I haven’t done one of these for a while, so I decided to spend some of Storm Austen time on it while listening to some of my parents’ record collection. Right now I am listening to Billy Eckstine; I haven’t heard of him before, but it is a keeper. It is interesting listening to things at random; yesterday it was The Mikado.
Anyway, back to life right now. One of the reasons I haven’t done one of these updates, or I maybe much recently, I have been working as a full-time teacher. It is hard work, though very rewarding. I have my own ‘borrowed’ class of 4 and 5 year olds. I say ‘borrowed’ because I am covering a teacher who is off for medical reasons and will hopefully be back soon. I thought this half term might end the assignment, but it will likely run to Christmas now. I am shattered. BUT, I have managed to pay off my credit card and pay for this blog for the next 2 years. Hence, you may have noticed the removal of the banner at the top saying you could gift me a plan if you so wished. The assignment came at just the right time, as I was wondering how I would pay for it. As many bloggers have pointed out, AI is scalping our sites and, in so doing, reducing the advertising revenue which normally would pay for the site. I am lucky that I do have teaching as a source of income; for others, they are not so lucky. That being said, running the blog and having things to write about isn’t free. I helped a friend recently; she asked if she could donate to the site as a thank you. I said sure and mentioned there was a Ko-fi button on it. She had never seen it, which got me thinking: maybe it should be more prominently displayed. So that is what I have done: added it to the bottom of every post and to the top of new posts. I don’t update the Ko-fi site much or ever; it is just one more task in a long list of them.
Some other bloggers are making paid versions of their sites or sending out newsletters, but I don’t want to do that. I simply don’t have the time at the moment. Also, as I have always stated, this blog is for me, a diary of my photographical exploits. If you like reading it and enjoy it, great; it is always a surprise and joy to me. If I inspire you to try a camera, delve into film, or something else, even better. I still get some money from advertising, but as I said, it is now minimal, and the advertisements are becoming more annoying, even for me. I am thinking of quitting them altogether. I have already turned some off, but to fully quit would need an increase in donations to make that possible.
Anyway, on with the throwback.
Well, that was a lovely way to spend a morning. It was great to view my past life and friends in Japan. I might have to go back soon; I want to go for another wander in the bamboo!!
And while writing it, I have listened to Dwight Yoakam and Mario Lanza, both keepers. Their tastes were very eclectic; apparently so are mine.