Dan Antion

When Good Times Collide

“Um, do we really need the overhead lights?”

Mondays are the hardest days for me and this blog. I like posting on Monday, because it avoids having too many posts in a row. Also, since I usually have abundant free time on Friday and Saturday nights (that’s the way I like it, by the way) I have plenty of time to research and write about the more serious subjects I tend to broach on Mondays. This week, I was going to talk about my recent experience with Guttenberg, WordPress’s next editor.

I don’t like it.

That’s not true, I like it fine, but there are two problems. One small and one significant. The small one is that you have to make a slight adjustment in order to indent a paragraph. I use this feature a lot. I like to set some thoughts off from others. The significant problem is that there is currently no way to assemble a photo gallery where the photos are in a tiled mosaic pattern – like I ALWAYS use. I’ve read that the Happiness Engineers are working on a solution for that. Good luck to them.

Anyway, I didn’t have a lot of free time this weekend. On Friday night, my daughter and I toured and attended an event at The Mark Twain House, in Hartford. On Saturday, I was invited to join friends who were visiting from Chicago, at The Cloisters Museum in Manhattan.

I wouldn’t have passed up either opportunity and I enjoyed both very much. My plan was to write on Saturday night and finish today (Sunday). Instead, I decided to watch some football Saturday. I watched as Alabama held off The University of Georgia (where I spent my freshman year). Then, Clemson dragged the University of Pittsburgh up and down the field like a rag doll.

Not in a mood to read, research or write.

Sunday, I began the task of sorting some of the photos I have from The Cloisters (none can be taken in the Mark Twain House). I do have a few photos to share. I hope you enjoy them.

Early morning sunrise.
The Mark Twain House
The Cloisters
The Cloisters are part of the Met Museum system.
“I know it’s raining, but this won’t take long. I just need a peanut.”
Everything is soaked.
It’s raining!
This is where Maddie starts after we come back in form outside or back from our walk.
“Maddie, I can’t keep my legs like this.” “But I’m comfy.”
“I’m having a hard time getting comfortable”
“OK, this might work.”
“Dry my head first!” Maddie doesn’t mind being in the rain, but she doesn’t like to have a wet head.
“Can I go back to sleep now?”

66 comments

  1. My husbands nephew was commissioned to do a piece for the cloisters recently. He owns a forge and I believe it was some type of intricately linked iron fencing. Did you happen to see it?
    It’s been very wet here as well. All our snow has melted so we’re having an early mud season. Not good!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  2. Wow Dan! Who wouldn’t feel inspired writing in that house? I love it! It sounds like a grand weekend. I always have the battle betweeh writing and adventure (from whence comes my inspiration) Ihave been avoiding the new editor but fear I must face it soon. Me and change are not good dance partners..have a very creative week!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. Loved the early morning sunrise picture. Do you normally take time to think when clicking certain pictures? Or you just keep clicking and then come home and sort which ones will go with the post?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Sharukh. I usually check the images as I take them. My camera will often focus on the wrong thing. My phone is a bit more reliable, but movement or the wind will often render the “perfect shot” into a wild blur. I do bring more images than I plan to publish into Adobe Lightroom. For example, I started with 27 pictures for this post and I think I used 14. I’m trying to include fewer pictures in each post, but I want them to be good ones.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. It took me long enough to learn how to blog, being the computer illiterate I am, so I’m not really eager to try the new editor.
    I like the Cloisters. That was one site up in NY I hadn’t seen as a kid.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • The new editor relies on concepts that are familiar to me. I just hope they don’t require us to switch until it includes the features we already have (and use). We should be moving forward, not backwards.

      I had never been to the Cloisters, so this was a great opportunity. I was very lucky. It was a beautiful day, traffic was moving well in both directions and I got to see a friend that I haven’t seen for about a year.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. You’ve somewhat scared me about the Guttenberg WordPress it’s-going-to-be-awesome editor. I also use the indent feature and prefer a tiled mosaic gallery. I hope they fix those issues. This should be a good change, not a frustrating one.

    Anyhow, Dan, even though it was NOT a good football weekend, I hope your Monday and week are awesome!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Mary. I don’t think Guttenberg is ready for prime time. I’m not sure the Steelers are, either, and I’m sad for Packer fans. I was getting gas this morning, and the guy at the next pump was wearing a Green Bay knit cap. He saw the Steelers emblem on my car and we exchanged condolences.

      I hope both teams, AND the team at WordPress can get their act together for what’s left of this season and the future.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • I think you would enjoy the Cloisters, Judy. They have a remarkable collection of tapestries from the 14th and 15th centuries. It’s amazing to see how the color in some of them have survived hundreds of years and still manage to seem vibrant.

      The Twain house was fun to tour, and we ended up in a very small group (4 people) so we didn’t have to bump around to see everything. I have always enjoyed his writing and what I’ve been able to learn about him. He remains an inspiration.

      Maddie is so funny, as she directs us to dry her head. If you try to dry her feet first, it’s not going to end well. Even after a bath, her head has to be dried first.

      Like

      Reply

  7. The Cloisters looks to be a fascinating place, but I was especially drawn to your shots of Maddie trying to find a position that is comfortable for the both of you. I have a friend who is staying with me who has a Cocker Spaniel and the dog and I do that kind of dance with the dog on a regular basis as I try to read the newspaper on the couch or sleep in my bed. It is amazing how much space the little dog requires.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I’m glad you can relate, Mike. Maddie is not at all concerned with my comfort. I am there to support some part of her. The issue is “what part needs the support today?”

      Even out tiny little cat MiMi will settle onto your legs and get comfy, while your legs are in the most awkward position. They truly are amazing.

      Like

      Reply

  8. Don’t tell anyone but I’m still using the very old editor. It’s under WP Admin. I hate change . . . well some of it I hate. Love the pictures. Love Maddie. And MiMi or MuMu?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  9. Beautiful buildings–both the Mark Twain house and the Cloisters. I tried the new editor and promptly ditched it. I could not figure out the photograph thing and I am not the most tech-savvy….so went back to the old editor. Mimi is so darn cute.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Lois! They are both great places to tour. They are promising to include some “classic” features as an option, but it doesn’t look like it applies to displaying pictures. Makes me wonder if any of the people working on this project have a blog or ever read anybody’s blog. MiMi has the best expressions.

      Like

      Reply

  10. I’ve been waiting for someone to evaluate Guttenberg. I’ve dabbled with it in confusion and wonder why they changed what I considered a good thing. I guess I’ll find out in time. The Cloisters is near the top of my Bucket List. Someday…..

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I wanted to spend a lot more time evaluating Guttenberg, Annie but I had too many things going on. The biggest concern that I have is that it seems to be designed more as a creative space. I write my posts in Word. I lie to simply copy and paste. Right now, I paste into OpenWriter and push a draft into WordPress. The only thing I use the WP Editor for is indenting and building the gallery (the two things it doesn’t want to do!).

      I hope they don’t force it on us before they fix these issues.

      The Cloisters is a most interesting space. I enjoyed our visit very much.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. I remember going to the Cloisters when I was a schoolkid on suburban Long Island. Mostly I remember it being an interminable bus ride and a dark, medieval museum. Of course, it was so long ago that back then it qualified as current events!

    Great pix, as always.Thanks for sharing them!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • It probably took as long to get there from Long Island (in a school bus) as it took me to drive from CT! It’s a beautiful place, but I’m sure I appreciate it more now than I would have when I was in school.

      Like

      Reply

  14. The only time we have football on anymore is when the Steelers are playing, and last night they were on. I heard grumbling and talking to the TV so I’m thinkin the team didn’t win.

    The Mark Twain House is beautiful on the outside.

    I really wanted to go to the Cloisters when I was in NYC, but I heard from several people it was a long trip by subway, and bus out there so, we passed. I’m looking forward to your images and thoughts about it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. I really like the first photo capturing the plane contrails. And, of course, the raindrops always catch my eye.

    The Mark Twain house is stunning. On the first level, left hand side of porch, the paint detail makes those two columns look like two book spines. Intentional or not, I love it. Of course, I still find shapes in clouds like I did when I was a kid!! Lol.

    MiMi is such a pretty kitty. She just wants her beauty sleep! I laughed out loud the way Maddie wiggled her way into practically taking over the entire couch like you weren’t even there. We had a super sweet English Setter…Tillie. She would worm her way into a comfortable position for herself, and not care in the least about your level of discomfort!! Really loved that little girl.

    🔹 Ginger 🔹

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Ginger. I always take pictures of contrails for Faith, and water drops for me. The Clemons’ designed the house with many interesting details. Our guide didn’t mention that, but it was dark when our tour started. I still find shapes in clouds too.

      MiMi wants to sleep in these pics, but when she wants to play, she is relentless in cajoling us to join her.

      Maddie just has to figit until she gets us in the right position. At least I have a purpose. It’s funny, the things we remember about our dogs.

      Like

      Reply

  17. I’m still using the old WordPress editor too, except lately something has changed and you can no longer copy a post in it, which is a real PITA. Can’t say I’m looking forward to more changes but I’ll try to reserve judgement until I see what this Gutenberg has to offer.
    Looking forward to seeing your shots from these recent outings too. I have very fond memories of our afternoon at The Cloisters on our last visit to NYC.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I remember your post from the Cloisters, Norm and how much you said you enjoyed it. I’ll likely share some of the non-doors before I get to the doors. I’m trying to sort through a lot of pictures.

      I am using the old editor, but now that I’ve tried the new one, WP has made it my default. I have to go through the Admin panel to get to the old editor.

      Like

      Reply

  18. I too have been trying the new editor and it was a very bumpy start – I didn’t find it intuitive at all. If I’m left scratching my head for a few minutes trying to figure out how to do something that used to be easy, I’m going to get frustrated – and I was. A lot of people aren’t willing to deal with that learning curve.

    I hadn’t noticed that I couldn’t tile photos but I did notice it defaults now to the new editor. I also noticed that once I started a post in the new editor, trying to revert back to the old one wasn’t seamless. I lost my photos … and couldn’t get them back in. I ended up persevering in the new editor because it seemed like my only other option was to start over in the old editor.

    I think I’m over the biggest hurdles in the learning curve now, but a lot of people aren’t going to be happy with that initial struggle.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I did discover that WP now defaults md to the new editor but I can “edit in classic” from the Admin panel.

      They really need to work on making this a seamless transition unless they want a lot of frustrated people.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  21. We all get stuck in our blogging ruts, don’t we? I can’t do a bloggy thing on Monday, but Tuesdays work for me. Maybe we all should make a News Year’s Resolution to mix up our posting schedules more in 2019. See how variety brings us clarity? Or chaos? 🤔

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • That would bring chaos for sure, Ally :-)

      I used to do Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday. It worked well, but I came to like One-Liner Wednesday. That would work well, too, if I stuck with one line, but…well, you’ve been to my site.

      I switched to Monday to break it up. Four days is the limit, and I prove that to myself each month when I toss in WATWB on a Friday. It just doesn’t work for my poor little head.

      Mondays do suffer from busy weekends, but not too often. I think we like our ruts.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  23. I hope they work it out with the new editor – and your use of Mosaics makes me want to use them more – it is easy to see all the photos and then we can spend time going to closeups if we want.
    And how fun to have a weekend like you had- ahhhh – gift of time with friends

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • That’s exactly why I use the mosaics, Yvette. If people are in a hurry, they can glance at a nicely arranged collage (minimal work on my part) but if they have time/interest, they can easily skip through a show.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  25. Very nice, especially Maddie and Twain House! :)
    I don’t have a lot of time at all this month. I am beginning to feel excited about January, lol, because I think it will be much slower!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  27. Thanks for your thoughts on Guttenberg, Dan. Big hmmm.. Sounds like you had a terrific weekend at the Mark Twain House and watching college football. Who wants to research when you can do what you did! Wonderful photos, too! Apologies I’m late and playing catch-up on reading posts.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Ha ha – I hope your hubs knows to dry your head first when you come in out of the rain. Maddie will stick her nose under the towel an flip it up away from her feet. I hope to have things sorted out from the cloisters by Monday.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Add your thoughts or join the discussion. One relevant link is OK, more require moderation. Markdown is supported.

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.