Anchor Struck

It was one month ago today that my step-son Nathan pushed “Publish” on

my first post and I became a blogger.  I felt quite tentative about it all, but

that didn’t stop Jude, Nathan and me from  hoisting a toast to the venture.

I feel less tentative now, although the maintenance of the blog still befuddles

me.  I’m not a technical person.  Learning the nuts and bolts of it can be an

excruciatingly slow process of trial and error.

Conversely, I love the actual writing, the telling of a story with words and

photos.  Yesterday’s post, for example, was a blast from start to finish:

visiting with neighbours, walking home in brisk weather, sharing that

with you.

The joy of blogging for me is that it harmonizes so many aspects of my

life.  I have quite a bit of journalism experience that helps me with or-

ganizing thoughts, self-editing and headline writing.  My background

in social work and psych care informs my worldview.  Our choice to

settle here created optimum conditions to start the blog.  And the

many photos I’ve taken here help to illustrate my posts.

Spanning all of this is my bent sense of humour.  It started twisting in

the 50’s when I discovered “Mad” magazine.  It got more distorted by

Jonathan Winters and Bob Newhart on TV.  Long before they starred

in sitcoms, they were doing guest spots and specials.  Winters had a

character named Maude Frickert, a sweet granny lady who spoke

lustily of her subscription to “Spankers’ Monthly”.  Newhart gained

fame for his phone calls to folks like Abraham Lincoln and the Wright

Brothers.  As Lincoln’s press agent, Newhart gave Abe tips on how to

punch up the Gettysburg Address.

In the 60’s I found Max Shulman’s writings, then “The Many Loves

of Dobie Gillis”, a TV show based on them.  “That Was the Week That

Was” and “Laugh-In” popularized social satire on primetime.  Zap

Comix redefined comic books, Paul Krassner’s “The Realist” redefined

magazines, and Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters redefined public

transportation.

Stand -up comedian Lenny Bruce told it like it was and still is.  I needed

all those folks to cushion me during and after my Vietnam service in

the Marines.  I came back to an America I didn’t recognize.  Woody

Allen and the Firesign Theater helped my readjustment immensely.

The 70’s gave us Richard Pryor, the funniest man ever, who showed an

alchemist’s skill by changing personal tragedy into comedic gold.  It also

yielded “Saturday Night Live” and the unintentional hilarity of the disco

subculture.  Worst fashion ever.

The Onion, Stewart/Colbert, “The Simpsons”, “Family Guy” and “Robot

Chicken” influence me these days.  But all these voices listed reverberate

in my head yet.  I hope, in our first 31 days together, that you’ve enjoyed

what has come out of that head and down to the keyboard.  Please let me

know what you like and don’t like about the blog.

Happy anniversary.