Meta Bloggin'

If you regularly blog, and I suppose I do, then you think about what you want to blog about next. Everything you read, discuss, watch, listen on the radio all becomes bloggable material. For example, this morning, listening to NPR, I was listening to Morning Edition. They interviewed Susan Kelz Sperling, who wrote a book called Poplollies and Bellibones: A Celebration of Lost Words.

Bellibones, for example, derives from the French belle, meaning beautiful, and bon meaning good. This refers to a woman that is not only beautiful, but a good person. Poplollies also has a similar origin.

NPR is great at finding odd stories like this which the national news won't even touch because it sounds ever so elitist. NPR announcers have a slight affectation to their voice, and so do the people they interview.

But occasionally, you get sports figures like the incomparable Frank Deford, who talked about a revival of kickball, dodgeball, and all manner of games played by kids, but now are being played by adults. His theory is that, as an adult, we have plenty of difficulties, so we want to find something from our youth, when times were simpler. John Feinstein also shows up on NPR regularly (he's written a number of books on following a team or league or tour for a year---his latest one will be about the Baltimore Ravens).

The point is, someone else comes up with the content, and you say, hey, that's cool. I should blog about this. It takes a lot more work to sit and think of "original" material. For example, Deford does quite a lot of research, which is more research than most sports commentators ever do. They mostly spout opinions, which is fine, if they're entertaining.

What is a poor blogger supposed to do? Ranting is an option. A good rant can be uplifting in that slummy sort of way. I suppose I could even talk about my exciting life.

The real answer is gossip!

But to be serious, it would be better to generate deep ponderings, and thrust that upon my large readership. Yet, yet, so...very...difficult. So, the best I can do is merely point out how many others simply remark on what others have to say, often more eloquently than they could (or I could).