You know, I can’t really believe my life.

I’ve never really been able to…well, for at least the latter half of it. The twists of fate and fortune (and occasionally misfortune) that lead me to incredible adventures, experiences and people, are often difficult to comprehend, to appreciate. And then there are those adventures themselves. I don’t – for a second – think that my life and times are any more note (or blog) worthy than any other person’s. I don’t think my experiences or perspectives are any more special or valid than anyone else’s, just as I don’t think I’M any more special than anyone else. I simply like to write about them more than most.

And also I find myself NEEDING to write about them. So often in my life – especially lately maybe – I find myself sitting back going…”wow!...did that REALLY happen to me?” Perhaps my barometer – my level of normalcy – is still set in the narrow, humdrum, white-bread, middle-class world of my youth – and thus ANYTHING outside of that experience seems amazing to me.

Either way, my life experiences in adulthood often spin me out – baffle me, bamboozle me, delight me. Even the bad stuff (and I’ve had my fair share) I appreciate, because it helps me understand depth of feeling and the perspective for valuing my usual great fortune in life.

Since I attained self-awareness, the ability and tendency to reflect on myself and my situations, I’ve been a chronic overanalyser. It’s not always a good thing. Sometimes I look at a situation or a feeling in such detail, that I miss the overall picture. More simply – the classic idiom – I can’t see the forest for the trees. Maybe it’s true that I’m self-aware to the point of cluelessness. So overly intellectually articulate that I actually become stupid about the reality of life.

And yet (as wonderful as it is) is tough being me. I’m constantly delighting in all the world has to offer me that I seldom stop analyzing it. As well as enjoying and loving my life, my mind is constantly scanning, cataloguing, reviewing, and filing little bits of it. Rarely does my mind switch off and simply relax.

It’s simply too excited – too THRILLED – by life to consider that.

If you read further into this blog, the main thing you’ll find that interests me is…well…human relations. Pretty much what interests us all. I guess I just enjoy analyzing and recording my thoughts on the topic a little more than most. I love looking at ALL aspects of human relationships, but I guess what interests me most – and relates to my own experiences – is the infinite mystery of male/female relationships. But I love the psychology of friendships and family too, and of any relationships involving power and authority. I’m also fascinated by cultural diversity around the world, and especially the way people have always grasped for meaning in their lives though vicarious escapades like religion, music, art, fables, stories, and lately, movies and television. I’m not a huge fan of sport, but people’s reaction to it does interest me. I love Mother Nature beyond reason, but in its very perfection I find it not as ripe for dissection as the foibles of humanity. Neither is science, but I do find it fascinating too. But I guess at the top of my trivial pursuit categories will always be literature and movies – the main media on this planet that I love to watch and dissect. You’ll find all this and more in the blog, along with another way I love to capture life – photography.

I’m crap at photography but occasionally get lucky with a decent shot. The sheer volume of pics I’ve snapped in my life reflects perhaps an obsession to achieve the obviously impossible – to “bottle life” – to keep an unattainable hold on all the wonderful times I’ve had and places I’ve been through an irrational system of memorabilia retention. Part of this is done by hoarding all manner of rubbish, but my favourite methods are photography, and – of course – by writing.

I love writing.

If I have the time, the patience, and the discipline (and given some requirement or limitation), I believe I have the ability to write succinctly, orderly and concisely. But considering I usually only write for my own amusement and vicarious need, my writing is usually rambling, undisciplined, stream-of-consciousness stuff.

This blog is primarily intended as a backup storage facility for all my crappy writings and a way to keep the links to my various photo sites and profiles and favourite sites in one cyberspaceplace. So…even though it’s by me, about me, and for me…I hope you will find something to enjoy within...

Use the tree on the right to navigate your way around.

Just be aware that one reason I chose Eponym is their gift of adding huge text attachments. So if you are interested in reading in detail about a particular subject, click on the attachment link. Lots of stuff there.

I hope you enjoy it.

Some – I’m sure – have been bored. But most of the feedback I get is cool. Thus – like a few other kind readers, I hope you find something interesting, illuminating, even inspirational inside. We’re all friends, right? All got something to teach each other? That’s what I reckon’ anyway.

One disclaimer before I ramble off.

My writings are very open and honest and (mostly) uncensored. Some of my stories, thoughts and morals might be considered offensive by some narrow-minded folk. If there’s a chance that you are one of those, I’m sorry if my openness causes offence. On the other hand I welcome any feedback - positive but especially negative - and if my writings don’t open other minds, then I’d certainly welcome something that might open my own. Additionally, in my writings, if I am critical, perhaps the person I am most critical against is myself. But my writings wouldn’t be honest or complete if I didn’t occasionally say something negative about someone that has crossed my path from time to time. I have also found that – even if I write 99 glowingly positive pages about a person and only one negative page – that the recipient of those negative thoughts will feel unflattered by and dismiss the 99 pages of praise and get grumpy about the single page of criticism. Human nature I guess. All I can say – if you begrudge the occasional negative word about yourself – then there’s probably good reason why those words hit home. And also…remember…it’s just my opinion.

OpinionS I should say. Lots of opinions. Lots of perspectives. Lots of adventures. Lots of laughs. Some tears.

So…in the words of the band Simple Plan:  “Welcome to my life”... Or more specifically – my blog.

And in the words of my favourite character from my favourite movie ever:

“Sometimes I amaze even myself…”

Or from the same character, even more succinctly:

“Hey!!! It’s ME!!!”