Humpday Happenings...
Today kinda snuck up on me...
When you have one of those Monday holidays, it tends to throw a person off he rest of the week...having to THINK about WHAT day it really is (still feels like a Tuesday in many ways).
But I DO know that our trash pickup WILL be a day "late"...meaning I put it out for FRIDAY pickup and not for tomorrow...and I plan accordingly.
Ah, yes...the foibles of those big "executive decisions".
Tell 'ya one thing, I could with a bit of MUNDANE right about now.
But more on that in a bit....for now, we've another milestone here at the "Erudition".
We've hit...(drum roll)... THIRTEEN HUNDRED POSTS...!
(let the pigeons loose)
For me, this is kind of a big deal.
I would have never thought that back in 2006, when I started this gig, that I could maintain it on such a regular basis. Guess I have to thank the ghettohood for that one.
There is rarely a day goes by (around here) that SOMETHING doesn't peek one's interest, or incur one's ire.
And we've more than OUR share of those wonderful "WTF?" moments around this part of town.
In many ways, it makes me miss even more those times I had in neighborhoods past.
The lack of community around here is oft times overwhelming.
We DO have those that "hang around" together...and in a few cases, it would seem that certain houses know the ENTIRE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF TOWN.
(at least a majority of the minority population, anyway)
And that gets me to wondering WHAT is "so damn attractive" about a rental crib that's a mere one story bungalow in a blighted area of this fair city?
I don't think these "people" are coming (from all over, it would appear) way down here JUST to take in nature's visual and aural bounty.
The only bounty I can find is that which happens upon OUR property (good for you, Mr. Bunny)
Wifey and I have our share of flora and fauna, and the way I see it, as long as all the critters have FOUR legs...that works for me.
It's always the TWO-legged variety that gets me gnashing my choppers.
Yes, thanks to all the NOISE that goes unabated year after year, thanks to the all-too-timely (non) intervention of the local constabularies, and the rising crime, and the uneducated human flotsam that permeates our area, I can always find SOMETHING to blog about.
Once in a while, we'll get lucky and have something that might have NO bearing on the situation here.
And it might actually be something NICE ...and enjoyable...and even FUN.
(OMG, I said the *F* word...lol)
I tend to believe that my "chronicles" here can ALSO be enlightening, because many of you don't have to endure any of it.
But you can get a nicely-painted picture of what others have to deal with daily (by urban design - think of it as VICARIOUS slumming).
Our situation in this ghettohood is FAR from being unique...there are a LOT more people out there that have also seen THEIR neighborhoods devolve around them. And despite THEIR best efforts, have either taken a huge chance (and debt) and left the area, or live behind locked doors, often too afraid to venture into what used to be a nice place to live and raise a family.
We are somewhere "in-between"...the proverbial rock and a hard place.
And WE certainly didn't want that for ourselves, but the city had other ideas (and they come up with some real beauts, trust me, like what they "allow" versus normal human behavior). One thing that's interesting about a blog...over time, readership DOES pick up.
Now, that's not to say that comments will, only that more people for one reason or another will wind up stopping by and taking a look-see.
I know I've got traffic from all over the world, and some of that is usually attributable to hacking/spamming or whatever other crap is out on the Internet. But the rest is people from all over, that found some "common link" with something you posted..could be just a word or picture.
Still more people (a bit closer to home) come by to "see what you're all about".
They may find a kinship or a like spirit in you and your posts, and that's fine by me. There SHOULD be unity of values...and purpose
Think of it as a type of "new-age" community...just the neighborhood has changed a bit.
The PEOPLE are still cut from similar cloth, however.
You share values and beliefs, likes and dislikes, and you develop a sense of involvement...the way you remember.
When THEY hurt...YOU hurt, and when they're happy, YOU are happy as well.
You pray for one another, wish the best for them, and they for you.
If it takes creating a blog to get a piece of that again (and much more)...hey, that's fine by me.
Lord knows that finding such things and people in today's world is becoming ever-increasingly difficult.
Yeah, it's only 1300 posts, but to me, that's a pretty big deal.
There are those that have far surpassed my number of posts...and in a shorter span of time.
The "professionals" out there have more followers than I could count, and make more than one post most days.
(and they probably have a hired staff to assist them...lol)
I'm just one guy brought up in Philly, and wound up settled down in Indiana who's seen a few small chunks of the world, done some things, worked some jobs, met some folks, and tried to stay the hell outta trouble along the way.
Seems I did OK in that regard...so far.
In many ways, it seems that the "story" has taken some interesting turns along the way.
And I would think that there are still more than a few chapters yet to be written in my book.
I will continue to bring you that which you (hopefully) find interesting, insightful, and yes, even educational.
I hope I can also continue to allow the truth to be told, and that whenever you're in doubt as to why you might think you're the only person who feels a certain way, you can come by here and find out that you're not as alone as you thought you were.
It has been an incredible journey, thus far.
This blog has allowed me to meet all of you, and I am honored to know every one of you.
I hope that this is a portent to a journey that is just beginning...for all of us.
Thanks so very much for making this possible...and for being the blessings to me that you are.
All of you have been the wind beneath MY wings in many ways and at many times.
And with God's help, we'll all be around for another 1300 posts.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.