Let the Bs begin

BISdom: I just posted a short and not very good blog, which makes me think you should look at that NY Times thing I sent you.

Benis: I already read your blog. And the Opinionator is a pretty decent thought. I'm not sure how interesting we'd be though. Let's try it. Think of something to "opinionate on" and we'll give it a shot.

BISdom: Why don't we start here? We can just discuss the general idea of "The Conversation" (not the Opinionator), and see where it leads us.

So the basic concept is we'd take a topic, like the Cavs/Celtics series or the All-Star game in Arizona or the recent Boondocks episodes, and just chat about it.

The key, though, which might be trickier on your end, is that it should be a well-informed conversation (and we might refer to it as "discussion" to avoid any confusion with "The Conversation"). That means that we should do our research and not simply spout ideas from the hip, awesome though our hips may be.

I was thinking this morning that it could be a different blog, separate from my existing one, so it wouldn't necessarily be subject to the same "rules" that I draconically impose upon myself. Maybe we try to do one per week. Or maybe not. I think it should be relaxed though, again, well-informed. But that could be as simple as watching a single game and maybe doing some follow-up reading about it.

You did say you were looking for things to fill your time now that you're not in school.

Benis: Okay I'll read it. And I think sports would have to be the topic if we're going to research and shit on it. I feel swearing will happen on my end though...it's just in my preferred style of literary ranting.

BISdom: I was thinking this email chain could be our first post. That's why I wrote so much last time; it was my way of stealthily trying to get you to do the same and get into the spirit, so to speak. I was being considerably less stealthy when I said, "Why don't we start here?"

I thought you knew that I obviously don't mind the foul language. In fact, I'd assumed I'd edit our email chains before posting, but I have no intentions of censoring either you or myself. Censorship is lame.

Speaking of which, I think we should definitely sign it with your nicknames: Benis and BISdom. It has a nice ring to it. In fact, I think that's the title: Benis and BISdom.

At any rate – and maybe you're already doing this – but try pretending like this might be one of our "discussions" and see if it works for you. I'd suggest you not put that much thought into it, but just start writing and see where it takes you. If it's nowhere interesting, this won't be our first post (or maybe it will be our only post and we'll just stop here).

Benis: Agreed. Discussions that would bite my proverbial ass would not be things I'd personally like. But then again I don't know who the fuck is going to read rants from two dudes who are nicknamed Benis and BISdom. Is B and B not more reasonable? Though the nicknames are definitely more eye-catching than B and B. Plus we probably don't want to confuse people with the title. Bed and Breakfast enthusiasts might be upset. Or B and B Bowling in Fayetteville...which is the first thing that came up when I googled it. I'm scared to google "Benis" at work, so I'm not sure what will come up there. So is there a length specification we should go by or just do constant counterpoints and questions?

BISdom: At this point, I'm going to deny pretty much all rules. I'd say the goal would be to ask each other questions and answer them, of course starting with a particular question of relevance. And then we'll just stop when we want to. So, for example, I want to stop this one now, so I probably won't ask you any questions in this response.

I think Benis and BISdom is a fine title to start with. It's accurate. We can change it if we need to.

As for who is going to read it, I don't know and I don't really care. I know Grandpa and Matthew will. Obviously, we'll have one fewer reader since you're switching sides.

But I think that's exactly the point: you and I are the readers. The moment when I stopped worrying about who is reading my blog was the moment when I started worrying more about who is writing my blog. In many ways, I do still feel like that blog is a burden and a responsibility, but I prefer and more often consider it a good place to work on my writing and think about ideas that I might not otherwise consider. I think that should be our goal for this new blog: to have conversations that we might not otherwise have (even though we still live together). I like to think that my goal as a writing instructor is to make better people, not better writers. I'm sure I fail largely, but it is possible. I think we should tackle this project with a similar goal: to become better people, whether because we're more informed, because we're better writers/arguers, or simply because we like each other less (which is an admirable quality). And if we pick up any readers along the way, then so be it.

Benis: Fair enough. You refusing to censor me got me excited and nervous. Which makes me think I might inadvertently censor myself from saying some of my more ridiculous views. But then again, who gives a crap? I say this forum might work. It's very similar to what Jackling and I spend all day doing anyway, though I don't know if it has made us better people. Just less productive employees. So I guess, in conclusion, let's give it a shot. Worst case scenario we just created another way for Matthew to make fun of me for looking like a mild re-tard in an open and public forum. I'm pretty interested to see how our first true topic comes to light.