Kurt Vonnegut has left the building

I'm sad. Even though I really didn't read that much by him, everything I did read resounded and made me laugh. He's direct, says it like it is, emphasizes the real human tragedy of it all, and then laughs because really, life is so ridiculous that what else can you do but laugh...

Here is a really excellent reflection on the man.

You might also try Google Video or You Tube to see some videos of him. I saw him on The Daily Show last year and was terribly entertained and enlightened.

See yourself?

The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and all time.

George Bernard Shaw

Culture is a word to celebrate, not be ashamed of

We all carry culture within us; whether we wish to or not, it is as embedded in our minds as DNA is in our cell structure. Culture cannot be reduced to elemental terms, such as a painting on a wall or notes resounding in hall, but is a continuing series of experiences that affect every mind in a different way. In the end, culture is worth celebrating as a word, and as a condition not to be endured but used to educate and enliven. (The Age)

Why I do what I do

Top reasons why my blog is not famous:

• I don't stick to one topic.
• I mostly write about myself. Hah. AND I LIKE IT.
• I alienate everyone on one issue or another. Either I am too liberal, too Jesusy, or generally way too opinionated.
• I don't try to publicize it.
• I try to leave out proper nouns so my business contacts don't find my crazy mental meanderings on the world wide web.
• I am vague so I can mock, parody, criticize, or otherwise question people or things that I encounter.

According to Micah, a blog is nothing less than masturbation. Yes, I just said that. But hey this is the era of global corporations. If they are going to dominate the world through unbridled capitalism and sheer greed, I am going to have my little corner of the universe and say things that make me happy.

Drew had a good point the other day. He said that everything in our world is designed to make us feel empty. Companies do this through their marketing to make us think we need and want what they have to offer. Incidentally, the result is we feed the emptiness with more emptiness when we consume what will not and cannot satisfy.

Anyway let's go back to analyzing this blog. Top reasons I like it ANYWAY!!

• I can change the font and colors and stuff as much as I want. Aesthetics are everything - admit it.
• Publishing is just plain fun. It's like sending a memo to your investors. It's like putting a hot wax seal on a handwritten letter to your lover. It's like planning a party or having a drug intervention. Think about it...*
• (I need to interrupt this blog broadcast by saying I am at Stone Wolf Coffee, and they just played Rhinestone Cowboy followed by the theme song for Three's Company. I was loving this place till 5 minutes ago. lol)
• Writing for me is a way of working things out. I can't think clearly about something until I start to write about it.
• (Let me interrupt again to say some guy just came in and is sitting right where I need to plug in this contraption! But he's cute. So I will forgive him.)
• I blog for the same reason people talk to themselves, or laugh at their own jokes. That's it.

* When I say "Think about it" what I really mean is, "Don't think about it."

God gave us laptops, and there was much rejoicing

Squidoo's How to Set Up Your Office in a Coffee Shop

Required reading for all my freelancer friends.

Visual Thesaurus

This is pretty dang cool.