about two years now

I've published this blog for about two years now. There's no best-of or any sort of recap – beyond laughing at the claims of my ridiculous first post, that is.

Thanks for listening, and I hope you've gotten something from reading it. I've enjoyed writing it from the silly little shares to the diary-esque or even manifesto posts.

I've changed the name a couple of times, from "Ignorance is OK!" to "Rumblin' Bumblin' Stumblin'" and now to "Myopic and Moderate" (which has no zing and so will probably change soon). Each of those was meant to reflect my current philosophical mood. In that way, I suppose, this blog has largely served to record some trace of my (re)construction of a personal ethic.

I'm sick of thinking about that stuff: I've deconstructed, but the reconstruction isn't getting anywhere. This is why my posts have been a lot less thinky recently.

On that note, it is a fitting time to mention (again) that I've opened a Facebook account and – just now – a twitter account. I've set it up so that both of those just feed out this blog; don't expect anything beyond that (though I might be using some twitter syntax). I'm just connecting to my friends in whichever way they've invited me to do so. No more social networking elitism.

I fail my words

I feel a bit like an ass when I link a word to its definition as I do in some of my posts. When I do so, it is my way of saying, "Hey! Did you know this word? I didn't." Just had to get that out there.

I mentioned Benjamin Barber's book Consumed in one of those lifestyle posts. He's smart. He used big words. Here's the ones that were new to me. While I "had a feeling" for some of them, there was never much confidence.

1. Something exhibiting exigency is something urgent.
2. A depredation is a raid.
3. Succor is synonymous with relief.
4. A crass person has less than honorable intentions.
5. To redress is to make right.
6. By dint of means the same as because of.
7. A paean is an expression (a song, it seems) of triumph.
8. Someone with fealty has some serious loyalty.
9. To limn is to describe.
10. Mendacity is untruthfulness.
11. Something coterminus has the same boundaries as the primary subject.
12. A coeval is a contemporary, and anything coeval is also contemporaneous.
13. Seditious words support rebellion.
14. Establishing hegemony attains a strong position of control.
15. Something facile is too simple, too easy. [An ironic definition considering this post, eh?]
16. Something fustian is presented as if it's really important, like inspirational and grand words.
17. Imprimatur is one's approval, the "go ahead."
18. Something fecund is fertile or prolific, especially with regard to intellectual matters.
19. A polemic is an ardent refutal of an opinion or principle (or the author of such a counter argument).
20. The commonweal is the public well-being. Weal can also occur by itself just as would well-being.

I'm glad there was a round number of these words. I Googled for these definitions, so they are gleaned from Merriam Webster, the free dictionary, and others. Merriam Webster was pretty awesome.

The Annie Parsons Project

I have had my first taste of online super-stardom. A complete stranger posted a positive comment! This was really exciting. It just barely eeked out that always-sought-after approval of Dan, because it also introduced a mystery! Who was she?!

(I've already had the pleasure of deleting an anonymous negative comment. Sign on or shut up.)

Annie observed that even she didn't know how she got to my blog. Standard online stalking practice immediately ensued. I learned that she was hilarious, gorgeous, in and out of KC, and Christian. She also kinda looked familiar. Graham – that handsome engineer – became my primary suspect.

I saw Graham at some themeless, unexpected, and seemingly spontaneous party last night and showed him Annie's profile. No luck, but I had my first cohort. And a most capable cohort he proved to be. I will happily act as a reference for any future P.I. work, Graham.

9:22p tonight, I randomly went on my friend Rachel B's FB page. As I scrolled down I noticed a Ms Annie Parsons had posted on her wall:

Annie Parsons (Nashville, TN) wrote
at 8:24pm on December 23rd, 2007

I do love singing with you. :) xo

Message

Rachel is my friend from K-State. Im guessing Annie got to your blog through mine through Rachel's...

I expect a date to come out of this. for me.
g.

Im joking about the date.

Thus ends (begins?) the Annie Parsons Project after not even 24 hours. (Have you heard that one before?)

Graham was so helpful, yet I reward his efforts by airing his deepest hopes and dreams entrusted through the most private and secure of missives. Some sort of man code compels me to betray him. Also the most naïve and honest hope that I have that eHarmony touch. To be fair, I was the first to break the eternal and ubiquitous two-guys-looking-at-a-pretty-woman ice with a "you should ask her out" joke. To be fair about being fair, I just had gotten out of a conversation with three ladies about attractive actors. My inner caveman is not running the show.

Yes, Graham, I know, this was totally not cool of me. Compelled, I tell you! I feel like I'm in middle school again.

Hello Annie!
Sorry Graham.

1 blog + 1 blog = 3 blogs?

Note: pressing enter at the wrong time immediately publishes a blog! This is truly an atrocious interface. It is obvious that I'm struggling with it.

The most important lesson I learned from my LiveJournal account in high-school was that blogs are not the place to discuss relationships or relationship issues. A blog is not an actual journal. It should not be used as a therapeutic device for you, since you know other people are reading it! That compromises the privacy, which is essential to the positivity of therapy. The problem in high-school was the twinge of excitement associated with broadcasting feelings so personal. That sort of high comes at the expense of losing the confidence shared between you and the individuals in your audience.

For these reasons, I will never post on this blog about my relationships; it's simply antithetical. But relationships bring out the most important questions and characters--I want to share them! So what's a blogger to do? Let me share two wisdom nuggets (mmmm) before I make two suggestions.

First. In all relationships, I raise my concerns with the other person first and only then ask for others' thoughts. It demonstrates my respect for that person and my acknowledgment that it is only with them that I could ever act upon the issue. Accepting that fact is always the first step towards true resolution. (Such direct discussion is always my first suggestion when people ask for advice.) Consequence: relationship issues have no place on my blog.

Second. 1+1=3 is my favorite lesson from the controversial Human Sexuality course with Dennis Dailey. It says the relationship does not consume the two individuals (1+1=1). Instead they have created something new together (contrast with 1+1=2). (Marriage should not change a woman's last name.) Consequence: respect a relationship as you would an individual.

I see two options.

• I can post reflections inspired by my relationships. These are my thoughts about me, and hence fair game. (This line seems a thin one.)


• What if a relationship had its own blog? It'd be weird, yes, but it could be neat. The couple pair (friendships too, of course!) cooperates to write the posts after important conversations and decisions take place. Or they share happy things they did together. It'd be constructive, thoughtful, and wholesome. I am sure I would smile at my friends' blog.

Oops... oops... oops

I apologize if my edits caused duplicates in your RSS feeds. I hope they didn't! Someone let me know either way with a comment?

What do other people title their first post?

I am inspired by o t h e r s. I would be remiss if I neglected to acknowledge the longevity of Dan.

Entries will be thematic.

• research stuff that may bore everyone but me; maybe you'll see why I like it
  
• lots of whining about various sorts of decision making (personal, finance, politicals, ...)
• clever plans I probably won't remember to execute
• thoughts I'd like to share (current events, music, lifestyle, ...)
  

And crafted.

• brevity is key; I'd like to you read these after all
• thoughtfulness over frequency
• entries will be tagged according to theme, so you can easily find similar entries