Why build this site?

I’ve been doing a lot more talking lately.

It’s a skill that’s outside my comfort zone, and my well-established, nearly-40-year-old norms. My wife loves to remind me of this. I’ve recently found that I am not bad at weaving an oral story.

But long before I landed here, I discovered that I had a knack for the written word in high school. My English teacher, who’d taught me since 10th grade, told me I could do better. In my senior year I’d shit out an essay on Gatsby or whatever the night before and it showed.

I didn’t like school, and as a kid who thought they were smarter than everyone else, I was over it by the 12th grade. I was an adult.

But seeing the plain disappointment on Mrs. Acklen’s face as she told me that she usually looked forward to reading my book reports, awakened something in me. She looked tired and my stupid jokes and pretentious observations were something that brought a little joy to her. I had put so much of myself into my assignments — until I didn’t, and I was doing myself a disservice. I was good at writing. Now I do it for a living.

It took a while, but I’ve gotten better. I’m less insular. I look to the people around me… and learn from them.

I try to live up to people’s expectations. In the intervening years since my epiphany, I’ve had to correct for that. Now I approach it with open eyes: sometimes people’s expectations are misguided, biased or otherwise flawed.

I’ve learned not to take for granted the thoughts and opinions of others — for better or for worse. Everyone’s experience is unique; that means everyone has something of their own to bring to the table.

Some contributions are “potato salad with raisins” but they are contributions nonetheless and have value, even if the value is entirely lacking taste and strictly nutritional.

We get it: you hate raisins, but… why are we here?

Fair enough. That brings me to the point of this post: “why this site?”

(An aside: if the ranting and rambling lost you before now, you probably won’t spend a lot of time here, and it’s okay if you like raisins in your potato salad! I respect your choices. And besides it’s not that I hate raisins, it’s that potato salad is a savory dish, and celery and onions already provide texture contrast to the potatoes. Raisins, on the other hand… right. Enough.)

Most of the time I journal my random thoughts someplace private, and that’s where they’ll stay. Except that one about raisins. Starting now, I mean.

But I realize I miss putting things out in the world, and I’m sick of consumption being my daily driver. Living in the present day can leave me feeling pretty powerless. I want to put some positivity, or at least some negativity of my own, into the world.

I have control of that. And so, I’ll use this space to throw things out into the void.

Will anyone read it?

🤷🏾‍♂️

Does that really matter? Mostly not.

I just want to have somewhere to express my (admittedly sometimes unhinged) thoughts and opinions, but I don’t feel like the platforms operated by unhinged Silicon Valley oligarchs are offering me any incentive to use theirs.

In fact, I feel disincentivized.

Squishing me into an ad network with ads that don’t make me any money? I’m gainfully employed; I don’t need your money, zuck! Training algorithms on MY run-on sentences? No way, elon! These are my run-ons!

Mrs. Acklen would be aghast and, I hope, a little proud. I’m building it myself. I’m putting in the work.

So, what will I write about? I’m still figuring that out. You can help! I know this is still the attention economy, so let me know if something gets your attention, however fleetingly.

Send me a note — there’s a contact form. There are no comments. I’m not that kind of crazy…

But if you’re interested, all the content here is federated via ActivityPub. I’m doing my part to decentralize the internet!

And I’ll be starting a newsletter, which you can express your interest in now — just check the box on the popup here, and I’ll keep you posted. I’m not gonna do that annoying modal thing when you move your mouse toward the address bar — you have agency here.

So, yeah. If you want to have a civil discussion or just share a thought, fill out the contact form.

Talk soon.