Thursday, November 30

Slumps

I guess I'm in a writing slump. I haven't posted much on the blog the last couple of months. And it's almost time for the second annual Official Holiday Card to be posted. Actually, I've "written" several entries over the last couple of months while riding my bike to and from work.

  • One about a disagreement my friend Charlie and I had over the public sharing of information - which would have involved the Associated Press, the way that our different "lenses" affect what we hear and who we believe, a long running argument fueled by bourbon and relief, and probably at least some joking reference to Charlie's inability to conduct even the most rudimentary risk/reward analysis.

  • One about determinism, and my visceral reaction to the assertion that "things are destined by the stars", "it was God's will", "it was meant to be" and other similar statements. But written in a way that acknowledged the mystical, the ununderstood and ununderstandable. Maybe even an acknowledgment that even in the wildly unlikely event that it is all written in the stars, it's much more satisfying to live as if it isn't. I probably would have found a way to work in one of my favorite bumper stickers - which reads "What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?"

  • One about following from the front - ingeniously tying together my dog Greta's technique of always being in front of me on our walks (though in fact she is following me) and most American politicians. As the election season went by I was more and more willing to vote for politicians who were more likely to make decisions based upon principles rather than polls. Even if I didn't completely agree with the principles.

But I didn't actually write any of them. Much of my computer time was spent categorizing photos - a big job that I enjoyed and which is now complete. I guess I can't really blame the cold I've had for the last 10 days (though I've enjoyed blaming things on that lately). Probably, it just wasn't meant to be.