Monday, August 13, 2007

Ride Em, Cowboy

When you get out of the habit of writing, the act of getting back into it seems a monumental task...

At least, that’s the way it feels at the moment, and I’m writing a simple blog post. I can’t imagine what a mess I’d be if I were writing a book. Still, I figure it’s time to get back on this ol’ horse again and nudge her into a slow trot. Question is… what’s fueling the horse? Easy. Hay. Ummm… O.K… but what kind of hay?

Aha! That’s the question. What do I write about? A quick glance on Boston.com (or not so quick as it turns out – I’ve spent the morning surfing the Internet due to both of my bosses being out today) reveals plenty of topics:

The Red Sox recent woes? NO. Absolutely not. Call me escapist, but if there’s one thing I don’t enjoy, it’s reading about how the Red Sox lost a game. Find another dupe, sports scribes.

Karl Rove’s resignation? Going to have to decline again. I can’t write about politics. I’m no good at it. I never have all the facts (nor do 99% of those who write about politics – something to keep in mind) and I’m too proud to have holes punched through my theories. Plus, political writing (and inevitable ensuing debate) is a tricky thing. It takes a sharp mind to distinguish between those who have a selfless interest in thorough explanation and analysis, and those who use political messages and rhetoric to do little more than scream, “I AM RIGHT!” and hope like hell they find some affirmation (here’s a hint: the former are usually calm.) I’m not well read enough to entirely make the distinction, and I don’t know that I could embark down the road of political discourse without becoming one of the latter. Plus, criticism is fruitless. If you want to do, then do – don’t whine (although I will say I found it rather telling that when asked what would be the first thing he’d do upon leaving the White House, Mr. Rove answered he would “go dove hunting.”)

How Boston is the “bloggiest” city in the U.S.? Well, duh! We’ve got more bloggers per square mile than McDonalds has franchises. Or, as House of Pain so eloquently put it in their early 90’s hit Jump Around, we’ve “got more rhymes than the Bible’s got psalms!” Kind of surprising actually, when you think of places like San Francisco & New Dork City. Why are we #1? According to the article “blogs thrive where locals are wired, well-educated, and obsessed with politics, a topic that inspires bloggers to unleash their prose.” Ugh. Well, maybe this isn’t a good thing, then (see above.) Let’s move on. Nothing new to see here.

The antioxidant properties of martini’s? No. Just… no.

Truth is I’m becoming a master of writing about having little to write about. Maybe I missed my calling. Maybe I could have been a writer for Seinfeld, if Seinfeld were monotonous and unfunny. Still, I can string random words together and still call it a post (and in fact, just did.) I can try to write something or I can just write it. The distinction is subtle, yet important, and Master Yoda tells us the latter option is preferable. In 2nd Empires, Chapter 7, Verse 6 he tells us "Do, or do not. There is no try." Who am I to disagree? When it all comes down to it, Master Yoda provides the hay, but... well, hay is still just hay. Nothing special about hay, man. It’s all what you do with it, and as far as this post is concerned, you can think of it as a chiffonade cut topped with Cool Whip. Or, I can search for a better metaphor. Either way, I'm glad to be back on the horse.

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Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Gracias, Amigos.

Hmm... how do I even begin? I guess most of you who read this space are aware of the events in my life the past few weeks. If not... well there's no real easy way to say it, but my mother died a little over two weeks ago. She'd been diagnosed with cancer back in late April, and right from the initial diagnosis it proved to be horrifically fast moving and aggressive. Her death occurred not from the actual cancer itself, but from a stroke that was directly attributable to it, and really, it turned out to be a blessing. My mother, having been a nurse for over 40 years, knew how bad the cancer was, and we all (her family) knew that cancer deaths can be very long, very slow, and excruciatingly painful. Thankfully, she was spared much of that. Hers was a kind, peaceful death.

I wasn't sure if I was even going to write about it, to tell you the truth, but it would have been exceedingly awkward for me to jump right back into writing posts as if nothing had happened. I suppose I could have used this space to write a long, loving tribute, but I don't think I will. The wake and funeral very much served that purpose (not to mention proved exceptionally fitting - enormous amounts of people showed up) but also, all of this - my mothers death, the loving relationships she had with everyone, all her wonderful attributes and her personality traits - it's all fairly personal and I don't know that I could properly articulate it. Suffice to say, I am doing pretty well, considering. I'm sad, of course, but I'm also incredibly proud to be my mother's son, and incalculably thankful and grateful to have shared 32 amazing years with such a wonderful woman as her - and, by no means do I consider my relationship with her over, either.

But, what I did want to say in this post was, simply, thanks. Over the past few weeks I've received a huge outpouring of love and support from all over. So many of you showed up at the wake and funeral. I received more emails, cards, and phone calls than I could have ever imagined (and I can imagine quite a bit.) People who I would never have expected to hear from offered their support along with countless other friends, family members, and even acquaintances. It was clear to me, very shortly after my mothers death, that I'd get through it and be alright. In fact, you folks probably wouldn't let me be otherwise, and I'm almost certain my family can say the same. So, for that, I'd like to express my unending gratitude. You folks have been gently and kindly helping me and my family through a difficult time, and, honestly, I can't thank you enough.

Talk to you soon.