Good morning.
As I await noon and my NFL fix, I just felt like typing a few lines. And they go something like this.
For some reason I have the song "Temporary Secretary" by Paul McCartney in my head. Lobotomies are expensive, I hear, but I'm thinking about it. Maybe a DIY lobotomy using a dull kitchen knife. Aw, I kid- actually I kinda like that song, a somewhat droll Devo-ish ditty from his 1981 McCartney II album.
I have a new truck! It's a 1998 Chevy Blazer, 4WD, and it's in beautiful condition, with only 78,000 miles. We got a great deal on it, I mean a real steal (or so I think anyway) plus I was able to sell my Rodeo of 230 K plus miles in the same day, so I got some help from my sainted Mother and made the purchase.
Still no job yet, and no real legitimate offers. Contrary to what I posted earlier, the Cabela's job, as it turns out, is still a possibility but they've run into snags before they hire anybody, so I wait. And wait. I recently interviewed at my previous employer, yeah, that's right, for a job that was similar but different from my old position, which doesn't exist anymore. It also paid $13 K less than I was making before, but I said I'd take it if it was offered. I don't think it's going to be, especially when I found out later that they had already hired one person from within for one of the two positions available. I've only been away 6 months from there, but it seems like 6 years. I'm considering using one of those resume distribution services which charge (to me, anyway) an outrageous sum to send your CV to recruiters all over. Gettin' pretty desperate around Casa Bacardi. I even had a dream last night, and I don't dream often...in it I was interviewing at my first employer, R.R. Donnelley, and I was asked to perform one of those color tests. If you've ever taken one, you know what I'm talking about- it's where you place small discs with a gradual color tint in order. My test in my dream was different- I had to take tiny paint-spattered torn pieces of brown paper, like grocery sacks, and put them in order. And I couldn't make out what some of the colors were, for some reason! Of course, as usual when I dream, everything was in black and white except for the paint spatters, and my brain was telling me were some sort of color but I didn't know which they were! As usual, I woke up before this dream was resolved.
OK, personal stuff aside. I've added some new comics bloggers to the ol' links list at right, by Kevin Melrose, Rick Geerling, and Ron Phillips. Boy, comics blogging seems to be catching on a bit, doesn't it? Of course, it's got a way to go before it gets up there with political blogging, percentage-wise, but there seem to be more and more every week. Which brings up something I've been wondering about: most of the time, I list my links (especially to the pop-culture blogs I've linked to) by the author's name, unless I can't find it or it's a group blog. Just seems like a more "serious" thing to do. But is there anybody out there who would prefer to go by the blog name or alias? For example-Tegan, do you prefer to be linked to as "Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog" or as Laura "Tegan" Gjovaag? Bill, "Pop Culture Gadabout" or Bill Sherman? You others? Some of you (heck, most of you) have clever names for your blogs, and it seems a shame to not use them but it also seems more personalized somehow to use the blog author's name in the link. Myself, I kinda prefer to go by Johnny Bacardi but some have linked to me using my alter ego David Jones. Either way is cool to me, as long as I'm linked to. Some bloggers, like John Jakala and Bill, avoid this problem by listing the author, then the blog name...but I don't know if I want to go back and type in all those names on my bloglist. I must ponder this, and of course feel free to leave all the comments you like.
On the subject of comics blogging, Matt Brady has received a bit of attention here and there for this post on a Delphi forum:
I think I was tempted to do something of a blog once, but, when starting to compose my thoughts about the world, emotions, puppies, kittens, and who's blogs I rilly, rilly like, like a voice from heaven, the phrase, "Who gives a shit what you think?" came into my mind, and the urge passed.
That should be a question in the EULA agreement on EVERY blog host:
"Do you really, honestly - and we mean honestly, not that 'honestly' you use when you ask yourself whether or not you look good in that pair of jeans - think anyone gives a shit about what you think?"
If they did that, and people were 100% honest, there would be no "blog culture."
Of course, if there was some secret code in all comics that you had to enter as proof you bought it before you could post a comment on it, messageboards would be dead, so who am I to complain about one group of people spouting off when I am a dancing monkey for another?
He does make a good point, and I have asked myself that very question many times. I have also answered it, at least to myself, by simply adopting the position of "I'm posting this stuff for my own personal gratification, and if others like it and want to read, then that's even better." I don't pretend that what I'm doing here is significant or important; I decided when I began this blog that I was just gonna write about stuff I dig just to get it out of my head and see if anybody else was interested. I've been blessed with much more attention than I anticipated, and have made the acquaintance of some wonderful people in the process (and you know who you are). If I don't get another hit or write another thing for the rest of my life, then this blog has been a success that has far outdistanced my expectations. So I guess my answer to Matt's query is that I don't give a shit if people give a shit, but I love it when they do. Kinda validates the old existence in a small sort of way.
OK, that's all for now. I'll try to get around to commenting on the rest of Sean Collins' horror film list later, as well as some thoughts on a couple of movies I've seen lately. Right now, I'm ready for some football.
