I'm A Ramblin' Guy!

Tonight's non-story post is about the Cyber World/Real World, or rather I should say, my random observations thereof.

Let's start right off the bat with the title of this post. I love Steve Martin. Never saw him perform live, but I have three of his comedy albums: A Wild and Crazy Guy; Comedy is Not Pretty; and Let's Get Small. If you want vintage comedy from the '70's, you have got to check out these three fine albums. Two of the better routines are the Let's Get Small and The Cruel Shoes (also an excellent book). 'Nuff said.

Random observation #1: I neglected to state in my post from Monday, on what else I did to fill in the time gaps. In addition to using this blog to help me sell my book (really wasn't my motive for starting this blog, but I'll use any tool that I can to help sell my book), I came up with a basic business plan for my book as well. The planning of that has been killing quite a few days for me, which is a good thing.

Random observation #2: For those of you who have been experiencing me for the first time strictly through this blog, and have been wondering what it is that makes me tick, a sample can be found off to the left and halfway down the side of this blog. There you'll find a good list of about several blogs that have struck my fancy in the past few months. Each of those blogs are not only informative and a pleasure to read (plug, plug, plug, plug), but will give you a very good idea on what I'm all about. Each one of those blogs had struck me in a particular way, whether it was learning about writers/writing, or a skewered look at the world around us, with the end result being not only do I have these blogs bookmarked (plug, plug, plug, plug) but I have them listed here as well (plug, plug, plug, plug).

Random observation #3: For those of you who already know what I'm about, either through the chat rooms or in real life, and have been wondering about the other side of me that I keep carefully separated from me (depending on how you've first met me), look no further. This blog is the only way you'll get an honest critique about me and the two worlds that I straddle. I won't pull any punches, nor will I keep my mouth shut so as not to offend any moderators (read: Topix). I am what you see, warts and all.

Random observation #4: For the past few months, the rhetoric that has spewed from my mouth while posting in the chat rooms has dropped tremendously. For all intents and purposes, the slash and burn style of posting that I've been doing on and off for the past 18 months has basically disappeared. I can can basically trace it back to the July 4th holiday weekend, when a particular poster from Topix passed away. While this may sound odd to the folks out there who spend minimal amount of time on the Internet and none in the chat rooms, I assure you that it is not odd. Even though I wasn't particularly close to this poster, her passing really affected me. Within a day of her passing, I had taken a step back from Topix to reflect on what I've done there up to that point. The end result of that closer examination was that for the time being, the two online personas I created have gone to what I like to call "120 day PSA's" (its a state thing). They basically show up on the weekends to create havoc and have fun. In their place, I have posted as me from here. People there get to see the real me, not a snapshot of me but the whole me. And I'm loving every blessed minute of it.

Random observation #5: Going on vacation isn't what it's crack up to be. I'm taking my very first non-working real vacation in 8 days. What I mean by non-working, is that since 2002 (which was my last real vacation), every vacation I've taken was not for me. To whit: 2003, no vaca due to being laid off from work; 2004, working vaca due to father passing away in the summer; 2005 all working as family took two cruises and a trip to FL; 2006, more cruises and trips elsewhere; 2007 took one whole vacation day for myself. It rained; 2008, took a working one in June. Now, I'll be taking a real one to visit a friend out in Indiana. Since time is not of the essence for a change (because my wife threatened me with bodily harm if I do what I usually do on a vaca, which is lots of driving and no stopping), I'll actually be spending a couple of days in PA and OH. The amount of planning simply blows my mind, especially when I hadn't plan for one since 2002, when gas was about $1.50 a gallon. In any event, I will finally get a chance to relax and enjoy myself, without worrying about work or my book, or anything else for that matter.

Fun is.