BitterSweetLife

I was thinking that some of this blog’s new arrivals are probably still getting oriented to this place’s verve and freshness, and therefore certain crucial phrases are probably lost on them. Hopefully they’ve figured out the specific connotations that “bittersweet” has, but there are other concepts, not so clearly spelled out, which are nonetheless essential to this blog’s identity. Concepts like Posts Of Substance.

Sound vaguely familiar? Brave traveler, read on.

The genesis of the P.O.S. dates back to last winter, when this blog was having a kind of identity crisis as I sat nearby and held its hand. BitterSweetLife was in the middle of growing pains, struggling with the question of whether to “go pop.” Seemed like everyone else was doing it, and I wasn’t convinced that the blogosphere was conducive for overly thoughtful writing. (Actually, I’m still not convinced.) Needless to say, the fate of the blog hung in the balance.

Fortunately, it came down on the side of depth (ideally), true-to-life humor (usually), and sound philosophical principle (at least in theory). In other words, BitterSweetLife would not go pop, it would go thud, aiming for muscle mass over a manicure. The relevance of the Post Of Substance is obvious.

In reaction to a plethora of cotton-candy posts, I determined to defy the cultural trend and write on topics more consequential than new apparel and latest bizarre personality survey. I would advance my anti-fluff cause with intentionally thoughtful entries, and I would call them Posts Of Substance. (Here's the first one documented, with additional bragging here.)

I knew the cost would be high. A lot of people would continue feeding their e-junk-food addictions, consigning BitterSweetLife to the realm of “Hey, sorta cool but too much for me, ya know!?” But so be it.

The die was cast, and it may still be rolling, but you won’t see me shaking it up again. Posts Of Substance, at least on a semi-regular basis, are here to stay.