Welcome to the Blogger Spotlight Interview. This week we have Ross from Ross Coburn taking part.
If you would like to take part, and your blog is under six months old, or has been re-launched in the last six months, please email me randommusings29@gmail.com
1 Firstly, tell us a little bit about yourself
Before I dive into these questions, I’d just like to apologize in advance to anyone who has an aversion to lengthy, wordy, sometimes slightly unfocused replies. I don’t do quick sound bites, though I am trying to get a handle on that talent, for both artistic and practical reasons.
I’m admittedly more than a bit strange. I was born hyperlexic (reading at an advanced level, if not with the maturity to go with it) from the age of 2, undiagnosed (at the time) autistic, and otherwise pretty thoroughly socially retarded. I avoided school, at first because I was pretty badly tormented there, later because I found myself resisting being told what, how, when and where I would learn, being content to lose myself in books and an overly vivid imagination.
As I grew into my teens, I discovered BBSing (precursor to the popularization of the Internet, pretty much the genesis of social media), where I was part of a number of communities, connecting with a 1200 band modem to an old PC clone running DOS and with an amber monochrome monitor. This was back in 1986, and it was a lot more engaging than it sounds now.
I graduated to Macintosh and the (pre–Google) Internet in 1992 while serving as the editor in chief of the college newspaper, while not actually attending many classes, though I did gravitate to a couple of professors.
One, Thomas Fischer, who was a smirking, condescending sort (though not to me) sparked my interest in Media Studies in general, while another, Chandra Prakash, planted the seeds of certain notions of his involving the interrelation between language and thought that influenced me greatly going forward.
Being pretty much self–educated has the occasional perk, such as having come to more than a couple of big topics completely without preconception, which has, as in the case of cranky old Greek bastard Heraclitus (on whom I just published my first book) led me to some pretty profound insights, ones I am convinced I would never have tripped over had I had any kind of expectations going into my studies (Michelangelo is another.) If I am throwing around big names there, though, it’s not because I’m that special, it’s because my subjects pretty much had to be ones casting huge shadows to attract my attention in the first place.
The downsides, on the other hand, are predictable and many. I’m pretty much illiterate where the sciences are concerned, with a few exceptions, mainly Einstein, who had such a talent for putting his incredibly complex theories in layman’s terms even I can grasp. But it’s decidedly an uphill battle to, say, get noticed or taken seriously when presenting the first ever (as far as I can tell, and the biographies report) coherent and comprehensive take on Heraclitus in 2,500 years without so much as a PhD to back me up.
Luckily in that case, the words pretty much confirm themselves, but as a general rule, I try to keep my writing, book(s) or blogging, to topics I feel comfortable that I have a firm enough handle on to be able to opine and possibly offer value, or new perspectives.
Not that I get noticed or read much, and thank you for this (additional) exposure, I appreciate your kindness and interest tremendously.
Other than that, I’m Canadian, a Montrealer by birth and inclination. I’m disabled, and live pretty modestly, but money and material gain has never been an especially strong motivator for me.
2 What is your blog’s name and what is it about?
My blog, which is part of my author’s site is cleverly titled Food for Thought, and subtitled Stray Notions.
If it has a unifying theme, I’d have to say it’s best described as social commentary, or agitating for social change on a number of fronts, all pretty much relating to human decency, addressing issues I feel need attention, and with occasional, less strident forays into whatever strikes me as being worth sharing, or that I would like to have seen.
It started with an open letter to Stephen Hawking titled ‘Philosophy Is Always Relevant, which I originally published on Medium.
I do tackle some potentially uncomfortable subjects, such as the US flag’s being rooted in a symbol of slavery, or alternative forms of relationships and practices, looking to de–stigmatize sex and sexuality being one of my favourite topics to bang on, but I’ve also thrown out little nibblets such as the first (and only) poem I’ve ever written, which had a fairly surreal reception that I didn’t go into because some things kind of beggar belief, even for me, and I know what happened.
I’ve also tried an open letter to Tim Cook. I’m a life–long Apple person, and have, I think, something of value to offer them (free, even) but in another example of my being somehow unable to engage, I’ve never heard from anyone there, excepting a brief exchange with Steve Jobs, sadly before I ever noticed his famous quote about Socrates, and I ridiculously found myself, while parsing Heraclitus, finding new context for Socrates, who did after all study under the cranky old bastard.
I’d really have loved for Jobs to see my book. It would have blown his mind, but no one else seems likely to help get it read, which I will be using my blog to try and achieve, excerpts, essays on certain teachings, etc.
Really, it’s just a place for me to type up a lot of things I’ve been known to wear my friends or families’ ears out concerning, and just doing it once and posting it publicly saves me a lot of re–typing the same stuff every time I end up conversing or, I admit, sometimes lecturing or just ranting on those familiar numbers.
Oh, I also came out as being queer, pretty much on a whim one day, and I’ve blogged on consumer protection issues… Well, just one so far, when I was surprised to learn that most people don’t know that their electronics purchases get extended warranty, for free, if bought with a credit card. Trying to save the world most of the time, but I’ll settle for trying to save people a few dollars too, if I can. I’m not proud.
3 Why did you decide to start a blog?
Partly out of loneliness, really. I live in isolation, not much human contact in the ‘real world’, and I guess I’d like to be known and maybe understood better than I have been.
And partly because, as I mentioned, I’ve been known to invest a lot of energy thinking about or discussing these topics, and it just started to make sense to put them down as part of the public record, as it were.
And, embarrassingly, partly because as I was beginning to think about how to get my book (books, eventually, though I hope to land a traditional publishing deal for the next one) seen, and word out there, and the ‘social media branding experts’ on Twitter, ugh, like Tim Ferris and Jeff Goins were all adamant that a blog was a requirement, one of the foundations of ‘building your tribe’.
I’ve since tuned them out… They seem very successful at what they do, which seems to me to be promoting themselves under the guise of helping their readers replicate that success, for a modest fee of course…
Well, I pretty much suck at self–promotion and capitalism, but once I got the blog put up, I started to get fond of it, though it hasn’t been too active the last month or so while I finished the book. But I have my next topic, just need to look up a bunch of numbers.
It’ll be an argument (or many) in favour of legalizing, regulating and otherwise putting an end to the War On Drugs. Nothing that hasn’t been said before, but I’ve got my spin and some ideas might merit repeating.
4 Do you have any goals for your blog?
Goals is such a concrete, ambitious sounding word. But I guess pretty much, as I’ve written, to communicate with people, make connections, try to offer notions to chew on, in a less instant five second, 140 (actually 280, that was a definite improvement in my eyes) character sound bite environment.
And, you know, to eventually have a library of my thoughts, peeves, hopes and wishes that may not exactly outlast me (when I’m gone, I doubt anyone else will pay the Internet bills), but if I manage to engage some people, to touch on things that matter to folks, particularly ‘different’ or marginalized or otherwise recognizable to me as having some things in common, that would be spiffy.
Oh, and if it does eventually help me get both my obligation (Heraclitus—Nimis Obscurē) and my aspirations (all future books, as I will be getting to experience writing what I want to, in ways I’d like to try, from more non–fiction to maybe trying my hand at a novel… I have the bones of one rattling around in my mind) more widely known and read, that would be nice too.
I don’t expect to become a millionaire writing, but I wouldn’t object if it at least covered my expenses as far as domain, site, analytics tools and Grammarly maybe even… That would be convenient.
5 Tell us one random fact about you
After all this nattering, what might be left? Hmm. Well, I am both physically disabled (diabetic neuropathy, and some really painful damage to the ligaments and tendons in my wrists and hands, which is not ideal for a writer, I assure you, and makes my tendency to ramble on like this all the more puzzling, since it really is a form of self–abuse) and mentally so as well.
In addition to being on the spectrum I have, or so the most recent thinking is, what is known as Borderline Personality Disorder, as well as a pretty heavy case of ADHD. I medicate for that last, as I really need to be able to focus to write, much less function, but otherwise I keep as away from the assortment of psych meds people prescribe. You can get lost in that stuff, and while it may work for some (and I hope it does for most), I guess I’d just rather be me, on my own terms, than the person I didn’t really recognize when I was giving them a try.
Oh, and as far as I have been informed, I am (was) apparently a reasonably distant cousin of Kurt Cobain’s, but I didn’t learn this until a few years ago, rather too late I’m afraid.
6 What is the best piece of blog related advice you have received so far?
To be better at organizing my blog posts. You know, sub–headers as topic guidelines, and trying to be less dense in my writing them. I’m working at it, but I am getting the sense that a lot of people just want, if not sound bites, maybe lighter reads, something to peruse while peeing, or over coffee.
Really, I’m willing to try a lot of things if it results in shares and comments above all. I’d like my blog to be a dialogue, a conversation, not a one–way broadcast.
7 What is your favourite thing about blogging?
Imagining who might be reading, that something I say might make a difference, be it profound or just a good chuckle.
The feeling of sharing, of this being my corner to put things out, whereas I spend most of my online time participating in others’ efforts. I really do appreciate the time and care other bloggers put into getting their notions out there, and some really do it with style, flair, or just a genuine need to share.
8 Is there anything you would do differently if you were starting over knowing what you know now?
Oh, Hell. So. Many. Things.
But maybe, to pick one, I’d put some effort into the whole tribe building notion, finding people who are on similar wavelengths would be a joy. And being better at identifying just who it is I am trying to reach. Know your audience and all.
Well, I’m pretty socially retarded and, sadly, a bit of a special snowflake (not necessarily, or even particularly in a good way, mind), so I don’t always know where to turn, and I worry that I might alienate the people I most want to reach, or help.
9 Anything else you’d like to share with us?
Just that I really appreciate the platform, again, and hope that maybe you get some engagement out of it, and maybe I do too, and that just the possibility of that makes some of the harder days or darker thoughts worth it. Thank you so much for offering this platform, not just for me, but I look forward to seeing who else is out there and what they have to say.
And if you’re ever looking to guest blog, I hope I’ll eventually have the kind of traffic that would make that a good opportunity for you, and please consider that door to be open in perpetuity.
10 Where can we find you? (blog link and links to any social media)
My website, Facebook, and Twitter.
I don’t really have much of a presence on the image and video–oriented platforms. Not hard to guess why, since I’ve supplied a pic of me as requested. 😉
I really should get around to getting set up on Goodreads though. In fact, I’ll go do that now and give your readers’ eyes a break.
Cheers!
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