I must admit, until recently, I've never seen much point in having a blog. Even now as I create it, I have to wonder what exactly I'm going to do with this thing. I don't like to splash a lot of the personal details of my life all over the web so, at first, I really didn't see any point to one of these.
However, I have noticed that every morning when I pick up the paper, there's almost always an article there that somehow irritates me. Most recently, it's been all the bull that's been slung around here lately over the issue of Sunday shopping. Past issues that have irritated me have included the condition of the roads around here and same sex marriage. Now, sometimes I write letters to the editor to the paper, but by and large most of the thoughts I have on issues end up going unexpressed because, if I said everything I wanted to say, I'd be publishing a letter to the editor several times a month.
Occasionally, particularly when out cycling, I get irritated by personal experiences as well. Drivers who aren't watching for me cutting me off, or idiots who yell at me to get off the road or tell me that "I don't have to go around bicycles." Yes, some driver actually said those exact words to me. Well, what are you supposed to do? Run the cyclist over?! Then, of course, there's all the damage my bike has sustained on the disgraceful road surfaces around here.
Since the recent death of my grandmother Frances Archibald (who raised me from childhood so, to me, it's more like losing a mother than a grandmother), my emotions have been on raw edge. Things that just mildly annoyed me before are just sticking right in my craw now. I've been trying to find a way to let this pressure off without driving my loved ones nuts. Lately, those closest to me have absorbed a considerable amount of frustration, anger, grief and just plain confusion from me because of everything I've been going through.
So, I think that's what I'm ultimately going to use this blog for in the early going. Not so much talk about my personal life, which I prefer to keep private, but to sound off on all the stupid stuff that POs me about the society in which we live. From what I've seen lately, that should provide plenty of material to work with. Plus, I may talk from time to time about my personal belief system which, over the years, has evolved into something almost entirely unlike the belief system of anyone else I know.
Of course, I also have GOOD experiences. Nice stories of heroism or generosity in the paper or a driver on the road that went out of his or her way to treat me with respect cycling on the road. In situations like that, I often wish I could go and find the person responsible so can thank them for how good they made me feel. Most of the time when stuff like that happens, I never see the person again. Still, I can at least talk about it in here. Who knows? Maybe the person I'm talking about might even see it some day. ;)
Anyway, I don't know where this is going to go... but keep checking back and we'll see where the blogging journey takes us.
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