You make a list. You mail it to Santa. You whine and pray and wait for weeks, wake before dawn Christmas morning, run to the tree and buzz-saw your way through paper and cardboard only to find…a spring.
I don’t like Slinkies. Actually it’s not about affection, or a lack thereof. I just don’t GET Slinkies. Who came up with this ghetto toy? Some guy forgot to shop for his kids one year (a boy and a girl of course), walks by a dumpster on the way to work and notices a spring from a busted machine of some kind hanging over the edge. The world’s best selling toy and catchiest theme song are born.
Blogs are the Slinky of the internet. According to Business Week (May 2, 2005 p.57)…
…there are about 9 million weblogs, or “blogs”, out in cyberspace. 40,000 new ones are started each day. But, like the ever-present Slinky, the blog is having a hard time being understood and appreciated.
Part of that is because, if you’re old enough (like me) to know the Slinky theme song by heart, you don’t know what a blog is or where to find one – “Is that in Produce or Lawn and Garden?” If I asked my mom to check out my blog – which I’ll do eventually – would she know I wasn’t talking about a strange growth on my back or a new kitchen appliance for peeling grapes? Would she offer condolences or wrap me in a congratulatory hug?
And if we know what a blog is it’s only because we humored a friend once and actually read their on-line rants about politics, waded through detailed descriptions of what time they did what, how many bananas they had for breakfast or how much they looooooooooooove!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Justin Timberlake. 99.9% of blogs are as lacking in point as they are in punctuation, spelling and good grammar. They stand as evidence that our schools are cranking out graduates incapable of putting their thoughts and feelings into sentences, using both capital and lowercase letters, without leaning on the ever popular ; ) for expression. (That mini-rant was made possible by Mrs.Gazette, Mrs.Granberry, Mrs.Clark, Mrs.Adams and Mrs.Marshall – my elementary school teachers. Ladies, I thank you and my readers thank you.)
So blogs are new for most of us, have a bad rep and yet there are a lot of them lying about on the information superhighway. Like I said, they’re like Slinky. Seems everyone will have one eventually but as yet, few figured out how to put them to good use. I’m not sure I can change that with SHLOG. I’m only doing this blog thing because friends/expert bloggers bugged me to for so long that I gave in and promised to try it for a month or so. If I never take it out of the box and find something useful or fun to do with it I’ll trade it in for a new toy like…I don’t know…my own podcast.
Until I give up I’m hoping you find something entertaining, amusing, inspiring, or just plain time wasting here everyday. I’m planning on inviting guest bloggers (my road manager, someone in my band, my wife, and anybody else with free time) to fill in for me from time to time, as well as posting new songs as I write them, interviews by me of interesting folks, reviews of new music/books/blogs as I find them and more details about my day-to-day life than you may care to read. Let me know what you’d like to see/read and I’ll put it under the tree for you – no whining necessary.
Got thoughts? Discuss this SHLOG on my message-board
OK, I really enjoyed reading Shlog! If you just keep doing posts like this I’ll be back as often as I can just for the laughs. Thanks for your honesty!
You forgot the ever-present abbreviations like “lol”, “omw”, “brb”…etc.
Anyway, thanks for the laughs…and I guess my age is showing, too, since I can also recite the Slinky theme song by heart. Be blessed! Praying for ya’!
I appreciate your writing because of the correct grammar and syntax… well, and the creative humor too. =^) <– Look! I used the obligatory smiley face! I blog. I do. I wasn’t sure why I started, but now I know why I continue. Both friends and people whom I’ve never met seem to be encouraged by my random posts. The laugh, the meet each other, and something happens. I guess it’s kind of along the lines of me chatting with the workers at McDonald’s… we’re called to reach out. This is just another way. (Although I feel totally unworthy to have the committed reader base I do. They must really like Sassy Shoe Thursdays. Uplifting. Yes, indeed.)
Hey, this is officially a really long comment.
I don’t get to read blogs very often, but I always have to catch up on yours when I do. Good stuff! I love it that your posts are a mix of serious and hilarious. God has give you a gift for writing (music as well as print)…thanks for using it!