It's a Start.

Well, I've been blogging for a little while on my MySpace page, but I figured it was time I started one in earnest. Welcome to "The Empty Hand."

Why "The Empty Hand?" Ever in search of clever, I absolutely did not want to name my blog with anything related to Casino Royale, Battlestar Galactica, Green Lantern, Brave New World, Blood on the Tracks, or any number of other movies, tv shows, comics, books, or albums for which I have inordinate esteem. There's nothin' wrong with that, but I already do it with too many other things.

I wanted something that was ME...independent of all of that.

For whatever reason, my thoughts on this subject drifted quickly to martial arts. Specifically, Shotokan karate--the discipline in which I'm trained. Translate "karate"; you get "empty hand." And here we are.

More than that, though, the empty hand is a thing of wonder. It holds no weapon, and yet is all that's required to render ruin. The empty hand is ready to receive help, but it is equally ready to give it. It can be a gesture of salutation, or it can be one of caution. It conceals nothing, and in so doing can grasp anything.

I like to think that phrase is very me. And if I end up with truthful instead of/in addition to clever, well, that suits me right down to the ground.

That's the why of the title. The why of the blog is, um, less poetic. I have some friends who have really enjoyable blogs, and I'd like to join their company. More personally, there was a time at least ten years ago when I wrote every day. Whether for myself, for a friend, or for a teacher (or for those lucky times when it was all three), I put words to pages. Daily. Without fail.

And while I mightn't be able to do it daily anymore, I'd like to get back to that creative regularity. Makes me sound intellectually constipated...which probably isn't that far from the truth.

Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoy reading my type. Know that I enjoy handing it to you. (This should explain my nifty anagram of a web address.)

More to come. Without fail.