Yes, you may feel free to rub your eyes in amazement——this is a real post. I realize that it's been two months kids, and a number of you have voiced your displeasure at the discernible lack of bloggage as of late. I thank you for your concern. From reading even one of my posts, you probably know that I am not one to water things down or to sidestep voicing my true opinions (at least in the realm of writing——I at least try not to be a total jerk in social interactions). As such, the last two months have easily been some of the worst in recent and not-so-recent memory.
Without going into a list of depressing and unnecessary details, let me simply say that recent events have been such that they have caused me to pause and question nearly every aspect of my life (even showering, though that only lasted until the next time I went running). Comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell, famous for his seminal work The Hero With a Thousand Faces, constructed a framework for the archetypal "hero's journey" found in myths, legends, and most properly-written books and movies of modernity. Nestled within the middle of the journey is something that Campbell called the katabasis, which is Greek for "going/journeying down." As fate would have it, usually this equates to a given hero going to Hell.
The reason for such a journey is so that the hero can receive some sort of supernatural ability, wisdom, or training which he can in turn use to change his inevitably ill-starred lot in life. I mention this because I pretty well feel like I've been to Hell and back. While I certainly haven't happened upon any magic that can fix all of my issues in a flash, I have picked up a few useful tidbits along the way. If there's anything I've learned in 24 years, it's that everyone has problems——no matter how happy they may seem on the outside.
As a result, I'm going to be taking the blog in a slightly different direction in the next few months. Unfortunately, I can't promise any sort of return to regularity until April 21. School is a harsh mistress, as you may already be aware. In the meantime however, fear not. Even though no writing has occurred in the last 2 months, thinking has not ceased and my cup runneth over with ideas for new posts. I have a veritable slew of words for your enjoyment (these may be unloaded on a weekly basis to reward your patience), an entire week's worth of daily posts inspired by Oprah (yes, be afraid), and plenty of great new tunes and such to recommend.
To keep you occupied in the meantime, might I make a few suggestions? My friend Jeff is a wise fellow and, as one might expect, his blog is filled with wise things. He also devoted an entire post to Jimmy Eat World's song "23", which is in all likelihood my favorite song in the history of ever (and should be yours too). We've discussed Mr. David Vernon briefly before, but never in regards to what he does. Bottom line? The man's got style oozing from his fingertips and his "Essentials" series and frequent updates on monk-strap shoes are both excellent and inspiring. The first time I read some of the poems on Katja's blog, I got tingles——and I typically despise poetry (unless of course it was written 2,000 years ago in a dead language). Go and feast on the sublime fruits of artful verbiage. If you hadn't guessed already, all of these folks' links can also be found in the handy "Recommended Reading" sidebar. These are just a few of my current favorites, but I assure you that everyone is there for a reason. Take a leap of faith and watch the trust grow, and I'll see you in three weeks...
This pleases me.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I appreciate your promotion of this "Spiffy Dave" character. His innovations have entirely altered the way I think about transition lenses-- which is impressive because, although I still foresee some problems, I no longer want to punch things at the mention of simultaneously shaded/unshaded eyewear.
Nice work. Keep it up, men.