Scratch That I Need A Drink…

Something’s been picking at me for several days now. I can’t quite bring it into focus (remind me to rant about Lasik surgery some other time), but this week’s really just sucked.

– CASE #1 – I Will Comment You To Death –

So I’m reading Dawn’s site for the past week and I admire her tenacity amongst all the venomous comments left by some schmuck pretending to be various other blog authors. Apparently the hate-mongers picked Dawn as a target after the whole Moxie vs. MoxiePop debate (if you don’t know what I’m talking about take pride in your ignorance). The comments were so vile and numerous that Moxie disabled that feature on her blog all together. For Dawn, deleting the toxic text must have been a chore (there were 50+ comments on one entry alone) and I’m appalled that anyone could verbally abuse another person to such a degree. I’m not talking simple “You’re an @sshole” insults, but death threats were made to her family including her husband, daughter and unborn child.

My God people IT’S JUST A BLOG. Even if Dawn was a horrible person (which she is not) or you disagreed with her opinions (which you’re entitled to), grow up and go visit some other website that’s more to your liking.

– CASE #2 – Link Me Or Die –

Here’s a simple idea – if you like a website feel free to link it from your own. Said link doesn’t entitle you to be linked back by the other person. If that is your intent then I suggest a polite e-mail asking for a link exchange. It will make a better impression than “Hey you @ssh#le, I linked your website and then you ignore me?”. Well, dear reader if I wasn’t ignoring you before that e-mail I certainly am now.

Not everyone I have ever linked has linked back to me. I don’t link for popularity’s sake. The blog descriptions page is for your benefit (checkout something new). There are plenty of blogs I read that I haven’t linked yet, but I’m not ready to compete with Kevin Holtsberry for the longest blogroll. Actually, I will probably steal from Tony Pierce and start including blog links in my entries.

Now go visit Rob as new visitors who leave me comments deserve linkage.

– CASE #3 – You Are Not Your Blog or Hey Reader I Am Not My Blog –

Let me reiterate the message it Case #1 – It’s just a blog people. Reading someone’s website doesn’t make you intimately aware of their being. Sure some bloggers reveal more personal details than others, but that doesn’t make them instantly your friend or your enemy. I read a lot of different sites and I take a lot of what’s written with a grain of salt. If Ryan says he enjoys cat javelin I respect his right to express himself through literary prose even though I happen to love cats (and dogs). There are other reasons I enjoy visiting Ryan’s website.

I’ve long tossed around the idea of planning a road trip around the country to meet the bloggers behind the sites I visit. But imagine for a second what that would be like. It’s like meeting a celebrity for the first time – your expectations might not match with who they really are. Same could be said for bloggers. I’ve had the pleasure of exchanging e-mails with a number of bloggers that I visit or who visit me. I enjoy those conversations a lot and you people are very cool. But Ryan… err… Ryan McGee (I’m gonna have to assign codenames) said it best, “…anybody who comes here comes for the content, not for me.”

– CASE #4 – Pay Your Dues Citizen –

Long term readers know I was the victim of identity theft last year. This has still caused me some headaches and most recently one of my credit accounts was closed. In an effort to sort things out I had deal with the collection agency. I was told quite frankly that said collection agency didn’t give a shit about the particulars of my situation neither did the creditor. In fact, if I didn’t see fit to pay the balance in full (which until the account was mysteriously closed was in question) then the creditor would be forced to go after Michelle as apparently we have a joint account.

Now I admit, I messed up. Apparently, the credit card company took advantage of my ignorance and when I “sponsored” Michelle for a card last year I actually added her to my account. It would seem to me if we had a joint account then BOTH accounts would be closed, but Michelle’s account is now deliquent (with my questionable balance) while mine is closed. But I digress…

Said phone rep didn’t have to be such as @ssh#le over the phone. You sir are not privy to the details of my situation and while I’m fully aware that you are attempting to collect a debt and perhaps you hear thousands of sob stories each day that does not entitle you to belittle another person because you hate your job.

– Topic Change –

A funny thing happened at school this week. On Monday I was in English giving a presentation and during the class discussion my age came into question. “Oh, I’m thirty-something.” rolled off my tongue easily enough and then everything changed.

There was a sudden hush in the classroom – no really. “Dude! I thought you were like 24 or something?” Not sure where the shock came from, but even my English instructor seemed a little surprised. “No wonder you know so much, you’re an old dude.” I went instantly from a hip twentysomething to an old fart and all my cool points seemed to go out the window.

They say perception is reality and I could use a really good breath mint right now…