I've taken to ensuring a walk is taken each day, even if I have no reason to be getting outside. Things have been a bit chaotic since moving here, and it's really easy to fall into the laziness of waking up super late each day and not really doing anything but the absolute minimum under the excuse of rest. Sure, a lot of that rest has been needed, but I do want to maintain the habit of getting out even if it's for a short walk, even if nothing is needed. I took the camera with me of course, and walked down the street to the nearby park that was recently discovered. It's nothing all that special as a park, clearly something more modern that was created and without much of a useful design. A cafe and some food places within it, places to exercise and some places for general sports activities, but it's still a bit small. Mostly variations of pine trees are found within, which I am a great fan of. Those tall towering trees with that smell of pine, I can't get enough. And with the weather today, still a bit warm but showing signs of wanting to rain, I'm feeling both excited and that comfort that keeps me at a slightly slower pace than usual.
At this point I do feel I am a bit tired of summer, more looking forward to the coming of autumn and winter, since it feels as if summer has lasted far too long as it began to enter around March in Armenia. A little tired of the hot days, a little tired of the heat and being less capable of running around outside for long periods of time without getting too uncomfortable or burning. I arrived in Istanbul last October, and even then it was still quite warm. That winter feeling was short-lived in comparison.
I do feel that as summer really kicked in, I have been going out less, and when I am out, these moments are much shorter as I begin to feel uncomfortable and notice how dangerous it can be to roam around under the sun with a heavy backpack. Tbilisi certainly has more trees in the city, a lot more shade and shelter, but that heat still makes you feel uncomfortable within just a short walk. I think I'm generally good at dealing with heat, but I do notice the risk of spending an entire day in that condition. Walking in the park also shows that a lot of people are a bit tired from the sun, others walk much slower, dogs are just flat out under the trees and resting. Nobody seems to be all that interested in being out and under the sun at this point. And the leaves in the city are starting to accumulate as the trees slowly begin that autumn phase. Winds are picking up and there's a nicer breeze to be felt. And the clouds are hanging above with a more grey tone to them, hinting that they wish to release a downpour on the city. I wish they would, already! I arrived here on a night of intense rain, even the taxi driver was surprised at how heavy it was, stating it was not a normal thing as of late.
But it gave me a glimpse of how weather here can be, how much I long for those rainy days again, wanting to experience the cold again. To roam through the rainy streets of Tbilisi and experience the colder, more comfortable live it has to offer as the culture within the space shifts to interiors. I do enjoy that sound of rain outside, the darkness outside in a dimly-lit cafe. Just enjoying the atmosphere. It's a little harder to have a similar feeling now, especially with the fact that outdoor cafes spray everyone with mist to try to reduce some of the heat.
I feel I haven't been as active with my hobbies as well, perhaps more focused on staying cool and just feeling tired from the heat that my inspiration took a bit of a dive. More staying in and procrastinating which I despise. Instead of exploring those interests I otherwise would. I do think I struggle with my attention sometimes if I'm in a spot that isn't too comfortable. I tend to end up fidgeting or putting things off for too long. And when I roam around with the camera I'm still very much observant, but I find I point the camera at things a little less almost in that desperate bid to increase my speed through a location to get to that more comfortable spot sooner. Usually I do take my time more in spaces, I do feel more at peace and roam through with a larger curiosity, thus taking so many more photographs. I have noticed how my photography interest remains yet the number of photographs decreases, and that tends to be a sign of something just not quite working out for me in my everyday actions. Another reason as to why I made the decision to get out and start walking every day, to force some activity. And also force that photography.
I do love what I have seen of Tbilisi so far though, it's a city with a lot of depth to it and a lot of beauty at even a quick glance. It can be a bit loud sometimes with the obnoxious car and motorbike types that you can tell everyone despises and reacts negatively to, but there's not much that could be done about that, unfortunately. I enjoy seeing the mountains coated in trees in the distance. All the nature that is visible at all times. It doesn't feel like a city.
One thing that remains so strange to me though is being in a former communist nation, a place that would've never placed advertisements on the sides of buildings. I saw this in Armenia too, where huge screens would be plastered on the side of apartment buildings. Clearly not to the approval of the residents, nor with any pay to them for it being there. And I couldn't help but think that this would've been the absolute nightmare of those that lived in the Soviet Union. How those buildings built for a different ideology and purpose are now riddled with the very things that were hated. And I see how nasty it can be sometimes, so many large ads thrown into your face, all the many things attempting to steal your time and attention, competing for it in annoying ways. It makes me curious as to how much more of this we can all take, and whether there is a point in which we all grow so tired of it that something in culture shifts. Brain hacks with implants would be nice, some sort of AI that'd remove the ads from view and replace it with the actual background would be something I would probably accept. A brain version of ad block, really. Imagine that!
Anyway, that's my random vomiting of thoughts for today, a little walk in the park.