infinite regress/degrees of separation

I'm amused (though seldom impressed) by trends in television. One is the concept of "reality TV" which tends to follow the self-contradictory nature found in its very name. But more about that some other time.

Another trend is seen in their portrayal of politics and entertainment, where the story devolves by degree from reporting/analysis of an original subject to analysis of the analyses and on down the line ad infinitum/nauseum. Instead of an objective, or at least multi-perspective view of current events, we get Keith Olbermann's smug blabbering about Bill O'Reilly's self-righteous ranting regarding a NYT op-ed commenting on a campaign spokesman's press release dealing with a candidate's response to a current event.

In celebration of this newfound approach to disseminating information, I thought I'd blog about this blog.

The who and what:

The title is self-explanatory and self-descriptive.

My avatar, "DEW U. GNOMIE," while an actually physical entity with distinct physical properties, was chosen to "represent" the joviality with which I attempt to ride the changes inherent in life, while allowing me to maintain a thin veil of anonymity.

The information I provide in the profile is a snapshot at best, and probably a bad one that chops/crops the top of my head and most of my left arm. For every "favorite" I could probably add five more, and these choices change with my state of mind/emotion/spirit. Ex: I didn't mention the Clash, Beethoven or the Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band in my list of "favorite" music, but that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy these artists.

I put an RSS feed for Antiwar.com for its exhaustive coverage of all things political.

The listed blogs, for the most part, are chosen for their contoversial (and at times extreme) perspectives, and don't necessarily reflect my own views so much as an alternative to the (IMO) obsolete "left vs. right," "con vs. lib," " dem vs. rep" dichotomies.

The two notable exceptions are "The Floor," which chronicles the behind-the-scenes goings-on of the up-and-coming rock sextet Umphrey's McGee. The band is also featured on the video bar at the bottom of the page.

The second exception is "This Way to Texas" which is the personal blog of Lou Antonelli, a talented writer of SF short stories whom I remember fondly from our association as classmates in high school.

The Where, When, and How:

Here. Now. Point, click, type.

And that leaves the Why:

Forrest Gump would say, "No pa-TICK-lah raisin," or you can choose from the list below:

1. Everyone else is doing it.
2. Self-expression is necessary and cathartic.
3. My ego supplies me with an overblown sense of self-importance, and a blog enables me to strut my superior intellect.
4. I have too much time on my hands.
5. Nobody will actually read this blog, so really it's just a "Dear Diary" left open in a dusty attic.
6. None of the above.

As I looked for a knob to close the door on these current musings, I realized it was Friday, and TGIF came to mind. And I had to ask, Why T "G?" Why not F for Frior, the g that F took its name from? Besides, most of those who are in the Habit of T'ing G already have a day for that, usually Sa or Su depending on their sabbatical proclivities. Maybe we should T the IWA for the forty hour week that eventially evolved into "9-5, M-F." Since that particular time grid has little relevance to my own schedule, I'm just thankful to wake up each and every day breathing and with a pulse. Whether or not there's a G who deserves credit is a discussion for another day.