Sorry I've been absent so much in recent months. I just haven't felt motivated to write. I still plan to pick things back up sometime soon, although I don't know exactly when . . .
In the meantime, I wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2007.
If I don't post this, I won't have a single entry for November. So here it is . . .
My interest in blogging originally stemmed from a desire to keep a personal journal of my recovery, and of my life in general. After deciding to do it on the computer rather than write by hand, it was a no-brainer to post the whole thing. I mean, why not? I also keep a little handwritten log of stuff that's too personal for the public. But I figured a weblog was a good way of doing what we AAs call Twelfth Step work -- spreading the message of recovery. Simultaneously, I get to prattle on about a variety of other subects.
I mention my motives lest the casual reader be left to wonder why I bother posting information that may seem trivial or irrelevant. For instance, I don't have one of those "What I'm Reading" sidebar thingies yet, but I'm going to tell you what I'm reading anyway. I don't have the time right now to do the kind of thoughtful, in-depth analysis required of a decent book review, so I'll only comment briefly on my recent selections.
My blog's host, Major Steel, once noted in his blog, Out of the Mist, that his pseudonym is an anagram of his real name. I had always wondered where he got that moniker, but I didn't want to ask, lest it turn out to be a reference to something with which I should've been familiar.
I started thinking about anagrams, and wondered if my name might be rearranged into anything interesting. A quick Google search of "anagram" turned up this site, which held my attention for the better part of a day.
Through the mind-boggling power of the microchip, I was able to produce the following variations on the letters of my full legal name:
I recently came across this post regarding polarized discourse. The author is primarily interested in Church politics, but the post can be generalized to any type of political debate. There are a lot of insightful observations here, and I encourage you to read it.
I hope to build up a base of readers who are interested enough in my blog to post comments. I hope, too, that we can avoid this phenomenon of polarization.
My original intention for this blog was to write about nothing but my personal experiences in recovery, yet I've already begun potentially stirring up controversy with my observations about AA. So, my decision today is that I will avoid contributing to polarization in any debate that occurs here. Let me know if you notice me going polar.
Now that I've committed myself to keeping a blog, I seem to have an instant case of writer's block. It's not that I don't think I'll ever have anything to say. I guess I just don't know how to start. I've never blogged before, so I want to keep this inaugural entry rather simple - just get a feel for how it works.
Well, then, welcome to my blog! Why "Life Is Different"? Primarily because my life is drastically different in the past couple years than it was anytime previously. You see, I'm a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, and I'm experiencing sobriety of a quality and duration like never before. So, my "life is different" than it was prior to, say, late 2003. I feel somewhat compelled to journal about it, and as long as I'm documenting my life, I might as well share my thoughts and experiences with others.
But I want to write about much more than just my recovery . . .
Life is different because I am a newlywed. I tied the knot with a wonderful young woman less than a year ago, and being married has certainly been different than being single (with or without a girlfriend) was.
Life is different because I am a father for the first time. I have a precious little girl, less than five months old.
Life is different . . . oh, I don't know, it's different than non-life, for example. I mean, think about it: plants and animals, all manner of biological creatures, are different from rocks and dirt and things.
For the most part I'll be telling all about how my life is different as a clean and sober husband and father than it was before, and describing what it used to be like, what happened, and what it's like now. But I also hope to write about other interests, outside the context of recovery. I really enjoy music, and movies, and reading, and all kinds of other things. I don't see any reason to keep a separate blog for all that.
Well, time to post this thing and see how it looks. Please have patience, theoretical readers. It will get better!