Post #1 - This Is Me

As anyone can plainly see, there are not enough blogs in the world, so why not add one more? Besides that, I have two children, so at least I’m accustomed to being ignored when I say something.

I would guess that any blog has to begin by attempting to justify its existence, or at least to display the author’s relevant credentials. When I was gearing up to start this, I considered all the different parts of my life:

• I’m a husband (for 18 years) and a father (two kids, 6 and 3). Of course, I’ve found that I know a lot less about being married and being a father than I used to “before”. I probably won’t be posting any “how-tos”, but maybe my vast readership can help me.
• I’m a Christian and active in my church. I believe that God and faith issues are worth thinking about and even interesting. If it doesn’t turn out that way, it’s me that’s not interesting – not God.
• I’m currently gasping for oxygen because baseball season’s over. I’ve been a baseball fan – and it’s no coincidence that the word “fan” comes from “fanatic” -- for as long as I can remember, with a particular passion for the Mets. That’s put me in a good spot to enjoy some extreme highs and lows over the years! In addition, I run a fantasy baseball league. I like to think about baseball from a lot of different angles.
• I have a longstanding interest in things cultural. OK, mostly I love TV and I love to read. I intend to write about what I enjoy (and don’t), and why. As for movies, I like a good flick as much as the next guy, but I had to make a choice between going to movies and having kids.
• I’m a musician. That’s a slight exaggeration; I play the guitar, but I’m mostly a musician in my head. In my fingers I’m more of a hack. I do love to sing, and I’m sure I’ll be writing about the hidden dangers of karaoke.
• I have a strong streak of nostalgia, which manifests itself in a lot of different ways. I like to read history – particularly recent cultural history, the kind of work that gives a sense of what it was like to live in a certain time & place. Other times, I like to watch those TVLand documentaries on old shows. And sometimes, I just sit around and obsess about old girlfriends.
• I’ve always enjoyed writing, although I’m a mathematician by training and a computer programmer by profession. I actually do a bit of technical writing in my current position, which isn’t as much fun as programming, but it’s something I can do pretty well. I won’t make any extravagant claims about the quality of my writing, but I will promise correct grammar and punctuation. Of course, from some of the blogs I’ve reviewed lately, that may be against the rules.

I know that in the blogosphere I’m in trouble because I can’t be pigeonholed. I’ll just go into the “General Topic” dumpster with everyone else who can’t make up their minds what to write about. But in any case I intend to go down swinging!