Move Along, Nothing To See Here

Well, here we are again.

All of you checking in to get the latest in news, or discussion, or snark, or whatever. And me with nothing to say. Or more precisely, plenty to say and no time to say it.

In a former life, I was able to put off things that might have been important but were not urgent in order to knock out a few hundred stream-of-consciousness words. Some of those efforts came off fairly well. I fondly remember my first such effort, which shared the German ethos which had been pounded into me as a youth, which dictated that when I had a deadline there was no choice but to meet it. Raised By Germans came off rather well, despite being a last-minute effort.

In my current life, I have nothing but time. I am in the midst of a 40+ hour pair of lengthy biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, for example. I do not, however, have the ability to write and drive at the same time. There are a couple of blog projects in process but they cannot be finished before I need to leave for my third (of four) round trips to St. Louis this week. About 450 miles per night has been my max so far.

Anyway, that old Germanic tonic that partly constitutes my constitution requires that I at least report (or is it confess?) my present difficulty. I will also confess to be affected by the thought of Theodore Roosevelt’s severe glare at being unprepared. I did find one appropriate quotation from TR that applies perfectly to this situation: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” I am unsure if this post is the right thing or the wrong thing, but it is most assuredly not nothing!

The good news is that Halloween is nearly here, and I have something in the works that will probably be more timely next week than this one anyway.

So admit it – you have better things to do than sit around reading blogs on Friday morning. Both my late German mother and Theodore Roosevelt would agree: you have things to do, so hop to it! Bully!

27 thoughts on “Move Along, Nothing To See Here”

  1. Great post! I’ll admit that I’m going through a stage of having “nothing to say.” I think it has to do with our World being in turmoil. It’s hard to write about happy things when so many are suffering. Still, after 8 years of blogging weekly, it’s become a habit. I “have to” THINK of “something” to write. LOL – I sometimes feel like I work for a newspaper and my weekly deadline is here. I’m sitting in a meeting and I’m asked “What’s YOUR storyline THIS WEEK?” I KNOW I can’t say NOTHING, because I’ll lose my job and I’ll be lectured on… “What have you been doing this ENTIRE time.” Ah… there are others like this. They say they are taking a vacation, won’t talk for 3 weeks, but every day they are connecting. I think we feel if we take a vacation our blogging friends will disappear. We owe it to them to stay present, right. The life of a Blogger! Be safe out there.

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    • Oh now, I cannot believe that someone who goes by brilliantviewpoint has nothing to say! 🙂

      Isn’t it funny how some days there are so many ideas that you can’t write them all down, and other days you are scrambling to make a (self-imposed) deadline.

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      • So true. I think back to College days where we had so many term paper deadlines and I vowed and was excited to think, “Once I graduate, NO MORE DEADLINES.” Soon to learn that life is about constant deadlines. How foolish. LOL

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    • I have not. The first of the TR bios spent time on his difficult time in finding a buffalo to shoot, which would have been after so many of them were slaughtered in the hope that no buffalo would mean no indians.

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  3. Having nothing to say, or not having time to say it, are both frustrating but such things happen.

    Looking for recommendations for another audiobook? While I’m reading it hardcover, “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” by William L. Shirer is available in audiobook. It’s 57 hours, 12 minutes long. The book is excellent.

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    • That book was on my mother’s bookshelf during my childhood and I adopted it as an adult. I read it in the late 80s, and it was an excellent read. I need to add it to my list now. I have found a new perspective when I read something now compared to when I read the same book in my 20s.

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    • I am sitting in a parking lot in St Louis, killing some time at the moment. Shirer’s book is available for free from my local library and I have put myself in line to get it.

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      • I just got to page 900 or so, where Hitler wanted the US to declare war on Germany before he did so on the US. It is indeed a fascinating book.

        Like you, I am seeing this from a fresh perspective as one fresh into his 50s as opposed to being in my 20s or 30s.

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  5. Hmm, most of what I know about TR I learned from Robin Williams in Night at the Museum. So I’ll look forward to your summary of 80+ hours of reading.

    On our recent trip to South Bend with another couple, we listened to Malcolm Gladwell’s 6 part series on gun control (on Spotify or YouTube). Now to tip my hand I’m a liberal Canadian who things guns should be rare in the first place, but I learned something in each episode, about both sides of the debate. You may learn something or at least occasionally sing out “JOHN KNIGHT!!!!” in your truck cab.

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    • That would be an interesting listen.

      One thing I learned about TR was that he was more than a little put out about the British Crown controlling what he thought would naturally make several additional northern states. 🙂

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  6. I’m just finishing the book ‘The Splendid and the Vile’ by Erik Larson. The story of Churchill, family etc during the blitz. Well written and a lesson of how much people can achieve during war if their leader can inspire them. There is an audio book version, I see.
    The book seems timely right now with what is going on in the Ukraine and Israel. There seems to be no end to evil people in the world…

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  7. Of course this is one of the few times that I actually remembered to check your blog on a Friday!

    If you’re diving deeply into Theodore Roosevelt material, I highly recommend a visit to his Elkhorn Ranch site in North Dakota. I’m a big TR enthusiast, and a few years ago we spent a week at Roosevelt National Park. The Elkhorn Ranch site (the ranch house is long gone) is a Unit of the National Park, though its far removed from the park’s main portions. It’s accessible by driving down an unpaved road for about 35 miles – the road can be a bit rough and rutted in places, but we had no problem in our minivan. (Though from what I understand, 4wd is a good idea if it’s rained recently.) Anyway, it was wonderful to be someplace that I’d read so much about.

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    • Aha, but there is a handy “subscribe” link that will deliver a crisp, fresh copy into your email box each Friday morning!

      Elkhorn would be a great place to visit, as would be Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay, NY.

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  10. With my wife into horses I know the German mindset well. Germans work hard, and it’s tough to turn their frowns into grins but once you get to know them? Great people. Have to ask, where does “Bully!” come from, Roosevelt? I’ve heard it used a couple of times but have no clue of the origin or context.

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    • TR used “Bully!” like people in the 70s would use “Super!” or “Fantastic!” as a one-word explanation. Or in a sentence, it could be “that was a bully time!” or maybe “a bully good time” for a really fun experience.

      I have a brother in law whose family is of German stock. He is fond of the expression “you can always tell a German, but you can’t tell him much.” 🙂

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