Over the past few years, I have tried and tried to keep up a blog, but I haven't been able to sustain either my motivation or enough insight and snappy repartee. But once again, I have resolved to try, and we'll see how it goes.
This particular blog, Carlitude, is supposed to be my opportunity to express myself as a person so I have an outlet for the peculiarities, neuroses, and on occasion the dark side. I am borrowing an idea I saw on the web (see shuttercal.com) where you can post a picture everyday to follow your activities through a year. I am going to try to do that with this blog. If nothing else, I'll take a picture and post it with a comment.
Some of you are probably wondering where Carlitude comes from. In my effort to be a blogger, and inspired by Stephen Colbert, I thought it would be interesting to have an alter-ego I could channel and make just real enough to print some things that might push boundaries and buttons. Hence, Carlitude--a quasi-fictional character who is channeled the critter you see here, who is actually Ferdinand the man-goat, the original sire of my daughter's goat herd. Occasionally you will hear from Ferdinand, who lives somewhere in south-central Texas, having been sold off when the herd needed thinning and his contribution to the goat gene pool had pretty well run its course. Ferdinand is the keeper of the Principles for a Carlitudinous Life, which you will also her about if I do better at blogging this time. Actually, this ought to be a pretty good year for ranting, satire, and general remunations about the state of the world. It's an election year, and if all else fails, we can rely on candidates for office for comic relief.
I have always wanted to be a comedy writer, and Carlitude in the original was intended to be an outlet for that dream. However, I have also found that carlitude gives me the chance to think out loud about matters philosophical. So, you will also be subjected to my evolving perspective on the purpose of life and such. Having finally emerged from adolescence about three years ago, I think it's OK to mix what amounts to the adolescent musings of an aging but still vital American child of the 1950's and 1960's with the thoughts of that same guy who is having to grow up and face mortality.
Let's hope this comes together and is at least mildly entertaining and/or therapeutic. So, here we go.
The Principles for a Carlitudinous Life are provided for your consideration as you face the incongruous, petty, stress-inducing, unfair, and otherwise ridiculous demands of the 21st Century. Principle #1: Rules are social contrivances that are intended to make life more efficient and effective. However, rules are made to be broken unless you are the rulemaker in which case rules are made to be strictly enforced. Decide which one you want to be. Then you will know what to do.
An Arabic proverb has been following me around recently: "A bird does not sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song." I have always wondered why people do the things they do for a living--besides collecting the materials rewards necessary to live. Why do physicians practice medicine? Why do plumbers plumb? What purposes are professional tennis players pursuing? What do computer repair techs hope to accomplish? Instead of doing what they do, why don't they do research, or pave roads, or play soccer, or fix crankshafts? Do birds sing because they are providing information to the world? Or do they sing because singing is what they are here to do? Do they sing because they need to give their gift of song to the universe?
And finally, this just in from Ferdinand, we have learned that the responsible Republican candidates for President are being held at an undisclosed location under the protective custody of Jimmy Hoffa. They are being kept healthy and safe in anticipation of Dick Chaney's needing a real heart to replace the 1957 Chevy engine that is currently keeping him alive. Although a real heart is somewhat more fragile, it is considerably less bulky. If it appears that one of the current Republican candidates is in danger of winning the 2012 Presidential election, Cheney has agreed to allow one responsible Republican of his choosing to leave temporarily. Hoffa however is holding out for an apology from Leonardo DiCaprio and Clint Eastwood for slightly humanizing him in their latest film.
And finally finally, this is the picture of the day--Gilligan, our senior miniature schnauzer and the most sensible sentient being with whom I am acquainted. Gilligan also keeps her ears tuned to the rhythms of the universe and occasionally shares dog wisdom. She is the most in-the-moment creature around. Would that we were all more like Gilly.
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