nobody asked…

The Brits have somehow managed to maintain more of a sane and grounded approach to reality than do we. So many Americans are trapped between the holier-than-thou attitude of fundamental bible-thumping and the silly politically correctness of … where did that PC nonsense come from? It appears at times that we are forgetting how to laugh, particularly at ourselves.

On the other side of the puddle, however, The Times of London provides hilarious tongue-in-cheek answers to many of lifes most elusive questions. Starting with “Why do men have nipples?”, the article concludes with “Is Sperm Nutritious or Fattening?” My deeply inquisitive and philosophical mind gravitated quickly to the burning question, “WHY CAN YOU LIGHT A FART?”

The article, which is actually a book review, lists numerous qualities of and facts about farts which I’m sure you will find entertaining as well as educational. I first learned of The Times article from MaryB at ShortyPJs, who takes issue with one of the points made, that “Women fart as much as men.” MaryB never met my ex.

Do yourself a favor and invest the couple of minutes required to read the entire article. Betcha can’t do it without at least a good chuckle, or more likely a laughing out loud roll on the floor. As you digest these tidbits, try to envision this article in the NY Times or Washington Post or the Dallas Morning News. Each of us should try every day to laugh a bit more, especially at ourselves. We take ourselves far too seriously. Lighten up folks…

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Yea verily, my dear friends, I am overwhelmed with the outpouring of good vibes and encouraging comments in my previous post Just Wondering…, in which I quite sincerely questioned whether anyone really reads my gutteral utterances here. At press time there were 16 comments, a record for one my postings. To all I am grateful! Thank you!

Though several of you interpreted my questioning as thinking of quitting, that was never really a part of my agenda. Like all who blog, I have on occasion wondered if it is worth the time and effort. But I quickly get over that when I remind myself that first of all, I do this for me. As stated on my about page (I called it “Who? Why?” just to be a bit different), I started blogging out of a need for “a creative outlet … a dumping ground for my collective thoughts, fears, desires, complaints, delights, rants, and musings … A cathartic cerebral disgorgement.” For me it has been all that … and much more.

Hit counters, visit logs, stat vats have never interested me, so I have no numeric measures to analyze. For some bloggers, that is the name of the game … and that is fine. But not for me. Too much room for error, too many ways the turnstyle clickers can be skewed or fooled, and too much time and effort required to collect, analyze and react to all of that. And in the end analysis … so what? Becoming a major bandwidth wastage station was never an objective.

Early on, one respected and seasoned veteran advised me that traffic was what it was all about … the holy grail of the blogosphere, and that comments should not be used to judge the level of readership or the level of success of the blog. Others have advised that they rarely surf the blogs themselves, but depend on the various RSS feeds, etc. If the objective is getting updates from as many sites as possible fed to you automatically as they happen, then using an aggregator or feed is perhaps the way to go. For me, there is far more pleasure and fulfillment in manually browsing and reading. Doing it with a ‘gator may allow covering more territory in a shorter period of time, but you miss a lot that way — the little nuances, the threads, the changes in scenery. I for one do not wish to give that up.

The advice of those who preceded me and who I truly respect and in some ways emulate, is greatly appreciated. I have learned much of value from them. I have also learned that even they do not know it all. The landscape, the technology, the very social fabric of the blogosphere is changing rapidly. So rapidly in fact, that it has become almost impossible for any one person, especially one with other responsibilities like job, family, etc. (that’s most of us, folks) to keep up.

Those blogaratti gurus have achieved their well deserved status because in addition to having something to say that people wanted to hear, they paid attention to the stats and pulled that string, twisted that knob, toted that bale, to achieve their objectives. But … and this is important … their objective of traffic generation is not my objective. Au contraire. My prime objective remains as stated above and in my “Who? Why?” page. My secondary objective has evolved over time, and that is to fully engage whatever small community of friends I develop here, to support them by reading and commenting on their posts as often as possible, and yes, to accept their comments, pro or con, as a kind of validation that our activity and participation here is somehow good and meaningful.

If I had presented a clear and cogent message in the original question, it would have read as a call for critique. What can I change in approach, appearance, content, or functionality that would make nobodyasked a more interesting and compelling destination for reading and exchange of ideas? If anyone has stayed the course through this long and rambling post and wishes to contribute any ideas, either in the form of comments or email, I am eager to learn your opinions. If you prefer email, it is winstonrand AT bellsouth DOT net.

Now you have been warned! You will not get rid of me that easily…

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Aside from a small handful of regular and loyal readers/commenters (you know who you are and I sincerely thank you!), does anyone read this blog? Does anyone care? If it had disappeared yesterday, would anyone notice today?

Like I said, just wondering…

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In her online biography, Karen De Coster lauded H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956) and endorsed one of his well known and oft quoted lines, which I learned through the link she so thoughtfully provided, is simply the ending of his longer statement known as Mencken’s Creed:

I believe that religion, generally speaking, has been a curse to mankind - that its modest and greatly overestimated services on the ethical side have been more than overcome by the damage it has done to clear and honest thinking.

I believe that no discovery of fact, however trivial, can be wholly useless to the race, and that no trumpeting of falsehood, however virtuous in intent, can be anything but vicious.

I believe that all government is evil, in that all government must necessarily make war upon liberty…

I believe that the evidence for immortality is no better than the evidence of witches, and deserves no more respect.

I believe in the complete freedom of thought and speech…

I believe in the capacity of man to conquer his world, and to find out what it is made of, and how it is run.

I believe in the reality of progress.

I - But the whole thing, after all, may be put very simply. I believe that it is better to tell the truth than to lie. I believe that it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe that it is better to know than be ignorant.

To be sure, Mencken had much to say that might be found provocative or controversial, even inflammatory by some, but the clear crispness of his three sentence summary (bolded at the end of the quotation) is easy for all free and independent thinking people to purchase. The guiding beacon on the shore dims at times as it circumnavigates its prescribed course, but it does not fail in its mission to provide a valuable marker for all who travel within its purview.

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I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.
— Oscar Wilde

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. — Oscar Wilde

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So, here I am, minding my own business and not bothering anyone, when — WHAM — Kathryn over at A Mindful Life comes along and tags me for another meme. I have thought long and hard about how I might have offended Kathryn to have her turn on me like this. Answers elude me. Back in December when I responded to one from Tamar, I vowed “Never again will I participate…at least until the next pretty face asks me to…” I have stuck faithfully by that vow, but now that “pretty face” comes along. No, I am not shallow enough to fall for physical attributes alone, but Kathryn is also one of the fellow bloggers whose work I try to read daily and for whom I have the utmost respect. So, Kathryn, this is for you…

Four Jobs I’ve Had:
1. Bowling Alley Attendant (College, part-time)
2. Engineer (What I trained to be)
3. Minority Business Manager (Most rewarding and fulfilling)
4. Business Owner (I’m the hardest boss I ever had!)

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:
(I have never seen a movie that I would want to watch over and over again. That is one addiction/affliction I never understood or developed. Four all-time favorites that I have seen more than once are listed.)
1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. Notting Hill
3. Lawrence of Arabia
4. The Lion in Winter

Four Places I’ve Lived:
1. Pittsburgh, PA (Go Steelers!)
2. Bettendorf, IA (Blazing summers, hellishly frigid winters)
3. Meridian, MS (Thank god we escaped back to Tennessee)
4. Nashville, TN (About as good as it gets!)

Four TV Shows I Love To Watch:
(Don’t watch much network TV, but do/did enjoy the following)
1. NCAA Football — Anywhere, anytime
2. NFL Football — Anywhere, anytime
3. Star Trek: The Next Generation
4. News programs and magazines

Four of My Favorite Books:
(Only four? But there are so many…)
1. ATLAS SHRUGGED – Ayn Rand
2. A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME – Stephen Hawking
3. FOUNDATION series - Issac Asimov
4. DUNE series - Frank Herbert (Not the movie - it sucked!)

Four Places I’ve Been On Vacation:
1. Jersey shore (multiple times)
2. San Francisco (ahhh…sour dough bread and Ghirardelli chocolate)
3. Niagara Falls/Toronto (more than once)
4. Gatlinburg, TN (favorite long weekend getaway)

Four Websites I Visit Daily:
(Not including other blogs - they’re listed on my site)
1. Nobody Asked (my own - dirty job but somebody’s gotta do it!)
2. CNNSI (Sports Illustrated)
3. Google
4. Dictionary.com

Four of My Favorite Foods:
1. Dark Chocolate
2. Milk Chocolate
3. White Chocolate
4. All or any of the above with pecans

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:

1. At AFC Chaampionship Game in Denver
2. In a bar with big screen HDTV watching the game
3. Kitchen
4. Need to go to restroom - does that count?

Four Bloggers I Am Tagging:
Since I don’t normally do this meme thing myself, I am not comfortable with tagging others to follow along. If one or more of my many thousands of readers wish to pick up the torch and run with it, they have my blessings and encouragement to do so.

Kathryn, I hope my responses were intensely adequate enough and in no way embarrassed or inconvenienced you.

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Well, since my baby left me,
I found a new place to dwell.
It’s down at the end of lonely street
At heartbreak hotel.

With that opening verse, Elvis’ Heartbreak Hotel hit the streets in January, 1956, zoomed to #1 on the charts and became Elvis’ first Gold Record by selling over a million. The first release under Elvis’ new contract with RCA, it was recorded at their McGavock Street studio in Nashville.

Nashville’s largest daily, The Tennessean, reported on January 19 that the RCA recording studio “is being torn down to make way for that unmistakable sign of urban progress: a parking lot.” The studio parking lot is at 1525 McGavock Street, between Broadway and Demonbreun on the edge of downtown, with a magnificent view of the Nashville skyline. Fantastic site for a parking lot!

In addition to Elvis, many big-name artists recorded at the old RCA studio, predecessor to Studio B in the heart of Music Row, including Jim Reeves, The Everly Brothers, Hank Snow, and Chet Atkins. Maybe the eventual use of the property by the curent owner, Beaman Automotive Group, will surprise, please, and delight us. But given the property’s storied history, a body shop or sales lot for “pre-owned” vehicles does not particularly excite…

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Last night here in Nashville, Pat Summitt, coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols, won her 900th game in besting Vanderbilt’s Lady Commodores 80-68. Coach Summitt has won more NCAA basketball games than any other coach, man or woman, dead or alive. And she aint done yet! Congratuations, Pat! We’re so proud of you!

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It was the second time today that I had heard the word on the radio. Curious for such an uncommon word that is not a part of my everyday real-world vernacular. So with my ship safely docked in the launch bay, I rushed into my quarters to verify my understanding of the word before I decompressed and forgot about it. Expecting the usual greeting hug, Roomie came into Comm Central and inquired about my deviation from routine as I plunged headlong into my favorite online dictionary.

Without breaking focus, and given the ease with which the word can be mispronounced, even if paying attention, I quickly asked if she knew the meaning of perspicacity. And mispronounce it I must have, for with no discernable hesitation and with a straight face, she damaged forever the image of English majors by answering “That’s the volume of stuff that my purse will hold.”

That broke my attention long enough for my head to bob around and look at her for a split second before we both broke into uncontrolled laughter. On regaining a bit of composure, I said “NOT ‘pers- cap-acity’, it’s ‘per-spic-acity’. She smugly said “I know.”

After another good laugh, I read her the definition from dictionary.com:

per·spi·cac·i·ty n. Acuteness of perception, discernment, or understanding.

Again, she smugly said “I know.”

Dont you just hate it when they do that!

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JUST DESSERTS Isn’t it odd how people who never eat dessert at any other time will sample 3 or 4 or a half-dozen different ones after the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners.

NOT J.I.T. INVENTORY Ever notice how the stapler does not run out of staples except when you are trying to use it?

JEKYLL-HYDE DRIVERS Why is it that some women who are so nice and gracious on Thanksgiving and Christmas will run your ass over the day after if you get in their way going to the mall?

PERFECT NAME Did you ever take a close look at an ugli fruit?

SPEAKING OF UGLY There are some kids who are so ugly they should not be seen or heard.

TAKE A FLYING LEAP Has there ever been anyone more courageous (or insane) than the first person to bungee jump off a bridge?

WHAT’S FOR DINNER? It had to be one hungry dude who first walked out on the beach, picked up an oyster, and decided to eat it.

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Occasionally we stumble into something in our travels that grabs, envelops, captivates us. Something that we want everybody to see. Something so incredible that we just have to share it. Such was the case when I saw the Hubble Space Telescope photo posted by Andy at Older, But No Wiser. For maximum impact, click thru to the original and then display full screen. As Andy said, “Breathtaking… jaw-droppingly good.” Thank you, Andy!

Sombrero, aka M104, is about 50 million light-years distant. That’s a far piece! Just think in terms of how many WalMart’s could be built in that distance, using an average spacing between stores of 1.73 miles.

Now, tell me again about how our little dust speck of a planet, unspectacular even in our own solar system, lost out on a remote edge of a somewhat insignificant galaxy, just happens to be home of the only living beings in this incredible universe…

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This came to me long ago tagged as an old Chinese Proverb. Could also have been Dan Quayle. Or His Royal Idiocy George W. Bush…

If we don’t change the direction we’re going, we’re likely to end up where we are headed.

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In the rush of preparations for the Holidays and all the year end activities, I was brought to a skidding stop one day by a post at A Mindful Life. Kathryn always has something uniquely personal and introspective in her Self-portrait Tuesday features. This one impressed me enough that I made notes to think on it, perchance to pen my thoughts.

While Kathryn’s self-photo is interesting … as always, along with her interpretation of it as representing the multi-faceted person she is, the more interesting aspect for me is the juxtaposition of two seemingly paradoxical thoughts that really take some wringing of the gray matter:

easy to see through you…difficult to see into you.

Having revisited this a few times since, I have discovered that it is easy to think about and take a couple of baby steps toward understanding. It is also quite difficult to completely get my arms around the entire enigma … assuming there is an enigma. See what I mean? Kathryn said:

It requires persistence and a willingness to accept contradictions.

Secondly, there come the realizations that yes, there are people like that, and yes, I know some of them, and yes, I may be one of them. I believe they are the people we would describe as being complex or deep. Or perhaps they are simply the people we perceive as being openly honest.

Thirdly, and with all due respect for Kathryn, I am not at all sure that it is possible for us to be completely objective in self-analysis of any type, and most assuredly not on this opacity-transparency judgement. I may make such a judgement of you, but am ill-equipped to do so for myself. F. Scott Fitzgerald said:

The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.

Lastly, bearing proof that I am sadly short of being a “first-rate intelligence“, I have not extracted near all to be learned from probing the paradox that Kathryn left for us. The readership here includes several intelligent life-forms that I would label “first-rate“. You know who you are! Your comments to further my understanding are welcomed…

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On the bulletin board at one of my customers (tacked there by a woman, no less):

Women do not snore, burp, sweat, or pass gas. Therefore, they must BITCH or they will BLOW UP!

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