Folks regularly write to me to tell me they appreciate that I’m accessible on this blog, and the letters I’m 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’m an ordinary guy. So, when you write to this ordinary guy, here are some things he would appreciate:
The reason I have my e-mail available on the sidebar is because I’m not too busy. Lots of letters start with this: “I know you’re busy, and I’ll understand if you’re too busy…”. Guess what? I’m 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’t have to write to you and say, “Hey, friend, I’m not too busy.”
But, there’s one thing you’ve got to be careful of: my father’s dad was from Scotland and so my parents came up with the annoying little trick of spelling my first name with only one “t”. So, my name is “Scot” and not “Scott.” My mom and dad were big on this spelling, so when I was in kindergarten the first time (I get held back — that’s 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 “Scott” from the board was a sign of my independent streak. My name was not there: it read “Scott” and not “Scot.” That was the beginning of the end for me: a kindergarten dropout.
Plenty 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’t see you as bragging, and I won’t tease you on Weekly Meanderings, and you’ll realize that lots of my links on Saturday come from folks making suggestions.
If you comment and refer to someone else’s 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.
If you get a little worked up and say some things you shouldn’t in the comment box, I’ll write you a personal e-mail. I hope you don’t get upset, but know that on my blog I have to maintain what I think is a proper courtesy. I’m not perfect, but that’s the way it is. In nearly every case those to whom I write have been gracious about the decisions I’ve had to make.