An Apology of the Humblest Sort

Thomas Paine wrote, "These are the times that try mens' souls."

Clearly, he had peaked into my personal future, and was writing not of Colonial America about to embark upon the greatest socio-political-cultural experiment of all time, but rather specifically of me, my wife Lillian and our foster-child-soon-to-be-adopted-daughter Justice Nicole.

As with petitions, I'm not a big fan of the true blog.

They generally encourage the banal and the pedantic, the arm-chair philosophers, and the desk-bound politicos, the God-fearing fire-hell-and-damnation religious right to state their views on the well-being, or lack thereof, of what they see as the most important aspects of life.

Specifically, their life.

That's not something I'm highly encouraged to add to, or to become a part of.

I believe that while my life may generally be all kinds of exciting and action packed to me (yes, riding a train for 3 1/2 hours every day is amazing), it probably isn't to the 6 billion people currently living on the planet, or the 3 billion Chinese who are currently blogging their little hearts out.

So I set forth pen to paper with a few caveats.

(Yes, I know it's keystrokes to monitor. I'm waxing poetic. Work with me, people.)

Caveat:
a. A warning or caution: “A final caveat: Most experts feel that clients get unsatisfactory results when they don't specify clearly what they want” (Savvy).
b. A qualification or explanation.
c. A way to cover one's ass without using one's hands.

Caveats regarding this blog:

1. This is a blog. This will not be the funny, quirky, humerously toned articles that you are used to seeing from me. If you want those you can go to Accelerated Culture, or to A Goose Egg.
2. This is a blog that is only intended for viewing by family and friends. It's simply the easiest way to give updates on the McCandli adventures into foster-care, adoption and general child-rearing.
3. Opinions are like tailpipes. We've all heard them, and they all stink. Some may stink less than others, and will be weighted accordingly.
4. No matter how exciting an event or a statement may be, I will never use more than two exclamation points. Winston Churchill put it best, "Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never . . . Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the multiple exclamation point in your personal blog."

Hey, he said it. It's on a blog, so it must be true.