This post won’t ever win most comments, but could win most thoughtful comments. Indeterminacy linked to a great post on satire. I love satire. True satire and sarcasm are mother’s milk to me. I grew up with it, and am pretty good at myself. But when I began this blog I didn’t want to be snarky as it seems like sick and usually stupid sarcasm. Actually there are more than a few posts in Courting that are satirical–just hard to spot unless you know me or the subject or whatever.
I can see people satirizing me and my reaction to 9/11. That would be sick but funny.
But the event itself. As somebody who will never forget a seemingly deserted New York–the bars and restaurants were filled that first night–with fighter jets over head–I was walking a young girl who had no place in Manhattan to go but my apartment to meet some of her mother’s friends–it’s too raw. I didn’t link to the so called humor blog as I didn’t want to give the blogger a link or any hits. I don’t like to think about 9/11 out of season.
We in Manhattan opened our apartments, our hearts, our pocketbooks. We gave a lot of ourselves that first week, month, year, and ended up with a city I can no longer afford to live in. It hurts to leave the city I was born in.
I really don’t like to do pity me posts. But one of my best friends forever is having a major operation, and it’s scary….I was reading the nominees for “funniest blogs.” There wasn’t an ironic or great story telling one in the bunch. After three years, poop jokes have worn me down. One blog had a picture of a man standing on The Trade Center with a plane looking as if it was going to hit it. She called it “satire” and said that it was widely circulated and healing in the months after 9/11. I don’t know where she lives, but I had nightmares about that last night. How the hell can that be healing? We make jokes about what we can’t comprehend. We make jokes about the worst things in life. Yes I agree. Word jokes might work. Though honestly I can’t think of anything funny about 9/11. “Did you hear about the man who could have survived but chose to stay with his disabled officemate? Wasn’t he stupid?”
I tell such horrible unPC jokes that a friend said I can only get away with them as I’m a NY Jewish woman–and I won’t repeat them here. The point is that’s not satire by any definition of the word. It’s stupid and tasteless and did give me nightmares. Here’s a Google page with many definitions of satire. None fit that. If the blogosphere, enmasse, considers tasteless to be satire I want no part of it. Satire can be brilliant. Satire makes the world a better place. That picture wasn’t satire. Just truly in bad taste. It also made me feel too New York for the blogosphere. End of rant.
I just wrote a post and took it down.
Have no blogging confidence anymore. Going down 30,000 Technorati places literally overnight–well I thought it would liberating. But it’s made me doubt myself and everything about this blog.
I was blogging when I should have been submitting. I hope that I didn’t waste three years of my life.
But really I never enjoyed having a “popular” blog. I didn’t play it up. Its success just came. Success should be earned, though I have paid more than my share of dues in the school of life. There’s a lot about blogging I’m tired of. I want to get ready to move and to write. But can I post and not do all the things a true blogger should do? I also have a deep interest in watching TV–something not usual for me–so I’m happy about the writers strike. I have a full social calender. After putting people off for two years, I relearned the joys of socialization last year. I use blogging as an excuse to get out of real life and am tired of that.
I’m a bit sad today–a very close friend is having a pacemaker/defibrillator put in tomorrow. She had cancer this summer–hope that’s over, and lost her mother last year. No I’m not a bit sad, I’m very sad. And scared.
I’m thinking of nuking Courting or letting it languish and beginning a private blog where people who are interested can read my novella or novel or whatever it is.
Do want and appreciate feedback on that.
I am loving writing that, and probably should have participated in NaNoWriMo as I wrote four chapters on Sunday. Didn’t say they were good, but it was fun. I could write a 175 page novel in a month if….but I would use that an excuse not to get my moving act together. And The Wombat would be wondering what I was doing writing a novel for no gain when…
Was so happy to get a comment from Dan. I miss my old blogging friends. Just tried leaving him a comment but Blogger comments and I are having issues today.
MizzyB is back and in rare Boho form
Read the post below. Just for the voting instructions. I think Cooper is the reason I became friendly with the Wombat, the Boho and Dan. Or I might have known Dan and the Boho first. I do miss the days when blogging was more ad hoc and I was yet to be jaded.
I think we all have those moments where were think about ditching it all. Popularity has a price… one you’ve learned after the fact. Whatever decision you end up making regarding the blog will be the right one for you.
Eh, I’ll be there, where you go. I was glad to hear from Dan too, it has been some time. I flick over there every so often. I met him through you, I am sure of that.
Thank god Mizzy B at least made us some movies to watch, what with all the mostly shitty television on these days.
The Wombat, yea I think I had him first. 😉
BL tomorrow though.
Eh. I guess my position is more enviable, because I was never popular to begin with 😀 We don’t need no stinking ranking.
That said, you don’t owe anyone anything, so I hope you’re not blogging because you feel an obligation to folks. Write in a way that makes you satisfied.
Of course, you would be horribly missed if you were gone. But then, when your books hit the shelves, we could all think to ourselves: I knew her way back then.
I recommend regular hiatuses rather than a nuclear detonation. (Is it hiatuses, or hiati?)
I hope all goes well for your friend.
Love your novella! I would like to submit some liner notes for it and maybe a review for amazon.com 🙂
I am totally into watching TV than writing! At least I get paid now on the baby site to write celeb gossip, something i enjoy! Some days I want to just press delete and start a new blog too. My mom got a pacemaker in since last December and now she is like an active robot!
You know maybe that’s why I haven’t been blogging much at all (well except for my fill-ins at Central Snark). I mean not writing basically. Maybe it’s a Cancerian thing and we’re under a bad moon?
Whatever it is, I’ve missed you. I’ve read and not commented at times when I was too wrapped up to think, but still needed to check in and see what you were up to. I guess I should have at least left a comment saying that. Life gets in the way of blogging and I don’t even read these blog awards but can somebody show me funny? Cause I’m with you, not a lot out there that bills themselves as such. And that cartoon that you’ve described is horrendous! Nothing funny about 9/11 – never will be. It will always be too soon for such a joke (if you can call them that).
Anyway, I’m off to bed but wanted so to check in and glad that I did. Best wishes to your friend that everything should go well and a speedy recovery. Oh and mazal tov to your niece – that’s quite a milestone for her.
Keep writing – we’ll find you 🙂
You know, it is your writings as Pia and about Pia and her life that always mesmerize me so I was thrilled to find you here today… hope that makes sense but something tells me you will understand.
As for blogging… oy! Can we say love/hate? I truly miss the rush and the high of the early days of blogging. Maybe Spain and life and then some has happened for me and left me beat and tired… maybe in time it wears thin for us all… I don’t know, but I do know that no matter where you go, I will follow FO SHO and that the blogosphere will never be the same without Pia Savage… technorati be DAMNED!
I hope you won’t stop blogging. Ranks and readership can be frustrating. The best thing, I think, is to blog for yourself, to please your own sense of expression. It’s the secret to becoming a great blogger (in my opinion).
Since you mentioned satire, I’ve included a url to my translation of Kurt Tucholsky’s classic piece on Satire “Was darf die Satire?” – it’s not known in English, but gives a good perspective on the genre.