kiwords

The kids are in bed, the house is quiet, and I sat down once again to the tremendous pressure of the blog. Ok, perhaps not all that tremendous. Anyhow.
Today in James Lileks’ blog, the Bleat, there was a cryptic reference to an article that someone had written. He was wondering if the guy was checking in,” hoping he’d find a foamy-mouthed point-by-point reply?” I had no idea what he was talking about (not an entirely uncommon occurrence with Lileks, I’m ashamed to admit), so I thought I’d poke around a bit, see if I could unearth the fabled article.
I found an amazing amount of venom out there, directed at Lileks. Now, color me naïve, but…Lileks? I mean, JAMES LILEKS?
I don’t know how many of you read the Bleat. You all should. Now. Well, maybe not now, but as soon as you finish reading this. Ah, heck with it, go there now. It’s a treat. He writes an amazing amount each day, expressing views on politics, movies, music, and more. My favorite parts, as a mushy-brained mother type, are the parts about his daughter, Gnat. He writes about her with such tenderness and joy. I do believe there are dads like that, who relish their children that much (I’ve known one like that myself…), but it’s rare to find a man who can write so comfortably about the experience of parenthood.
And he does write well on a multitude of subjects. He just knows so much, occasionally he’ll veer off into a subject that mystifies me. One minute I’m with him, the next it’s like he’s speaking in tongues. Whoa.
But for the most part he entertains and informs me. I don’t always agree with him, but he almost always makes me smile a bit. He’s good.
So I was surprised by the vitriol. People out there talking about how much they HATE him. Musing on the feasibility of a suicide bombing mission to take him out at the Mall of America. People ranting and raving about how much they hate the way he talks about his daughter. I was going to link to some of these spew-sessions, but really. I don’t want to participate. Google Lileks if you’re interested.
Oddly enough, it was somewhat comforting to me. Sick, huh? But I’m so careful about what I write here. I tiptoe around sensitive subjects. Slowly my readership is expanding beyond people I know, and I worry a bit. As I strive to get my writing published in other places, you know, where they have to pay me for it, I wonder if I can keep up the ginger pace. I don’t think so. I aspire to be like Lileks. Not in talent or style, because that's all his own. No, I want his attitude. It can't be news to him that there are people out there hating him. He shrugs, he moves on. He writes, because that's what he does. People love him, people hate him...whatever. He seems to have what I want, the notion that your opinion of me is none of my business.
Now I’m almost looking forward to my first hate mail. Almost. I’ll know I’m on my way then.
So heck with worrying about whether or not you’re all happy. I hope you are, I really do. But I gotta charge forward.

If that’s ok.