10 April 2007

Meme Attack: Why I Blog

I thought I could evade the bastard for a little while longer, but I've been memed by TehBrummell over at BrummellBlog. This one has a well-traced pedigree, shown here, if you're interested in how these things spread. Anyhoo, the topic of this meme is "Why do I blog?" and the form is supposed to be a list. TheBrummell already nails down a lot of my reasons, and I suppose many of us more casual bloggers have similar reasons.

- I was a grad student for a couple of years and found myself developing substantial writing skills, the fruits of which included two journal papers, three conference papers (I think), two posters, an award-winning presentation (heh, I won $500), and a big honkin' thesis. Fast forward a year later and I'm working as an engineer-in-training; the only thing I write is the occasional report for a client. Can you say boring and sterile? Also given that it was about 6 months before I was experienced enough to even talk to a client, I suffered from a drought of writing that threatened to flush my skills down the crapper all the way to the sewage treatment plant I was designing.

- I also occasionally do have something to say on other blogs, and if those get too big, it's nice to be able to put them someplace of your own to (a) not crowd someone else's blog, and (b) take all the juicy credit for it.

- Since getting married to my lovely wife, I've had the misfortune of being subject to a steady flow of religious nonsense that I feel I must belittle at all times. It started with the crappy church music, then a hook 'em while they're young church summer camp, then a P.o.S. intelligent design book (The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel) that my wife wanted me to read. I actually wanted to write a comprehensive kick in the nuts of Case for a Creator, but I got part way and haven't gotten around to finishing it. Ah, procrastination.

- Speaking of that, procrastination is a good one, too. On days where I think I can get away with it, I blog to procrastinate at the office. No bridges being designed today.

- I wanted to write about my own experiences, mainly just to share, feel a sense of community, etc. with like-minded bloggers around the world. Of course, it turns out that most of the people who read my blog regularly are in southern Ontario. Go figure.

...and finally,

- This blog serves as a depository of all those stupid internet quizzes and blog memes, like this one.

Finished. I think I'm gonna tag BigHeathenMike, Mel at Aesahaettr, Matt at Pooflingers Anonymous, The Anonymous Coward, and Rev. Big Dumb Chimp.

Labels:

10 Comments:

At April 10, 2007 3:19 p.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can relate! esp to the procrastination!

 
At April 10, 2007 7:54 p.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heh, heh, heh, these things must come in twos... thanks KA. I think I'll give you a Thinking Blogger for this post. :P

 
At April 11, 2007 12:31 p.m., Blogger Carlo said...

Yeah, blogging is fun... so long as you get comments, without comments I feel like I'm just writing to myself. Then again, I've gotten into a few ridiculous arguments over blog posts that kinda pissed me off... but the fun discussions more than make up for it.

 
At April 12, 2007 9:23 a.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

Meme, meme, meme! Just meme all the time, KA. Sorry, had to do it. Witzlsucht, you know. I like to drop by for a read and comment. Especially when I'm dealing with an musical arrangement that doesn't seem to want to work correctly. My wife advises me, somewhat acidly, that I should't go to the electronic water cooler, but continue to arrage music...arrange it off the dining room table and into its proper folders and file drawers. I just hate it when she's right and knows it.

 
At April 13, 2007 1:13 p.m., Blogger smith of the long field said...

I think your reasons mirror those of many bloggers. Great post! Thanks for the comments, Go Sabres!

 
At April 15, 2007 9:24 a.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm glad I found this site. I'm sixty now, been told by the docs at the VA to plan my seventieth birthday party but don't plan to attend it. And at the last, it is good to speak to people who have sensible questions and answers both.

I spoke to my mother on the phone yesterday, and she said that she and my father had done everything they could to make me a believer, and why couldn't I just do it? Why couldn't I know faith? Still upsets her.

One year my father told me I was going to Southern Baptist church camp and we had wrangled for days about it. I finally had enough, and demanded that he give me one good reason why I should go. He found one, and it was thus: "If you don't, I'll KILL you"! There it was, all the logic of conversion and persuasion to religion refined down to its nut. If you don't, I'll harm you.

Actually I had a good time. I trained and rode horses, and they had some where this place was. The people keeping them didn't know anything about them and were on the verge of causing them harm, and I stepped in and cared for them. Got to be around horses, didn't have to go to services, had it knocked. The stable came to be called "The Den of Iniquity". Next year I hinted that I wanted to go back, but my father, an astute man, wouldn't let me. Said I was too anxious. Damn! Telegraphed my punch!

But, the getting while young and vulnerable is true. My entire life as an army kid made me an outsider just about any place I went, and my views put me really outside the pale, and dammit, I got lonely, and I guess tired. I thought, what if I am wrong? Why do these otheres seem to see what I don't? So for six months I tried. Tried to see the world through those lenses, tried to do the whole hocus pocus...the last two are the true discription of that la la land. Couldn't do it.

This elaboratly packaged seeming candy bar, expensive beyond belief (but, it was FREE! sorta...kinda...well, no, you have to...) was a turd. Couldn't bring myself to carry it or eat it.

Thanks, KA

 
At April 17, 2007 1:07 p.m., Blogger King Aardvark said...

Sarge, glad you like the blog. It makes it a lot more satisfying to write knowing that people are getting something out of it.

Personally, I hope you last for decades to come :-)

Re: "If you don't, I'll KILL you"! Ha! that's classic. Religion of love indeed. I always like to hear the stories of people who have been immersed in religion and gotten free. It shows there is hope for us all as long as we stop and think on occasion.

 
At April 20, 2007 2:30 p.m., Blogger Rev. BigDumbChimp said...

Thanks for the tag...I guess.

:)

 
At April 20, 2007 4:12 p.m., Blogger King Aardvark said...

You're welcome.

Suckaaa =P

 
At April 20, 2007 11:35 p.m., Blogger An Anonymous Coward said...

Well, okay, I was a week and a half late doing it, but I finally responded...

 

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