Friday Blather.
I went out for a groundpound this morning. Although the temperatures were not as frigid as they recently have been during my morning thing, it was overcast and raw out there, and, more importantly, it felt like snow. I know it was unpleasant enough to apparently put my muse to sleep. A couple writing ideas just refused to take shape. Yo, that’s the way it is sometimes.
As such, you’re stuck with me sitting at the keyboard, sipping a Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka (Lemon flavored this time), waiting for the snow and letting the mush in my cruller flow quite unfiltered to my fingers on the keyboard. You won’t hurt my feelings if you bug out at this point, because I make no representations whatsoever that anything from here on will be worth your time.
Admission: I have become a fan of “Pawn Stars.†Don’t ask me to explain myself, because I can’t. It’s sort of like “Antiques Roadshow†with tattoos and a grumpy old guy with lots of hair. In addition, Chumlee cracks me up. Go figure.
Another Admission: I like the woman in the Progressive Insurance Commercials (Stephanie Courtney). Perky (not in a Katie Couric way), pretty and funny. [No real need for a disclaimer, as my car insurance is not with Progressive.]
I have a sense that Facebook is screwing up the Blogosphere. Several excellent bloggers who are excellent writers have abandoned their blogs for one sentence entries on Facebook. Perhaps they have experienced blog burnout, having decided that blogging is too much of an interruption in Life 101. I can relate to that. It is, nonetheless, sad to see so many peeps who are engaging writers bail on the blogosphere. Note: I understand that there are plenty of reasons not to want to be bothered maintaining a blog: e.g. annoying trolls and, frankly, running out of things worth a shit to write about. I worry about the latter point myself.
Is there anything more boring than reading what a blogger has to say about blogging? I don’t think so. You were warned (see above).
Can you for one minute imagine how much money movie theaters make on popcorn sales? I figure a handful of unpopped popcorn (enough to make one of those very pricey buckets or popcorn) costs mere pennies. Hey, I’m a capitalist, and if the traffic will bear the movie theater price for a bucket of popcorn, I’m OK with it. Seems a bit nuts to me, though. [ANOTHER DISCLAIMER: I think the last movie I saw in a movie theater was “Saving Private Ryan,†and I didn’t buy popcorn.]
Here’s how the word “popcorn†appears when your fingers are not on the home keys: [p[vptm. You non-touch type peeps won’t understand.
No snow yet.
The older I get, the more I truly appreciate the talent of Frank Sinatra. If you don’t agree with me now, just wait it out.
I see where famous artists like Picasso have done paintings that a five-year old can do, only to have the paintings sell for millions of dollars. I figure that’s OK, because I’m sure that Picasso could draw an excellent picture of a cow, such that it would look like a cow. But for that, I could be a gazillionaire.
Yet Another Admission: In college, and a for a few years thereafter, I was a roaring, flaming liberal. Then I got a real job.
Do you read Sippican Cottage? You should. It’s good for the cruller and the soul.
I awaken in the middle of the night wondering how Henry Ford and Thomas Edison managed their businesses without consultants and a multi-million dollar Mission Statement. I figure that if everyone in a company does not know the company’s “mission,†a shitload of managers have to be fired. Speaking of “Consultantspeak,†check out this post at the aforementioned Sippican Cottage.
No snow yet. I think I’ll pour another Firefly and leave youse guys to your own devices.
I like the pace of blogs. I like this blog. It’s comfy and warm and always entertaining.
And yeah, Pawn Stars is a hoot!
Comment by Joan of Argghh! — February 5, 2010 @ 9:34 pm
I miss Erica.
Comment by Jean — February 5, 2010 @ 9:53 pm
We see, peeps like Erica who can really write up a storm pack it in and go to facebook (as you say for their own good reasons). Then there are peeps like you who not only stick it out, but have the ability to write great stuff even on days you say you got nuthin’. Then of course there is me… I manage to be boring on FB and on a blog. It’s a true talent I tell you!
Comment by Teresa — February 5, 2010 @ 11:50 pm
I’m pretty sure that Ford and Edison didn’t do anything other than look at where they were, where they wanted to be, and started shovelling the crap in between out of the way. I also imagine they, and Getty and the railroad tycoons would all get a good bellylaugh from todays business gibberish.
Where the heck is Erica, anyway?
Comment by Dave Merriman — February 5, 2010 @ 11:51 pm
We’ve got our own Pawn Star right here in Chicago, he’s more fascinating than anything on reality TV AND we can actually vote him into office. Shazam!
And I’m with you — there are several talented writers who I really miss in the blogosphere.
Comment by Omnibus Driver — February 6, 2010 @ 12:56 am
I hate mission statements like I hate my bunion. They’re stupid and unnecessary and a blight on one’s body. Ditto for vision statements.
I live with mission/vision statements. I wish I were a consultant so I could sell a mission/vision statement.
I would be rich.
And rotting in consultant hell.
Comment by Kim — February 6, 2010 @ 12:56 am
Oops! Meant to close that tag correctly. Sorry about that…
[Fixed it. Jimbo]
Comment by Omnibus Driver — February 6, 2010 @ 12:56 am
I’m sure he meant some other bloggers, but thanks for the love.
Comment by Erica — February 6, 2010 @ 8:44 am
I don’t care for FB myself. Tried it. It drove me insane. “What Kind Of Bunion Are You?” I have a love-hate with blogging, as you know, Jimbo. I get so sick of it sometimes. There are too many blogs. I like being part of the problem.
Comment by dogette — February 6, 2010 @ 11:48 am
I understand the whole burn-out thing. I had a great gig, I wrote Conservatively Speaking for The Aquarian Weekly. It was a weekly column at 1,000 words that was published in a music mag chock full of liberals where my conservative wisdom would do the most damage. It was great, the hate mail was insane and funny equally. The problem is after 3 years of doing it, I began to dread 11Am on Friday (deadline). So one day I pulled a Duran and said “No Mas”. No warning, just one Friday I submitted a column that was full of goodbyes and good lucks.
I have no regrets which is one reason why I never took up blogging. It takes discipline to be a blogger because once you stop writing people stop checking in.
As for the Progressive chick…oh hell yeah, she is definitely cute in that perky way.
Comment by RobbieRob — February 6, 2010 @ 11:48 am
I have a standard briefing to the people that work for me. ” My job is to keep as few of you around as possible”,,”your job is to make my job difficult, everything else is bullshit. As far as missions, the military has missions the rest of us have jobs.
Comment by James Old Guy — February 6, 2010 @ 2:24 pm
Facebook and blogging have two very distinct audiences and two distinct purposes. Alas, with only 24 hours in a day, it’s a bit of a zero-sum game: time spent on one is time lost to another. But I use FB to keep up with friends and acquaintances; blogging is where I try to be a bit more creative, flexing my writing muscles.
Like every human activity, blogging will gain and lose active participants over time. But where else can you keep an Online Journal and make new friends purely on the strength of your ability to communicate via the written word?
Comment by Elisson — February 6, 2010 @ 3:22 pm
I don’t do Facebook because there are too many people I don’t want to find me. Really. So then I am told to get one with a pseudonym, but… do I really have the time for FB? Really? No. So I don’t.
For not knowing what to post, you made me laugh. Again. Hey, you could go my route and post on Steel Cut Oats. Or the bad effects of Greek Yogurt when one is lactose intolerant. Or not…
Comment by Bou — February 6, 2010 @ 10:35 pm
I agree Jimbo. I’m on FB but I only respond to what people write on my wall. I miss some of the blodgers who have quit blodging and now do FB instead.
Comment by Denny — February 7, 2010 @ 12:52 am