About this site, which is from whole cloth:
(ABOUT THIS SITE scroll down)
ATS update 1/9/08
RANT: All rants have been moved to a single RANT button. I’ll post new rants on top
Blinken: Someone told me "Blinken is often also a Jewish name." I called Dad over the holidays and he said, "didn’t I ever tell you Grandfather Abraham was Jewish? Grandma Maria wasn’t though, so my Dad wasn’t raised Jewish." There you have it, neither of my great-grandfathers could resist a shiksa.
Indent: Mother said, "discover the paragraph, Aaron." But, no, I won’t. Paragraphs get out of hand in no time, I’m busy, so are you. I wrote them in one big paragraph, and that’s how to read them
ABOUT THIS SITE:
I’m A. Blinken, and these chapters are my thoughts. It isn’t a blog, I forget why. Originally the chapters were circulated on paper, and then, one day someone said, "hey, A.B., don’t you have a connection? Your stuff should be on the internet where millions of people could see it." To be honest, I never expected or even wanted millions to see my ramblings, and there is no problem, because millions and millions haven’t seen my site, only the few diehards who know me or Granny Wise or who used to get the stuff on paper. That’s probably best.
People telephone me at home and at work and stop me on the street and remark about the website and I tell them all the same thing: PUT YOUR REMARKS IN THE GUESTBOOK! Share them with others! No one ever does, so I’d like to answer some things people have said to me:
"Put more place names in, so people know where we are." I’d rather not, because there is supposed to be some kind of universality. There are gold mines and placer mines in a lot of places, and there are Grannys like Granny Wise everywhere, if you take the time to listen to them. Also, I do use descriptions and sometimes names; if you know where you are, you know where you are. Finally, if something strange happens and the site gains more popularity than I want, I don’t want Granny seekers tromping over the mountains and filling our taverns and streets. Find the Granny where you are, they’re dotted all over the map like fairy godmothers or pizza parlors.
"Give us a little more on Granny’s history; not everyone knows her." I wouldn’t know how to give Granny’s history like that. When something in her history is pertinent, I’ll include it in the chapter. Otherwise, call her up and ask her yourself, I’d probably get it wrong anyway. Don’t say I said to call.
"I’ve known Mrs. Wise for half a decade and I can’t believe half of what you’ve told us about her." I’ve told you less than half of what I know which is less than half of what there is to tell. Granny is many things to many people, that’s all I can say. I know who she is to me, but I have no idea who she is to someone else.
"You need to tell people why you were in jail." When I need to, I will. I did tell about my two months in State Youth and group home. It’s hard enough to shake your past these days, with bureaucrat-cops making sure no one is ever allowed to pay their debt to society and be done with it. What I did was wrong, I was stupid and angry, I’m sorry, I’ve made what amends I could to the person I wronged, and I try to live every day as decent a person as I can, given who I am. There were no guns or children involved, I didn’t drive drunk or endanger anyone else, there was no sexual depravity or cruelty. I did less than two months all together. Let that debt be paid. I’m a veteran, too, but nobody wants to hear about that.
"You hate police, and hate our country, and hate God. Why don’t you move to Russia?" You miss the whole point. I love God, I love our Country, (but, yes, cops give me a pain). I don’t want our country to become like Russia, which is why I complain when I see something I know is wrong. I don’t blame those in government, who are after all just paid lackey bureaucrats trying to make a living. I blame people like the person who asked me that question, and who confuses blind, stupid loyalty with patriotism and reverence.
"Put a picture of Granny Wise on the site." Are you nuts, because a lot of people are, and I don’t want them stalking my old Granny. Anyway, we’re private people, never mind how I air our laundry in print. How about I put a picture of your grandmother on the site?
"You and your whole family are outlaws, A.B. And all your friends, too. In fact, most of the people in the canyons are outlaws." Outlaws? What the hell does that mean? The person who said this to me is a cousin who was sitting on a dirt bike he bought for cash in the city and had no pink slip for. That’s certainly something I would never do. Besides, it’s so easy to be out-side-the-law these days, it doesn’t make you a criminal, except by some narrow definition. Look for a chapter to come on this.
"Say something more about your wife, she’s a lovely person." My Honey and I have a deal: I leave her out of my ramblings and she lets me snuggle with her every night. She and her family are (mostly) off limits. I’ll say only this: she’s better than I deserve and I never forget it.
I hope that satisfies people, and I’ll say it again: post your responses in the Guestbook. Make up an email address if you want, I’m not going to email you anyway. If you post filth, hate talk, porno or advocate violence I’ll delete your post, but I know you wouldn’t do that anyway.
--A.B.
