summitpierce

I’ve been thinking for a while about why I have a blog. When I made it, it was partially for fun and partially as a way to stay connected to people. For me, however, I think it’s really nothing more than an anti-social tool (not that I update it all that much anyway). I think a lot of personal blogs are like this, to be honest. I have nothing against blogging, of course–there are a lot of good ones out there, and often the best focus on a particular topic like money management or web development. My blog is not one of those.

You see, it takes much less effort on my part to post here about something that’s on my mind (much like I’m doing now), than it takes to pick up the phone and call someone I know or pen a letter to a friend. It’s not about social interaction, but about avoiding it. This isn’t a blanket statement about all blogs–just about mine.

So, in about a week, this blog will be gone… hidden away in my personal archives. I won’t be blogging anymore, relying on my web-face to convey the details of my life to those I should be talking to myself. I think I might even cut back on the details I post on Facebook.

There’s nothing wrong with using the internet to communicate with people you love. In many cases, it’s the only practical way to do it. But when a web site becomes a surrogate for true social interaction, then it’s no longer necessary.

Family is a strange thing.

I often wish my family (extended family) was closer than it is. Really, certain parts of my family seem to be very close, so maybe I’m just left out of the loop. I have to admit that my wife and I aren’t the most social people, so it’s likely our fault that we’re not included in more extended family stuff. We were in Colorado for a few years and could never make it back for anything, which probably made it seem like we were using our distance from home as an excuse. We’re both pretty busy with work and our kids, too, so it often feels like we’re clinging to our spare hours during the weekend like a castaway would cling to a rock in the pounding surf.

On top of that, I think I’m a pretty difficult person to know. I’m not sure why, I just think I am.

I was looking through some pictures on the internet tonight of some recent family events that I wasn’t able to attend, and it felt like I was looking at someone else’s family. Some of these people are folks I have lots of good memories with from my childhood, and now I hardly ever see them. It makes me wonder how this happens. A little at a time, I suppose.

I probably need to do more to stay in touch with the family. It’s a hard thing to do.

Am I the only one that finds “Sent from my Blackberry” or “Sent from my iPhone” in an e-mail signature incredibly annoying? I don’t care where an e-mail was sent from. Should I set up individual signatures now for each of the various possible devices I might use to send an e-mail?

“Sent via gmail from IE6 on my Garmin-issue Dell desktop”

“Sent from my Mom & Dad’s iMac”

“Sent from some guy’s laptop that I borrowed at the airport”

Who gives a flying frack?

Okay, I’m usually one to think that the whole “men and women are different, and here’s a bunch of reasons why” thing can get a little tired. Most of the jokes portraying the battle of the sexes simply aren’t that funny. Of course, we all know that men an women are different! But no one can ever quite compare to the stark genius of Dave Barry:

The Difference Between Men and Women

I’m not sure how this eluded me all of these years, but I saw this today for the first time and about died laughing:

EMO lawn T-shirt