First?

(Adapted from a rambling brain-dump)

I think I need to start a blog.

I think I just started a blog?

Why? #

I. #

For one, I miss simply reading and writing. I miss assessing arguments, producing prose, and expressing well thought-out opinions in a manner at least halfway articulate. Whether I’ll do that a lot here is TBD. But this is a good step in that direction.

II. #

While that particular part of my brain has atrophied a bit, l think my mind is going more generally. I re-visited the short story Flowers for Algernon recently, and I actually identify a bit with the main character.

My vocabulary has thinned, and my thoughts seem to be getting slower and less…thoughtful (there’s that vocab problem…) and I seem to struggle to recall words and names.

I’ll hear a line of argument or read some statistic, and instead of producing a cogent counterargument or reasonable first analysis, I have only a vague feeling of “that sounds not quite right.”

Similarly, if someone is talking about X, it’s a terrible feeling to recognize there’s more to be said about X, or that you once new something re: X to contribute to the current conversation–I’m even vaguely aware of how the thought should go!– and yet not be able to really express it. It’s like my brain is a shitty key-value store, and I have a lot of :keys => left but the 'values' have long since evaporated.

So maybe writing will help me stop the regress.

III. #

I have an impulse to just…say something. And I think that’s pretty natural. Most twenty-somethings I know express themselves regularly in some way, even if it’s just instagram photos of their eggs benedict. I want to share my thoughts, beliefs, likes, dislikes, tips, and all manner of randomness. Maybe someone will find something helpful, insightful, funny, or best of all: something worth correcting. (You can send your thoughts to cheeeztreeez@gmail.com)

Caveats. #

This point also makes me a bit skeptical of the entire enterprise. There’s just too much content out there. I mean, think about it: every photo, tweet, comment, how-to, listicle, and v/blog post is just more crap to cram into some datacenter running 24/7, the electrical consumption of which has probably melted a couple ice caps.

I’m skeptical of blogging in particular because I think people are prone to navel gazing and self-obsession. It’s also fuel for flame wars. (I hope to avoid all of these.)

While I could easily keep a journal I actually think it’s probably a good thing to share with other people. For one, there might be things worth sharing that are better suited to a blog than a social media post. But more than that, feedback is valuable. Another perspective is good to hear. I’m wrong a lot, and being wrong by yourself is not good.

How #

That said, this is largely a selfish enterprise. At least for now, I’m writing primarily for myself as a way of processing–keeping the lights on upstairs.

It’s going to be simple. Svbtle is a good platform for that.

Another goal: try not to fuss over language too much. I intend to improve writing quality as this progresses, but for now…whatever.

I don’t know what I’m going to write about but I think I probably shouldn’t filter myself too much. Feel free to send me ideas via the email address above.

It is decided: the tone will be inconsistent, the topic areas widely varied, cadence undetermined, and runtime uncertain.

But here’s to a first!