What is a blog and why bother?

Why MyLifeandTimes.Org is here

I may have covered this before, but I thought that this graphic *almost* covered the reasoning behind why I put stuff here.  That reason is:  I wanted to have a 'platform' to stand on and "say" stuff whether or not anybody read it.  It's a very similar disorder, I think, as I saw displayed by people on my first visit to Times Square way back in the day.  Those people were just standing around on their boxes (their platforms) and ranting about whatever - the end of the world and stuff.  I'm not sure if the boxes on which they stood were 'soap boxes,' but I think you get my point.

When I found out about 'blogs,' I thought "Great!  Now I don't have to worry about losing my freakin' notebook (didn't call it a journal or commonplace book back then) *and* I can type faster than I can write - I can back up, delete and change stuff faster.  Little did I know that, for some odd reason, I'd flip my preference back to analog over digital (which is why I hadn't been blogging for so long).

And now I sort of combine the two.  Sometimes something that I post here or see online (on Facebook for example) gives me an idea that I want to write about and put into a journal - and sometimes it's the other way around.  But what gave me the idea for *this* post was something that the 'Star Wars Blog' graphic did *not* mention.

And that is this:  It's all become about money.

After performing my due diligence prior to choosing "Innovative Journaling" as my source for my journaling kit (now called my "Davinci kit"), I'd also researched different types of journals what people do with them (Bullet Journals or 'Bujos,' for example are beyond me -- a system of setting up one's notes and schedules and stuff for those who don't know how to do that, I guess?), I also wondered what the difference was between journals and diaries.  Then I discovered 'commonplace journals' which have been around for literally centuries and are quite different from both journals and diaries.  (Check the links in the previous sentences if you'd like to poke around at those differences)

After educating myself about journals and diaries (and blogs) I happened upon one of those 'suggested searches' that Google gives you when you're looking for other stuff.  That suggested search was "What's the difference between a journal and a blog?"

I clicked the link and found what you might expect:  the analog journal is more private, the blog is online and public, blah blah blah.  But what I've noticed is this:  blogs, unlike their original purposes, have become blatant efforts to make money.  I even tried it.  "Google Adsense" (or whatever it's called) sent me an e-mail to tell me how easy it was to put ads up on my blog tailored to both what my topics were about and also based on the 'clicks' of the visitors.  I figured:  "Why not?"

Humorously, after about a year, they sent me an e-mail notifying me that I was no longer qualified to have ads on my blog!  Why?  Not enough clicks.  Not enough traffic!  In other words:  the portion of any money that Google was to have received based upon traffic on my site wasn't enough so they didn't want to play with me any more.

Back to my research on analog journals vs. blogs, I continued to poke around at other blogs and, with few exceptions, they're all an attempt to sell something.  I'm not sure why, but I was disappointed.

So this here blog is my way of opting out of what other blogs do ... except of course for that link with the monkey which is a blatant request for donations!  LOL!!!

As this is the last entry for 2018, I guess it is only appropriate to close by expressing my wish that you have a happy new year or that you are already having a good one -- no matter which year you're in!

JM(M)

The 'Davinci Kit'

Possibly a self-portait of  'The Man'

The Davinci kit is coming together.

My issue:  I have more than 1 journal I try to keep current:
- a daily journal/planner (Benjamin Franklin Virtues Journal)
- a work journal I inherited from a predecessor at work (she 'willed it to me' when she retired) for meetings at work, notes from work, etc.
- a newly purchased 'Commonplace Journal' (hard to explain, Google it) used for this blog
- a book used specifically for 'cursive entries' (for improving my handwriting)
- a little passport-sized journal that I use for 'jotting down stuff to remember' (also for this blog)
- a little black journal into which I rant stuff (that you don't want to know about (!))
- and a need to carry/store some regularly used fountain pens and miscellaneous commonly used tools

SO!  I had been trying to figure out how to keep all this stuff  'in the right place' or, keep the various items where they were most often used ... which became difficult as the various journals and items often became needed at home (when they were at work) or at work (when they were at home).

I've fixed this issue by creating a 'Davinci kit,' named for 'The Man.'

The Davinci bag and journal from Innovative Journaling were expected to arrive the day before Christmas -- they arrived on 26 December due to the USPS bouncing the package back and forth between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg for a day or more ... but they got here.

I've 'packed out' my kit in its first iteration ... it's contents may be reduced or increased based on need as I begin to tote it to and from work as of 2 January ... so here's what's come together (mainly thanks to Arthur Scharf) so far:

Front view of Davinci bag as currently loaded.

Rear view of Davinci bag as currently loaded.

Davinci bag, unloaded. (from left, work journal for meetings, bookmark for Davinci journal, Davinci journal for website notes, Benjamin Franklin Virtues journal, journal used for keeping up with 'cursive practice,' $15 pouch from Innovative Journaling used to keep personal correspondence cards, envelopes, pens and stamps, "the black journal" (you don't wanna know), the $10 (or 'primer') journal,Innovative Journaling's 'vintage accessories/pen pouch (center) and vintage tool roll-up (bottom ... and empty; now holds multi-head screwdriver, knife, other tools).

Not pictured (but there's room, trust me!):  Flask, 4 or 5 FPs (3 or 4 for use and 1 or 2 for giveaways/recruiting), ink pot, flashlight, knife, extra comb (!) ... and there's still room left over for an appropriate-sized thermos for which I am currently searching! 

Updates re: useful incorporation into my everyday carry (EDC) to follow.

JM(M)

It's Facebook's Fault

Yeah, yeah.  I know ... it's been since like *August* that I've put anything down here.  The only reason (read: "excuse") I can give you is:  "I haven't been in the mood."

But, I will admit, I have - like everyone else - been spoiled by The Book of Face ... because it's too easy to put stuff there (like this bit I posted about a goofy guy on my ride to work a few weeks back):

"SIGNS" 
(November 30th, 2018 - 0539)

This morning as I boarded the shuttle between Metro-stations (the train isn't running for part of the journey to work as they repair a bridge for the past week and over the next, so I get to ride a bus in the mornings, just like when I was 6):

Guy on Shuttle: "Hey. They put those signs up for a reason."

John on Shuttle: (I wasn't sure if he was talking to me) "I'm sorry?"

Guy on Shuttle: "They put those signs up there for a reason!"

John on Shuttle: "Which one? The 'No Talking to the Driver' sign?" There are actually 4 or 5 signs posted at the front of most of the shuttles ... it was a legitimate question.

Guy on Shuttle: (pointing) "No. 'No coffee.'"

John on Shuttle: (while looking) "I don't see a 'No Coffee' sign."

Looking again and feigning severe confusion, I noted that the sign actually read 'No smoking/eating/drinking' and, in pictures: something like 'No cigarettes, putting unidentifiable things in your mouth, or big tea-cups on saucers with hot stuff in them.'

Guy on Shuttle: "It's right there, see?" He likes to point apparently. He was still pointing at the sign very smartly.

John on Shuttle: "Oh!" I said, "No 'drinking!' Thanks! But I'm not 'drinking,' I'm 'holding!'"

I proudly showed him my holiday-design Starbucks cup with the little spill-stopper in place that every stylish commuter sports.

"But thank you for pointing that out," I said.

I may have feigned a smile a little too obviously. Maybe. Later in the morning, a friend suggested that I should have explained to the guy that you can't drink hot coffee, you have to sip it ... but hey, in my defense: it was too early to think of good stuff like that.

Guy on Shuttle: "You were *drinking!*" He was pointing again, but now both at the sign and me in turns. He really was a good pointer.

Shuttle Driver: "Please be quiet sir."

Guy on Shuttle: "He's drinking coffee!" This time he's pointing at me like he was 8 and we were on the bus to school.

Shuttle Driver: (The driver is now pointing to his own sign!) "No Talking to the Driver, please sir. We put those signs up for a reason."

Guy on Shuttle: (Muttering to himself after glancing at me, dropping his line of sight and turning to stare out his window) "You *were* drinking ... ". He whispered it in a grumbly sort of hiss as a sort of last stand in defiance of authority but support for "The sign" and what he so deeply believed to be truth, justice, and whatnot but, a stance only appreciated by him as he pulled his little wheeled suitcase intended for airports but too big for storage in an overhead compartment on the average plane that he uses for his daily carry-everything-he-considers-important-to-work-buggy closer to his chest, putting wheel marks on his shirt as he hugged it and getting something like grease from the wheels and axles on the front of his pants.

Yep ... that was my 0540'ish this morning - and w/out coffee yet!

JM(M)

The Thumper Theory

Use of double-negatives aside, I don't think many people have this "theory" in mind so much anymore, let alone use it on a daily basis:

With various perceived new evils running amok of late, there is a resurgence of the idea that "silence is acceptance" or something like that.  It seems the thought is now widely held that something must be said to the face of unjust ideology or wrongful speech, etc. 

Personally, I like Thumper's lesson taught to him by his Daddy that morning, but I have also always liked the passive-agressive way some folks from America's 'South' put it:  "Bless your heart."

If you hear or see someone say or do something that, in your opinion, rrrrrrrreally needs to be ... corrected ... rather than 'saying nothing at all' or saying something to someone that may hurt their feelings or otherwise offend or cause further unpleasantness, simply say (with a smile): 

"Bless your heart."

- JMM

Happy 4th of July ...

Half digital, half analog ... and half Facebook.  Maybe some Twitter for sound effects.

Why didn't you TELL me?!

I really should post more often to this blog.  It's the handwritten journals gettin' all the action, dawg.   Do not fear.  I will make sure it's all made clear --  both in the book and hopefully also in the movie, m'dear.

- JM(M) -

1st Run-on Sentence for 2018

"It can be a difficult undertaking to post content to one's blog if the writer has good reason to believe that his content would create concern in, if not offend, the minds of specific people who have the ability to make the writer's life difficult because those specific people, unfortunately, are aware of the blog's existence." -- Smart Blogger

Hacked again.

Can you believe it?  It's only been up a few months and some joker hacked my blog.

No.  It wasn't really hacked.  There's just too much to rant about lately and it makes it difficult to pick one thing ... 

So I posted my favorite picture of Heath Ledger's 'Joker' ... and this monkey:

Silly monkey.

JM(M)

From an Anonymous Source:

There are approximately 3 million people who visit this blog, the largest readership of any blog ever - really, my readership is 'yuuuuuuge' seriously (that was supposed to be funny).   And my readers should all be updated regarding why there has been a lack of regular posting here.  Here we go:

Although I would like to be a news reporter, I'm not.  So I started a blog several years ago ... before I rediscovered 'keeping a journal' (much more private than publishing everything on the interwebs, by the way!)  I just have a lot of things to say and write (who doesn't, right?) that I feel like putting down on a platform that might reach others (which my journals won't).  And unless you're well-paid for it by someone else, you shouldn't post stuff (especially when it concerns people who know you and where to find your blog, whether you give them fake names or not) when said people might not like what you write.  This is especially true if your opinions and observations aren't the most pleasant or don't 'do any good.'  Just not a good idea.  It's a waste of creativity and, at the very least, a waste of time.  "De mortuis nil nisi bonum."  Google it.

Because of this, I am considering shifting from 'posting' on The Book of Face to posting only on this blog and then posting a link to this blog to The Book of Face.

Everyone knows that your posts on The Book of Face should be kept 'vanilla' since potential employers will look you up to see how weird and radical you are.  And since it took quite a considerable bit more time and energy to move this sucker from it's old server's location to where it is now than it did to set up my page on The Book of Face, it seems a shame to not put stuff in it (on it?).  Maybe I'll do both.  And who knows, maybe I'll be able to express those opinions about people in such a way as to prevent them from recognizing themselves ... that might be enjoyable.  This will also get me away from this whole thing with likes and whatnot ... wastes a lot of time, in my opinion.

I also don't think it's a good idea to completely check out of The Book of Face (again) because I do enjoy reading about what everyone's doing and eating and where they're going on vacation and what they're thinking about what's going on in the world (especially that) because I actually value what *you* write and say about what's going on in the world; that interests me more than than what's put out via the commercial 'news sources.'

Since the 'news' feeds have all gone to hell and either serve up crap based on crap on which you've already clicked and therefore 'shown interest' which (I hope I'm not the first person to tell you this) is written by people who work for people who tell them what to write and how to write it based on what *they* are told what to write - you're not getting unbiased news.  You are getting served up exactly what they think you want to read about.  And that's not good.

I don't really - can't, really - go to that medium anymore.  It's not reading ... it's more like work.  Except for when something initially *happens* (earthquakes, hurricanes, shootings, train wrecks, heroic rescues of koala bears, wolves adopting kittens as their own offspring, etc.,) I choose not waste time "reading" articles that are written ... because it has actually become too difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.

Most are aware of the tendency (maybe that's too soft a word) of outlets like FOX to be so positive towards the current folks running the U.S. that it makes one cringe just to read or hear some of the things they write or say.  Or when outlets like CNN or The Washington Post are so predictably and comically the opposite of the same folks and any information that can possibly be tied to them.  Even if it can't.  You can actually read coverage of the same 'news event' -- the assistance sent and provided to Puerto Rico after the recent hurricane, for example -- and you will read/hear two completely different 'takes' on the exact same story depending on who from what media outlet is covering it.  It's fascinating.  It's both amazing and tiring at the same time.

Interestingly, "We the People* don't all see this.

We don't all get the fact that the only place from where we can possibly *get* our facts, our *news,* is from these same non-objective sources themselves.  That's not good either.  Were we *there* in Puerto Rico?  No.  And unless your buddy Frank or Sally was *there* and can tell you first-hand about any story of interest, we have to read about it from the news sources we choose to read or watch.   And then we read stuff written by their monkeys.  And that's not good either.

And if you get your news from these monkeys on the internet, the problem there, as I've already mentioned, is that those 'news sites' are only serving up to you similar types of stories that you've already read!  So if you click on a 'pro-Trump' story, it will give you more of them the next time go to your page ... the idea, I guess, is that it will make you happy and then you'll go to their page more often and click on the click-bait/ads on their page and buy more stuff and make them more money?

We can always 'clean out our cookies' so that we fool the websites and they have no idea what to show us (in the hopes that we are able to read stories from several angles or views) but I don't think we should have to do that.  And, again, it's like I have to work to just read something.  It's like asking your guilty-looking child "Are you telling me the truth?" And then relying upon your parenting skills to decide whether or not they say "Yes, I'm telling the truth."  What kid in their right mind is giong to say "Okay, I'm lying, I broke it ... I lied to make myself look better in an attempt to make you happy."

All I know is that if you weren't there ... if you don't have personal knowledge of something you read about in 'the news,' then the only way you can consider yourself informed is to take for granted as the truth whatever it is that you read.  And if you do that, you likely don't have the full or correct story.  But that seems to make most people happy.

So, with that in mind: 

THIS JUST IN!  
"A well placed government source who wishes to remain anonymous but who is in a place where they know this kind of stuff has informed me that reading this blog every day will make you healthier happier and smarter and you should visit "MyLifeandTimes.Org" every day to check and see if there is anything posted which will make your life and the lives of your fellow human beings (and aliens) more enjoyable."

That is all.

JM(M)

Insomnia

I just can't sleep.  Haven't been able to sleep normally for months.

I catch a few minutes here and there but, for the most part:  no good sleep.  I haven't gotten a normal stretch of 8 hours a night for ... since I can't remember when.  Will have to do some 'Googling' to figure out how to fix this.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

JM(M)