Why Oh Why?

Don't say it. I already know "blogs" are generally pointless, vapid exercises in self-indulgence and narcissism. I never quite understood why all these people bothered to post a glorified diary consisting mainly of links to other glorified diaries accompanied by such insightful comments as "Hee hee! BlogGirl71 said something really cool!"

So why am I inaugurating my very own version of this silly new mania?

As the indispensable John Belushi put it in Animal House, "(Belch) Why not?" Or maybe you prefer Ring Lardner: "'Shut up,' he explained."

No? Well, all right. The truth is, I've recently embarked on an aggressive modernization project. In recent weeks, I've acquired both a new laptop computer and a wireless Internet router. That means I need something to do while I sit in the living room, at the kitchen table, or out on my balcony surfing the 'net in style.

Another quasi-justification is that a good number of my friends now live in far-flung places and, being the lazy slob that I am, a stupid blog seems like the most effortless way of "staying in touch."

But the main reason is that I'm self-indulgent and narcissistic, too.