*post delayed because blogger is always skrewed up lately*
You know that feeling where you’re somewhere, with a certain group of people for one of the last times, and you think “this is one of the greatest times in my life.” My last 5 years have been a giant collection of those, from way back – walking home at dawn, on our last night in France, with my Polish and Jersean comrads after another night of horrifying the ladies and offending the guys, or sitting in the “womb” in Haledon, NJ, listening to Nick Drake, with one of the finest human beings on this earth and D-Rock, to a pair of years ago sitting on the roof of my Lisbon nest playing horn, to the present – talking gibberish and singing Sinatra with my roomates here at the bicyclemark ranch. At each of these moments, like last night, I realize something great is coming to an end, and I tend to take a mental picture, for that scrapbook in my mind entitled “The best of times.”
The roomates are moving out, first the king of jogging goes – this sunday. And next month my darling miss piggy is moving in with her man. Thus leaving myself, ironically the soul non-dutch person, effectively on my own. Sure I will still sing Dean Martin and G.Love as I cook my fabulous dinners for one, but it won’t be the same without the accompanying dance steps and random shouting.
Then again, this also means a new sort of beginning, in this case, my new roomate from Salamanca. We happily speak Portug?ol – a nice mix of Portug?es and Espa?ol – and I’m not quite sure how to explain it, but there’s a familiar feeling/comfort hanging around with someone from the western side of the Iberian penninsula. He’s a mild mannered, charming dude; reminds me of me in 10 years, and I think we shall get along swimmingly. Perhaps we’ll even sing while we cook, but I doubt it.
Is it obvious that I’m steering the blog on a more personal course these days? It’s all part of my master plan friends… all part of the master plan. (clasps hands in Montgomery Burns style) Eeeexcellent.
Let’s talk comments for a moment. First of all, comments make the blogosphere go round! And if you disagree with that, then I dare you not to leave a dissenting comment. I spend hours reading blogs, at last count, 150 feeds in my bloglines. Half of those might be newspapers, but still, I make it my priority to not only read but also comment. It enhances the discussion on other blogs, and it stimulates some visits and comments back here on the communique. What do I mention this? Because some within my blog generation wonder what they should do to get more visitors to their blogs. Now you know one more way.
The other thing that I often speak of, that also increases your readers (potentially) is being syndicated via an RSS feed. Which is free and, like a broken record I remind you, revolutionary in terms of how the internet is used. Pretty soon my dinners and all my girlfriends will just come to me via RSS. Oh yes! Oh no. Maybe some advances are not so great, but for readin shit on the net, RSS is the best thing since powdered toast. It has come to my attention that some of you might want my help in setting that up. I may indeed be of assistance, but in return I ask that you take a little glance at ye Wish List or ye Paypal (also in the sidebar) and consider giving bicyclemark a little token of thanks. I’m especially fond of the “I’m So Going to Blog This” stickers.
Today’s Sounds: Rickie Lee Jones – The Evening of My Day