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First Post, First Wish {November 24, 2010 , 3:19 AM} I expect that this page, if it is to be viewed by anyone, will be viewed initially by those close to me. This thought is both comforting and unnerving: I can, unlike most writers who have ever existed, feel secure in my possession of an immediate audience; however, if that audience dwindles during the coming weeks, I will know that I didn't just bore a crowd of fickle outsiders but my very own friends and family. That would leave a sour taste. The motive for starting this enterprise is entirely selfish: I want a daily vehicle for exercising my capacity to write. I am no genius, and every non-genius must admit that one's only hope to become even competent in a craft is to constantly rehearse. To exercise. That is the final cause of this blog—it would be enhanced by a readership, but it is not contingent upon one. All the same, I urge you to read it, friend or foe. (Particularly the latter, since I'm thrilled to welcome dissenting comments on any post and the resulting dialectic.) I will write about smoke-filled rooms. I will write about states of conflict and conflicted states. I will write about philosophy of right. I will try to write about literature. I will write from Britain, from the Continent and from Asia. I will write about Richard Pryor, Kingsley Amis, General Zia, and Tom Waits (who inspired the name for this page). These subjects need not be segregated and I hope that their potential for collision provides a reason for people to visit this page, even if they couldn't give a fig about matters of statecraft or philosophy. You, dear reader, are in all likelihood a member of the immediate audience that I'm so hastily taking for granted. I ask you to join the experiment and bookmark this site. (If you are indeed a friend I'll only bore you about it in person, anyway.) So this is my wish: that this blog will allow me to sharpen my claws while all of you find some amusement as the sparks fly upward. ----------
"Thy Friendship oft has made my heart to ake
Cryptic but welcome.
I see that bio pic with that smoky cig and remember a particular picture of you just a few years ago trying to get another feisty smoker to sit on your lap. She had a big smile on her face, and I hope you do too as you pursue your dreams share your adventures. Be safe. Much love. mfred.
Explicit but welcome. Post a Comment ---------- |
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