Goodbye, I’d Really Like To Stay

The title of this long overdue blog is a take-off on the autobiography of Groucho Marx, and the theme song for his character Dr. Spaulding in the classic Marx Brothers film ‘Animal Crackers,’ titled, ‘Hello, I Must Be Going.’

At the time Groucho wrote the book, he was much older and was taking a look back at his life and career in only a way he could, with much humor. While not quite ready to check out, like all of us, he knew it was coming, thus the title.

For me, I couldn’t think of anything else to call this blog. After starting my blogging career with little fanfare and reasonably regular blogs, I went dry. Not that I had anything to say in the first place, but at least it was a creative outlet for whatever was on my mind. I’ve had plenty on my mind since, but not the inclination to write about it.

I’m also supposed to be contributing articles to my local paper, but that hasn’t amounted to much output either. It’s not that I haven’t sat down and tried to write something, but everything of late has, well, pretty much sucked. This will probably suck also, but at least I’m giving it a go.

There is so much that I should probably be doing. Actually, there is no probably about it. I’m trying my damndest, in spite of myself, to become a photographer. I’ve gotten some work, some accolades, and I pretty much know what I should do, but for whatever reason, I  have not made the final push.

I’m very conservative by nature, and very practical. I try to make sure that my family and the household is taken care of before I can even think about the investment needed to do what I need to do. I’m not going into all of the gory details of what that is, but it will require a major investment in time, money, and belief in myself.

So what in the hell does this have to do with the title of the blog? Well, I’m not dying, at least not in the near future, so I guess it’s about sticking around awhile longer, and accomplishing what I think God wants me to do. I look around at the world and what it is I’m good at, and what’s available for me to do, (less sorting mail or stocking groceries,) and all I can see is photography and writing. Perhaps my former career as a building inspector will be an option when the housing inventory is finally in equilibrium and builders start to build. I’m not holding my breath for that option.

So here it is, time to ‘shit or get off the pot’ as my momma used to tell me. I got off the pot years ago, so it must be time to shit. Maybe that should have been the title of the blog?