x1fQncK7t3sdkba_WFrQ&amp;_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQGN7dW4OvffGp0Ea6PsbZRJasstKT9fSlKla1datudiNKuQEwKqGwv4y1I3Jx65KhJC5Hy3ZPa2dg&amp;oh=00_Af3ZYSIPS8OgxLN7zR_9DcXcHmVCJKMQfbNdNmCrkqmeXA&amp;oe=69F0289A&quot;,&quot;150&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com\\\/v\\\/t51.82787-15\\\/640417905_18568035868042451_266300837857643647_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&amp;_nc_cat=106&amp;ccb=7-5&amp;_nc_sid=18de74&amp;efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&amp;_nc_ohc=0CYT2pYhR4cQ7kNvwE2o1oN&amp;_nc_oc=Adojw6EckIJea-Ea2yPwMopgI9L4Dwtjeh3DdRuohFcZ6LieU9h2hcYnzua4QYuBVCA&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com&amp;edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&amp;_nc_gid=B5x1fQncK7t3sdkba_WFrQ&amp;_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQGN7dW4OvffGp0Ea6PsbZRJasstKT9fSlKla1datudiNKuQEwKqGwv4y1I3Jx65KhJC5Hy3ZPa2dg&amp;oh=00_Af3ZYSIPS8OgxLN7zR_9DcXcHmVCJKMQfbNdNmCrkqmeXA&amp;oe=69F0289A&quot;,&quot;320&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com\\\/v\\\/t51.82787-15\\\/640417905_18568035868042451_266300837857643647_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&amp;_nc_cat=106&amp;ccb=7-5&amp;_nc_sid=18de74&amp;efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&amp;_nc_ohc=0CYT2pYhR4cQ7kNvwE2o1oN&amp;_nc_oc=Adojw6EckIJea-Ea2yPwMopgI9L4Dwtjeh3DdRuohFcZ6LieU9h2hcYnzua4QYuBVCA&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com&amp;edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&amp;_nc_gid=B5x1fQncK7t3sdkba_WFrQ&amp;_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQGN7dW4OvffGp0Ea6PsbZRJasstKT9fSlKla1datudiNKuQEwKqGwv4y1I3Jx65KhJC5Hy3ZPa2dg&amp;oh=00_Af3ZYSIPS8OgxLN7zR_9DcXcHmVCJKMQfbNdNmCrkqmeXA&amp;oe=69F0289A&quot;,&quot;640&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com\\\/v\\\/t51.82787-15\\\/640417905_18568035868042451_266300837857643647_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&amp;_nc_cat=106&amp;ccb=7-5&amp;_nc_sid=18de74&amp;efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&amp;_nc_ohc=0CYT2pYhR4cQ7kNvwE2o1oN&amp;_nc_oc=Adojw6EckIJea-Ea2yPwMopgI9L4Dwtjeh3DdRuohFcZ6LieU9h2hcYnzua4QYuBVCA&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com&amp;edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&amp;_nc_gid=B5x1fQncK7t3sdkba_WFrQ&amp;_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQGN7dW4OvffGp0Ea6PsbZRJasstKT9fSlKla1datudiNKuQEwKqGwv4y1I3Jx65KhJC5Hy3ZPa2dg&amp;oh=00_Af3ZYSIPS8OgxLN7zR_9DcXcHmVCJKMQfbNdNmCrkqmeXA&amp;oe=69F0289A&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"sbi-screenreader\">Laughter: the best medicine. Sometimes the *only* <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/instagram-feed\/img\/placeholder.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"Laughter: the best medicine. Sometimes the *only* medicine\u2026\n\n#fiction #microfiction #writing\n\n[You can read of a tiny episode in the looong trek of the last four via the #jesstorypix link in my profile&#039;s LinkTree.]\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"sbi_item sbi_type_image sbi_new sbi_transition\"\n\tid=\"sbi_18509974549078777\" data-date=\"1771947774\">\n\t<div class=\"sbi_photo_wrap\">\n\t\t<a class=\"sbi_photo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DVJWZ0XlaMy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"\n\t\t\tdata-full-res=\"https:\/\/scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com\/v\/t51.82787-15\/639529678_18566644408042451_1782408246738428982_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&#038;_nc_cat=103&#038;ccb=7-5&#038;_nc_sid=18de74&#038;efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&#038;_nc_ohc=gQemC0am_eMQ7kNvwFL1JAg&#038;_nc_oc=Adpae1lX-lezZe_7YqnTfT4ElOdXIBxRXc8L_sk2zdojCvXI_ZypxR_GuiuDRagaMEI&#038;_nc_zt=23&#038;_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com&#038;edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&#038;_nc_gid=B5x1fQncK7t3sdkba_WFrQ&#038;_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQFLWdM3CNslI5zTdzQ-z1slvOjEkF3KTCKnRRrOnR4Gz2CMtN6K_Tb_wMy-Z4J_lqV4jkoYSq9vSA&#038;oh=00_Af1HdR1IjkLfeDRSWkUf2tBSTBZ5royZ3gck9tUiSA3IAw&#038;oe=69F037A6\"\n\t\t\tdata-img-src-set=\"{&quot;d&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com\\\/v\\\/t51.82787-15\\\/639529678_18566644408042451_1782408246738428982_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&amp;_nc_cat=103&amp;ccb=7-5&amp;_nc_sid=18de74&amp;efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&amp;_nc_ohc=gQemC0am_eMQ7kNvwFL1JAg&amp;_nc_oc=Adpae1lX-lezZe_7YqnTfT4ElOdXIBxRXc8L_sk2zdojCvXI_ZypxR_GuiuDRagaMEI&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com&amp;edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&amp;_nc_gid=B5x1fQncK7t3sdkba_WFrQ&amp;_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQFLWdM3CNslI5zTdzQ-z1slvOjEkF3KTCKnRRrOnR4Gz2CMtN6K_Tb_wMy-Z4J_lqV4jkoYSq9vSA&amp;oh=00_Af1HdR1IjkLfeDRSWkUf2tBSTBZ5royZ3gck9tUiSA3IAw&amp;oe=69F037A6&quot;,&quot;150&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com\\\/v\\\/t51.82787-15\\\/639529678_18566644408042451_1782408246738428982_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&amp;_nc_cat=103&amp;ccb=7-5&amp;_nc_sid=18de74&amp;efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&amp;_nc_ohc=gQemC0am_eMQ7kNvwFL1JAg&amp;_nc_oc=Adpae1lX-lezZe_7YqnTfT4ElOdXIBxRXc8L_sk2zdojCvXI_ZypxR_GuiuDRagaMEI&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com&amp;edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&amp;_nc_gid=B5x1fQncK7t3sdkba_WFrQ&amp;_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQFLWdM3CNslI5zTdzQ-z1slvOjEkF3KTCKnRRrOnR4Gz2CMtN6K_Tb_wMy-Z4J_lqV4jkoYSq9vSA&amp;oh=00_Af1HdR1IjkLfeDRSWkUf2tBSTBZ5royZ3gck9tUiSA3IAw&amp;oe=69F037A6&quot;,&quot;320&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com\\\/v\\\/t51.82787-15\\\/639529678_18566644408042451_1782408246738428982_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&amp;_nc_cat=103&amp;ccb=7-5&amp;_nc_sid=18de74&amp;efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&amp;_nc_ohc=gQemC0am_eMQ7kNvwFL1JAg&amp;_nc_oc=Adpae1lX-lezZe_7YqnTfT4ElOdXIBxRXc8L_sk2zdojCvXI_ZypxR_GuiuDRagaMEI&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com&amp;edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&amp;_nc_gid=B5x1fQncK7t3sdkba_WFrQ&amp;_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQFLWdM3CNslI5zTdzQ-z1slvOjEkF3KTCKnRRrOnR4Gz2CMtN6K_Tb_wMy-Z4J_lqV4jkoYSq9vSA&amp;oh=00_Af1HdR1IjkLfeDRSWkUf2tBSTBZ5royZ3gck9tUiSA3IAw&amp;oe=69F037A6&quot;,&quot;640&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com\\\/v\\\/t51.82787-15\\\/639529678_18566644408042451_1782408246738428982_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&amp;_nc_cat=103&amp;ccb=7-5&amp;_nc_sid=18de74&amp;efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&amp;_nc_ohc=gQemC0am_eMQ7kNvwFL1JAg&amp;_nc_oc=Adpae1lX-lezZe_7YqnTfT4ElOdXIBxRXc8L_sk2zdojCvXI_ZypxR_GuiuDRagaMEI&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com&amp;edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&amp;_nc_gid=B5x1fQncK7t3sdkba_WFrQ&amp;_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQFLWdM3CNslI5zTdzQ-z1slvOjEkF3KTCKnRRrOnR4Gz2CMtN6K_Tb_wMy-Z4J_lqV4jkoYSq9vSA&amp;oh=00_Af1HdR1IjkLfeDRSWkUf2tBSTBZ5royZ3gck9tUiSA3IAw&amp;oe=69F037A6&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"sbi-screenreader\">A man on a wire, a man with a dream...\n\n#fiction #<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/instagram-feed\/img\/placeholder.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"A man on a wire, a man with a dream...\n\n#fiction #microfiction #writing\n\n[To read the story of the amazing feat, follow the #jesstorypix link in my profile&#039;s LinkTree...]\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div id=\"sbi_load\" >\n\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\t\t<span class=\"sbi_resized_image_data\" data-feed-id=\"sbi_17841401273503080#2\"\n\t\t  data-resized=\"{&quot;18509974549078777&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;639529678_18566644408042451_1782408246738428982_n&quot;,&quot;ratio&quot;:&quot;1.00&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:{&quot;full&quot;:640,&quot;low&quot;:320,&quot;thumb&quot;:150},&quot;extension&quot;:&quot;.jpg&quot;},&quot;18089872652276183&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;640417905_18568035868042451_266300837857643647_n&quot;,&quot;ratio&quot;:&quot;0.80&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:{&quot;full&quot;:640,&quot;low&quot;:320,&quot;thumb&quot;:150},&quot;extension&quot;:&quot;.jpg&quot;}}\">\n\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">var sb_instagram_js_options = {\"font_method\":\"svg\",\"placeholder\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johnesimpson.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/instagram-feed\\\/img\\\/placeholder.png\",\"resized_url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johnesimpson.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sb-instagram-feed-images\\\/\",\"ajax_url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johnesimpson.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-admin\\\/admin-ajax.php\"};<\/script><script type='text\/javascript' src='https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/instagram-feed\/js\/sbi-scripts.min.js?ver=6.10.1'><\/script><\/div>\n<p style=\"font-size: 85%; line-height: 1.25em;\"><em>Another year gone by&#8230; time for my annual brain dump on no particular theme, for no particular reason other than <\/em>because I can<em>&#8230; It occurs to me now that &#8212; except for the word &#8220;annual&#8221; &#8212; that pretty much describes how I started blogging at <\/em>Running After My Hat<em> in the first place, haha.<br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8212;<\/p>\n<span class=\"su-dropcap su-dropcap-style-light\" style=\"font-size:2em\">O<\/span>ver there at the right, we have evidence of one highlight of my past year: the two most recent posts from my Instagram feed, most recent one first. And yes, I really mean two most recent: every few hours, the feed as displayed here will be refreshed &#8212; the one at the right will be replaced by the one to its left, and a different &#8220;most recent&#8221; one will shown up in the primo spot. (Obviously, or maybe not, if I haven&#8217;t posted anything new on Instagram in the interval, the &#8220;refreshment&#8221; will have no obvious effect.)<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div style=\"float: left; width: 40%; margin: 7px; border: 1px solid brown;\">\n<table style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnesimpson.com\/images\/CivicCenter_IMG_20180424_125938_316.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnesimpson.com\/images\/CivicCenter_IMG_20180424_125938_316_med.jpg?resize=800%2C419&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Image: Civic Center, in Black and White\" width=\"800\" height=\"419\" \/><\/a>\n<p class=\"smalltext\"><em>Civic Center in Black and White \/ Donald J. Tucker Civic Center<\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnesimpson.com\/images\/ADoorAJar_IMG_20180511_221929_104.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnesimpson.com\/images\/ADoorAJar_IMG_20180511_221929_104_med.jpg?resize=800%2C800&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Image: A Door, Ajar (Ludlow Castle, UK)\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" \/><\/a>\n<p class=\"smalltext\"><em>A Door, Ajar \/ Ludlow Castle<\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnesimpson.com\/images\/DustyGreen_IMG_20180525_232248_384.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnesimpson.com\/images\/DustyGreen_IMG_20180525_232248_384_med.jpg?resize=800%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Image: Dust and Green\" width=\"800\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a>\n<p class=\"smalltext\" style=\"margin-bottom: 3px;\"><em>Green and Less Green \/ E. Virginia St.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Instagram itself doesn&#8217;t really obsess me &#8212; it&#8217;s the photography, especially the black-and-white type. (I explained all this <a title=\"Earlier RAMH post: 'Through a Glass, Darkly or Otherwise (1)'\" href=\"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/through-a-glass-darkly-or-otherwise-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a> some months ago, in what was theoretically just the first of a series of posts on the subject.)<\/p>\n<p>More recently, I entered a few photos in an annual local arts-and-crafts show. (They&#8217;re the ones stacked over there to the left.) <em>No big deal<\/em>, is the self-deprecating phrase&#8230; and yet, it feels oddly momentous. It&#8217;s familiar to me with my writing &#8212; the experience of submitting something with strangers &#8220;cold,&#8221; unread\/unseen by anyone but me up until that moment. But this is a first (for me) with photos. And I find that I&#8217;m weirdly excited by this.<\/p>\n<p>The process of selecting three photos (the maximum number which could be entered) became surprisingly complicated. By now, I&#8217;ve got a ton of photos which <em>haven&#8217;t<\/em> been posted to Instagram, in addition to the almost 500 which <em>have<\/em>. So figuring out even where to start felt at first impossible. Deciding to limit the selection just to those posted on IG (I had to start <em>somehow<\/em>), eventually I got the list down to about 65&#8230; whereupon (discretion, valor, all that) I enlisted The Missus&#8217;s help.<\/p>\n<p>Hard to say what exactly appealed the most to me about these three photos&#8230; or maybe not so hard. The decision was driven not just by my own taste but by various other considerations:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"position: relative; left: 12px;\">\n<li>I wanted a mix of black-and-white, and color; and<\/li>\n<li>I didn&#8217;t want to repeat any subject &#8220;categories&#8221; (e.g., no more than two &#8220;door pix&#8221;); and<\/li>\n<li>because this show is organized by a local quasi-governmental arts group &#8212; I wanted to appeal not just to the judge&#8217;s taste in art, but also to their natural &#8220;boosterish&#8221; instincts, so to speak.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The judges supposedly announce their selections today, June 18, so I&#8217;ll soon see if the weird excitement has been, well, more exciting than weird, or vice-versa.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>Edit to add:<\/strong> All three photos were selected to appear in this show. I had a hectic few days to get them all printed and framed professionally by a local shop (consensus so far among people (including me, haha) who&#8217;ve seen the final product: they look <em>great<\/em>); I deliver them Tuesday, and the exhibit runs July 11- August 20, 2018.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>(Aside: although the show isn&#8217;t a real &#8220;gallery&#8221; show &#8212; the sponsors themselves won&#8217;t handle any sales &#8212; we were given the option of labeling them &#8220;not for sale&#8221; (or otherwise, sans price), and of including contact information for interested viewers.\u00a0 I do hope to sell them!)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnesimpson.com\/images\/SSC2018_TopLogo06.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full\" style=\"width: 40%;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnesimpson.com\/images\/SSC2018_TopLogo06.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"Logo: NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge 2018\" \/><\/a><span class=\"su-dropcap su-dropcap-style-light\" style=\"font-size:2em\">T<\/span>hen there&#8217;s writing &#8212; fiction writing, for a change&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>On a lark, more or less, I entered a short-story contest late last year. You can read about the contest <a title=\"NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge 2018\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nycmidnight.com\/Competitions\/SSC\/Challenge.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>, and at the various pages it links to, but in rough form:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>4,000 entrants from around the world participated in <strong>Round 1<\/strong>;<\/li>\n<li>for <strong>Round 2<\/strong>, 625 &#8220;winners&#8221; were chosen by the judges; and<\/li>\n<li>for <strong>Round 3<\/strong> &#8212; the last one &#8212; 75 &#8220;winners&#8221; were chosen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each round required participants to write to these constraints:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Maximum length:\n<ul>\n<li>in Round 1: 2,500 words;<\/li>\n<li>Round 2: 2,000 words;<\/li>\n<li>Round 3: 1,500 words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Time limits:\n<ul>\n<li>Round 1: eight days<\/li>\n<li>Round 2: three days;<\/li>\n<li>Round 3: 24 hours<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Heats:\n<ul>\n<li>Rounds 1 and 2: participants were grouped randomly into <em>heats<\/em> of (respectively) 32 writers each and 25 writers<\/li>\n<li>Round 3: all 75 writers were placed into the same heat<\/li>\n<li>Participants didn&#8217;t know their assigned heat until the second the round began &#8212; which is to say, they had <em>no<\/em> time to prepare anything in advance. All development, research (if any), writing, and editing had to occur within the given rounds time limit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Genres: everyone in a given heat had to write a story in a certain genre. The genres were ones familiar to anyone who&#8217;s spent some time with books, either as a reader or writer: suspense, thriller, romance, etc. (Notably absent: literary.) In Round 3, participants were allowed to write in whatever genre they wanted (including &#8220;no particular genre,&#8221; &#8220;genre mashups,&#8221; etc.).<\/li>\n<li>Characters: everyone in a given heat had to write a story featuring a particular character type (not necessarily as the protagonist). For example, it might be (taken from the Round 2 assignments) it might be an alcoholic, a backstabber, an inventor, a mute, etc.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Subjects&#8221;: this vague term used by contest organizers specifies some <em>thing<\/em> or some <em>experience<\/em> to be featured in a given heat&#8217;s stories. For instance: medication; a rocket launch; vintage clothing; road rage&#8230;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To get to the point of this bit of this blog post: I&#8217;m one of the 75 writers who made it through Rounds 1 and 2, and now await the results of the third and final round of judging. (In Round 1, I wrote an action\/adventure story featuring a travel agent and a shortcut; in Round 2, again an action\/adventure story, this time featuring a delivery driver and animal rights; and in Round 3, a story of no readily identifiable genre featuring an actress and involving &#8212; somehow &#8212; altruism.)<\/p>\n<p>The judges&#8217; announcement for <em>this<\/em> contest is scheduled to take place at 11:59 PM Wednesday, June 20.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>Edit to add:<\/strong> My NYC Midnight Round 3 entry for the short-story challenge placed <em>sixth<\/em>. This was high enough in the rankings to earn me $100 and several non-cash prizes. The list of all prizes awarded is <a title=\"NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge 2018: Prizes\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nycmidnight.com\/Competitions\/SSC\/Prizes.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So&#8230; this is gonna be a week of pleasant surprises and\/or disappointments on the creative front. Lucky me!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8212;<\/p>\n<span class=\"su-dropcap su-dropcap-style-light\" style=\"font-size:2em\">F<\/span>inally, momentous news of another sort: my official retirement date will be July 31: the last day when I&#8217;ll be employed as a permanent, fulltime worker <em>anywhere<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 30px; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.25em;\"><em>Alas, this doesn&#8217;t mean I&#8217;ll be unemployed, <\/em>period<em>. I do have retirement savings coming to me, Social Security, that sort of thing; but I&#8217;ll need to continue to work just so we can live month to month, for at least a year (barring some out-of-the-blue financial windfall).<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It feels&#8230; strange.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve been &#8220;doing software&#8221; for 39+ years (interrupted by a two-year leave to write); before that, and moving backwards in time, I worked in a book publisher&#8217;s warehouse (specifically, the shipping department); taught high-school English and journalism; worked as a housekeeper in a hospital; and drove a cab. (During high school and college, I held the usual assortment of summer jobs &#8212; farm work, retail sales, corporate mailroom, stockroom work&#8230;)<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s been a long time coming &#8212; no longer for me than for many, agreed, but still. I&#8217;m regarding the experience, frankly, with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. We&#8217;ll see, right?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[Above: I have had this track playing incessantly in my head for the last couple of weeks&#8230; maybe by posting it here I&#8217;ll free myself of it, at least for now. 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