The Truth
After I posted the previous article I sent everybody an email (via the handy Chappell Message Center form) asking if people wanted an email notification when new articles are posted. Not everybody copied everybody with their replies, so I thought I’d share some of the feedback — generally the answer was “not really” — and post some thoughts for posterity.
It seems family visits to the blog are few and far between, which was kind of what I thought. Nevertheless, for the time being, I plan to keep writing these things and providing pictures from time to time. There’s probably some element of gratification publishing stuff knowing the whole world could read it if they wanted. But for me the truth about these blog entries is they substitute for what I used to do with pen, paper, an envelope and a stamp. Actually, they’re more like the self-addressed stamped postcards mom sent me if it had been a little too long since my last letter or phone call. I still have a half dozen of them in a desk drawer, that I didn’t get around to sending back to her in time.
The nice thing about posting a blog entry instead of sending a postcard or a letter or even an email is it’s non-intrusive, there’s no pressure to acknowledge it, answer it, or even read it. People feel obliged to open a letter or an email; and with email people often feel even more obligated to send back a reply. Blog entries, on the other hand, as was pointed out in some of the email replies (see? my point exactly) can be left for a rainy day when there’s nothing else pressing. I should point out, though, I generally lock out comments to a blog entry after a month or so. Otherwise, I’d be deleting 100 to 300 blog spams a week. More about that in a future article, when I’ll answer one person’s question about “ermine” on New Year’s Day.
So, these are my little postcards, where I mostly write the kind of stuff mom used to like to hear about. I guess it was something unique about her. Now that I think about it some more, I think maybe these are really for her. I just don’t know where to send the ones in my desk drawer. I sure miss you, mom.
Kim says:
I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you say that about Grandma. (“heard”)Love you, Dad.
John says:
The goofy “word processor” for this blog has some sorta quirk that makes “smilies” by surprise practically any time there’s an ending parentheses sign like so: “)” which should be an ending parentheses sign between quote marks. In my article, I originally had more stuff inside parentheses, but kept getting smilies so I gave up and used the double dash which the program magically converts to a single long dash — like so.
Kim says:
single long dash, or en-dash. it’s the length of two characters. Then there’s the em-dash, which is three characters in length. You were being grammatically correct, and you didn’t even know it. At least I learned something in design school.
Kathie says:
You know, it’s fun to check in on the blog and see how you are doing out there in KS. Usually when we wonder about y’all it’s very late in the day. So the blog helps us see what’s keeping you off the streets of Lawrence, and we appreciate it in the Chappell house. Keep it up.
John says:
Maybe I should try to come up with compelling topics, substantive commentary about contemporary issues that affect our lives and stir debate. I’m sure I could espouse positions that some family members would find disgusting or archaic or — dare I say? — Republican. Y’know, I was listening to Rush Limbaugh just the other day and …