Can you hear it?

Listen. You hear it, don't you?

Phshwiiit. Swiish. Floop.

That's the sound of bloggers everywhere pulling pants on over their boxers! That's right - we're wearing clothes! It's time to gear up for Autumn.

Listen! The sound is louder now. More bloggers must be waking up and donning their gay apparel. It's such a beautiful thing. Someone should put words to it and make a song.

Phshwiiit. Swiish. Floop.

The sounds of the season. How I love them!

Brisk air brings meaningful change for bloggers

With great solemnity and even more dignity, bloggers across the country are switching gears as cooler air reaches their environs. Actually, we change more than gears.

At this time each year, we do what the Official Blogger Code says we must -- we put away our boxer shorts and T-shirts and slip into some comfy sweats. Some bloggers are so motivated by the temperature change that they vacuum the Cheeto bits out of their keyboards. Meh. I just turn mine over and shake it. Let the others engage in frills; I'm ready to go.

First Skeptember, then Octogre. These are the months of change. Bloggers, take a deep breath and feel the power. We. Are. Bloggers!!!

"Blog like a Republican" Day

This could be fun. Let's set aside one day each year where all sensible bloggers toss our rationality out the window and blog like a Republican.

It could be great fun. We could, for instance, write two (or three or four) conflicting posts in one day. We could "misspeak" and do all sorts of hilarious things. But mostly, it would be a contest to see who could come up with the most scurrilous, inane reasoning for a wrong-headed action.

Just think of the possibilities!

Don we now our homey apparel

I feel them: those cool breezes coming down the pike. After a summer of suffocating heat they're finally here and it's exciting. I sense a world of possibilities in those breezes, as if life is ready to roll.

But of course, the change of seasons is significant for all northern bloggers. For in the Autumn, in accordance with longstanding Blogger Traditions, we make The Change.

Yes, throughout the hot summer months we toiled in our pajamas (or even less, if truth be told; okay, a lot less), pounding our keyboards and struggling each day to put out good, interesting prose for our zillions of readers. But now the cool breezes have arrived. And with great excitement, every northern blogger is reaching into his or her closet today to retrieve . . . The Garment.

Rejoice! It is time for the Annual Donning of the Robes! The instant we slip our arms into the inviting, terrycloth sleeves we feel the power! Now we're ready for winter blogging. And so it goes every Autumn, as we return to our keyboards refreshed and renewed by the simple, nubby presence of The Robes. 

All hail The Robes! Oh, the power! 

Blogging reminds me of literate friendships

You don't understand blogging until you actually do it. There are so many side issues that come up, and they're a big part of the experience. One of those is relations between your blog and other blogs. Now that's something I never even considered before I began to blog.

People comment on your blog and you comment on theirs. It just happens. On the one hand, it creates a relationship between you and the other bloggers -- but it also proves to be a relationship between the blogs themselves. Their commenters see your comments and visit your blog, and your commenters see their profiles and visit their blogs. It just grows.

In the end, your blog becomes friends with other blogs. They're different, of course; no blog is a mirror of your own, and really, you wouldn't want that, would you?. The differences are enjoyable. "Ah, my friend thinks differently about this. Interesting." You do indeed develop a relationship with the other blog, and it colors your comments. You try to comment in a way that will fit their blog -- which is not always an easy thing to do. For instance, they may not be out as gay or atheist. You find yourself trying to conform to their blog's parameters. Now, doesn't that sound like a relationship?

These considerations bring to mind a book I read long ago and loved. "84, Charing Cross Road" is a bibliophile's dream: a book about books, at least in part. It's about the author, Helene Hanff, an American, and her actual written communications with a gentleman bookseller in England. They wrote to each other for many years.

As Hanff wrote about the books she was interested in buying, and expressed her pleasure at the volumes he'd already sent, the two developed a relationship that became more and more meaningful as the years passed. Their relationship is exquisite, and their words are a joy to read. In her letters, Hanff often stated that she planned to visit England to meet her correspondent. Alas, he dies before she can make the trip. 

They came to know one another through words alone. This reminds me so much of how we bloggers relate to each other. Through our words we come to know each other, and I think that's a fine thing.

So: a shout-out to all the bloggers I've met during these three short months of blogging. (And in case you don't notice, this is the closest I'll come to saying Happy Valentine's Day.)

PS: This morning, I accidentally deleted this post, which sounded fabulous last night. I just cobbled this together from memory. I promise the original one was much, much better. Grrrrrrrr!