GLITCHES CAN BE BITCHES

Dr. Polyphemous Pangloss and Dr. G.F. McHale-Scully sat down for dinner at La Troje Bar & Grill. They both ordered steaks and a bottle of Malbec. Eating and drinking they both do well. Shooting the shit comes naturally.

Pangloss: What's wrong with your Facebook?"

G.F.: It's not loading art. Don't ask me why. Problems are part of the process. These sites usually correct themselves, but glitches can be bitches. I had a story on The McHale Report as part of my Guatemala series and when I posted it, two-thirds of the article and the photograph were gone. I hate having to rewrite shit, but that's one of the realities of blogging. You never know when the internet is in one of its fickle moods.

Pangloss: Over the last months your fellow bloggers have been hard on you. From being for sale to being a blatant racist, from being a coward to being an author of porno, they have been unsparing in their criticisms. But I guess you've been in the ring and these attacks are nothing more than glancing blows.

G.F.: When somebody tags you, pain is pain. It hurts, but it's good to get a taste of your own medicine. With my experience, you shake it off. Trump has taught us a new reality: Every day is a crisis. But generally, I don't lose any sleep when one of my colleagues delivers me a rabbit punch. It's all part of the give-and-take of this calling. Ultimately, you like blogging and writing and you wouldn't have it any other way. But never believe that free speech is free. There is a price and it can be high. Socrates, perhaps the greatest thinker we have known, was commanded by the state to commit suicide for expressing his views.

Pangloss: But don't you run out of ideas?

G.F.: There is nothing more inspiring than a blank page. Like a painter who looks at his white canvas and draws his first stroke across its surface, I am suddenly inspired when I begin my first sentence and that tiny snowball turns into an avalanche.

Pangloss: Keep up the good work. I always appreciate your efforts.

G.F.: It's fun and sometimes you surprise yourself with your own creations. That's a thrill and thrills can be addicting.