Still on? Damn Skippy it is!

A year ago today, I wrote “Is this thing on?” as my very first blog post. And now, 218 posts later, here we are. Truth be told, I wouldn’t have even remembered if I hadn’t read Lemmonex’s post from yesterday today about her second blogiversary.

This is how this whole thing got started:

“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.” — John Adams

(I, like many, had just watched the HBO miniseries John Adams, but I already knew that quote from way back. It’s one of my faves.)

A little pretentious, I admit it. But, maybe, we as Americans have been studying too much poetry, music, statuary etc. over the past couple of decades and need to get back to studying mathematics, philosophy and natural history. It might be a good way for us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and right the ship, so to speak and to mix a metaphor or two.

I’ve gotten to know a lot of great people through writing The Foggy Dew – not The Liffeyswell as the Express insists on calling it (ARRRRGH! Those warthog-faced baboons!). People like her and her and him, and her and her and him and her and her and her. Hopefully, they’re not too embarrassed to be mentioned here. (And, wow, are there just a whole lot more women blogging than men? Or are they just more interesting?)

I’ve written about politics, national security, art and love along side piss, puke, phlegm, penises and pussies. (Strange, I've covered four of the five major and one of the minor TMI "Ps", but never poo. Perhaps I should be grateful?) Gay rights, space travel, searching for a job and tales of both the misdemeanor and felony stupidity of our fellow man have graced this space.

Also, I’ve gotten a chance to show off my pictures. I’ve really enjoyed that. Up until last July, the only people to really see my pictures were the ones who actually visited my home. Now I get to throw them out there for everyone to see. (I’m not going to dig out the links, but here are all the “pretty pretty pictures” posts.)

All in all, it’s been pretty fun. I think I’ve strayed a bit from my intended course – politics and government – but that’s OK. I write about what seems important or silly or stupid or interesting to me at the time and, hopefully, someone at the other end of the Interwebs finds it just important, silly, stupid or interesting enough to take a moment or two to read.

Thanks for reading everyone, hope to see you back here soon.

The Foggy Dew

My Opus 100

I know I'm going to get this quote wrong (I'm doing it from memory), but here goes:

"Over the course of 40 years I published an average of 1,000 words a day;

Over the course of the second 20 years I published an average of 1,600 words a day.

Over the course of 40 years I sold an item every 10 days on the average;
Over the course of the second 20 years, I sold an item every six days on the average."

- Isaac Asimov

These words were found on a scrap of paper in Asimov's desk by his wife, Janet, after he died of AIDS in April 1992 at the age of 72.

[I remember I learning about the death of one of my favorite authors: I was still in the Marine Corps and my unit was out in the field for an exercise. Someone had snagged a USAToday during a supply run to the rear and brought this little sliver of civilization out to the boonies with them. I was glancing through the Life section and saw Asimov's picture and thought to myself, "Cool, the last book of the Foundation series must be coming out." Only to have my joy turn to abject horror in learning the author of one of the most famous series of books (and one of my most favorite to boot) had died. Before finishing the last book. Turns out, he'd finished it, it just hadn't been published. Whew. But I digress.]

A thousand words a day for 40 years equals 14.6 million words. Permanent words printed on paper, not like these you're reading thrown into cyberspace on a blog. Words he was paid to write.

Words he loved to write. Words he just plain loved.

Think about that for a moment...throughout his extraordinary life and career, Asimov wrote or edited 460 some odd books falling into all but one of the categories of the Dewey Decimal System. Seems he wasn't too big on philosophy and psychology (100s).

The title of this post, my 100th since The Foggy Dew appeared in the waning day of July, comes from Asimov's one hundredth book Opus 100. One hundred posts in 125 days. Not a bad start.

But nothing to crow over either (although I am, just a bit). I got this started in the summer heat of the presidential election season and, I hope, I'll be able to keep throwing my words out there to see if they make a difference.

I love politics. I love reading about it, talking about it, arguing about it and writing about it here. As it says at the top, "A little revolution is good for the soul..." (Although, Arjewtino once suggested "No stalking. Just free panties" as a slogan after the Virtual Panty Raid promotion a little bit back.) It's our job as citizens to keep an eye on our leaders to...encourage them to do what is right, not what is popular.

The work hasn't ended, it's only just begun. So let's get to work.