ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

If I ever entered the political arena, if I ever ran for office, I’m the type of person that’d get comfortable in a tall leather wing-back chair, where I’d forget about serving my constituents (they say power changes purpose, at least Shakespeare did) and would need someone like the late-former United States President Gerald Ford, God rest his soul, to grant me a pardon.

Better that I never become an elected official, not even an appointed one. Once, during my highschool senior year, I received the most votes from my peers to be our cross country captain, but after one too many complaints and rumors of my free spirited ways as a weekend warrior, the coach decided at the midseason point, after a dismal Detroit Lions type record, to have cocaptains. I considered it a demotion, laughed it off, and no longer offered sound advice. “I suggest you stick with the front pack,” I’d tell the inexperienced freshmen, knowing that the other team used two or three rabbits at the beginning of a race to tire out their opponents. I might’ve fooled them once or twice, but not for long. If I were on Survivor, I’m the type of person you’d forget about on account of my getting the ax at the first tribal counsel.

It’s best that I keep my mouth shut and listen to others. As the saying goes: You learn with your ears and not your mouth. Which brings me to my next point—don’t let the title of Joel Saltzman’s self-help book fool you—writing is not easy—it’s the most difficult, most self-tortuous task I’ve ever wrestled with. Joan Didion got it right about the whole writing process, “…that there is always a point in the writing of a piece when I sit in a room literally papered with false starts and cannot put one word after another and imagine that I have suffered a small stroke, leaving me apparently undamaged but actually aphasic.” Gee, maybe I should drop my pencil and run like hell.

With that said, I’d like to take a moment to nominate two individuals for the Seventh Annual Weblog Awards . In the “Best Teen Weblog” category my choice is Theory of Thought by none other than The Thinker. This anonymous sixteen-year-old young lady not only understands HTML code, but she knows how to effectively communicate with other bloggers. Her writing style is not only mature for her age, but also thought-provoking. My other nomination goes to Michelle's Spell for “Best Writing of a Weblog.” Don’t let the provocative pictures fool you; as my former writing instructor, Dr. Brooks (yeah Ph.D) consistently demonstrates a natural ability with words. She’s also the person who got me started with this whole blogging business. Thanks for suggesting a daily dose of pain in the form of mini-strokes—what better way for me to improve my writing. Both candidates deserve recognition for their steady dedication to writing in the blogosphere. Please vote by January 10th. Thanks.