With thousands of blogs created every day, why would anyone find this interesting?
I suspect they won't, but, frankly, that doesn't matter right now. The main reason I've done this is for me. With the exception of music, I'm no expert on the themes I proposed to blog about. And I really wonder about music sometimes.
What I am, though, is an interested layman. So, the first reason for this is to discuss things. Perhaps not exactly ships and sails and sealing wax...cabbages and kings, but something like that. And I promise not to eat all the oysters, although this blog does give me some vinegar and pepper besides. But I won't devour you unless you attempt to turn the tables and play the walrus.
I am not a controversialist by nature. I am what I like to think of as middle-of-the-road and moderate in most things. That's what attracted me to Althouse's blog in the first place. I tend to agree with her positions on most political issues, including her stated distaste for really partisan politics. I have always found it easy to disagree with someone about politics and not think they were a bad person or "evil" in the modern manner. That seems to be a quaint and old-fashioned outlook these days. So, to all you true believers out there: Go away. This isn't for you. I may not even talk that much politics, but we've all encountered egocentric and monomaniacal bores in whatever area of life. If you have some idée fixe that you have to sell, again, go away.
As much as I want to be able to discuss all sorts of things, I don’t have much hope that it will attract a “commentariat” like some of the established and well-attended blogs. I do hope we will have something like a quorum here before too long. That is up to me though, isn’t it?
The other selfish reason, quite honestly, is to improve my writing. I had the experience some time ago of having to produce an essay to be put up on my company’s Web site. It occurred to me that I hadn’t composed a piece of expository prose of any length since graduate school. The essay turned out fine, but it cost me more time and energy than I imagined. So, are the little grey cells still healthy? I don’t know, but let’s find out. They won’t be damaged by the exercise and neither will yours.
Some actual, real material will follow. I’ll quit talking about blogging. I promise.
