Reader Comments

Sometimes the most interesting part of a publication is the reader mail. As a veteran blogger, I am, myself, the grateful recipient of notes from readers. For every BillsWeek entry, there can be anywhere from one reader comment to, oh, more than one. Most come through Facebook, some from the little comment box on the blog itself, and others come in regular email. While I try to respond to each individually, the BillsWeek staff is sometimes a little overwhelmed and I don't always succeed. Plus some are anonymous so I can't respond directly. A sampling follows. In the interest of full disclosure, some of these are paraphrased, a few are combinations of multiple messages, and some I just made up. So here we go.

What advice would you give to an aspiring blogger?

The amazing thing about our internet age is that anyone can publish just any crap they want to, without regard to quality or socially redeeming value. So if you want to blog, go ahead and do it. There's nothing to stop you but shame.

Why do you always write about your stupid cats? Don't you have a life?

Well, to the later question, that's debatable. The answer to the former is that my cats are the cutest and the prettiest, and they are the pillars around which the whole world revolves. If you don't believe me, just ask one of them.

When are you going to go on another extended mystery road trip? It was especially fun to guess where you were by the clues you put on Facebook.

I very much enjoyed my 2010 summer trip through Kentucky, Illinois, and points Midwestern. I hope to do another like it, perhaps up north somewhere. Meanwhile, there are other mysteries I could write about. What will I have for dinner? What's that spot on my neck? Will Jules really marry Grayson?

I'm not so sure we need to hear about all of your deviant life-style choices.

You mean my decision to become Episcopalian? Hey, I don't write about half the deviant stuff I do.

Do you have a good recipe for meatloaf?

Yes.

Why do you always assume that all Republicans are bad people?

I try to avoid using words like "always" and "never." Not all Republicans are bad, just the vast overwhelming majority of them.

Why don't you publish new entries in BillsWeek more often?

I appreciate that you want more. Thank you for the complement. I'll try to do better.

When can we do lunch?

Call me.

I disagree with your assessment about the number of cats portrayed on TV. Please cancel my subscription immediately.

Um... BillsWeek doesn't really have subscriptions, but, uh, I’ll give your request all the consideration it deserves.

Mr. Calkins: Thank you for having your car serviced at Tynan's Nissan. Please click below to take a customer satisfaction survey.

Done.

I notice that you sometimes end sentences with a preposition. That is improper. You need to set a better example.

Language is a tool that helps us to communicate, and it is best when communication occurs in a standard form so that we can understand each other. Sometimes, however, the tyranny of the language experts who delight in correcting what everyone else says becomes oppressive and even interferes with communication. Perhaps, more succinctly, I should just say, bite me.

You often say that we are living in the future. What does that mean?

Ah, young readers, what times we live in (yes, I wrote that for the benefit of the previous commentor). Imagine a world where we carry our phones with us everywhere we go. From a 1970s perspective (the 1970s were my formative years), that's pretty futuristic. In other words, I'm old. I came of age in the last century. The year 2012 was once impossibly far away, and now, amazingly, we are here.

 So there you have it dear readers. I hope you are as stimulated by this exchange of ideas as I am. Keep those comments coming! You never know - you might see yourself in the blog someday.