December 25, 2006

Yes, yes, I'm blogging on Christmas. And I'm suffering from Timeslessness.

It's well established: I blog on Christmas. Haven't you noticed? I blog every day, every day for almost three years. I'm up long before anyone else, and it would be my normal thing to go outside in the dark to bring in the New York Times and to sit here at the dining table reading it for an hour or two. Naturally, blogging ensues.

Unfortunately, I suspended delivery of the Times because I was planning to leave town -- I was going to drive across the country crosswise, instead of my usual lengthwise -- but then I made a different plan, and I forgot to restart delivery. I didn't realize the desperately Timesless situation I'd set myself up for until the first day came with no delivery and I went to the website to complain about it and saw I had that suspension. Despite the speed of the web, there's still a lag time restarting, so I can't get the paper back until the 27th. It throws off my whole momentum.

Yes, I know they have a website. Why not read it on line? Obviously, I read all sorts of other things on line, and I go to the NYT website to get the links for the articles I write about. So why is there any problem at all? Why not use this lapse as an opportunity to wean myself from the paper paper? No! Some things are permanent! Something must have substance and solidity. I need a real newspaper to see what's happening. And spare me the attacks on the NYT. There is no alternative. I said a "real newspaper." Nothing else that I can get delivered here has the equivalent substance.

Nevertheless, this little lesson in Timeslessness is teaching me something. It's showing me the different path I take into blogging if I don't have the paper Times to anchor me. I'd be more about my own little observations. I'd be writing way more posts like this one and this one.

7 comments:

Ron said...

When Timeslessness gives you eggs...make egg nog! Or something.

Well, when I now will think of the death of James Brown, it will be the blog I think of. Today you are a reporter!

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas, Ann, to you, and yours, and all your friends in this little community of ones and zeroes you preside over.

I'm a zero. Are you one, too?

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas, Ann, and anyone else who drops by today.

Ricardo said...

Bravo! This post is a perfect example of the kind of stream-of-consciousness stuff at which you excel. People often think like this, but only YOU can capture this on paper.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

AmPowerBlog said...

Love this post! I do the same thing with the Los Angeles Times, which is delivered to the drive each morning. I'd really rather read the hardcopy newspaper, then go online for links, like yourself. We post about what we read. Often that process works by digesting the day's headline news over coffee, or by reading a physical version of a journal or magazine, then linking to that source on the blog. For me, these posts are more like little research entries, distilling previous information or reviewing related debates, etc. Other posts are more the "Memeorandum" type. We see cool pieces online from all the electronic newspapers and news aggregators, enjoy them, and then put up some quick observations.

Another interesting thing your post broaches is Christmas blogging -- wait, my wife's calling! Those cinnamon rolls are ready and the milk's poured! See you later and have a Merry Christmas!

Burkean Reflections

Birkel said...

Ever wonder what the network news would look/sound like if they went through a little Timeslessness?

That would be interesting, indeed.

Kev said...

Merry Chiristmas to Ann and the rest of this online community. (Yes, we have 26 more minutes of it in Central Time as I type this.) I hope everybody had a great one...