I've always been fascinated with the story of the RMS Titanic. Naturally, there's a lot to think about when you consider the people on the ship that night, and how they dealt with the sudden reversal of fortune which led some of them into life boats, and others into the frigid waters, but that's not the really fascinating part to me. No, the really interesting stuff is the ship itself. It was, to my mind, a big, beautiful, floating monument to man's hubris. And I think we all know where hubris leads...it leads down. When you give the Universe a big target, and say something grandiose about it, the Universe has a funny way of slapping you in the face, and proving you wrong. That's what happened with the Titanic. Men said she was unsinkable. And so the Universe took things in hand, and made asses of them.This post is, in a way, my own little monument to the Titanic. Why? Well, it's because I, too, suffered from pride. I, too, built something I thought was unsinkable. And what happened? Right out of the gate, on its maiden voyage, if you will, it sank. Luckily, my personal Titanic was much smaller. It was actually another blog on this site.
I was very careful when I created it. I picked a good template, then puttered for a couple of hours, getting everything just so. I wrote a great introduction, complete with quotes from Shakespeare. I made it look really, really good. And then came the downfall. I forgot the simplest of things. I forgot to write down my password. And my memory? My memory failed me completely. I still haven't recovered the information for the other page, lovely as it was. So you are going to be treated to the short version of what I said with those carefully chosen words. Here are the main points:
1. Names are just labels. You may know me by any one of the many names I use, including the one which appears on my birth certificate. For the sake of privacy, however, I ask that you use my chosen name if you choose to address me on this page. And my chosen name? It's Jasper. That's right. Jasper. There's a Horace, too. You'll meet him later.
2. Please be warned that what I write may not always be original, interesting, pleasant, legal, politically correct, grammatically correct, or even free of obscenity. Obscenity, for me, tends to pop up in my use of language, as in bad words more familiar to sailors than nice suburban women, but it's not limited to language. I make no apologies. I would like to be real here, and if I am to be real, and if you want to read about the real me, be prepared for adult content. I don't plan to edit or keep it clean. I do, however, plan to be the real me.
3. I cannot guarantee that there will be anything worth reading on this page. There may be wondrous things, and there may be crap. I never know what I am going to write about. Just be warned that reading this may be an exercise in utter futility and boredom. And remember you can always close the window and go do something else.
4. And finally, you should be warned that I love words, all sorts of words. I collect them the way some people collect coins. Since I realize that not everyone is in love with TS Eliot, or wants to hear a quote from Winston Churchill, I will make a deal with you. When I am going to quote something, I will try to do it as a separate entry, and I will try to remember to put it in italics. That will make it easier for you to skip the words of others. But I will warn you--it may be that the words of others are the most interesting thing to be found here.
So, that's that.
I created this page now because I will be going to Egypt shortly. If you followed my adventures last year, perhaps you'd like to follow them again. And if you're new to my dispatches from the desert, well, I hope you will find something of interest here.
I am leaving in a few days, so saddle up your camel. We're going on a trip.
