The Great LJ Reboot of 2013.

Okay, gang. I find myself with both unfettered access to LJ (which has not always been the case) and enough time to enjoy that access. So I'd like to get a little more active here, in terms of posts and commenting and, you know, actually getting to know you fine people a bit more. Some of you I've really connected with over the years, and some that I've added in the past year or so are still relative strangers to me. So I'm hoping to make more of a point of commenting when I have something to say, and I hope you'll feel free to do the same. I suppose it would help if I posted more often and more interesting things myself, eh? Well, no promises on the content, but I will try to at least up the frequency. :) And you know, if at any time you feel we just aren't connecting, I certainly have no hard feelings if you ditch me and leave me to fend for myself in this cold, cruel, dark world. No hard feelings at all. I'll understand. sniff.

Anyway, I thought it might be a good idea to do a bit of an introductory post, for those of you who might see me pop up on your flist and wonder who I am. That too is understandable. And even as a refresher for those of you who have been around for a while (and thanks for that!).

( I reckon a cut is in order here. )

Our President did a good thing today.

I don't post much political here, though I certainly have many political thoughts! I welcome your opinions on whether or not I should do more politickin' here--on one hand it's good content and can provoke discussion, but I'm not here to focus on the things that divide us (or piss anyone off), and politics is certainly one of those things.

But anyway, I thought I'd tip my hand a bit and say that I am proud of President Obama today. I haven't yet watched the speech he made, but the bits I have read were eloquent, powerful, and reasonable. And the proposals that he laid out go farther towards reasonably beginning to address our gun violence problems than I think anything prior to it has. If, of course, Congress elects to act on any of it. Which, these days, is a big if indeed.

But then I made the mistake--something I'd sworn off for a few weeks, actually--of debating about it on Facebook. And like so much in the political arena these days, there's just no debating a lot of this stuff anymore. And that's sad. There's so much paranoia and disinformation--on both sides, yes, but I suggest one side more than the other--and too often it precludes rational debate, in which each side looks at the facts and we discuss how to interpret and address those facts. THAT is the part that's missing in our modern political theater--we can't even seem to agree on what the facts are, let alone what they mean, and how can meaningful debate proceed from that?

Well, I've already derailed my train of thought, not a difficult thing to do. So I'll just go back to coasting therough the remainder of my working day. :)