aunt sandy is coming for a visit ...

I'll admit it:  I love hurricane names. I especially love when the worst ones are given pleasant names. "Irene" at least sounds like the bitchy old lady next door who tries to poison your dog when it won't stop barking. But "Sandy" sounds like a friendly aunt who comes to visit a few times per year and always gifts you the toys your parents can't afford for Christmas.

I plan to get a lot of work done today. I didn't think I would, but I got the itch to type when I opened up my computer. Let's hope the hurricane produces a maelstrom of ideas -- especially the ones I need to finish my website (which is launching, let's hope, on Friday this week ... after SIX LONG YEARS)! At this point, like any hurricane worth its salt, this very unread blog might die ... or at least change direction.

negative comments

I have many "theme" blogs that I have started over the years, not surprisingly, many of which I have all but abandoned (or that I update very infrequently). One, which I deemed "Stuff Pretentious People Like" started out as a way to complain semi-anonymously about a rather "affected" person in my life who was driving me crazy (and whom I have since cut out). I haven't felt the ire rising in me lately to celebrate exaggerated affectations (much to my dismay, as it can be one of my favorite things to do), so I haven't come up with a post in a while. (And obviously these posts expanded to include observations about many people and trends in the world that are over the top, so you'd think there would be plenty for a diatribe. I have failed.)

However, every few months, someone bothers to leave a comment on the blog. What started out as kudos for a target well scathed has turned into being told I'm an evil, unkind and bitter person for making fun of annoying people and things that are apparently helpless -- because making fun of the fact that a 40-year old still brags loudly about SAT scores to belittle a first date or that someone is sporting a mustache that makes him look like a wildebeest just to get attention (because presumably there is nothing interesting enough on the inside) is apparently akin to drop kicking a puppy.

But you know what they say about opinions ... and arguing on the Internet ...