Blagojevich!

So, the governor of Illinois has gone ahead and named someone to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat, in defiance of virtually every Democrat in the land.  Well, really, what did people expect?  With Blagojevich accused of essentially everything short of third-degree murder (and, I think, illegal transport of livestock across state lines), what has the man got to lose?  And are people really surprised by his chutzpah?  At the same time, it seems a shame for this Burriss guy.  It sounds like he's your basic low-key , civil servant type who might actually be a good senator.  Good luck there, though.  One wonders, though, if the US Senate could just refuse to seat someone who, for all intents and purposes, has earned the job legitimately (if under dubious and less-than-ideal circumstances).  Yes, yes: This country cannot afford to allow someone elected under dubious circumstances to hold public office.  Just ask President Gore.

(Aside: Doesn't "blagojevich!" sound like something a Czech tennis player should shout when serving?)

And the fighting continues in the Middle East.  Again, at the risk of sounding partisan, this space would like to point out that, while Israel continues to attack Hamas in Gaza, the country is also sending in truckloads of humanitarian relief.  One cannot help but wonder how those truck drivers are being treated.

On a lighter note, the Solipsist would like to wish everyone a happy new year.  Make sure to designate a driver.  And make sure those resolutions are fun!

Pre-New Year's Resolutions

It's never too early to get a jump on one's New Year's Resolutions.  All right, NOVEMBER might be a bit early--or ridiculously late--but December 29th seems to fall within a range of reasonableness, like the Department of Motor Vehicles' allowing one to renew a license within a few months of the actual birthday.  Why wait until the last minute?  That just runs the risk of long lines, frustration, and the inevitable ticket for driving without a license from the quota-hungry cop on your way home after you've given up and decided to make sure you get there REALLY early tomorrow.  No doubt Blogger.com and its ilk will be inundated by the resolute come January 1st.  Now seems the ideal time to beat the rush.

Initial Thoughts

Blogging is the democratization of narcissism.  And this is a good thing.  Time was that the subjecting of others to one's thoughts was the privilege of the idle rich.  Now it's the pastime of the idle everyman.  And while an overabundance of speech is certainly no marker of its quality, the law of averages suggests that somewhere amongst the trillions of words being posted every day, someone will, if only accidentally, publish something truly profound.  It's a realtime experiment testing the hypothesis of the infinite Shakespeare-typing monkeys.  Who wouldn't want to attempt a new Hamlet?  (Or at least Timon of Athens?)  (No, your not-so-humble correspondent hasn't read it either, but it sounds good, no?)

Manifesto

What this will be:  Wait and see, dear reader.  The solipsist is unsure himself.  From the title, one may fairly conclude that this will be a rather self-centered, self-absorbed page. Enjoy!  But seriously, folks, what is more important is

What this will not be: A diary.  The solipsist promises that he will try his very best to refrain from airing his own personal dirty laundry or whines or complaints here.  (Why would ANYONE want to read that, anyway?)  Rather, this will be a platform for reflections, thoughts, rants, and inanities.  It is hoped that someone(s) somewhere(s) will stumble across this page and find something(s) worth responding to.  And if this page continues on for years and years, and if even only ONE person on even only ONE day finds even only ONE sentence worth responding to. . . 

. . . well that will be majorly depressing, really.

Still, nothing ventured nothing gained!  See you tomorrow!