Why This ? Why Now ?

Now that this endeavor is off the launching pad, I'll take a stab at my first serious post. The first few were just for practice, like "Testing, 1-2-3." Familiarizing myself with the process.

I was born a dork. I've worn glasses since pre-school days, so that means I was a four-eyed dork. No personality to speak of. When you're a four-eyed dork with no personal skills that matter, you tend to engage in thoughts like this: If I could be anyone else, who would I like to be ?

At different points in my life, I'd answer that question differently. As a dork, I would've liked to be cool. Steve McQueen cool. Paul Newman cool. And Robert Redford handsome, too.

As my interest in music emerged, I would've liked to be the lead guitarist for a band like Quicksilver Messenger Service or Pink Floyd.

In more recent years, I'd answer Stephen King. It would be cool to be able to write stories that millions of people want to read. To make millions of dollars writing those stories.

I was a bookworm as a little boy, and I've always enjoyed reading. There are authors whose writing I hate to put down, and can't wait to get back to. Dennis Lehane is one of those writers. I highly recommend his novels Mystic River and Shutter Island. I've read and re-read Slaughterhouse Five and several other books by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. The concluding section of The World According To Garp by John Irving put a lump in my throat for an hour.

Anyway, the point is that I admire good writers and envy their skill. Some of the best hours of my life have been spent reading. It's a dork thing.

The answer to the "Why this ?" is that I like to write. I always have. Writing down my thoughts forces me to polish them up and impose a little discipline. Try to get my point across in a clean and concise manner. And seeing what I've written on the screen allows me to pretend, for a few moments at least, that I'm a real writer. More of my congenital dorkiness showing through.

The "Why now ?" is pretty easy. During the last year, people I know have set up personal blogs and I've seen how effective they can be as a communication tool. Technology is amazing; why not take advantage of it ?

I have no illusions that anyone is going to waste time reading this stuff. Maybe someone will surprise me. For now, I'm satisfied that I have a place to practice doing something I enjoy. And live out part of my fantasy life.

Now that I've explained my rationale, silly though it is, I'll try to devote future posts to my cynical view of life and the world I live in. If there are comments, I'll address those as well. The subjects on which I have the most passionate opinions are politics and college football. Politically, I'm a former Democrat turned rabid Anti-Republican. Having liberal tendencies in a place like Texas means that rage is a significant component in my worldview, and "taxation without representation" is a concept I fully understand.