<--DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> Rising Like A Trout: Dammit, grandma, you were supposed to throw the fight, I had 2 large riding on it.

Friday, May 21, 2004

Dammit, grandma, you were supposed to throw the fight, I had 2 large riding on it.

Are you a writer who can face the blank page whether you are ���inspired��� or not?

Do you have discipline, a routine?

Are you sometimes pleasantly surprised at what pops out of your keyboard because you had thought you had nothing to say that day, but you were wrong?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, keep it to yourself, please.

On a related note, what is the purpose of keeping a blog? Is it merely a diary, recording the events of your life? Is it a cheap way to get your ���serious��� writing published? If you don���t feel inspired that day, do you force yourself to post anyway? For those of you who actually have readers, do you ever feel pressured to keep churning out the good stuff so as not to disappoint your faithful followers?

I haven���t figured out what this blog is supposed to be. I have reams of backlogged stuff dating back to high school *shudder* that I could slap up here. I almost posted something today that I wrote about work encroaching into our everyday lives. I would like to divide this blog into sections; one for fiction, one for random shit, etc., but that would take a more than cursory knowledge of HTML and/or cash, neither of which I possess.

Instead, I bring you this, from a 91 year-old blogger, regarding the passing of his wife of 62 years. This post is amazing for various reasons, the least of which is that the guy can even operate a computer at that age (my parents can barely send and receive e-mail), let alone write with such clarity and wisdom.

Not only did he post a few hours after his wife's death, but the obvious grace with which each of them exhibit during life���s final challenge is just staggering. I think the way you face death is a testament to how you spent your time on earth. In light of this, I can���t imagine either this blogger or his wife having lived anything but a full life.

Have an unctious weekend.