unironedman

I’ve mentioned Gary’s blog before. Everything about it is effortlessly cool. Unlike some bloggers who ramble on ad nauseam (Who? Moi?), this author delivers beautifully crafted, compact pieces of loveliness. There hadn’t been much activity in the last few months, to the point where I was worried we may have been robbed of his elegant prose, but then a raft of posts arrived recently, so we can assume all is well in Gary’s world.

The only tiny grievance I have with the blog is that it doesn’t usually allow for interaction by way of comments. I do recall having one short back and forth a long time back, but in general, when the posts arrive, you enjoy them in solitude, and keep your responses to yourself.

174 days

But that’s okay. Some things are perfect as they are. We don’t always HAVE to interact with everything. All the time.

It’s all part of the modern malaise (for want of a better word) that surrounds online publishing. We seem to have a fascination – often a morbid one – with the responses to a news article. Sure, that piece about (insert topical story here) is interesting, but what I really want to know is, what does joxer12557 from Swindon think about it?

What drives this? Are we consumed with a desire to ‘fit in’? Do we seek validation? Are we looking for a fight perhaps? Clearly, some folk are. There’s a lot of anger out there. And for all that easy access to vast oceans of social media and other content, we still cleave to the same few sites online. Echo chambers, if we’re being cynical. Or safe havens, if we’re being kind.

It is good, of course, to broaden one’s mind. But we need to be careful of our sources. Even some relatively safe topics can spiral down into the weeds very quickly. If you need proof, just pop along to your nearest social media outlet (Twitter, for example) and put up a post that goes something like ‘Hey! I just had a fall of my bike. Good job I was wearing my helmet! Those things are a lifesaver’ and then watch as your post gets infected with weirdos who will gleefully inform you that wearing a helmet whilst cycling is in fact more dangerous than cycling without one, and they HAVE THE STUDIES TO PROVE IT!

Reader, they do not.

The other oddity – the contradiction in terms – is that for all the hours we waste online, we flit about like busy bees from one flower to the next without, it seems, gathering any nectar. I noted a while back that one newspaper was promoting some of their stories on their website. They were aimed at the weekend reader, and were helpfully called ‘long reads’. Or articles, as we used to call them, back in the day. It seems anything longer than a tweet must come with a warning. Long reads can damage your health! Be careful! Do not attempt to consume this piece of writing in one sitting unless you are a trained professional. Doing so could cause serious harm.

I am speaking for myself. I am not suggesting we are all this inattentive.

Anyway, I don’t want to spoil your enjoyment of Gary’s blog if you haven’t already subscribed. This latest one is a gem amongst many. The Arkenstone in Smaug’s Lair, if you wish. Go and have a read. Your mileage may vary, of course. I suppose he’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Or ice-cream. Or Pimento cheese sandwich. (These are in-jokes to prove I am a fan ;-))

I am hoping Gary will reach out to me after this post, and we can agree to write that running book together. I would naturally include my own revelatory must-read advice about getting better times in races, which is to run faster. Our publishing deal would allow us to jet around the globe and promote the book, and the advance would allow me to buy some new runners. And eat lots of ice-cream.

Man’s gotta have a dream!

In other news, there is another Gary, as you know. This Gary is a lot closer to home, and a frequent companion on the tracks and trails (and roads) of Ireland. And yes, there is a corresponding blog.

Royal Canal Guides

So you have another recommendation from me to add to your reading pile. And as we speak, the T-shirts for next week’s run are literally coming off the presses. Both of them 🙂

I won’t reveal the graphics yet, but hopefully the next blog post will give an account of our travels around the Slieve Bloom Way which we hope to take on next Friday. And I plan to make a short film of our adventures, if time allows.

The excitement never stops here at unironedman…