Introduction

Hello and welcome.

It's been a while since I've written for a general audience, and, for that matter, since I've written anything of much consequence at all.
Please bear with me if it takes a moment to regain my voice. I'll find it.
It's odd to be staring at a blinking cursor and a blank page, knowing that when I feel like I'm done writing, I'll do something with it. The anticipation of what words I'll write, the idea of anyone them who reads being entertained or provoked by said words, the pressure to please said people -- I have missed all of these things, and now I have them back.
It feels like waking up.
It's hard to describe, and I'm doing it poorly. But let me at least explain this: in terms of writing, I seem to be mid-to-long-term bipolar. I go months and months, and have hardly a single idea I feel worth sharing. I am boring in my conversations and I feel that I rarely see something any differently than anyone else.
Then, with no warning, it all comes rushing back, and I feel like I could get rolling and maybe never stop. A couple of weeks ago I got this feeling, that there was something I should be saying. It was a simple insight, and at the time I enjoyed it for what it was and assumed it was a fleeting moment of clarity. But then came another and another, and soon they were piling up.
And so I return to the laptop and the blank page, if for no other reason than to temporarily avoid a stroke.
The good news, for me at least, is that the page is still blank and the cursor still blinks. The good news for you is that this thing could tragically flame-out in less than a week and Mike Mullen's blog will be litttle more than piles of rubble. And not even, like, Greek or Roman rubble. More like, "Do you remember that Mexican restaurant that burned down?" rubble.

In the course of my writings, I will examine any number of things that I have thoughts about, or things that happen in my own life that I feel like commenting on or at least sharing. However, as I have a live-in girlfriend and no job, it seems unlikely that much of interest will happen to me.
More often, I will write about sports, politics, music, movies, miscellaneous news... things I think you'd want to hear about. I feel reluctant to rule anything out, as I'm not sure what will come up.
But I can tell you with absolute 100 percent certainty that I will not be writing about my cat. I don't have a cat, and if I did, I would know better than to tell you about it. Anyone who blogs about (or on behalf of, isn't that cute) their damn cat should spayed or neutered immediately.
I can admit that, like all bloggers excluding a handful of Washington insiders, I will not be breaking any news. At least not on purpose.
For your sake, if I see Prince beating a homeless man to death with his own wooden leg, I'll post it. But these odds seem very slim, as I'm sure Prince has a mansion where he does that kind of thing. If this bothers you, go kill your own retired pirate.
I also doubt that I will do very little actual reporting, outside of the kind of thing anyone else could do if they had internet access and spare time. That being said, I've used a cell phone before, and if I feel like posting on something and need clarification or desire a comment from the source, I think I could figure that out.
I will instead be offering up my view on things I see. Also, there will be the occasional pop culture and/or historical reference, and the posts will also includes jokes, and sometimes these two things will join together to form a pop culture and/or historical joke. I will accept no responsibilty if any of these things compel you to look something up or laugh out loud, and should my writing cause you to abbreviate the term "laugh out loud" in any way, you will be spayed or neutered using only a rolled-up copy of the Washington Post.

Now, to me, and I'll make this as brief as possible.
I am a 20 year old white male. I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was born in Washington D.C., but spent most of my childhood in Bismarck, North Dakota.
In high school I wrote columns and stories for my high school paper (which I will share with you at a later date) and covered sports part-time for the Bismarck Tribune.
I moved to Minneapolis to start college at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2004. I got a job at the Minnesota Daily, the very popular student newspaper, and was given the job of men's hockey beat reporter.
Within months I had been fired from the Daily and dropped out of the University. For a variety of reasons I stayed in town, where I now work as a sports stringer for the Associated Press.
This job comes with perks. For example, last night (Monday March 6), I stood four feet away from Kobe Bryant, who was boring, wore a great suit, and smelled fantastic.
Later I saw Kevin Garnett laughing and joking with a few old people who work at the Target Center. In his left ear was a shiny thing that I assume normal people would kill for.
For moments like this I am grateful to have my job. But it does not allow me an outlet where I can write what I want, how I want, and when I want to. Indeed, the best wire service writing is completely devoid of the author's own style or opinion, and I applaud the lifers for being able to do this night-in night-out.
But ultimately I need more. I need to say something, and I need someone to hear it. I don't even need to be right, although I'll certainly try. By the way, if I'm ever not right, let me know.
Okay, I'm winding down now. It's 4:55 am central time, and I usually peak from 5-10 am, so, if I want to get out a real entry still today (of which I make no guarantee), I should take a break.
I should've edited or rewritten this intro, because I can tell right now that by later today I'll hate it. But I'm afraid that if I back off it now, I might never start. So in a minute or so I'll post it, and from then on the onus is on me to be clever or interesting or at least productive.
Coming up soon on my blog: Jason Kidd, the NCAA tournament, a few thoughts on presidential candidates, and other things of note.
Fear not. I'll get my voice back.

Thanks for stopping by, and please keep reading.