Folks who read my going on hiatus post last weekend might have noticed I came back this weekend! I’m still in break mode, and in fact I’m off to the beach for a week on Tuesday, heading up north where it’s nice and warm, but I was feeling bloggy today so - because I was in the mood, I did some blogging. While, as noted in a couple of posts here and around the shop recently, a lot of portentous debates swirl around blogging, the baseline should be that it should be fun. Of course there are all sorts of private and public benefits to blogging, but if you’re not enjoying it, then it’s not worth doing. I did want to thank everyone for their kind words in the thread last week, and also observe that the reason why I thought it was a good idea to take a break had nothing to do with that post I wrote about Tim Blair and the concerned feminists of the Australian right, though I do regret the fact that I let some of the animus generated last year lead me into personalising the issue that I was writing about. I expect better of myself. But mainly I just got to the point where I was feeling that some of the frustrations attendant on blogging were outweighing the benefits, so I thought it was time to take a spell.
Incidentally, I think my point’s been made by the response to it, including the “gotcha!” nonsense and the fact that the flying monkeys spent all their time furiously not discussing the serious issues about women and war, but in personal vituperation and decrying teh Islam. That shouldn’t surprise, I guess! It’s always about the loud condemnation.
Folks can make their own minds up whether the right wing News Limited bloggers offer any “benefit to Australia and the world” above and beyond allowing a lot of commenters to vent, but I think a lot of the “free speech” in question has about as much value as Alexander Downer’s deeply mature desire - as a “Warrior Statesman” - to buy a Hummer and smoke cigars in pubs. On the other hand, you could well think, they’re about as relevant. They’re not “the blogosphere”, just another adjunct to the media money-making machine. News Limited’s way of hoovering up online advertising revenue, now that print is a very dicy business proposition for the most part. Their mission is to create as much noise as possible to attract as many eyeballs as possible. That’s about the sum total of what they’re there for. For that reason, unless there’s some personal misrepresentation which compels a response, I think Timmeh and his crew are best ignored from now on.
Anyway, that’s by the by. But, once again, thanks to all the lovely commenters who wished me well. I still love youse all! I even love Tim Blair. After all, every time he links here, we make more money. Capitalism is all about the love, isn’t it? 
God oh god enough oversharing for chrissake. Blog or don’t blog, but stop blogging about why you are or aren’t blogging. It’s very very American
Kim can do what she wants. The discussion about blogging includes the dicussion about why people don’t blog.
What would the J F “Lefty said this and lefty said that” Beck do without such posts? Write a post that’s not merely reactive….not likely.
I think a post about not being able to post because one is in the throes of one’s menstrual cycle might just be on the cards.
Good to see you sort of back, Kim. And ignore the anti-Americanisms unless they’re directed at the Neocons and GWB,(or really crappy Hollywood movies) in which case they are well-deserved.
Look forward to observations on sand and sea of you feel so inclined.
All hail the new Margo!
Oh, you just confirmed something I was beginning to realise, Tim, thanks.
More on that later.
Darlene - heh! Yep, all this sharing - so scarily…. female!
Love ya too, Tim.
It’s time we thought of a shorthand term for mainstream media blogs. ‘Blog’ is so misleading.
I suggest ‘flog’, since they’re fake blog fronts for flogging stuff.
Clogs?
dogs?
Clogs? As in great for kicking others but shithouse for dancing with them?
Dogs? Bogs?
Snogs and mogs are out.
Definitely.
Demagogs?
Trogs?
Definitely not pedagogs.
Gogmagogs?
Gods.
Someone seems to have missed the pattern.
Hogs.
[hamstrung blogs]
tim wrote:
I’m not sure if a huge collection of winged monkeys amounts to any claims to be a deity. After all, when I lived in Sydney and caught hundreds of cockroaches with that sticky paper you put under the fridge, I did not proclaim myself god of the cockroaches.
Who believes in God/s, or hogs for that matter?
It’s too girly, Kim, all this chatter chatter chatter chatter about personal stuff.
Next thing you know we’ll be reviewing Sex and the City.
Have you seen the film, Darlene?
MSM… “hogs”?
Whatever.
It is, at least, clear that it is a quiet day for Tim at the Porky Factory.
I can’t say I have, Kim, which makes me so uncool.
Anyway, here’s a photo re: said movie:
Now, let’s all sit in a circle and read The Vagina Monologues.
I have! Gee, that shot must have been taken before the Terrible Thing happened.
Am I alone in thinking that SJP actually looked awful in her wedding clobber, at least from the waist up? (You can’t really tell just from this photo.)
It would amuse me greatly if everybody started to refer to Tim as:
Tim “Little Boots” Blair.
You don’t have to understand why, just do it.
“Do your dance, little boots” sadly isn’t on Youtube, but he’s a god now is.
Goodness me, I’d forgotten how brilliant McDowell’s performance was. Must watch the entire uncut movie some time now I’ve got broadband. Only saw the censored version.
I remember Fred Nile coming out of the movie and saying he wanted a cup of tea. Then going back in to see it again, just to make sure it was as bad as he thought it was.
Vale non, Tim “Little Boots” Blair.
McDowell is good in that film Paul, he’s so bloody inconsistent though and a really poor judge of scripts (or desperate for cash, I’m not sure). He even showed up in the full motion bits of a DVD based video game about a decade ago (Wing Commander) which was awful. I wish I still had my DVD of Caligula but some bastard stole it a few years ago. Amazon, here I come…
Darlene I haven’t seen it either. I don’t want to wreck my 90s memories.
Miranda for Queen of the City!
David,
Agree with you about McDowell’s inconsistency.You just never know if you’re going to see a brilliant performence or something he’s doing to make a quick buck. On reflection, think he went downhill after Caligula. Apparently Guccione put in all this porn after McDowell, O’Toole, Gielgud and Mirren had done their stuff and didn’t tell them.Gielgud was apparently quite amused about the whole thing, but the rest were a bit upset, from memory.
Will refrain from going into a paen of praise about Gielgud except to say in my late teens I once saw him live in Sydney in The Ages of Man, a one man Shakespearean virtuoso.
“Am I alone in thinking that SJP actually looked awful in her wedding clobber…?”
Well of course she looked perfectly awful, and I haven’t even seen the movie (and won’t see it any time soon, unless of course certain carefully-negotiated treaties are abrogated…).
Why? *runs away*
Living God Timmeh doesn’t think I should go on hols to the beach today because I might forfeit my membership in the Garnaut cult. Oh noes! What should I do!
Heh. Little Boots shiny blog is so craptastic, it gives database errors when you try to post there. I think the winged monkeys must be scripted (how can they all be so dumb?). Conclusion? You must have got up his nose Kim, so open a cold one and enjoy the moment.
All the News Limited blogs are down due to a database error this morning, David. I guess I’ll just have to decide for myself without guidance from my blogging masters!
I think certain boys have got crushes on you, Ms Kim.
Enjoy your beach holiday. I’m sure we won’t be envying you at all down here in Melbourne.
Anyway, our Nicole has had our Sunday. Lovely news and congrats to our Nicole and Queensland’s own Keith:
Thanks, Darlene!
I’m a bit puzzled though as to why Sunday was born on Monday!
In other news, I’ve discovered the secrets to maintream blogging success!
http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/07/08/the-bitch-from-prada/