"A new year dawns."
Unknown
The above was sent to me by a dear friend I made online some years ago. She sends me (and many others) daily thoughts to consider, interesting facts, and the Word of the Day. She lives in reasonable contentment in a little town near the east coast of central Florida. She has been my muse for much of the time we've known each other, though I have never told her so. When I would engage in "heated debates" with other members of the forum we both frequented, she would counsel calm and reason. I tried to listen, truly I did, and she pretended I did. That's what a muse does best, I think, maintain the fiction of immediate influence. It is, I suspect, only in hindsight that the wisdom is recognized.
This is the beginning of a new year. And each new year we drag out all our hopes and dreams for others to "ooh" and "aah" over, to nod in wise agreement, to shake their heads in amusement at our naivete, to puzzle over our confusion or misunderstanding of reality. This year should be no different.
A minute into the new year of 1989, in a city called Jacksonville (Florida, of course), I booted up a BBS for the first time. It was a part time endeavor, running only in the evening and night, because I had no extra computer for it. Within a few months, that changed and the system grew into a modestly decent board with callers from all over the country.
Each year, on New Year's Day, I would write a "State of the Board" summarizing the changes, successes, and failures of the previous year.
In a sense, that is what this post is about. Mostly, it's an attempt to explain the beginnings of this blog, to explain why I do it. I have only been blogging for a few months. Prior to starting Boomer Musings, I had a little off and on online column that no one read (I thought) on the online site for a local newspaper. I didn't post daily, sometimes not even weekly. And then I grew disinterested and stopped altogether.
Imagine my surprise one day when someone asked if I was the Douglas who wrote that column. After I admitted it, he asked why I hadn't written anything for some time, that he enjoyed the columns. That immediately appealed to my room sized ego and I started back up again. My initial (and recurring) hope is that I can provide some insight based upon my travels through the last 6 decades that also entertains. That is why there are "Snippet of Life" posts as well as humor and social commentary. I won't do political commentary, I promise you that. Too many others do that, and too well, for me to even want to join the crowd.
My ego demands that I try to be as unique as possible. A difficult goal when I most often feel like just another drone bee in a large, bustling, hive. I am, and will remain, open to suggestions about what to pontificate on though I will not promise to follow through on any of them. My limited creativity with the written word often fails. Still, I want you to know I am not indifferent to you, the reader. Without you, I'd quickly lose interest in baring my soul. After all, what's the fun for a masochist if there's no one out there willing to humiliate you?
Have a happy, prosperous, and (most of all) safe 2009!
The above was sent to me by a dear friend I made online some years ago. She sends me (and many others) daily thoughts to consider, interesting facts, and the Word of the Day. She lives in reasonable contentment in a little town near the east coast of central Florida. She has been my muse for much of the time we've known each other, though I have never told her so. When I would engage in "heated debates" with other members of the forum we both frequented, she would counsel calm and reason. I tried to listen, truly I did, and she pretended I did. That's what a muse does best, I think, maintain the fiction of immediate influence. It is, I suspect, only in hindsight that the wisdom is recognized.
This is the beginning of a new year. And each new year we drag out all our hopes and dreams for others to "ooh" and "aah" over, to nod in wise agreement, to shake their heads in amusement at our naivete, to puzzle over our confusion or misunderstanding of reality. This year should be no different.
A minute into the new year of 1989, in a city called Jacksonville (Florida, of course), I booted up a BBS for the first time. It was a part time endeavor, running only in the evening and night, because I had no extra computer for it. Within a few months, that changed and the system grew into a modestly decent board with callers from all over the country.
Each year, on New Year's Day, I would write a "State of the Board" summarizing the changes, successes, and failures of the previous year.
In a sense, that is what this post is about. Mostly, it's an attempt to explain the beginnings of this blog, to explain why I do it. I have only been blogging for a few months. Prior to starting Boomer Musings, I had a little off and on online column that no one read (I thought) on the online site for a local newspaper. I didn't post daily, sometimes not even weekly. And then I grew disinterested and stopped altogether.
Imagine my surprise one day when someone asked if I was the Douglas who wrote that column. After I admitted it, he asked why I hadn't written anything for some time, that he enjoyed the columns. That immediately appealed to my room sized ego and I started back up again. My initial (and recurring) hope is that I can provide some insight based upon my travels through the last 6 decades that also entertains. That is why there are "Snippet of Life" posts as well as humor and social commentary. I won't do political commentary, I promise you that. Too many others do that, and too well, for me to even want to join the crowd.
My ego demands that I try to be as unique as possible. A difficult goal when I most often feel like just another drone bee in a large, bustling, hive. I am, and will remain, open to suggestions about what to pontificate on though I will not promise to follow through on any of them. My limited creativity with the written word often fails. Still, I want you to know I am not indifferent to you, the reader. Without you, I'd quickly lose interest in baring my soul. After all, what's the fun for a masochist if there's no one out there willing to humiliate you?
Have a happy, prosperous, and (most of all) safe 2009!
15 comments:
My best wishes to you for 2009. As my gf likes to say, "Write for yourself and because YOU enjoy it. If someone else likes what they see it's all the better"
or something like that - lol
My livelihood depends on being as unique as possible. I believe I'm unique, not like a drone bee, not like a sheep, not like a businessman.
I really would feel a piece pissing from me if you stopped blogging. I've read everyone but sometimes I don't know what to say when it concerns large issues. I suppose I feel scared of appearing childish amongst, well, everyone else. Frequent teenage bloggers are hard to come by here.
I am rambling. I love your musings. And today is different for me.
Michael.
missing*
Unfortunate. Amusing.
thank you, I enjoy reading your blog and plans are to continue to read it You have a unique style of writing
this being said, I am going to smoke a cigarette and I am sure this is a non-smoking blog.
Douglas,
I enjoyed this post. The line maintain the fiction of immediate influence caught my eyes. Nice!
Michael's first comment, and follow-up correction, gave me my first New Year's laugh. (Thanks Michael)
Thanks for all of your insightful comments on my blog.
Happy New Year right back at you.
Cheri
I have started online conversations with three friends about this drone bee business.
Why do some people want to be a sheep, a suit or a drone? Why do others want to be the black sheep, the hotshot or the queen bee?
What makes us common? What makes us special? Why pick one?
Michael. (The wordifier is cocytude. Hahaha.)
Cheri: You're welcome. It's a happy start of the new year.
Cheri - Thanks for the compliment. Especially about that phrase.
Michael - I don't think you realize just how smart you are yet. If you get the answers to those questions, please pass them on to me. They are Great Mysteries.
Douglas, you are too humble my friend. Your style of writing is unique, I read what and how you write and see something that I strive for without hope of achieving. I see other writings on other blogs and I don't have the same feeling, more of an equality, but here I remain humbled.
Michael, you gave me my first laugh too... and I agree with Douglas, you are too young to know how smart you are, which is possibly good. Many young who think they are smart make fools of themselves, often badly (your wordifier is appropriate here), you don't. It's very refreshing to see new talent.
Douglas, in closing, a personal Happy New Year and a relaxing 2009.
"You die if you worry, you die if you don't... so why worry?"
It's all so asesto
AV - We have to die????? You've ruined my whole day.
douglas, this was a lovely post to read. i find that when we are honest with ourselves, there is no way we CANNOT be unique.
self-honesty leaps from your words, as does the ability to analyze but not take yourself too seriously. your blog is a breath of fresh air!
wishing you the best in '09.
love,
yolanda
ps. i also loved that phrase, but i wasnt 100% sure what it meant. is that someone who allows you to believe what you really want to believe because in that moment they know your ego doesnt need shaking?
Yolanda, I am not sure what I exactly meant either. I think a better word than "fiction" might have been "pretense". A good muse offers advice in the manner of compliments with underlying criticism. It is a skill only good mentors seem to have. To me, a muse is more than an inspiration, he or she also fans the flames of creativity while guiding that creativity. When you look back at something you thought was idle praise that someone you admire told you and realize it caused you to excel, to try harder, to reach deeper into your soul then you have learned you have a muse.
Cheri - Thanks for the compliment. Especially about that phrase.
Michael - I don't think you realize just how smart you are yet. If you get the answers to those questions, please pass them on to me. They are Great Mysteries.
Douglas, you are too humble my friend. Your style of writing is unique, I read what and how you write and see something that I strive for without hope of achieving. I see other writings on other blogs and I don't have the same feeling, more of an equality, but here I remain humbled.
Michael, you gave me my first laugh too... and I agree with Douglas, you are too young to know how smart you are, which is possibly good. Many young who think they are smart make fools of themselves, often badly (your wordifier is appropriate here), you don't. It's very refreshing to see new talent.
Douglas, in closing, a personal Happy New Year and a relaxing 2009.
"You die if you worry, you die if you don't... so why worry?"
It's all so asesto
My livelihood depends on being as unique as possible. I believe I'm unique, not like a drone bee, not like a sheep, not like a businessman.
I really would feel a piece pissing from me if you stopped blogging. I've read everyone but sometimes I don't know what to say when it concerns large issues. I suppose I feel scared of appearing childish amongst, well, everyone else. Frequent teenage bloggers are hard to come by here.
I am rambling. I love your musings. And today is different for me.
Michael.
My best wishes to you for 2009. As my gf likes to say, "Write for yourself and because YOU enjoy it. If someone else likes what they see it's all the better"
or something like that - lol
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