User Profile

Age:	26
Hair Color:	Brown
Zodiac Sign:	Leo
Weight Class:	Light Heavyweight
Vocal Range:	Bass

All entries prior to 1 January 2007 are now friends-only. This is because almost everything I wrote in this space before then is crap. That’s not entirely accurate: some of it was serious writing with a valid point, and some of it was greatly amusing. These were the exceptions rather than the rules, though. Much of what aspired to be serious writing was unoriginal, and much of the humor was, shall we say, too original. The result was a hodgepodge of derivative opinion and jokes that nobody got (or, honestly, was expected to get), mixed in with an all-too-large does of standard blog-emoting. Regardless of the quality of individual posts, the journal as a whole lacked organization and a guiding philosophy.

Toward the end of 2006, I had two realizations about the content of this journal. First, that my journal had become the kind of journal that I hate: too many posts about my daily life (often complaining), and too few posts about things and ideas I care about. From reading my blog, you might think I’m an emo kid. I may be, but if I am, I would prefer to keep that to myself. Second, that I don’t have the time to write well, and even if I did, blogging is not a format that lends itself to good writing. The ease of posting and lack of an editor create an ideal environment for bumper sticker philosophy, a temptation made even greater by the need to write quickly because of other demands on my time.

From the process of hiding my old posts came the new format for my journal. Seeking to avoid boring, sloppy, or arcane posts while still blogging mostly about ideas rather than personal stuff, I returned to the origin of the web log: a collection of interesting links. It’s an idea I had tried before and liked, and now I’m doing it again. Most new entries will be links to stories I expect other people would like to read. I don’t have any rules for what I link to; just that it’s interesting. All link posts will be categorized to allow easy browsing of similar content. I will still post original writing, photos, and whatnot as time permits.

Entries from January 2007 onward will be (mostly) public. (What’s not public will probably be interpersonal communication and notes to myself, which has always been a part of my journal, and has never been public.) If you’re the sort of masochist who wants to read my pre-2007 posts, and you’re not already my friend, just ask me. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the new format.

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The stories I link to do not necessarily represent my own thoughts on the subject. In most cases my thinking will be similar (which is why I post it), but I'll post some because I disagree. On others, I'll have no position. If you want to know whether I agree with a post, leave a comment asking me.

ME, ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB
del.icio.us
Webshots
Wordie
Facebook
Myspace
Wikipedia
Last.fm
YouTube

SOME LINKS
My Yahoo!
Arts & Letters Daily
Wikipedia
The New Republic
Slate
McSweeney's
The Ozone
Pandora
Ask a Mexican
Ares Sportswear (where I work)




"Talk to people instead of about people." - Bill Hall

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