On the shoulders of giants...

I was reading around the Blogosphere (I know, blogs are gay, and words that start with Blogo- are even gayer....flaming perhaps) and I realized that the only reason many blogs, including mine, get any attention at all is because of the fantastic work done by others who ACTUALLY put words together that are worthy of attention and praise. The rest of us just get clicks because people are hoping to get a sliver of the same thing they read from these giants.

King of these are Pauly of The Tao of Poker and The Tao of Pauly.

Seriously, I read what to him is just a recounting of his day hanging out with Grubby and Poker Prof and I am truly mesmerized. Even when he's just posting about what they ATE. This is the writing he does IN BETWEEN the writing he does that he actually gets paid for. I've said before that it feels like stealing, and I still feel that way. It transports you, makes you want to be there, have a beer and hang out. Especially when you are trapped in cubicle hell every day at 5:30 in the morning.

And the same goes for the aforementioned Grubby. The pictures they paint with words are far from rose colored....sometimes they are harsh and depressing. But that doesn't make me any less envious of their lives. All it does is make me more envious of their ability to write, and their ability to transport people into their world, if only for a few moments of the day.

I suspect these guys know they have a gift of some sort, but I don't think they know how special it really is. They live life the way they do, and turn around and share that life in a meaningful way, with no reward except for our sincere gratitude. The gratitude of a few folks who not only take pleasure in reading them, but get to ride a bit on their coattails, stealing the occasional reader who would undoubtedly be disappointed by a direct comparison.

Here's to you guys. We owe you. Big time.