Blogging about Blogging in a Blog

It has been a time.

The past couple of months have witnessed me tripling my blogging workload at the expense of the original and still crappiest blog in the 'sphere, Secondhand Smug. Along with my close friend and mutual antagonist Kris King, I have taken up ghostwriting duties for Olde Coast, a blog for (essentially for, though it is intended to be about) Michael Warren. If you know Michael Warren at all, it's the funniest thing on the Internet. If you don't know Michael Warren, you probably think Real Ultimate Power is still the funniest thing on the Internet; this is easily corrected. If you know Michael Warren and still think Real Ultimate Power is the funniest thing on the Internet, I recommend not leaving the next burning building you happen to find yourself inside.

This has been going on for a couple of months. Additionally, I have taken a position as a writer for Bugs and Cranks, taking on the Florida Marlins. Mind you, the fire still burns brightest in me for the Cleveland Indians, but I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity. I recommend checking that out for official, relevant, content that is not sophomoric or asinine. It'll be updated several times a week.

Why did I do this...why triple a workload when I did a pathetic job of handling one blog?

I have no good answer. I have no acceptable answer. Basically, I can do what I want. Kris starts a new blog practically every week, so I figured I wouldn't harm anyone adding a bit more of my own worthlessness to an already crowded Internet. IT'S MY PARTY TOO. I think. Maybe.

This influx of blogging activity on my part as well as my friends (Close friend and mutual antagonist John Stanley ripped off of me in his inaugural entry, Kris even tried to start a blog called "The Beerzebo," a portmanteau of "beer" and "gazebo," though it only lasted one entry, so I can't even remember the URL), in addition to watching the same episode of South Park three times got me to thinking about blogging and its pointedness as well as its pointlessness.

Blogging is basically like having an asshole. Or, an opinion.

That's really all I could think of regarding the pointedness of blogging. Too many people blog, honestly, myself included. There really should be some sort of screening process to even obtain the privilege of blogging, kind of like getting one of those punch cards at Tropical Smoothie, but maybe a (little) bit harder. Yet, there isn't, and thus the blogosphere (this word is a dumb word) has become crowded with the same thoughts rehashed over and over and over. Sure, original ideas are out there, but chances are, it's on a blog you will never see because it's virtually impossible to find the URL.

Granted, it does give you the opportunity to practice becoming a better writer, but no one's really critiquing your work. Are the 9 friends that read your blog really going to offer you any constructive or, God forbid, negative criticism for the tiny corner of Internet you chiseled out for yourself, knowing that any sort of defamatory remarks might catalyze you to fall into some sort of massive state of depression? I doubt it. Well, at least the 9 friends I have that read this blog wouldn't do that, I don't think.

I hope.

By and large, blogs are pointless. I enjoy the various points of view offered by complete strangers who consider themselves authorities or connoisseurs on certain subjects, but I'm a solipsist at heart and tend to consider everyone else an uninformed asshole. Most of the time. Blogs just take up Internet space, as each new blogger attempts to manifest destiny for him or herself in the world wide wilderness. Honestly, that would be creepy if the Internet sort of...ended one day. Just up and ran out of space.

However, in the end, blogs, no matter how many we have or don't, how often we update or don't, or how many we read or don't, provide that necessary catharsis that we so desire when no one else will listen; thus, we opt to air our dirty laundry and problems out to complete strangers for every last human on the planet to read.

Thanks for sticking with the Smug. I'll try to be better.