Why?

The title is from Hamlet’s soliloquy, and the subtitle as well (though, mangled by yours truly). So, Why? Why blog? Well, men of a certain age tend to turn introspective, mostly motivated by self-absorption and regressive mid-life worries. Some buy fast cars, or play stocks, or chase women, or drink heavily. Some blog. Keeping an online journal that will be seen by others (at most 5 or 6 others), could be construed as self-referential and narcissistic. Well, I’m not sure I’m not those things, but there are some hopes I have for this blog.

I’m a little scattered these days, my thoughts tune in the chatter of the world, and there is much noise mixed in with the signal. So I’m hoping some regular writing will quiet the mind a little, provide some focus. Ideally, this blog would be a repository of some of those thoughts I might want to remember, just like a real journal. Maybe some day the kids will read a little and wonder about Dad. Inasmuch as nothing is noteworthy but that writing makes it so (mangling Hamlet again), I hope I can capture some of the moments of the daily shuffle, gild some of the dirt with words, wrest something transcendent from the quotidian. Or just use big words as if I actually knew what they meant.

I guess I could have been much more succinct and said I wanted to use this blog to examine life, because the unexamined life… well, you know. If you’re actually reading this, and maybe even some of the rest of the blog, please leave some comments. I’d like to hear from everyone.

Apologies in advance for any insults, intentional or not.  And much gratitude to my family for putting up with me lately.