It's been awhile.
I'm sorry.
Sometimes things happen. Things like people you care about who are hell-bent on self-destruction despite your best efforts to talk them out of it. Things like stupidity, cupidity, and duplicity, for starters.
But I'm ready to put those things in a drawer, close it, and get back to having some fun.
I took the momentous step of creating a Facebook account today. I have been unwilling up to now to expose myself that way, but a reality check revealed that I'm already google-able, through my job and this blog. So I might as well get with the 21st century and join my many friends, colleagues, alums, and even family members who are already 'facebooking.'
I have to admit, I was a bit unsure how to get started. For one thing, I couldn't remember if it was 'Spacebook' or 'My Face' I was supposed to sign up for. Once I leaped over that hurdle, I had to ask myself how much time I am willing to spend on this activity. Every minute I spend online is a minute I take myself away from such exciting suburban activities as vacuuming, cleaning toilets, thinking about mowing the lawn (but not actually doing it, not yet, come on, it's March!), clothing management (going through the closets and coming to grips with reality about certain sentimental, but hardly practical, articles of clothing), and sorting through paper.
Paper, the bane of my existence. Bills paid, bills due, newspapers read, newspapers yet to read, recipes I will cook someday as long as I live to be 150, magazines about health and fitness and new ways to firm up my abs in six weeks, travel alerts about exotic destinations with sunny climates where truckers won't blow off the road the way they did here in Kansas a couple of days ago (seriously), and news briefings about the economy, politics, famous people, and other topics that give me indigestion.
I'd like to make a giant sweep through my house and clear it of the receipts for tax purposes, medical forms, terms of agreement, meeting handouts, the latest version of my will, email attachments, quirky news articles, and notes to self scribbled on whatever blank square of paper I could find at the moment (here's one: Crunchless Abs video, 1-800-678-5905), how-to-use guide for Microsoft wireless mouse that doesn't work (thanks, Microsoft!). If I transferred most of this stuff to a Dumpster I am certain my house would rise at least an inch from its foundation purely from shedding the weight.
Ah, but it's not that easy. Each piece of paper represents information, sometimes worth its weight in gold. The receipt for a pair of $20 reading glasses purchased in desperation on a trip out of town means cash at the end of the year when I have a few dollars left in my flex fund. The recipe for spicy lemon shrimp has the potential to make me look like Martha Stewart the next time I want to entertain. The Metro Map of Washington DC - well, I plan to go back soon and I'll take the map with me. For less than $10 a day you can go almost anywhere, if you're willing to walk some and negotiate a few turnstiles.
It's a weighty decision, paper or cyberspace. In either case, though, it's about more stuff in the in box and figuring out good ways to streamline it. Regardless, I'm looking forward to it. Because it's just stuff. And stuff is mostly nothing, which is what this blog is truly all about.
I'm sorry.
Sometimes things happen. Things like people you care about who are hell-bent on self-destruction despite your best efforts to talk them out of it. Things like stupidity, cupidity, and duplicity, for starters.
But I'm ready to put those things in a drawer, close it, and get back to having some fun.
I took the momentous step of creating a Facebook account today. I have been unwilling up to now to expose myself that way, but a reality check revealed that I'm already google-able, through my job and this blog. So I might as well get with the 21st century and join my many friends, colleagues, alums, and even family members who are already 'facebooking.'
I have to admit, I was a bit unsure how to get started. For one thing, I couldn't remember if it was 'Spacebook' or 'My Face' I was supposed to sign up for. Once I leaped over that hurdle, I had to ask myself how much time I am willing to spend on this activity. Every minute I spend online is a minute I take myself away from such exciting suburban activities as vacuuming, cleaning toilets, thinking about mowing the lawn (but not actually doing it, not yet, come on, it's March!), clothing management (going through the closets and coming to grips with reality about certain sentimental, but hardly practical, articles of clothing), and sorting through paper.
Paper, the bane of my existence. Bills paid, bills due, newspapers read, newspapers yet to read, recipes I will cook someday as long as I live to be 150, magazines about health and fitness and new ways to firm up my abs in six weeks, travel alerts about exotic destinations with sunny climates where truckers won't blow off the road the way they did here in Kansas a couple of days ago (seriously), and news briefings about the economy, politics, famous people, and other topics that give me indigestion.
I'd like to make a giant sweep through my house and clear it of the receipts for tax purposes, medical forms, terms of agreement, meeting handouts, the latest version of my will, email attachments, quirky news articles, and notes to self scribbled on whatever blank square of paper I could find at the moment (here's one: Crunchless Abs video, 1-800-678-5905), how-to-use guide for Microsoft wireless mouse that doesn't work (thanks, Microsoft!). If I transferred most of this stuff to a Dumpster I am certain my house would rise at least an inch from its foundation purely from shedding the weight.
Ah, but it's not that easy. Each piece of paper represents information, sometimes worth its weight in gold. The receipt for a pair of $20 reading glasses purchased in desperation on a trip out of town means cash at the end of the year when I have a few dollars left in my flex fund. The recipe for spicy lemon shrimp has the potential to make me look like Martha Stewart the next time I want to entertain. The Metro Map of Washington DC - well, I plan to go back soon and I'll take the map with me. For less than $10 a day you can go almost anywhere, if you're willing to walk some and negotiate a few turnstiles.
It's a weighty decision, paper or cyberspace. In either case, though, it's about more stuff in the in box and figuring out good ways to streamline it. Regardless, I'm looking forward to it. Because it's just stuff. And stuff is mostly nothing, which is what this blog is truly all about.
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