Got that restless feeling again, the one that comes before big changes are about to hit but unlike the past I am not trying to control anything.
Going to let this one play out on its own, going to roll with the tide be it in or out and see where it leads.
Kind of like I do with this blog, just going to write about whatever comes to mind and not worry about whether anyone reads or comments because I write first for me and then for you.
It is not a blog for everyone. It is not something you will all understand, appreciate, laugh, smile or cry with.
Got a lot of people who supposedly subscribe or follow it but I am not convinced that most pay attention.
That is not supposed to be snarky or judgmental, it is just an acknowledgment that many of us sign up for things we think will be interesting and never find the time to read what is being sent.
Or at least it describes me and though I know I do things differently than many I just don’t think I am that different in this case.
Lots of things interest me and there is never enough time to read and do them all.
Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow are singing Picture and I am thinking about how I should already be in bed.
Got an early morning meeting and a lot of important stuff to do tomorrow but my mind isn’t ready to be shut off.
Maybe it is because the water heater blew up today and I don’t know if I am going to be able to get it replaced tomorrow or the next day.
Or maybe it is because I have to schedule two root canals and three crowns and haven’t done a damn thing to make any of it happen.
Been pushing Steiner the minor to take control of his schedule and his life and yet here I am doing as I say he should not do.
Take a note Steiner the minor, do as I say and not as I do. Your old man doesn’t always practice what he preaches but he pushes you to do and be better.
“Life doesn’t come with a GPS and if it did mine would constantly say recalculating.
Yeah, crazy Jack Steiner who sometimes calls himself the Godfather of Dad blogging and talks about himself in the third person quoted himself.
It is an old blogging trick that sometimes helps increase pageviews because it pushes people to read some of the old posts.
Speaking of old posts when I look at the stats here I am consistently amazed by how many different types of posts bring in the readers.
It is not just the parenting stuff but the posts about writing and a bunch of fiction.
That reminds me to make my quarterly comment about how strange it is not to see some of the old readers/commenters here anymore.
There have been many regulars and I am/have been grateful for their time here and understand people move on but I still wonder where they go.
Still wonder if they grew tired of what they read, got bored or if something else pulled them in a different direction.
Why Are Clowns Sexier Than Mimes?
I know that is a silly headline, maybe even sort of ridiculous but I once had the conversation with some people.
It was one of those late-night, talk about stuff you might not bring up during the middle of the day.
And it was serious, yeah it was real serious no snark or sarcasm involved.
One of those moments where you and the people around talked about how interesting people are and how you can’t always say how or why you are attracted to them.
Can’t always identify what makes people interesting or charismatic but you know from experience that some people just pull you in like they have some kind of magical tractor beam.
Anyhoo, midway into this conversation someone talks about how they were attracted to a clown and the conversation spins into a discussion about why this wasn’t a fetish but a normal attraction.
Seconds or maybe hours later we roll into whether the shoes, makeup and manner affect our feelings and how they do that.
And that my friends is how we moved into would a mime who pretends to be trapped in a box be sexier than a man/woman who throws a pie at your face.
Tie It Into Blogging
Ask me how this relates to blogging and I’ll tell you it is demonstrative of how you never know what people will find to be of interest.
Sure you can post about some topics and know that you will always have readers but go afield a bit and you can’t say what will happen.
I am consistently amazed at how some of my favorite posts bomb and some of the silly ones excel.
That Whitman quote is applicable to all this too.
A Final Comment
My teenager told me again I don’t know him as well as I think I do and explained that life is very different now than when I was his age.
Made me smile, made me laugh and made me a bit sad.
Kid feels like he is on the outside looking in and I get that. Felt like that for a good part of my life, but even if I hadn’t I would say that being a teenager is prime time for not feeling like you are part of a group or things.
And furthermore his comments which echo my own at the same age confirm for me that teens have been saying the same stuff since 200 BC.
It is just part of growing up.
Got to run now kids, this old man needs to grab at least four hours of shut-eye. See you in the comments.
Pearl
Haven’t tuned for a long time — too long! — to your blog writings. This title caught my eye, though. I immediately thought that some people, mainly kids I’d think, are afraid of clowns. I haven’t heard of mimes having the same effect.
Great writing as usual.
Jack Steiner
Hey Pearl,
Been a long time. I know a lot of people who are afraid of clowns. Surprised me when I first found out because I always liked them.
Hope all is well. Have a great Pesach.
Larry
I think he’s right – things are different. I think he’s wrong – much is the same. Yes – I think both.
I wonder where some of the old readers went. I wonder what happened to those who started or were new when I was. I think many just simply drop out.
Jack Steiner
I don’t think people are any different now than when we were kids or at any other time. Human nature is human nature and yeah, where did those people go.
Aaron Yavelberg
“many of us sign up for things we think will be interesting and never find the time to read what is being sent.”
It’s certainly true for me. I just know I should have signed up for your blog much sooner than I did.
Also, I’d imagine part of the conversation must have included something about sound being a part of the clown’s appeal. A mime’s silence doesn’t equate with mystery and intrigue; it’s just annoying.
Jack Steiner
The clowns beat the mimes provided they weren’t using air horns or tubas.
Don’t remember why we came up with that provision, but we did,
Glad to have you as a reader, looking forward to seeing you again.