b natural. c sharp.

As we’ve been going through my recently departed grandma’s stuff, I’ve been thinking about the way things have changed regarding leaving stuff behind. Specifically, I’ve been pondering the recent way we document our lives so easily through computers and the internet, but questioning the permanence of the medium.

For example, I think about my blog… it’s like a diary, but not so personal and not so permanent. Are the things I say here worthy of backing up and preserving forever? I love adding photos to my blog, but what happens if the links no longer function and the pictures are gone because Flickr and Google destroyed each other in gruesome The War on Photo Services of 2020? I used to upload all of my pictures to my blog’s server but it proved to be too much trouble (and probably too much space for my friend who hosts it for free). At what point is it worth saving every page as a pdf so that the images stay in tact?

That leads me to photo albums. My life is documented in physical photo albums through about the end of high school. Thanks to my mom and her awesome scrapbook skills, there is a little bit of college stuff too. In addition to my parents’ photo albums, I have my own that documented every worthwhile event during middle and high school. Since then I’ve moved onto digital and probably haven’t printed out more than 20 pictures, if that. Digital photography is wonderful and easy - I love that you can edit and select worthwhile pictures without wasting film, however I rarely make prints. I am thankful that backing up your pictures is very easy and that gives them a sense of tangibility, but wonder if I should be doing it more. Maybe that will be a popular project for retirement years down the road, or maybe we’ll have some new crazy thing that will replace photos altogether. Holograms perhaps?? If Star Wars can have them, so can we.

Just something to think about.

I’m hanging out by the hotel pool where wireless internet is abundant. I’ve spent all day at the beach and it was lovely, but once the sun started to hide behind the buildings, I decided to rinse off here. The weather has been absolutely perfect. I’ve been working on the pair of socks and soaking up the sun - I honestly don’t think it gets much more relaxing than sitting on the beach and knitting. I took a break to walk halfway into the (freezing) water and couldn’t help to think how magical it was. The waves crashing around me and the foam swirling for miles down the beach was just breathtaking. I didn’t bring my camera, but I did take a few pictures on my phone. I didn’t realize how good of a camera it had!

My trusty $5 umbrella kept the sun out of my face. James bought this and let me keep it on our last visit to OC earlier this summer.

Working on getting two socks started at once using the magic loop method.

Huge creepy skull that was on the beach today. I wonder what it was?

Kids playing in the tidal pools. Late in the day when they start to dry up, they are as warm as bath water!

Hello from Ocean City! The wireless internet in our condo isn’t working properly so if I get desperate I’ll go to the hotel next store and get my internet fix. TextEdit will gladly hold my words until I can share them with you.

I’m here with my mom while she attends a conference for her work. The weather is beautiful and I really lucked out! Last year it was windy and rainy most of the week. I went for a walk on the beach this morning and it was lovely. I searched for seashells in the tidal pools that have formed on the beach and picked up some trash to dispose of on the way back.

Ocean City is much nicer off season - less of a drunken freak show for sure. I’m a goof and forgot my bathing suit and sunscreen, so I got myself a new bikini once we got into town. I’m always looking for an excuse to buy a bathing suit so it wasn’t a difficult sacrifice. Not quite hot enough to lay out in the sun just yet, but it’s supposed to get to around 80 degrees today and there’s always the pool!

We’ll be going to Delaware in about an hour to shop at the outlets once my mom and her friend are done with work stuff. In addition to shopping, I have the mornings and afternoons to myself so I plan on doing a lot of Christmas present knitting. I’m working on decorative wine cozies as well as a pair of socks. I also brought my spinning, which I haven’t worked on since my last post.