I was in the midst of preparing a lengthy, rather pontificating post about writers and blogging, but realized it's New Year's Eve and I have a party to go to. My New Year's Eve celebrations for the last few years have been spent at a dear friend's home, where the major activity of the evening, apart from consuming mass quantities of food and drink, is playing Trivial Pursuit. I LOVE Trivial Pursuit. (My Gen Y daughter thinks it's hilarious that her mother plays Trivial Pursuit on New Year's Eve.)
The lengthy, pontificating post shall be saved for another day. For tonight, blolleagues and readers, I simply wishes you all a very happy and successful New Year.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Closing out the old year...
I feel compelled to end the year on a humorous note, so I'm relying on Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Novels to provide it. Their end-of-year post is a review of what SB Candy swears is the Worst. Book. EVER.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Favorite Gossip Tidbit of the Day
My favorite gossip tidbit of the day appeared on the Answer B!tch:
Why did Tom and Katie have to publicize how much money they spent for their wedding?
—Florence, Oak Forest, Illinois
Stars often feel the need to remind us they're larger than life. Especially when they are, in reality, rather short.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
A Great Conversation
Many years ago, my mother gave me a set of books called Great Books of the Western World, 54 volumes of literature, history, social sciences, mathematics, natural sciences, philosophy and theology, by authors, ranging from Homer to Freud, over the course of 25 centuries. In explaining the purpose of gathering these works into one set, the editors talked about The Great Conversation, meaning the exchange of ideas and advancement of knowledge made possible by studying the work of great thinkers of the past, and developing on the ideas presented therein.
I bring this up because recent discussions of blogging among some of my blog-colleagues (for whom I am coining the term blolleagues)--Charles Gramlich, Stewart Sternberg--have sparked my own ideas about the purposes and results of weblogs.
The growth of the weblog--i.e., blog--in the past five years has been truly astonishing. There are millions of them in cyberspace. These blogs cover nearly any topic you can think of. Bloggers have formed communities of interest (e.g., writing, books, literature). I didn't start reading blogs until about a year ago, when I happened upon one via a website link. That first blog was Booksquare. From links on Booksquare, I found other blogs by writers and readers (my primary areas of interest in cybersurfing). I read, and learned from, many different blogs, and eventually developed the desire to have a weblog of my own.
Now that I have joined the ranks of bloggers, and had a couple of months of experience in posting on my own blog, as well as commenting on others' blogs, I realize that the world of blogging is another type of Great Conversation. Bloggers and their readers interact worldwide; anyone with access to the Internet and the World Wide Web can read one's blog. It is indeed a Great Conversation, an exchange of ideas among people with whom one likely will never have any other type of contact. The thoughts exchanged may seldom be as profound as those in the Great Books' Great Conversation--but nevertheless, they are a Conversation, and an exposure to ideas beyond one's own narrow circle.
I am profoundly glad to be living in the age of cyberspace.
P.S. The Great Books of the Western World set is still being sold by Encyclopedia Brittanica. The price has tripled in the several decades since my set was purchased.
I bring this up because recent discussions of blogging among some of my blog-colleagues (for whom I am coining the term blolleagues)--Charles Gramlich, Stewart Sternberg--have sparked my own ideas about the purposes and results of weblogs.
The growth of the weblog--i.e., blog--in the past five years has been truly astonishing. There are millions of them in cyberspace. These blogs cover nearly any topic you can think of. Bloggers have formed communities of interest (e.g., writing, books, literature). I didn't start reading blogs until about a year ago, when I happened upon one via a website link. That first blog was Booksquare. From links on Booksquare, I found other blogs by writers and readers (my primary areas of interest in cybersurfing). I read, and learned from, many different blogs, and eventually developed the desire to have a weblog of my own.
Now that I have joined the ranks of bloggers, and had a couple of months of experience in posting on my own blog, as well as commenting on others' blogs, I realize that the world of blogging is another type of Great Conversation. Bloggers and their readers interact worldwide; anyone with access to the Internet and the World Wide Web can read one's blog. It is indeed a Great Conversation, an exchange of ideas among people with whom one likely will never have any other type of contact. The thoughts exchanged may seldom be as profound as those in the Great Books' Great Conversation--but nevertheless, they are a Conversation, and an exposure to ideas beyond one's own narrow circle.
I am profoundly glad to be living in the age of cyberspace.
P.S. The Great Books of the Western World set is still being sold by Encyclopedia Brittanica. The price has tripled in the several decades since my set was purchased.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Your Peculiar Aristocratic Title
I am an Anglophile and have long enjoyed reading historical novels set in the United Kingdom. Despite my deeply-entrenched democratic beliefs, in my fantasies I wallow in the glories of the British aristocracy of yore. I have even learned the nomenclature of the various orders, as well as the protocol of addressing the holders of titles. Hence, I was delighted to discover that I can receive my very own title, bestowed by Lady Fortune the Absurd of Greater Internetshire:
Delighted with being ennobled (although I would have liked to be higher in the hierarchy than a mere Reverend Lady...perhaps a Countess, Marchioness or Duchess, if not a Princess), I have proceeded to feed in the names of some of my writing friends, with these results:
Countess-Palatine Emily the Undulant of Mousehole by Sea
His Exalted Highness Duke Charles the Lachrymose of Leighton in the Bucket
Her Exalted Highness Duchess Laura the Saturnine of Nether Wombleshire
Sir Steven the Idle of London by the Bow
Reverend Countess Candice the Festive of Midhoop St Giggleswich
What a distinguished company! But my amour propre was injured as I realized these friends, except for Sir Steven the Idle, now are of higher rank and take precedence over me. For example, I will be the last to go in for dinner (no doubt on Sir Steven's arm, as he too is of low rank).
Oh well. At least I no longer have to sit below the salt.
 | My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Reverend Lady Sphinx Ink the Implacable of Goosnargh Leering Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title |
Delighted with being ennobled (although I would have liked to be higher in the hierarchy than a mere Reverend Lady...perhaps a Countess, Marchioness or Duchess, if not a Princess), I have proceeded to feed in the names of some of my writing friends, with these results:
Countess-Palatine Emily the Undulant of Mousehole by Sea
His Exalted Highness Duke Charles the Lachrymose of Leighton in the Bucket
Her Exalted Highness Duchess Laura the Saturnine of Nether Wombleshire
Sir Steven the Idle of London by the Bow
Reverend Countess Candice the Festive of Midhoop St Giggleswich
What a distinguished company! But my amour propre was injured as I realized these friends, except for Sir Steven the Idle, now are of higher rank and take precedence over me. For example, I will be the last to go in for dinner (no doubt on Sir Steven's arm, as he too is of low rank).
Oh well. At least I no longer have to sit below the salt.
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