I have been exceptionally busy lately. What with our trip to Florida and business stuff I haven't had time to blog much. Or to follow other blogs.
I used to read a whole bunch of stuff but my approach has gotten a lot more selective. I usually look at Instapundit, Legal Insurrection, Vox Day, Ace of Spades, Briebart and Hot Air. I have dropped a bunch of places like RedState, Powerline, Turley and of course the Evil Blogger Lady who I haven't visited in more than two years. Not our Evil Blogger Lady of course because that cow is very funny. In fact I visit the blogs on my sidebar frequently. I just don't comment much anymore.
I guess I am a true Trump voter. I am pissed off and I don't want to bring my venting everywhere anymore. You can't say what you really think. Or at least what I really think. Because if you do you end up like Anthony Cumia or the bakers who have to pay $100,000 for not baking a cake. So it is better to step back and be concerned with your own things and let the rest of it pass you by.
I really respect the tack that Michael Haz took. He stepped back and very infrequently engages these days. I am sure he has a lot to say. But like me I think he realizes that there are very few willing to listen. So it is better to pull up a chair in the cabin in the woods and enjoy the passing parade.
I have buckled down and started writing my books again. I hope to finish at least one of them by the late spring. I don't know if I can pull it off but I am going to try. As a consequence this is the only place you will be able to catch my bullshit. Just sayn.
15 comments:
Haz is an active tweeter. I think that's where he landed.
@Chickenman/
Too bad as I'm not a tweeter as I miss his commentary. Luckily for me I'm retired and don't have a business to worry about like Troop. Besides which, most of my scathing commentary concerning the "powers that be" are on milblogs where I am in good company..
I miss Haz too. Missed Trooper's comment on the Republican Debate. Looks like its down to trump and cruz.
Good to know where to find the BS. Also good to hear you're finding time to work on your writing again.
According my recollection, MHaz waved goodbye to the town folk before taking off for other cornfields. IMO even a finger wave, regardless of which digit is used is preferable to being left wondering if a prominent contributor unexpectedly keeled over or had cement tied to his ankles.
For those who have access to your blog, finding you back here, doing your thing and moving forward with other projects is life affirming.
I just have to narrow my focus. I drop comments here or there over the internet. I never dropped Trooper York. I just needed to post elsewhere to take a break.
I am happy with a limited audience. Or no audience for that matter.
Narrowing focus can be a good thing; along with dropping comments here and there, posting elsewhere, taking a break and being happy with a limited audience or no audience at all.
I didn't find it respectful when Althouse acted as though the commenters who frequented her blog were not an active and integral part of it.
I didn't and still don't appreciate deborah's on-again-off-again habit as a blog contributor to Lem's Levity, of disappearing without a word and reappearing weeks or months later. This was particularly noticable the first time around after she made a point of engaging in a hail-fellow-well-met routine complete with cute nicks, followed by several later drops off the radar only to reappear as though she was all in again each time she came back. It strikes me as more of an act than a commitment.
I don't like seeing anyone who adds quality and content to a blog as a contributor leave without closing the loop.
However, that's about what I don't like and how I like to see things handled. I'm glad you're discovering what you want to do. Taking care of yourself and doing what you want is the best way to move forward.
Oh, I wish you hadn't brought up deborah, MamaM. You see, I am the one who encouraged her to petition Lem to become a contributor again after she dropped out earlier. So blame me.
I really do feel torn and conflicted on this. I love and value your opinions on practically everything, MamaM. And, I recall defending you very early on here when Trooper ran an open blog so do feel a sense of loyalty.
Understand that I take deborah at face value (as I do you) knowing not one whit of true identity. I have stood up for deborah because I think she has something to say but she may suffer from low self esteem and worries that what she writes at Lem's isn't well received. It's a hard place to be and I can sympathize.
I wish there were a way to make peace all around.
And, I recall defending you very early on here when Trooper ran an open blog so do feel a sense of loyalty.
I meant "And, I recall defending you very early on here when Trooper ran an open blog so I do feel a sense of loyalty.
I don't know what to make of Deborah but I understand why she dropped out the first time. She emailed and told me she had personal thing going on that she didn't want to disclose. In the end she didn't owe anyone an explanation. Lem is very passive in running his blog. Except when he decides to act and then he fucks it up. He gets free content and I don't think he appreciates. He mouths the words but I don't know if he understands.
I have to repeat that in the end Deborah didn't owe anybody anything. People should come and go as they want. Maybe that is New York values because we are used to people disappearing from our lives at the drop of a hat.
This is my definition of agency, chickelit:
To feel free to know what I know and to feel what I feel without becoming overwhelmed, enraged, ashamed or collapsed.
Although I don't believe explanations as to why someone might choose to take on or let go of the role of Blog Contributor to be necessary, I consider hellos and goodbyes, I'm here and now I'll be be leaving, to be an integral part of respectful relationship, regardless of where one calls home.
Althouse didn't seem to believe she owed anybody anything either, and the wrath against her was great when she chose to behave as she did. To my way of thinking, she entered into a higher level of engagement and commitment when she decided to publicly blog about her opinions, present her writing to others for comment, and involve herself in back and forth exchanges with her blog's "community of commenters". In essence, she entered into a form of relationship. And I consider relating with integrity to be one of the highest callings a human can enter.
My comments here reflect my opinion. I'm not looking to blame someone and I'm not asking for loyalty. I've consistently been myself since I arrived and I don't believe we need to agree with each other on everything in order to honor integrity.
When Lem posted a comment noting that he couldn't access the TY blog and was wondering if anyone had heard from him, it appeared as he didn't know TY had decided to step away for a while. Maybe that cloud of unknowing is part of Lem not running a tight ship. I don't know.
I do know that I appreciate receiving a clean and simple good-bye from people who leave prominent positions at blogs they either run or contribute to as more than a commenter, with no lengthier explanation expected or necessary.
I don't understand why Lem would no longer have access to Trooper's blog. It's not like we have to enter a password each time.
I didn't understand either, chickelit. But that's what he said in his comment, which prompted me to check back over here and see what was brewing.
It looks like TY has settled back in to his spot behind the bar, serving up the house special.
It was a surprise to find myself in the Althouse comments again, via your provision. That was a good quote. Plus, Lem's received a mention over there as well, which always makes me smile.
When I think about the way things turned out, from Chip Ahoy finding a place where his contributions are recognized, to you having a larger audience, to EBL finding a place to moo, the split that resulted in Lem's Levity seems more like the evolution of a negative event into a positive outcome. As I said earlier, I await the day that Althouse grows up enough recognize a blog child and links to one of ChipA's posts or photo essays.
Thank you for the kind words (those who mentioned my name).
What I read every day is Drudge, Ace, and Instapundit. I comment at Insty once in a while, and I like the format. I glance at Lem's and Trooper's once every week or two, and leave a comment if there's something that catches my interest.
I looked at Althouse and Turley today and can't for the life of me recall why I ever found them interesting. There is much in the comments that is worth reading, and often what's there is revulsive (to me).
I stopped blogging at Lem's because I grew tired of expending energy creating a post only to have some jackass scream insults and obscenities at me.
What I'm doing now: Spending much more time doing things that nurture growth. I Crossfit (the oldest guy in class by 20+years), I read (mostly theology and philosophy this winter), I look after some elderly relatives who need a bit of help staying independent, I've renewed my acquaintance with jazz, blues, and roots music. I cook, I converse, I play with the grand babies. I organized a toy drive for three local homeless shelters and collected a van full of toys, delivered just before Christmas. I pray, I go to church.
I don't know why I thought it was important to invest the amount of time in blogging and commenting that I did. But I did. And I learned from it, and also made friends with nice people.
In the third paragraph above, the sentence should read "There isn't much in the comments that is worth reading...."
Plus MH is a Twitter God. Over 2,000 people follow him. Which makes it tough to go to the bathroom.
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