Good God!

I have been doing this for over 11 years.  Is that depressing, or what?  You be the judge.

Should I forget about blogging?

I'm considering what to do with my blog, which I think 3 or 4 people actually read.  I have signed up for all the social media stuff, but I don't know what to do with that either.  Shall I discuss my visit to Whole Foods?  My skull x-rays?  Who cares?  As for Twitter, most of the bloggers I enjoy are posting there, but I can't even begin to figure out how it works.  It seems to have enlisted all the characters on the keyboard which were formerly used only in comic strips when one of the characters inadvertently hits his thumb with a hammer and said something like:  "@#*^$$$!"

Also, politics isn't fun any more.  I can't believe the people we have in positions of authority are the best we can find.  What a dreary lot!  What happened to the quality of citizens?  There are 300 million people in this country, but the voters are offered a candidate who believes a woman's body will reject a fetus that results from rape.  Whether he also believes that the stars are God's daisy chain was not revealed.

I am reading Shelby Foote's enormous tome on the Civil War, which is teeming with interesting and distinguished people, so much so that you have to keep a list to remember which side some of them are on, very much as I had to do with War and Peace.  I am still reading about 1861 and have four more years to go.  What a cast of characters!

Funny how now that we have a Democratic president the media are not banging on about how many American lives have been lost in Iraq or Afghanistan.    The total casualties in the Civil War are estimated at 600,000.  No one knows for sure.  Don't hear much about no blood for oil either.

Fallling off?

I started wondering why I was not getting as many comments as I used to. Maybe I was a better writer a few years ago? So I went through my early work (up to a point) and can report that I haven't gotten any worse--or any better--over the past 5-6 years. My material may have gotten worse, since I ran out of amusing family anecdotes quite a while ago. Will try to think up some more, or maybe I can make some up. I usually write what I feel like writing. I try to check the grammar and spelling, but I am not going to polish my work. Dr Johnson said a man who does not write for money is a fool. I don't mind being a fool, again up to a point, but I refuse to be--what's the inoffensive way to say idiotic?

We win an award

Another meme, courtesy of Father Brown: I have to pick 15 blogs:

This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.

The rules to follow are:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to other 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment.

Okay, here goes:


decision '08 (time for a new name, though);
Jules Crittenden;
Mark Steyn;
15 minute lunch;
Iowahawk;
scrappleface;
gates of Vienna;
passing parade;
Jack;
powerline;
Wyatt Earp;
Michael Yon
citizen of the month;
Lileks;
Tim Blair.

There are many more excellent blogs I follow, so I set myself some criteria: I generally am prejudiced toward blogs written by one individual. I decided not to include any Delaware blogs--there are too many good ones. I also tried to exclude blogs whose owners only blog once in a while and those who have terminated their blogs.

Anyway, there you have it. Whew! It was exhausting, posting all those llinks.

The scholastic scribe: 200: This Bling's for You!

the scholastic scribe lists her favorite blogs:

An interesting idea. I can't wait to visit all the blogs she lists.

My own choices, among many: 15 minute lunch; lileks; tim blair; Iowahawk; the nose on your face; not necessarily in that order.

Whew! I'm bushed! Putting in all those links is not easy.

People who found my site...

through Google and other search engines. They are a strange lot.

I would say the number one search that lands people on my site is Miriam's porn. I get them from all over--Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Australia. They must be so disappointed; it's kind of deceptive advertising, actually. I should take it down--that and my numerous references to nude blogging. Then no-one would visit me.

Another combo that gets hits is English towns with funny names. They are pretty funny. Example: Butthole Lane. Also, Mercedes-Benz: the car of choice for dictators. Some British automotive magazine linked to this one, and I got a lot of visits.

I get visits from people who want to view the soler system. At least half of them think that is the correct spelling. Poor education.

Blogger reflection award

Wyatt Earp has been kind enough to nominate me for the blogger reflection award.

Like every other honor, this has work attached to it. I have to name five other bloggers. OK, here's a list of a few (but by no means all) of my favorites:

Johnny Virgil at 15-minute lunch. JV lives near the Canadian border. The cold air keeps his wits sharp. He's a master of septic tank humor, which is better than it sounds, but it would have to be, wouldn't it? If you have a pulse, you'll find him highly entertaining.

Akaky at the Passing Parade. An amusing, witty, well-read librarian. I strongly suspect Akaky is not his real name, at least I've never met an Irishman with a name like that. Wouldn't you know it, he also hails from the Land of Eliot Spitzer. Must be something in the air in the Empire State.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Neilochka is amusing and flirts shamelessly with the lady bloggers. Neil is a twofer. His penis often shares its wisdom. I wonder if his mother reads his blog.

BibliOdyssey features beautiful illustrations. Enough said. Go there and look.

Last but not least, the Nose on Your Face, inventors of Islamic Rage Boy.