Things I Like (Partial List)

Do you ever have one of those days when the absurdity of modern life is bringing you down down down? I was sort of having a week like that, and it was capped off yesterday when Luna (She's the only member of my family whose real name gets used on the blog, and it's only her real name because we decided it; her birthname/racing name was something involving "Nassau," and we never asked any sort of judicial authority to change it; still, the local dog licensing authorities were happy to issue her a license under her new identity, without even doing a background check! How do they know she isn't wanted in another state?) who has gotten more curious as she's gotten more comfortable, pulled a Costo-sized box of Oreos off of the dining table, scattered most of the sleeves of Oreos, brought (at least) two sleeves back to her crate, and ate (at least) one.

And, hey, you know, there really isn't enough chocolate in Oreos to cause much concern, but sugar makes dogs hyperactive, too, apparently because even though she ate the Oreos in the morning, at midnight last night, she insisted on going on a third walk for the day, where, in the course of a trip around what passes for our block (1/2 mile total, but it was cold), she excreted what was left of the Oreos in a rather liquid defecation that was not so easy to pick up into the newspaper bag that I'd brought along for the purpose. An extra walk, even at midnight, is not such a big deal, but I kept thinking, "Damn. I left my Fitbit in its docking station, and I AM NOT getting credit for this." First world problems, yo.

I thought maybe that had settled matters, but an hour later I heard rather a large crash, and I went downstairs to find that she had somehow also managed to work a full case of seltzer water off the dining table. Nothing was broken, but a lot of stuff was scattered, so I swept up and shut her in her crate for the night. When I got up in the morning, she had returned to her normal, near-comatose state.

SO TOTALLY UNRELATED THAT I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO ATTEMPT A TRANSITION

So, you've heard that personal blogging is dead, right? People use Facebook and Tumblr now (I'm not going to get started on the execrable Internet practice of the missing e: Grindr, Flickr, Tumblr, etc. [or tc., if I wanted to be a wag, I suppose]), so there's no longer a point in having a blog unless you're doing it professionally. I reckon the assumption there is that anyone who blogs needs attention so much that they love showing the world all their business on Facebook. Sadly, Facebook gives me hives. Happily, there's a long tradition of outmoded technologies' fading and then becoming cool again. Sort of like recording classical music on period instruments, or owning physical books rather than just reading everything on your Kindle, or, I don't know, weaving your own fabric. And I figure that the speed with which things go in and out of style these days means that personal blogging will experience an hour of coolness every three months before it returns to being passé.

Besides, keeping up with trends is just too much work. And my guess is that if there are a billion people on the Internet, only a few tens of thousands of them are on the edge of the blade of what's happening this very minute. I mean (and only by way of example, you understand) Passive Aggressive Notes is kind of a one trick pony, and it had its big moment in the sun a while ago, but it's still there going strong, and it's still funny if you visit it once in a blue moon. I guess that like a lot of sites, it's built its own community, and they probably don't care that the spotlight has moved on.

I am not going anywhere with this, so if you were looking for wisdom and/or a conclusion, well, sorry.

Anyway, back to our main topic, sort of. I had this feeling lately that I might be entering one of those dark nights of the soul and that it might have something to do with being in my fifties, but then I remembered some true dark nights of the soul, and I realized that what I had going on was more of a cloudy afternoon of the soul.



Full disclosure: the above pic was actually taken on a cloudy morning. I know that you are (rightfully) shocked at my audacity and mendacity, but by noontime, the weather had cleared. That is not a metaphor.

Anyway, while I'm all for tears and mourning when something truly awful happens, I don't believe in whinging when I'm just tired because I'm working a lot and/or I refuse to go to sleep at a reasonable hour, so I prefer to put myself in a better mood by thinking about things I like.

[It occurs to me here that you could just cue up your mental Youtube of Julie Andrews singing "My Favorite Things" because I am just not going to the effort of finding it and embedding it here. I mean, I have nothing against anyone who is that gay -- indeed, I admire people who are that gay -- but I am not that gay myself.]

So herewith a short list.

Speaking of Tumblr, this is my favorite Tumblr blog right now. This guy is great. Also, if you want to know what I'm like, think of the person as unlike this guy as possible (while still being gay), and you have me. I would love to buy this guy a drink sometime, but I think I'd probably bore him terribly, and I'm almost certain that it would be like hanging out with someone who speaks a different language. Besides, he lives in NYC, and who can afford to buy drinks there?

Speaking of things that have their moment and then fade, I think this blog is no longer posting new material, but you can always enjoy the archives. So much more fun than guys with iPhones, innit?

And if you want something that still updates regularly, there's this one, but a) you probably know about it already, and b) the guys on there have on way too much clothing. Still good for a smile, though, and at least there's some diversity among the men on display.

For the opposite of way too much clothing, go to Flickr and find the photostream of paulmorristim. You can thank me later. Oh, and don't do that while you're at work. That guy has the best job in the world, and he knows it and is appropriately grateful.

Speaking of guys who love their work, if you have Netflix streaming, you should check out Bill Cunningham New York. It is perhaps not the most insightful documentary in the world, but the subject matter is very compelling, and it will make you happy.

Back to work. Alas.