What do you do with someone who doesn’t respect the rules of Shotgun?
If you’re the vindictive geek type, you delink them from your blog. Fortunately, I’m a paragon of good will and virtue, so Evil Rainey, if you’re reading this, all is forgiven.
Now, down to business. The weather. Uh, when did it suddenly get so hot? The weekend was the regular Blacksburg menu: rainy, with a hint of warmth or cold, depending on your body type, whether you have reptilian blood or not, etc., then partially sunny, but not quite, then totally sunny with a heat index beginning to push the post-Spring blues around like the Sugar Hill Gang (I know, technically, it’s still Spring, but cut me some slack here–seasons are bloody hard to pinpoint from day to day here). Sunday turned out nicely, concluding with a balmy evening, with which I was so enthralled I took a nine o’clock stroll past the police station and onto the roof of the new parking garage (like the British say it: “gare-ozh”). I sat alone in the dark, gazing on Main Street, Sunday night traffic a mere trickle, the sun having just set behind me, toward the campus, leaving a dim glow outlining the moody mountains.
I am, despite all my best efforts, going to miss this place when I go. What’s in a place? Words are useless, or at least inadequate. I advise you to take a high seat somewhere in your town, watch the lights come on and the Big Light in the sky go down, and if it’s picturesque, watch and listen and wait. The wind will flow through on a tuneless register, just caressing your calves, the wickering flight of birds and bats add to the white noise, and you’ll flick that buzzing from around your ear. Time doesn’t stop, it just hangs around for a little while. Hang around with it and you’ll know what’s in a place. God didn’t make weather like this for porch sitting only…
Been hearing the whispers around the ’sphere…people are hanging up the sheets, or the towel, or whatever garment they might have handy when they need to cease and desist an activity. I’m talking about blogging–it’s gotten stale, and I’m guessing those on the right will say it’s the ceaseless murmuring and complaining about the War; those on the left might opine about the general lack of discourse available, seeing as how every neocon blogger was in the pay of Captain Chimpler and his monkey crew to begin with…more invectives thrown on both sides, not that I’m a total stranger to it.
But only until just after the election, mind you. I civilized right up, started doing less politickin’ and more polyglottin’, if you grab my meaning.
But the wear and tear is beginning to set in, even in old familiars around here like Mr. Piper, whose nine-to-five keeps him near death most of the day (or so he says). I can somewhat relate. He’s trying a resurgence, one I hope he can maintain for a while. I generally agree with his political insight, and as he’s pretty close in age to me, I share a similar era perspective. Take his memorium of the Tiananmen Square massacre for a bit of the Pipesman’s unerring (generally) take on an old (to us) event.

I was 9 years old when the massacre happened, and I don’t remember anything other than the individual standing in front of a tank – still one of the most stirring metaphors of the human spirit, in my mind. I’m guessing other young people – let’s say those under 30, who hadn’t reached high school when it happened – have similar vague memories of that defining point in the 20th century.

Indeed. But back to the problem at hand.
I admit to feeling a bit of fatigue myself. You’ve surely noticed a lack of resolve on my part to post every day of the week, as I had hoped, nor is my enthusiasm for subjects both esoteric and political as high as it once was. To quote, the thrill is gone, the thrill is gone, baby. If I’m George Foreman, and blogging is Ali, I’m punching power, but Ali’s just taking it, and my strength is near gone.
A bit of an exaggeration, but still, the point remains. But don’t take it the wrong way. I’m not quitting. Quitting is something you do when you don’t care anymore. I still care. I’m just short on energy. But we persevere and persist. Maybe it matters, maybe not. I still enjoy it, for what it’s worth.
See you tomorrow. Hopefully!