A note about this space.

For clarity and to set the reader at ease, I'll now make some observations that doubtless any longtime reader has already made.

Recently, my blog has gained noteriety with an additional portion of the population of my real-life who are not nearly as familiar with my quirks as the ones who have known about All-is-Well for some time.

So this is an attempt to allay the likely concerns about my moral fiber, mental stability, and humanity that reading this blog is bound to raise. As such, it is targeted primarily at the readership of this blog that have met me in the real world. If you have stumbled across this blog without any connection to me whatsoever, feel free to skip pretty much all of the following.

First, I consider a good portion of my work either fiction, or extension. In this category posts like Inhabited, and the Dock are the most obvious examples, but there are others. I'll let you discover them. These writings concern experiences I either created in full inside my head, as works of fiction, or simple extensions of experiences I have undergone, extended to rational conclusions that I have not myself traveled. Do not be frightened overmuch that these entries tend to be dark, vague, or disturbing. I write them because they allow me to be less dark, vague and disturbing in person.

Second, much of my remaining work is Melodramatization. Read any random sample of my work and you will see it dozens of times. I take my current situation and write in more extreme details, modify little feelings or reactions and contemplations to make them more severe, and play upon the drama and fantastic in my life while downplaying the rudimentary and calm. Since I'm going through a period of melancholy right now, this means that the diary often reeks of depression or expressed frustration. This is merely the highlighting of those common feelings we all share as a race.

Third, never feel that I've targeted you personally unless I've spelled it out clearly, as in I didn't like it, or the introduction to On People and Faith. I write about my life in general, an exchange with you may have sparked my writing, but it may also have been a dozen other things, ranging from the drive home, to a song, to another conversation with another person. Don't feel I'm singling you out. If you do, please feel free to write me and say so. I'm happy to express my self in this space, but if you ever feel you're being insulted or degraded here, tell me and I'll do my best to remedy that feeling while maintaining the integrity of my writing.

Fourth, I use this as a soapbox often. Normally when I rant to humanity in general about things I think it should do, I'll use the [soapbox] tag. Even if I don't, get used to it. It's my writing space and you're just going to have to deal.

Fifth, I use a lot of sarcasm. If you ever wonder about my motivations and find one explanation that uses sarcasm to cutting effect, and another where I'm just being mean and spiteful, assume sarcasm first.

Sixth, If you know me in real life, feel free to share the link as much as you want, but know that I'd rather each person found me on their own. I haven't published this space overmuch (one or two people, yes, but not many) because I'd like it to be a personal discovery for each new visitor. If you want to give them a hint, tell them to google "humanity overload." AiW is the first result.

Last, don't believe everything you read, or take anything I write too seriously. This is just a blog, and sometimes it's best to stop and think. Sometimes I write things that are just plain misleading like My New Love, so don't jump to conclusions.

Thanks for your patience.

All-is-Well.

Friday, February 11, 2005

6 Comments:

Blogger Huma said...

hi.i saw that somebody been on my blog via ur link so I just followed the footsteps. Can I ask you why you have-not enabled the comments for ur blog. Like I wanted to ask in ur recent post that why we need to donate to the worlds most richest country. Please don’t confuse me with some racist who has no regard for human life what so ever coz I know how I feel about all this and only I know how much my heart goes out to these people. But yes reply to me. Make it clear to me if ya can. Also next time you come across my blog...please leave a message to tell me ya been here. I liker ur genuineness in narration. Keep it coming.

6:28 PM  
Blogger Silly Lady said...

Hello Patrick. It's your turn, you know.

3:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maybe you're just not an excellent writer, but your post on Amy sounded more like you wanted attention than anything. There were so many wonderful things about that woman, and you glossed her over, focusing on her death being weird for you. It reads as some Dear Diary bullshit just so people would pity you. Some superficial shit. I know and don't care that you'll delete my message--you'll have to read it. A lot of us loved Amy for Amy and actually knew something about her apart from your vague platitudes. Fuck off, poser.

2:08 AM  
Blogger Patrick said...

I haven't moderated the comments here in ages. I'm sad that the last one was posted anonymously. I suppose that person will never know that years later I found their comment and decided it deserved to be posted.

[shrug].

10:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Patrick, I see someone wrote to you to take down the post about Amy, and I couldn't agree more. Her family really doesn't appreciate these sort of self-centered stories about her extremely sad death showing up on google. Please, try to find some decency and don't try to be a pundit in a tragedy. You certainly aren't prepared skill-wise, and this isn't a fitting tribute from where we sit, "we" being those of us who genuinely cared about her. Seriously, you look like a bumbling fool.

12:43 AM  
Blogger Patrick said...

Search indexing is a funny thing. I've talked about that before, I think? Ah yes, here.

I hadn't given any thought to the possibility that my recollections of the circumstances surrounding a friend's death would wind up the top search result for her name. It was meant to be a record of my experiences during that event, not a memoir about her. Sometimes making something needlessly clinical and awkward is the best way I have of processing it.

Regardless, it wasn't until I saw the second comment complaining about the entry that I thought to run a test search and realized why people were bothered.

The original indexed page is now redacted into a simple goodbye, and the entry is still available (with her name scrubbed) for anyone who is desperate enough to trawl through the archives.

12:23 PM  

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