I Don’t Make Mistakes!

The title (much like the cake) is a lie. I make mistakes all the time. In fact, fairly recently, it was brought to my attention by someone more eagle-eyed than myself that I have been wrong about Connecticut for quite a while. I have mentioned in the past that the state is replacing its current eight counties, governmental lacunae that exist in name and tradition only, with nine councils of government. Connecticut actually did that in 1960. The important bit here is that those councils of government will be recognized by the Census Bureau as official census areas. I believe they will be the only census areas outside of Alaska, but I know little about census designations (though I suspect maybe I should read up on them a little more). The really important part here is that I thought the changeover would be at the beginning of 2023, which inspired me to plan Northeastern travel next year. Well, I was wrong. It’s going to happen at the beginning of 2024. I have been steering you wrong for a while, folks. I sit on a throne of lies. And to be terribly honest, there’s no guarantee that everything I’ve written here explaining things is entirely correct because what the heck do I know about Connecticut? As the kids would say, “Don’t @ me, bro!” This, of course, doesn’t mean that the Northeast is off the table. I’ve heard tell there’s some other stuff up there, after all. Heck, it’s not like there aren’t maps and designated borders for the new census areas. I could actually visit them before they are official. I’m crazy and unpredictable! I could do it!

I feel I’m making another mistake, which isn’t really a mistake, but feelings are funny things, no? Since I’m not going anywhere for at least a few months, I’ve finally started in earnest on my first book, a compilation of my travels through the 254 counties that make up my home state of Texas. This has been the original inspiration for the hundreds of thousands of words I have written here thus far. And, in looking back at my old entries, I feel I have made a mistake! Have you ever looked back at something you once wrote and just wanted to box the author’s ears? I’ve always considered myself a pretty good writer, and I was terrible then! What was I thinking? Who wrote that crap? Even crazier, who read it? Why would you do that to yourself? It’s also making me realize that I may have to go back to some of those counties. Some of them have terrible courthouse photographs, bordering on invisible ones at night. Phone camera technology was not as advanced as it has become, neither in general nor in the case of my own. And there’s at least one county in particular whose entry basically reads, “I was there. I have the photos to prove it. Yet I don’t remember a single thing about the place.” It comes from the days when I was writing entries completely from memory—before I realized that the supercomputer in my pocket, the one connected to the knowledge of the entire planet and containing my photographs, could also take dictation. Perhaps more robust content is called for? My point here (and I do have one) is that I may be going back to a few old … well, I’m not sure if “favorites” is the right word. You may get some travel content yet!