Prologue

Disclaimer: Because of the personal nature of this introduction, this will be the only post in this blog that will read like a stereotypical blog post. The rest will be more along the lines of short essays and commentaries.

     For most of my life I thought that I would be an engineer by career. The past year has drastically changed that view, and engineering no longer seems like a life-calling but rather a harbinger of toil and despair. So now there is a void that my life-map once filled before spontaneously combusting, and I am reeling to fill that void.  After briefly considering spiraling into a life of debauchery (I don't have the money for drugs nor do I know where to get any, and I am too introverted to approach a prostitute, so the thought was short-lived), I turned to writing.

     I have always loved to read and write. I excelled in English in high school. Unfortunately, I had never paid this any mind since I was predestined to be an Engineer. I should have paid attention when I got greater enjoyment out of writing up reports for experiments rather than performing them. I never noticed the foreshadowing of my courses getting confused with English courses on paper (course prefixes of ENG), but of course real life is not a novel and irony is only appreciated in hindsight.

     All of this is to say that I am exploring a few of the sprawling paths that lie before me, and the one with the well-worn sign reading "The Written Word" in curly-cue script has a special place in my heart. Reading and later writing have helped to bring me out of some very dark times in my life and sharpen my mind closer to what it was in my prime (which is sad to admit, since I am only 22). So I owe this old friend a proper opportunity to grow unhindered.

     The purpose of this blog, then, is to explore this path and develop my writing style further in a forum where I can be held accountable by others. You are invited to give me advice, harangue me on my brutality against the written word, or simply chime in on any of these posts, either publicly in a comment or privately to my email. In fact, you are encouraged to. If I have no idea what aspects of my writing are helping and hindering me, I can't improve, and that defeats the entire purpose of this venture. Be as brutally honest as you like, just play nice with everyone else.

     For those that know me well, you will likely be able to hear my voice in these posts. The style of these posts will heavily reflect my personality: highly analytical, highly critical, and occasionally comedic. All of the posts will deal with metaphors. I chose to focus on metaphors because the metaphor may be my favorite part of language; I love it like a father would a son. And just like a father would a son, I want to celebrate its achievements and correct its mistakes. So each post will either laud or (let's be honest, more likely) chastise a metaphor. I'll post twice a week for the first 2-4 weeks, then will likely post once a week on a designated day (Wednesday most likely).

     My good friend Cody has helped me design this site and will occasionally contribute photos to reflect the content of the posts. I am beyond grateful to him for his continued help and encouragement. You should definitely check out his photography: http://www.codyoloughlin.com/

     I look forward to where this project will take me, and hope that it will provide consistent entertainment for those of you willing to follow me down this path. And now that the background info and logistics are out of the way, we can begin!