Minor Challenges

Since I once worked, to a modest degree, in the field of architectural design, I notice with interest many features in the building here which are well done. The wide and open lookout balcony that forms part of the elevator corridor is a prime example.

On the other hand in a corner here and there I also notice design features that make me wonder. The great marble shelf in our bathroom is one example. In the photo below you will notice the corner of this shelf to the right of the sink.

If you scrutinize the shelf corner you might discern a repaired break. What could have struck that stone shelf with sufficient impact to break off a piece? You can only guess. If, in the photo, I had included the toilet seat under this shelf you could only guess even better.

For myself, it took a sum of three head bangs to acclimatize to this design feature, so I cannot award myself high marks for adaptability. Whether my learning curve has weakened the repair is something I cannot measure. However it might explain some of the loopier content of this blog.

Another challenge I face is regarding the ride between Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. The two towns are connected by a short highway that bridges a small valley. See photo below obtained from the Web.

I positioned two arrows to indicate a gap in the foliage which, whether on a bus or in a taxi, takes three seconds to traverse. The glimpse this gap offers of Ixtapa down by the shore with the ocean spread before it offers an impressive photographic opportunity. And I have tried many times to capture it without success. Without wanting to present excuses the harsh reality is that buses rock and rattle along this road at breakneck speed. Remaining seated usually demands highest priority. Also, for a clear shot one must aim out an open window which stirs the concern of losing one's cell phone. Indeed, is it not peculiar that a fifteen dollar, 1.5 megapixel camera at K-Mart comes with a wrist strap but a $599.00 iPhone does not?

The experience is less harrowing in a taxi but I have yet to capture the scene while hurtling through that brief gap. Rest assured I will keep trying, and I will share the results should I ever succeed.

A while back I put this quote at the end of an entry:

     "We've heard that a million monkeys at a keyboard could produce the Complete Works of
     Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true."

I just want to reassure any readers that this blog, despite suspicions, is not the work of a monkey at any keyboard.