I better blog or else they'll beat me...
I haven't been blogging. You know why? Neither do I.
Back when I had a column in the Orion, there was a point in time where I just didn't think that my opinion mattered for much. I mean really, I'm not an expert, or at least I'm not even slightly an expert in the things I talk about. So, the lady at the grocery store pisses me off, big deal. Happens to all of us. Is that blog worthy? No.
Jason, who knows a lot about music, writes about music. He even writes interesting anecdotes from his life. My life isn't really all that interesting. Eventful? Sure. In fact, at the end of the day, every day, I like to look back on the things that I've done and say, yes, that got accomplished. No matter h0w small. I used to make to-do lists, but the ammount of things that I put on the list was overwhelming. So, one day I decided that rather than make the list, I'd just do shit when I thought about it, and not put it off until later. That's why everyday, I can tally up the crap I've done and be happy about it.
However, this says nothing about the quality of my experiences, and in this realm I have to say that, unlike the Drivler or Avram, the shit that I do is pretty dull. You know what I did today? I moved a crib around my soon-to-be-born child's nursury. I went down to CVS and bought some kitty litter, I got a staple gun, some staples, a dimmer switch, I began work on another slab of ruined city--I suppose that's interesting, but only really in a war 40k way.
Let's face it, three people are reading my blog. Hello Lynn, Jason, Kyle. One of whom, I'm married to, and all three write much more interesting things than I do.
Now the other thing. Look folks, I'm supposed to be writing a novel. I mean seriously, I've been working on this thing since the turn of the millenia--even if I'd written a page every fourth day, I'd be farther along. Pile onto that, the Gravity's Rainbow paper I'm supposed to be writing, and you get some sense of the time I feel I'm wasting writing banal comments to three people who write more interesting blog posts than me.
So, what to say? I'm well. I feel healthy. I eat three times a day. Sometimes I listen to music. I'm trying to listen to this book on tape of A Light In August, but its hard to do because my wife, one of the three people reading this blog, can't stand the voice of the guy reading it.
Outside my house, though not right now, is the trinidad people painting my house, but all three of you know this, so what's the point of mentioning it here.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is this: Here! I've blogged already! I'll leave comments on your blogs soon so that I can at least be involved in an interesting conversation. Because let's face it folks (and by folks, I mean Lynn, Kyle, and Jason), the fact that I'm enjoying playing the Eldar in Dawn of War, just really isn't that frickin' interesting.
Back when I had a column in the Orion, there was a point in time where I just didn't think that my opinion mattered for much. I mean really, I'm not an expert, or at least I'm not even slightly an expert in the things I talk about. So, the lady at the grocery store pisses me off, big deal. Happens to all of us. Is that blog worthy? No.
Jason, who knows a lot about music, writes about music. He even writes interesting anecdotes from his life. My life isn't really all that interesting. Eventful? Sure. In fact, at the end of the day, every day, I like to look back on the things that I've done and say, yes, that got accomplished. No matter h0w small. I used to make to-do lists, but the ammount of things that I put on the list was overwhelming. So, one day I decided that rather than make the list, I'd just do shit when I thought about it, and not put it off until later. That's why everyday, I can tally up the crap I've done and be happy about it.
However, this says nothing about the quality of my experiences, and in this realm I have to say that, unlike the Drivler or Avram, the shit that I do is pretty dull. You know what I did today? I moved a crib around my soon-to-be-born child's nursury. I went down to CVS and bought some kitty litter, I got a staple gun, some staples, a dimmer switch, I began work on another slab of ruined city--I suppose that's interesting, but only really in a war 40k way.
Let's face it, three people are reading my blog. Hello Lynn, Jason, Kyle. One of whom, I'm married to, and all three write much more interesting things than I do.
Now the other thing. Look folks, I'm supposed to be writing a novel. I mean seriously, I've been working on this thing since the turn of the millenia--even if I'd written a page every fourth day, I'd be farther along. Pile onto that, the Gravity's Rainbow paper I'm supposed to be writing, and you get some sense of the time I feel I'm wasting writing banal comments to three people who write more interesting blog posts than me.
So, what to say? I'm well. I feel healthy. I eat three times a day. Sometimes I listen to music. I'm trying to listen to this book on tape of A Light In August, but its hard to do because my wife, one of the three people reading this blog, can't stand the voice of the guy reading it.
Outside my house, though not right now, is the trinidad people painting my house, but all three of you know this, so what's the point of mentioning it here.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is this: Here! I've blogged already! I'll leave comments on your blogs soon so that I can at least be involved in an interesting conversation. Because let's face it folks (and by folks, I mean Lynn, Kyle, and Jason), the fact that I'm enjoying playing the Eldar in Dawn of War, just really isn't that frickin' interesting.
posted by Monstro D. Whale at
6:30 PM
4 Comments:
I'm glad you're healthy.
Hmmm. Difficult to know how to respond to the rest of this. You’re writing serious stuff: academic papers, a novel, etc. I completely understand why you wouldn’t want to expend your energies and your time writing blog posts. On the subject of the boredom quotient of your life, I can only compare it to my own.
The last unequivocally interesting thing that I blogged about was my experience meeting two professional killers in a bar. It WAS interesting; in fact, probably too interesting for the likes of me. Otherwise, I wrote about what? Our trip to Louisiana. You were on that trip, too. There are plenty of interesting things about that trip that haven’t even been tapped. As for your daily life, well, the fact that YOU are shuffling through daily inanities means that something interesting can come out of it. You’re not a drudge, and therefore even the most drudge-like experiences will be colored in some way by your unique take on things. (by the way, why does one spend a lot of time moving a crib around the room? And isn't there something odd about going from preparing an infant's room to constructing a ruined city?)
And I don’t really know all that much about music, but I do know that some of the great bebop tunes reworked standards and popular tunes. Many outsiders to bebop at the time—and afterward—didn’t realize that the chord changes underlying bebop melodies and improvisation were actually tunes that were common knowledge. It’s a testament to the caliber of the musicians that they so invigorated the tunes as to seem like something else entirely. Same goes for your boy Mike Patton.
I realize that I’ve just rounded the bend on a mammoth fourth paragraph of commentary, but maybe I’m being defensive. If what you say about your blog is true, then it must be true for mine. Nothing dreadfully interesting is going on—or has been going on—in my own life. In fact, my last several posts have been heralding a new period of inactivity (I’m going to quit buying new music). I’m not preparing for a new baby. I’m not reading too many books about our Founding Fathers while living in an area of the country still called “New England.” I don’t have a family from Trinidad camping outside my house.
The fact that my last six posts got exactly zero comments tells me I could be doing this better, but I see my own blog as a daily 30-minute exercise in improvising on my ordinariness—in trying to find richness in my non-epic life—without hoarding all my talk for my profession. You started a blog before I did, so I’m guessing that you felt the need to discharge some energy in this way. You may find an adequate outlet for this energy in conversation and through your more important writing, but isn’t there some challenge in “composing” your daily experiences? If you were less interesting, I’d say no. The world doesn’t need another blog devoted to bland descriptions of what this pet or that flower did today. Likewise, the internet has enough stored gigs of uninspired and unthinking political rants to power a fleet of hot-air balloons. And I’m not trying to convince you to blog when you have more important things to do.
Authors no longer see letter-writing as a skill or pastime. Let’s face it: the only people who write letters nowadays are prison pen-pals. Telephone and email have otherwise replaced this form. Authors rarely compose articulate, detailed journals of their experiences (unless there is a chance of publication). Video has replaced the need to record memory in such a way. By blogging, you’re giving the next generation’s Monstro scholars something to ponder over.
Okay, Brian... I have only ever posted on my nephew's site, but here it is! I pop in on Lynn's blog every now and then. I read her entry with prayers, and saw the link to monstro. I ended up reading ALL of your entries that sitting. I have been back, but no news. So today, I visit and see that you are feeling unblogworthy. I have topics! I'm interested! Have you quit smoking? You have a family from Trinidad painting your house? Why does Larry McMurtry suck? I always thought I might like him in real life (not like that ass Tom Wolfe) Also, the cemetaries ARE dangerous. Even if you had a pedestrian experience, you really don't want that kind of excitement. The same cemetaries, with the help of Hurricane Katrina, have been threatening to spit their dead into the streets of an already overwhelmed city. (my family is fine, btw) Why did the crib need moving around? feng shui? windows? heater vents? outlets? The whole building a ruined city/war/miniature stuff I don't really get, but I know there are a lot of people who do, so I skim over those parts. Anyway, that's enough of my rambling. It's interesting to me to read the writing of others, and that includes you. Best wishes on the successful completion of your book, too!
Make that four people, I'm just as casual about checking in as you are about posting.
Here's my take on blogging.: Write when you have something to say. I stop reading blogs that release inane drivel daily in an effort to appear active. I much prefer checking in on dormant blogs like yours in the expectation of the impending explosion. I'm rarely dissatisfied when a post does appear.
Hey Mon-
As I have long been telling you other bloggers out there, i.e all three of us, it doesn't matter how "good" it is. We are all going to die anyway. Even if these blogs are unearthed as the great literature of the 21st century, the very best we can hope for is not too many future grad students compare us to say, the "literature" of E.D.E.N. Southward.
Just write whatever and use the guilt of not writing Shock T to occasionally actually write more of Shock T. That will guilt me into actually commenting on it. The same way all of you were guilted into commenting on Mustard Man.
Inbetween those times it's nice to just see what musings you have on regular existence. So you moved a crib, shopped for Kitty Litter and a Dimmer switch, and made some ruins for W40K. These, in and of themselves are worthy. I bought plants and an electronic gizmo that allows you to hook up an antenna, DVD player, and VCR all to an old TV with just one cable input in back. I also unpacked some boxes, ate some string cheese, and died my hair (yes the spelling is correct in sentiment) a normal color in order to look for work next week.
Sometimes that's as good as it gets. If you got out of bed at least once and had a pretty good bowel movement at least you're living. Good health is a plus too.
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