Off-Topic Week at TOP

Time for another strange experiment that I've been mulling over for some time now...an OFF-TOPIC WEEK. All week this week, through Sunday, I'll be not writing about photography.

This is just a temporary interlude, not a permanent change of direction.

I must recharge my photo-enthusiast batteries. They are depleted. This relentless cold weather has limited my photographic activity and made it go temporarily dormant, which is damping down my feeling of involvement. (And before you lecture me about getting out and shooting anyway, I just don't want to. I am thoroughly, thoroughly sick of Winter, more so than I have ever been in my life. I just want it to go away.) My medical woes have depleted my vigor. My interest in photography is nearly bottomless, but my energy has temporarily gone dry. I need a little break.

Moreover, the thought of writing about several of my sundry other enthusiasms seems like it would be welcome. My birthday is this week, so I'll try this as a little present to myself, and we'll see how it goes. As I say, it'll be an experiment. Maybe I'll do it every year on my birthday week. As consolation*.

(Among other things like cars, books, coffee, pool and stereo, one of the things I'll write about is the the Secret of Happiness. I've figured it out. I still don't know the meaning of life, though, so no pronouncements on that.)

Come back next week at just this time (Monday morning), when we'll go "Around the Web" again and take the pulse of what's up in the online photo world. There is a lot happening. After that it'll be back to business as usual, with vim, vigor, and verve.

Yr. hmbl. host,

Mike

P.S. Ctein will write about the iPad this Wednesday, as will I.

*My age is "OTD," according to my not-very-much younger brother: older than dirt. But not really. As an old person, I'm very young. But as I sometimes say, things are very different from in here where I am: for one thing, I'm thin from in here, and for another, I'm about 35. Compared to that, I'm OTD.

Original contents copyright 2014 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

TOP's links!

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Michael Martin-Morgan: "Must be the Nickel-Cadmium in our photographer veins—our batteries work much worse in cold temperatures...."

Nicholas Condon: "If you publish photos of the cars from the auto show, you won't be off topic! That will make you off-topic for Off Topic Week, though...."

ann: "Mike you need a holiday, a real holiday! To recuperate from your recent illness and to celebrate your birthday. Somewhere in the sun, take some books and just relax. And I agree about the inside/outside thing. I am alaways surprised when I catch a glimpse of my real self in a shop window...can't be me, surely; I feel about 20. Happy Birthday."

Chico Ruger: "Methinks OT Week is a bad idea. Sympathize with the problem of you having to come up with content 365 days a year and writer's block, but I come to your site for photographic stuff. Better solution IMHO is more 'best of.' (Occasional OT is OK with me. Maybe a couple of times a month.)"

Comments

[Frank E]

it will be interesting to see what your keyboard produces…

I assume there is not as much work involved with also re-cycling
some "hits from the past". Not all of us have been with TOP since the beginning and I for one would enjoy seeing more of those past posts.

[Jim in Denver]

Go for it. I can say that I'm certainly looking forward to whatever you have in mind.

[Thingo]

Happy Birthday Mike. And many more.

You'll no doubt be pleased to know here in the SE corner of Oz, we're having some decent-sized fires.

[Hugh Smith]

Always remember the meaning of life is "Wet bluejays don't fly at night." (My two pesos)

[Huw Morgan]

Hi Mike,

I'm very much looking forward to your Open Mike musings for a whole week. As a daily reader, I tune in to your site because of your wonderful writing style and sense of humor (is it something about Wisconsin that creates great columnists? My other fave is Peter Egan, ex-Road and Track columnist and another Wisconsonian). Photography is incidental, although enjoyable. It was the reason I found your site, but not the reason I continue to tune in.

On the subject of the winter blahs. Here's a great article that you may enjoy: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/facts-and-arguments/solitary-and-snowbound-in-my-new-town-i-waited-in-vain-for-the-welcome-wagon/article17020637/#dashboard/follows/

My question to you is this: why do you live in Wisconsin if you hate the winter? There are lots of great towns in the south where you could buy a house at a reasonable price and enjoy the sunshine 12 months a year.

[Andrew Molitor]

Awesome idea, Mike. I come here for the mix, really. It's about photography, but it's about more than that. There's a million sites devoted to photography out there, but there's only one ToP.

[Paul Pickard]

Mike,

I have been there, and kinda am there now.
With that said anything about jazz would be welcomed by me!

[Dogman]

Well, happy birthday week, Mike, from this old dog who celebrates his birthday today (02/24). I'm old and fat and what hair I have left went grey years ago. The mile have added up but I'm still 35 years old in spirit and about 10 years old in maturity.

Take the week and enjoy yourself.

[John Hall]

Hey, listening to a little music on some interesting (stereo) gear while shooting pool sounds like a good way to spend an evening to me!

[Richard]

Yup -32 degrees here with windchill and I am also sick of winter, who wants to go out and shoot in that for fun. I look forward to your different topics, your post a while back on HD music got me interested in building a 24 bit system (darn you). With all this crazy weather around the world might I suggest a topic on climate change, or is that just to depressing.

[Jon Orchard]

Glad to hear you're doing what you need to for your own health and above all, happiness. I'm thoroughly tired of winter and welcome anything new and off topic.

[Suprada]

I'm looking forward to this week's posts. As much as I come here to read about photography, the OT posts here are very enriching. Sometimes, the post might be of a topic of little interest to me - however I make an attempt to read it just because it's posted here - and I come away enlightened (at the least).
By the way, I also look forward to your vintage Mike posts - and I would love to see more of those (and maybe 'Vintage Posts' from guest writers as well).

[jim r]

Happy Birthday! Good choice to decompress imaging-wise, it can only help by not forcing things to happen. I've just turned 57 myself, but that's 39h so not so old after all. :^)

I went with an Asus 7hd tablet, would love an iPad but also really like the $250 I did not spend!

[ShadZee]

You should review cars. Start with the new Mini. Maybe, they'll send you one to keep for the week? ;-)

[steven Ralser]

Happy birthday; I'm looking forward to interesting week's read.

[John Krumm]

Speaking of OTD, yesterday I read a very enjoyable article by Roger Angell in The New Yorker, "Life in The Nineties." He mentions that he has lately been doing some lighter short form blogging, which he compares with sitting at a window and making paper airplanes, releasing them one by one.

[david]

Take all the time you need Mike - your photography-focused essays will be missed of course, but we look fwd to reading you anyway.

[Robin Dreyer]

Do it!

[RobinP]

Best of luck with recharging your batteries Mike but I do hope you're not treading on thin ice with a whole week of OT!
Count me in as being interested by your posts on music and audio, likely to be offended by your strange american way of considering cars and definitely very upset by any post about any sport :-)

[Nico van Diemen]

Mike I don't comment normally take your Bday week and write about all these 'other' things we don't mind at all.
I enjoy even your ramblings on music though my taste is not OTD like yours ;-)
from very sunny and warm South Africa
Nico

[Carl Blesch]

I was in your home town last week visiting family, and believe me, everyone articulated the same weariness with winter. Well, weariness is too kind a word. Let's try "hatred." If I heard the TV weatherman correctly, last Monday was your first day above freezing since early January. And I see this week you're back into the dreaded polar vortex with single figures F (-15C, give-or-take). I don't blame you! Have fun at the auto show and share all the off-topic verbiage that warms your soul.

[Mark Janness]

Mike

Take up ice fishing. Join the other loonies out on Lake Winnebago drilling holes in the three foot think ice in hopes of spearing a sturgeon or catching a trophy walleye.

If nothing else take you car on the ice and drive around for a few miles just because you can.

[Mark Gunion]

Those of us with accumulating white hairs and ascending years are ok with being called OTD (Older Than Dirt). We just don't want to be called UTD (Under The Dirt).

[Ray Anderson]

Happy birthday, Mike, and I know just what you mean about this interminable winter. I am in Ohio, not Wisconsin, but even this much further south, it has been l-o-n-g, and very snowy. I have a dear friend who lives very near you, in Pewaukee, so I know what your winter has been like. Hang on, your creative eye, and mine will come back!

[Christopher Lane]

Being only one state away, I thoroughly understand. When you figure out how to recharge your photo batteries, please share. Mine are totally depleted as well. Oh, and Happy Birthday.

[Yvonne]

I second that bit about winter. It must have something to do with us getting older. I used to like winter (esp. when I had a snow-loving dog, but he's gone). This year winter has been too long and depressing. Look forward to the off-topic posts, especially cars, books and coffee. (Comedians in Cars getting Coffee, by any chance?) And cheers for your birthday.

[sebastian]

perfectly fine with me.
go pool! go snooker!

[Rich Jacobson]

You could take pictures of the shiny cars at the auto show and share them with us. I am also in the Milwaukee area, and also sick to death of winter. I've never attended an auto show, but when I suggested it to my wife yesterday, she accused me of just wanting to take photographs. While true, I also have been dreaming of a new car.

[Jim Bullard]

" I am thoroughly, thoroughly sick of Winter, more so than I have ever been in my life. I just want it to go away."

You have a lot of company on that sentiment Mike. A whole lot of company.

[Peter]

I was laughing when I read one of your recent posts. My wife asked what I was reading, and I told her, "The Cory Farley of photography."

[Bernard Scharp]

I know what you mean about the winter dampening the photographic spirits. The winter here has been suprisingly warm, strangely enough, but also mercilessly wet. Not really stimulating.

But last weekend I dusted off the darkroom after more than 6 months of disuse (I found film in my to-process box from last july, ouch), so here's to a fresh start...