Folks regularly write to me to tell me they appreciate that I\u2019m accessible on this blog, and the letters I\u2019m getting are both encouraging and in need of a little bit of a response. The first thing I want you to know is this: I\u2019m an ordinary guy. So, when you write to this ordinary guy, here are some things he would appreciate:
\nThe reason I have my e-mail available on the sidebar is because I\u2019m not too busy. Lots of letters start with this: \u201cI know you\u2019re busy, and I\u2019ll understand if you\u2019re too busy\u2026\u201d. Guess what? I\u2019m probably no busier than you, and in fact I might be less busy. So, I suggest you strike that comment because that way I won\u2019t have to write to you and say, \u201cHey, friend, I\u2019m not too busy.\u201d
\nBut, there\u2019s one thing you\u2019ve got to be careful of: my father\u2019s dad was from Scotland and so my parents came up with the annoying little trick of spelling my first name with only one \u201ct\u201d. So, my name is \u201cScot\u201d and not \u201cScott.\u201d My mom and dad were big on this spelling, so when I was in kindergarten the first time (I get held back \u2014 that\u2019s another story), on the first day, the teacher wrote all of our names on the board and asked everyone to erase their name when it was their turn. Well, there I was staring at the board, the only one who had not yet gone forward to erase a name, and my teacher wondering just how dense I was. Denseness was not my problem. My not going up there to erase \u201cScott\u201d from the board was a sign of my independent streak. My name was not there: it read \u201cScott\u201d and not \u201cScot.\u201d That was the beginning of the end for me: a kindergarten dropout.
\nPlenty write me about other blogs or to suggest topics, and these have been helpful for all of us. So, keep the ideas coming. If you yourself have a blog post you think is really good, say so: I won\u2019t see you as bragging, and I won\u2019t tease you on Weekly Meanderings, and you\u2019ll realize that lots of my links on Saturday come from folks making suggestions.
\nIf you comment and refer to someone else\u2019s blog where there is a fuller discussion or to a book or magazine article, help us out by giving a thumbnail summary. It helps all of us.
\nIf you get a little worked up and say some things you shouldn\u2019t in the comment box, I\u2019ll write you a personal e-mail. I hope you don\u2019t get upset, but know that on my blog I have to maintain what I think is a proper courtesy. I\u2019m not perfect, but that\u2019s the way it is. In nearly every case those to whom I write have been gracious about the decisions I\u2019ve had to make.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Folks regularly write to me to tell me they appreciate that I\u2019m accessible on this blog, and the letters I\u2019m getting are both encouraging and in need of a little bit of a response. The first thing I want you to know is this: I\u2019m an ordinary guy. So, when you write to this ordinary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1741],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing-blogging"],"yoast_head":"\n