Tuesday, January 18, 2011

I've been blog critiqued

I recently had the honor of having my blog critiqued over at Rick's blog.  Richard is a pretty recent reader and it was an interesting experience getting an idea of the impression I've been giving out through this particular medium. 

I was concerned about this passage:
There's something going on. Things are not right. You are too bright a spark to be having these troubles. Call it an instinct, but my reading of your situation suggests that someone in your life is fucking with your head. Who is it? Is there someone you need to kill?
It concerns me, because I wonder if I really put across the idea that I'm mostly miserable?  I sure hope not.  In all honesty, putting aside the day-to-day foibles of fender benders and throat infections and the occasional irritating customer at work, my life is pretty decent.  Lovely, even.  But how to describe that?  How to describe it, when it can be so much more fun and releasing to get on a tangent about the little things that fuck up day to day?

In MacLennan's The Watch That Ends the Night, the narrator, George attempts to describe his wife whom he is deeply in love with, but finds himself at a loss and says that it is much easier for a man to describe his wife if he dislikes her.  I planned to quote this, but looking at my bookshelf I just remembered I lent it out to a friend.  Taking from MacLennan's idea, I find myself with much more to say when I am discontent.  When I am content, I have a tendency to just be, and not think or talk too much about it.  Maybe I just don't know how to express the positive or maybe I am fashioning myself as an adorable curmudgeon of sorts.  Who knows?  I guess it's not surprising when you look at the top five labels for this blog that they are as follows:
  • Life in General
  • Random Thoughts
  • Grievances
  • Music
  • Kids
There you have it.  I talk about life.. sometimes my head is all over the place, I bitch about stuff, I play music and I have awesome kids that are fun to talk about.

True, I do try and keep them protected on here, both out of an ingrained media-fed fear of predators, as well as respect for their privacy now and in the future (I generally try to respect the privacy of most my loved ones on here) for which reason there will be no pics posted, but I will say I'm damn lucky to have two intelligent, kind, beautiful and FUNNY kids to call my own. 

I will add that I wasn't quite sure what Rick had meant about my third sentence in this post being a gem, because when I went back and read it, all I really saw was a run-on sentence but sometimes we're all our own worst critic.

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In other news, the hunt for snow-tires continues. The weather has warmed up a bit so the roads are clearing, and the automotive department at the local Wal-Hell has been on the hunt for tires in my size.  Normally I avoid the place like the plague, but fact is, tires there are going to cost me almost half of what I'd pay at any of the local independent tire places.  So yes, I'm selling a bit of my soul to the giant corporate devil, but I'll be able to drive my sellout ass around safely at least.

Took the girls out for a dinner and a movie night.  There were three options that may be suitable for kids playing.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which was what I was rooting for, The Green Hornet and Yogi Bear.  Now, I knew that the girls would want to see Yogi Bear but the latest show was at 4:30 and I don't pick them up until 5:30. DARRRRRNNNNNNNN.

Not that I have anything against Yogi and BooBoo per se, but I have a thing against the recent spate of animated shows made into live action films, considering nobody's been able to do it even remotely well since The Flintstones .  You know Jason Lee?  I loved Jason Lee, until saw Underdog.  Then I saw Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Jason Lee is dead to me now.

Tom Cavanaugh is apparently in Yogi Bear.  You remember Tom Cavanaugh?  TV's Ed?  The "Here I Am On Georgian Bay and I'm Reminded of Light Beer?" Blue Light guy?
Photo Credit
On a side note, I so wanted to find a picture from when he was the Blue Light guy.  I loved that commercial, ever so much.  On another side note, the link where I got this photo from is an obituary for another Tom Cavanaugh who played for the San Jose Sharks.  Another Tom Cavanaugh who is not this guy, but they used his picture anyway.  Good Job, Zaffnews.

Sweet Laird Tunderin' Jaysus!  I found one of the commercials.. Not the Georgian Bay one, which was the best one, but the Niagara Falls one. Which is close enough.



Okay, I digressed huge there.  Point being, I don't want to see Yogi Bear, because I don't want to lose respect for Tom Cavanagh like I have for Jason Lee.  So that was a near miss.  I rooted for Harry Potter, but the girls wanted to see the Green Hornet.  I'm not too disappointed.  It was funny, action packed and I have such a soft spot for Seth Rogen, even when he's playing a pompous ass.. which he invariably is.

It probably wasn't the most appropriate choice for a family film with the language and the violence, but it was enjoyable. The 3-D experience was pretty wild as well.  

Oy.. had many intentions of getting lunches done tonight, but it's late and I should be heading to bed.  G'night all.

5 comments:

  1. i had a great comment and then i saw the beer commmercial...

    ummm beeer...

    and then the waterfall..and off to pee...when i came back... someone had erased all the good stuff and left this...

    i love beer commercials...

    out!

    Bruce
    bruce johnson jadip
    evilbruce
    stupid stuff i see and hear
    Bruce’s guy book
    the guy book
    Dreamodel Guy
    dreamodeling!

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  2. Hi Yandie,

    I just woke up from a nap at the same instant my mail notifier went ding. It was you commenting on my recent post about you. I can understand your concern, so let me tell you this: That bit you highlighted at the beginning was something I really debated about putting in. It was the single most provocative part, and probably far too forward of me.

    If it was wrong, than I gladly retract it. I certainly don't want to mess with your head. It has just been my experience that people tend not to get sick or have near catastrophes with their cars unless they have been seriously distracted by some threat in their lives. That is all. Getting yelled at, being insulted, a letter from an attorney, a death... Basically something or someone who makes the environment appear dangerous.

    It's just a soldier's take on life. Feel free to reject it.

    And no, you do not come off as miserable. You consistently come off with humor, grace, and fortitude. (And yes, you are a great writer even when you are not even trying.)

    My Best, Rick

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  4. (There was a typo in one of the links, had to fix, reposted here)

    Even though the date on my previous comment says January 19th, that was yesterday for me, and this is today. In the interim, I've gone back and read more posts of yours, for example 2010, you were not boring, that's for sure. In that post, I found, a link to it's what you might call content, this feeling....

    Ah. Hmmm...

    I read an interview with Sting, of The Police fame where he said things similar to what you have said. He had a hard time writing when everything was fine, so people tended to think he always in wrecked frame of mine. He described "Every Breath You Take" as a completely "insidious" song, and the fact that it was so popular struck him as extremely peculiar.

    One thing I've learned. If I think I may have said the wrong thing, shut up and listen.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yandie, what you have articulated there is very true - I am generally the same way... if I am content, happy, or ecstatic, it means I am AWAY from my computer.

    I blog about all of the things that piss me off or are rant-worthy, or I make fun of myself.

    When I am feeling very very good (or, I suppose veryveryvery low), I don't focus on the internet at all.

    And you definitely don't come off as miserable. I like your take on life and I like your honesty.

    And being the weary, scaredy cat that I am, it is in everyone's best interests not to show you kids' photos. Better safe than... well, identifiable.

    ReplyDelete

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