The P-patch hits the century mark to end 2008!

I really didn't plan it this way.

I logged on tonight to post for the last time in 2008, and saw that it was to be my 100th post. Interesting... It's especially interesting that all those landmarks are converging, as the intention of my post involves the question of "why?"

I'm asking myself this as I write this...why?

Why do I blog? Why do I risk putting unfiltered thoughts and other stuff out there in cyberspace, some of which pisses folks off, some of who I know? Why do I post all this crap? ...and most of all, through it all, why does it appear that I bring to this a take-all-prisoners approach?

Before I try to answer that question, I want to explore the definition of something...I want to define what I see as a PERSONAL ATTACK in my blogs.

To frame this question, let's review the landscape. I post to four (4) blogs: The Rant from Boulder, this one (the oldest of the 3 that I manage -- started political, turned somewhat environmental), The Different Stages Music Project (music stuff, gets the most readership of my 3 by a long shot), and The Joyful Left (my youngest puppy, my political dumping ground).

To begin with, most of what might be construed as an "attack" tends to only occur on The P-patch (this blog) and The Left...and as far as I can tell, all of my intentional personal attacks have been politically-based and aimed at public officials, such as Dubya and his junkyard dogs Cheney and Rove.

Oops, another personal attack. Wanna know how I really feel?

Here's a bit on how I feel. The way I see it, it's only a personal attack if I refer to someone by name. That being said, I have been known to post rants, including some recently, that have been interpreted as personal attacks. That's fine; I can't control how my material is interpreted. However, unless I referred to someone BY NAME (that is, USED THEIR ACTUAL NAME IN THE POST), then I'm confused as to how it can construed as a personal attack.

Help me understand this. Factually speaking; if I go on a rant in a post, and it involves a person who I leave vague by leaving out their name, then it could theoretically refer to anyone. Am I wrong?

Everyone carries baggage around, and I'm certainly no exception. Blogging is my brain dump and my therapy...it's a way that I have found that works very, very nicely for my "putting it out there" so that I can be set free of the frustrations in life. Rather than carrying it around town, I can harbor it all in a blog in cyberspace.

That might be something to think about next time you read one of my posts and feel like a rant or complaint I have is aimed at you...that is, even if you're not referred to by name and only interpreting the post as such...because, it really may not be aimed at you. It could be meant to be about someone else.

Understand that this is how I cope...this is like my journal of sorts, and to couch it differently than I intend, water it down, or simply not leave it out there would be doing everyone -- including my readers and myself -- a complete disservice. I MUST be honest about my feelings in my blogs, or it fails to serve the fundamental purpose for which it was intended.

I hope that adds some perspective. I walk around with good intentions, and try to believe that most others walking around out there also have good intentions.

I still love all of you...a happy and prosperous 2009 to everyone! Now let's go grab a beer before the New Year hits and we can't get a table at the local pub!