Four more years!

By Shamus Posted Thursday Nov 5, 2009

Filed under: Landmarks 69 comments

I can’t believe I missed it, but a month ago this site turned four years old. I count September 1st as the official birthday of the site. (Although the actual “launch” date is a somewhat abstract idea. I mean, nobody read this thing at the time, and I used timestamps to organize the first posts without regard to when they actually went up. Which didn’t matter anyway because hey, no audience.)

My father was an English major, and a poet by trade. This would confuse people who met him:

“What do you do?”

To which he would answer in his deep, gravely voice, “I’m a poet.”

There would be this little pause, followed by the question, “No, I mean what do you do for a living?”

Dad would smile, “That is what I do for a living.”

This was perhaps overselling things a bit. It was true that poetry was the only work he did, but it didn’t really earn him a proper living in an economic sense. He’d had a massive stroke at 30 which left him partly paralyzed. He spent the next 29 years living alone, slightly impoverished, and moving every couple of years or so to escape the trail of bills and debts that always followed him around.

I didn’t really spend time with him or get to know him until I was entering my teens, and it wasn’t until I was grown that the two of us clicked and became friends.

Dad always said that “poetry is a performance art”. To him, reading poetry to yourself was like reading the script for a play instead of seeing it performed. You can do that if you want, but you’re probably missing out. He self-published books of his work as a way of earning cigarette money, but what he really loved was reading for an audience. Back in the 90’s there was a coffee shop in Slippery Rock which had a weekly poetry… thing. My dad was some sort of local celebrity / folk hero / mentor / crank for the college students who hung out there. The poetry readings were more or less open mic, although there seemed to be some unspoken rule that dad – the only non-student who ever took the stage – was the “headline” act. A few of his followers were musicians, and sometimes they would play backup music while he read.

When I visited him in his dusty, smoke-infused apartment he’d often read me some of his recent work. I could tell it pained him when I didn’t get it. I thought of poetry as just a very roundabout and imprecise form of storytelling. When he was done I’d always ask him who the poem was about or where it took place. If he mentioned a man in his poem, I’d ask if he was anyone I knew. There was this artistic rift between us. He was a poet and an abstract thinker, and I was a computer programmer and a slightly obtuse concrete thinker. I could tell he was always trying to bring me into his world. I guess he wanted me to be a writer. Not intensely, as a father trying to live vicariously through his offspring, but in a more casual, “It would be cool if you were into this” sort of way. We got along well enough, and we were both more amused than frustrated at the ways we didn’t understand each other.

In the last four years on this blog I’ve discovered, to my own amazement, that I love writing more than I love programming. Or maybe I’ve just finally had my fill of code after three decades. I don’t know. I wrote a book, and I can tell I’ve got another one in my head even if I don’t have the time to set it down right now. I’ve even dabbled in poetry a bit, which would astound the man if he were alive today.

This blog has changed the trajectory of my career, taught me about writing, and given me a better understanding of a man who died five years before I put up the first post. Not bad, as far as unintended consequences go.

I’m glad that during this strange journey you’ve been able to find some entertainment value in it. Thanks for reading.

 


From The Archives:
 

69 thoughts on “Four more years!

  1. Unconvention says:

    Thanks for writing!

    While I enjoy the geekery and the humor, I also enjoy the humanity you expose here from time to time.

  2. Randy Johnson says:

    Been following since the beginning of DMoTR and I have read every single post you’ve made. Your writing over the years has changed drastically

  3. Renacier says:

    Thanks for writing.

    This is seriously the first blog I check everyday because there’s always something interesting to find.

  4. Interestingly I have a sort of similar thing, in that I’ve always liked the idea of being a writer but don’t really excel at it. I’m now a software developer by trade, and I don’t know if I’ll ever switch, but I wanted to be a writer when I was a young boy.

    Anyway, always enjoy your posts!

  5. Tuck says:

    NEVER STOP POSTING.

    That is all! :D

  6. UtopiaV1 says:

    Yours is the only blog I can stand to read. Thank-you for taking the time out of your day to entertain me.

  7. Fede says:

    Thank you for writing!

  8. Ell Jay says:

    No longer an original sentiment, but expressed just as sincerely: thank you for writing.

  9. Mari says:

    As a former college student who attended poetry “things” at some obscure coffee house in Abilene, TX and was even known to share a little of my own poetry, I can tell you that I’m pretty sure your dad would be pretty proud of his literary son. One of the things that’s drawn me here is your obvious love of words.

  10. Mr. Snugglesworth says:

    This is a great website, and I thank you for making it.

    I must admit, I am very new here, but for the past 2 weeks this has been the first and probably only blog I actually check.

  11. Lord Xyfets says:

    Thank you for writing this blog.
    Thank you to Rutskarn for linking to this blog a couple months ago and letting me find it. And for being totally awesome. (Chocolate Hammer for the win!)

  12. Qwertopew says:

    Thanks for writing.
    This blog is one of the sites I read the most, and the only blog that I read EVERTHING on, even if it looks boring, because you Shamus got the rare talent of making everything you write interesting. So please, continue writing this blog as long as you got the time and spirit to put into it.
    I don’t think your dad would understand this kinda writing(when I tell my dad I like to read blogs he aks: “What’s a blog?”), but I’m sure he would feel extra proud that he has a son people will listen to.

  13. Shrikezero says:

    I came here for the DMoTR… I stuck around for some of the humor… I come back again and again and again for the game reviews and design. I look at games in a completely different light since reading your posts.

  14. Gary says:

    It is true, you definitely seem to have gotten something from your dad. I love the style of your writing.

    This is the only blog that I read. I check it daily for updates. I came for the comic, but I stayed for the blog.

  15. Robyrt says:

    This is an excellent blog – I too came for the comic and found out your writing is better. :-)

  16. OddlucK says:

    Personally, I came for the beer. (I’m still waiting on that lifetime supply I was promised.) But, I’m glad I took a look around and found you abound with sound thoughts unbound by round-a-bout hounds of clowned renown. (Sorry, I’m of a languishingly ludicrous linguistic leaning, lately. Loony.)

    Keep up the great work or your fans will revolt and conquer Antarctica! :D

    Actually, I think we should conquer Antarctica. Now. TO ARMS!

  17. asterismW says:

    Echoing all the praise. You have a gift for writing, especially humor. Like so many others, I came for the comic and stayed for the rest of the entertainment.

  18. LintMan says:

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts about your dad. And congrats on hitting the 4 year mark with your blog! Yours is one of the very few blogs I read regularly.

  19. Lee1255 says:

    Great work. I obviously didn’t know him and only know the snippet that you mentioned, but I think your father would be proud.

  20. Vladius says:

    Your blog is a terrific source of insight, commentary, and simple information as to what’s going on. Keep it up.

  21. Girl Gamer says:

    I’ll join the chorus: Thanks for writing. :)

    This is far and away the most consistently thoughtful, thought provoking, and entertaining blog I’ve ever read, with the most respectful and intelligent comment discussions as well.

    I also came for the comic and stayed for the writing. I’m sure your dad would be pleased to see that you’ve become a geek celebrity/folk hero/mentor/crank with your own following. ;) Keep up the great work!

  22. Christopher says:

    I don’t post often, but this is the only blog I read everyday. Anyone else starting to see a pattern here? Keep up the good work!

  23. Fenix says:

    I remember I was going to a D&D session at a friends house and while I was waiting for him to get the pizza I saw your blog on his computer. That was about 2 years ago and I’ve been reading it all ever since. Not one article has been boring. Keep it up until well into your eighties. I’ll still be checking everyday.
    Thanks for writing.

  24. Sydney says:

    He’d be proud. You’re a fuckin’ fantastic writer. Enough said.

  25. lebkin says:

    Thank you. May the next year be your best.

  26. Rutskarn says:

    I guess, as the resident Nixonite, it falls on me to say:

    FOUR MORE YEARS.

    Oh. And, you know, thanks for writing, and stuff. But mostly that keep doing it for another four years thing.

    I was interested by the story about you and your father. I had something of an opposite relationship: my father was a programmer by inclination, and I had trouble wrapping my head around code long enough to stop doodling or screwing around with weird stories. Make no mistake, though, I think my father was as responsible as anyone for instilling in me a love for storytelling and creative endeavor.

    So I guess it’s a bit lopsided, really. He gets what I do, but on some level, I guess I still don’t get what he does. I take a passing sort of interest in code, as it meshes with my interests (vidjagames), but I’m not nearly as taken with it as he is with fiction.

  27. bigpumpkin says:

    This is the sort of post that keeps bringing me back here again and again. More power to your elbow, sir! And if you fancy indulging that newly-found love of writing a bit more, why not sign up for NaNoWriMo next year – I’m making my second attempt on the 50,000 word mountain this month and it’s a lot of fun :-)

  28. Artillery_MKV says:

    Congratulations on finding that connection, even after the fact. It’s connectiveness that makes us human and humane.

    Keep up the good work!

  29. Teldurn says:

    I was about to write out this long, drawn-out post about how I was gonna try and be funny by going ahead and disagreeing with everyone else and their warm-and-fuzzies, but three sentences in I thought, ‘Ah, funk dat noise, who am I kidding? I love this site.’ I, too, came for the comic, stayed for the words.

    Thank you for writing.

  30. Neil says:

    I started reading this site maybe 2 summers ago, and I have been checking daily since. This site is great for talking about techy, nerdy stuff with people who can write intelligently and coherently, and I think thats because of the quality of the blog posts. It inspired me to check out more authors like Shamus, not the least of which is my current love, Neal Stephenson.
    I think your Dad would be proud that you are bringing the written word to people who might not otherwise get too much of it.

  31. stormbringer951 says:

    Thanks for writing for us. I enjoy reading your interesting and thought provoking articles. I’m glad you’ve got some tangible benefits out of writing these. :)

  32. FuguTabetai says:

    I really enjoy your blog, and this post is inspiring. I really respect that your blog has not only a focus (gaming, programming, design, and storytelling in some sort of order) but that it does a very good job explaining these things and making them accessible.

    Makes me ashamed that my blog is basically a “what I had for lunch” blog.

    Keep up the great hobby!

  33. Jonn says:

    Throwing another +1 at the “Came for DMotR, stayed for the great writing”.

    A little surprised that no one made a joke about 4 years running when L4D2 is just around the proverbial corner, though. Maybe its the weird name?

    On a totally unrelated note: great site, great writing, hope to see another 20 years at least. And another webcomic. And more procedural content. And… better stop now.

  34. SoldierHawk says:

    What a lovely story, Shamus. As a non-coder, but ravenous prose/poetry writer, it does my heart good to read a post like this. Hard to believe something as deceptively simple as starting a blog would be the catalyst for so many changes in your life, eh? Writing will do that for you, if you’re dedicated to it.

    Congratulations, and happy birthday to the site!

  35. For some reason I always get you, Shamus, and Joss Whedon mixed up in my head.

    Not because you bear any particular physical resemblance, but because you’re both sensitive, intelligent, thoughtful, creative and amazingly talented individuals.

    Now, will you please go help Joss with “Dollhouse”?

    Leslee
    http://www.serialmmogamy.com

  36. For some reason I always get you, Shamus, and Joss Whedon mixed up in my head.

    Not because you bear any particular physical resemblance, but because you’re both sensitive, intelligent, thoughtful, creative and amazingly talented individuals.

    Now, will you please go help Joss with “Dollhouse”?

    Leslee

  37. mark says:

    You rock. That is all.

  38. unitled says:

    I’ve been a regular reader for over a year now, and your’s is the only blog I continue to read every day… In fact, it’s inspired me to start my own!

    Although I guess your personal beliefs differ in many areas from mine, it doesn’t matter; I see Twenty Sided as a place where people who have certain interests (slash loves, slash obssessions…) gather to enjoy your thoughts!

    Please keep up the good work, and thank you for all the time you’ve spent on us!

  39. Magnus says:

    I can’t even remember when I started visiting here, (a year ago, perhaps two?), but when I started reading your blog I knew I would keep coming back to see your latest musings.

    Long may you continue! Also, let there be cake!

    On the subject of writing and programming, is it not simple to look at language as just a different type of code, one that is not intended to be followed logically but which still elicits a response, usually emotionally.

  40. Nazgul says:

    This gem of a post was a perfect example of why I keep coming back to this blog, which is really the only one I visit on a daily basis. Happy blog birthday!

  41. Peter Olson says:

    Not entirely sure what I first came for. My brother linked me to your site, and I started on the book, the comic, and the blog all about the same time, loving it all. All parts are of excellent quality. It’s the only “personal” blog that I follow, and read every post. I *just* watched Porco Rosso because of the post here, and loved it.
    It’s obvious I loved Free Radical, considering I put in the time to format it into book form just so my brothers friends and mine who don’t read on computers could read it. The book really is just that awesome. Thanks much for the time you’ve put in sharing all this with us!

  42. Brian says:

    You’re the man, man.

  43. Mad Flavius says:

    Congratulations on this most joyous of anniversaries! There is a whole cheering section here at my small liberal arts college who have slowly made Twenty Sided their favorite blog. It’s been a real treat watching your style develop and you slowly find more and more opportunities to share your thoughts with the world–most recently at The Escapist. Many happy returns!

  44. NotYetMeasured says:

    No term limits!

  45. Audacity says:

    For some reason I always get you, Shamus, and Joss Whedon mixed up in my head.

    Not because you bear any particular physical resemblance, but because you're both sensitive, intelligent, thoughtful, creative and amazingly talented individuals.

    Except Shamus doesn’t invent great stories for the sole purpose of eventually drownding them in angst from the second season on. ;)

    Here’s to another four glorious years, Shamus!

  46. Clint Olson says:

    Like many others, I originally came to the site for DMoTR. I remember getting hooked on the blog portion of the site after reading this post and marveling that here was a man who could turn his gallbladder surgery into something that caused me to laugh hard enough to make my college roommate give me strange looks. Shortly thereafter, I went on an archive binge, devouring all of the posts in the video games and “best posts” section. Since then, this site has become the only personal blog I actively follow, reading every post as soon as I see it.

    Of course, it was just gravy once I found Free Radical. It’s still my favorite science fiction book of all time, and I’m honored to have been a part of the effort that got it into print. If indeed Shamus does have another book in him, I for one will be rooting him on every step of the way and poised with credit card in hand should he decide to offer it for sale.

    Happy blogging birthday, Shamus, and may there be many, many happy returns!

  47. Gandaug says:

    Four more years!

  48. Blake says:

    “Came for DMotR, stayed for the great writing”++;

    But seriously you’re one of the funniest writers I know, the only personal blog I read at all, and I’ve been reading every post for a long time now.

    Happy 4th Birthday D20 blog, before you know it you’ll be going to school and scoring highly in both artsy and mathsy classes.

    Good work, keep it up :)

  49. kasper says:

    Happy birthday-ish Twenty Sided! And thank you shamus, for showing me that great writing doesnt have to be from arts majors only. I don’t comment often, but then i don’t even check my email every day, so consider it a great compliment that this post moved me to say something short here.
    I hope I’ll be amazed even more in the next four years :)

  50. Terrible says:

    You’re a good writer, Shamus.

    Personally I enjoy coding more. “I’m no good with words. Don’t use ’em much, myself.”

  51. Feb says:

    I thought of poetry as just a very roundabout and imprecise form of storytelling.

    Ahh, but that’s the thing: poetry, to my mind, is what happens when you start treating words as a precious and limited resource. Me, I suck at it, and I’m much more of an essayist, but I respect poetry. Your dad sounds like he was pretty awesome, and because it was your evocative prose that made that fact so clear, I’m pretty sure he’d be pleased with what you’re doing here. I know I enjoy the heck out of it.

    Thanks for maintaining that same unpretentious, just-for-the-heck-of-it, “it would be cool if you were into this too” style in your writing; it’s one of your very strongest qualities. There are days when this blog is the thing that reminds me it’s a fairly great thing, to be a geek.

  52. Kaeltik says:

    Thanks, Shamus, much appreciated. They’ve been great years. (Also came in during DMotR.)

    PS Thanks to the rest of you. The civility, community, and intelligence here never cease to amaze.

  53. vede says:

    Pretty much agreeing with everyone else here. I love every post you put up here.

    Shamus, you’re the only person I know of on the internet (or in the world, even) that I have a sort of fanboy-ish attraction to. It feels awkward at times, since I’ll find myself talking to my friends about how much YOU liked something, or about the last post on your blog. I don’t really mind it, you’re one cool cat.

    (Actually, this blog is my homepage, since some time a couple years ago I realized this was the first place I always came when I got on the internet.)

  54. neothoron says:

    I’m only visiting your blog since September (was brought in after having read about DMotR on tvtropes.org), but I really appreciate your blog.

    This post is one of two posts that are making me think more and more of blogging myself.

  55. Alex says:

    Thanks for writing. The Internet, and especially the Escapist, would be lesser without you.

  56. beno says:

    there were no spectators athe the beginning of the universe either, but we still count how long since then… 10-15 billion years I think it’s supposed to be

  57. froogger says:

    Congratulations for sticking with it. Congratulations, and thank you. Your blog is a pearl on a beach of pebbles and I am happy to found it. It’s proof that if you keep pursuing the things you love, something good will eventually come of it.

  58. MegaGeek says:

    Thank you. Keep writing.

  59. MisteR says:

    Four more years!

  60. Maddy says:

    Happy anniversary to you and your blog. It has been awesome, and I thank you for it!

  61. MelTorefas says:

    Thanks for sharing that, Shamus. :) It was a nice little bit of insight (and, as ever, very well written). I found it particularly interesting, given that computer code and poetry are my two favorite things to write. XD

  62. Sungazer says:

    Thank you for writing! This is the only blog (outside of LJ) that I read, the other one is by my favorite author.

  63. Kai says:

    Came for the comic, stayed for the writing.

    Even I as a German speaker, who obviously doesn’t have the same awareness of style as a native speaker, am absolutely impressed by what you can do with your words.

    You are gifted. And thank you for sharing this gift with us.

  64. ProudCynic says:

    As long as you’re happy to write, Shamus, I’ll be happy to read. I might even stick my head in the door and say something once in a while.

  65. Cuthalion says:

    Thanks for the four years of magical word goodness. Can’t remember how I found it a couple years back, but it was probably the game design (linked I think from Rampant Coyote, which I found by googling characteristics of a good RPG or something like that).

    ^_^

  66. Thanks for writing this blog! I find your insight into programing and game design to be great!

  67. Patrick The Malcontent says:

    He wouldn’t get it. He would ask if you knew any of these people, WTF is an MMORPG, he would ask why everyone speaks in acronyms like ‘WTF’ and ‘MMORPG’, he would laugh at the celebrated nerdivity (? nerdisms, nerddom)

    But he would probably get a laugh out of it once in a while.

    He wouldn’t think it totally sucked, not all the time anyways…On occasion he might like it…..

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