Mikes Thoughts

writing and walking

I’ve been thinking some deal on the daily walks I do and how things just go by here in Siem Reap. Yesterday I found myself downtown so I walked out to this big hospital I used to love to walk to. There are wonderful sidewalks and flowers along the route. Down the next roads are these little side streets and alleys I’ve loved exploring in the past. It is a part of the city where like the U2 song, “the streets have no name”. I guess most streets really don’t have a name or address here. I remember before living here, I lived on Storm Drain Road. I only got that from google maps when I had scheduled a DHL delivery of some important stuff. The driver ended up calling my Cambodian phone to ensure I could be standing outside the building so he could see me. Sure enough just about when he said, he showed up.

Writing on the things it seems I will often start a blogpost from something I happened to write in the journal. That continuum is easy for me. I just do a wikilink and click on it. Then when I want to write some, I click on it. I have to copy over some frontmatter to make 11ty happy. I have an apple shortcut that makes it easier with the current date in place. Sometimes the writing is on the iPhone. I enjoy writing moving around so starting a thing on the laptop means it will be there on the iPhone. IA Writer and iCloud Drive make things very nice to just do the writing and not have some other app that syncs things. I guess my needs are exceedingly simple writing. I’ve tried numerous times to write different journals or themes based on things in my life or wanted in my life. These never worked out for me so I deleted them. I came up with the conclusion that the blog is my garden. My place to explore and deposit the detritus of this life.

Walking just seems like a natural enhancement to writing. Like it gives me seasons to go taste the sun and breeze. Find some things I want to carry forward. Lately it has been more of an escape for me and that’s okay too. I think we all need escapes when we need them. Like today I guess the writing and the walking will go together again. More thoughts to come but I really must be moving to shake them out. Unfortunately the house here is bereft of them so finding the words and the steps are my tonic.

writing and walking and coffee

Combining all three is what makes my morning. Especially coffee out. Sitting somewhere. Finding the slow moments. To dawdle. And do one other thing. That would be reading. Sadly my kindle sits at home these days. I’ve gotten out of the desire to read on it. The ease and portability are still reasons I would like to read on it. I guess it’s a thing I just stopped. Now I read a website or two. Find something I want to save. Lately about things in Saigon I may want to do. The Vietnam thing has become the thing. I knew it would.

It will definitely energize the walking and writing. Vietnam always seems to stir some pot of life. I have walked that one street many times down past the bar I once sat in and got happy.

Then an acquaintance messages me about the last thing. Wants to meet Wednesday for coffee. That’s our every 4 month meeting or so. I do it perhaps for him. I feel he’s lonely underneath that barang exterior. So I can do some time listening to him. Offering a few words.

That’s all the things. I think we are good to go. Look out vercel here it comes.