Giving myself an excuse.

In my overview of the Boidem as an experimental project in hypertextual thinking/writing that became my MA thesis I long-ago acknowledged the degree to which the adjective "occasional" inaccurately described what might be called my devotion to this project:

The "occasional" aspect of the column has been maintained almost solely in its subtitle as the Boidem has become almost obsessively monthly. One of the central defining aspects of the Boidem has been its consistently, the realization on my part that a web column must be judged not only on its content and its style, but also, and quite basically, by its continued existence.
It wasn't only a question of there always being something new to write about, but also of establishing a style, discovering through trial and error whether what I came to call "associative linking" added any value to what might perhaps have been written just as effectively (or ineffectively) in a more linear style. Doing that demanded a certain amount of consistency that was possible only through viewing "occasional" as a loophole that I might rely on if I couldn't keep up the pace of monthly columns.

And I guess I should admit that relatively early into this project I discovered that I found it considerably more interesting and engaging than more legitimately academic endeavors to which I might have devoted my time.


Go to: It was nineteen years ago today.