Why?

"Fear of failure/Fear of reprimand." Two big problems I did have.  Growing up in the hardcore scene where the mentality was "Be more than a a witness" and "Go start your own band".  I was energized but paralyzed. The freedom to speak out, but too self critical to take advantage of it. Skateboarding was me expression and my escape.  Motion. Fleeting moments. Not fixed documents or artifacts to have to live down at a future date.
    But I always got things locked up in my head.   As  I grew older, I found these ideas, opinions, and observations were easy to let slide out to whoever was across the lunchroom table from me or on the bar stool next to me, but I never felt like I could broadcast it to the world.  So many false starts and good intentions not followed through on.  Like a lot of people, I blogged. It was like a zine, but easier and anonymous.  Screaming into the digital void.  And as social media advanced, I turned to FB and Twitter and whatever else was out there.
 Current events have really made me focus and think about the impact of social media platforms like Facebook.  Does ease of access and the network effect really justify the shitty side effects of their platform?  Do I want to stay in this walled garden?  I don't think so, or at least I know it is not the place for longer form musings, ramblings, opinions, and bloviations.  I need a place to challenge myself to go beyond sharing depressing articles with snarky hot takes.    So back to basics, back to yelling into the void.   You have the option to comment and I look forward to any and all comments. These posts are hopefully a means to replicate or improve what I enjoyed on other social media platforms with less of the side effects I didn't enjoy.  These can all be starting points for dialogues. One thing I miss from years working for  a record store is the endless musical debate.  40 hours a week with dozens of smart, opinionated people dissecting every song on the radio and every song you put on a mixed tape.  Didn't realize how much I would miss that,