Comin' From Where I'm From

The Internets,

Well, I suppose an introduction's in order, although I'm not precisely sure how to pull this off.

I guess I could start by sharing how I decided on what is certain to be an arduous endeavor. I mean, it certainly warrants justification, doesn't it? It takes a great deal of courage (or a rather revealing measure of grandiosity, but whatevs) for an initially young and obscure writer to put their work--and really, themselves--out there for public consumption. As if the quotidian pressures of self-critique aren't enough, there's the added requirement of shameless, constant self-promotion. (Not to mention the certain recriminations of your humble writer about all of this, in ten years or so.) But nevermind all of that; we've already started the blogger account. The die has been cast.

This is a political corner, first and foremost. I'm only 20, but I've been a political junkie really for many years now. In that vein, the start of a blog doesn't come as much of a surprise. I have experience writing letters to the editor to the local paper; proselytizing in essays while desperately trying to stay within the assigned topic; and sparsely posting on a few blogs throughout the years. As a tenth grader, I even held a sign near a polling station in support of John Kerry's marvelous and inspirational quest for the presidency.

The current political situation is, alas, so lamentable that's it gotten to be a little more involved than all the aforementioned stuff. This republic of ours is at a crossroads, and I can't help but to be on the scene, furiously scribbling down my every sardonic thought. This is History, baby, happening right outside my window, and I'll be damn if I let it pass me by for watching Zsa Zsa Gabor on Dancing with the Stars or whatever the hell passes for decent entertainment (with hideously high ratings) these days.

Before divulging a little more about myself, I should note that there is a level of manipulative, ass-covering calculation in how I plan to conduct this blog. First off, my name is "Jack Landsman," but not really. Also: I hail from a little historic town called Savannah on the old plantation of Georgia; and I attend "Gotham College" here in Savannah, and sit behind Commissioner Jim Gordon's eldest son in British Literature. (Tee hee.)

The most expedient and colorful way to describe my ideological persuasion--without getting too much into it; there's plenty of time for that--is to say I'm a populist, contrarian liberal.

Although I'm not entirely sure which career path I will eventually embark on, I think it's fair to predict it will heavily involve the discipline of writing. And this seems like a pretty solid start. Cheers.

Yr. Obt. Svt,

Jack