April 14, 2007

…and so we move on…and blood runs in the streets…

Category: News — Ira @ 10:19 am

Well, it’s been an extremely interesting and difficult week since this site was launched. If the little tab counter is right, I now (as of Saturday, April 14th) have a total in excess of 1400 hits. I am humbled and awed. I am very excited about this site; I had often dreamed of some such thing in distant and nebulous terms. But here it is, a reality; the only negative is the circumstances that finally birthed it. And about that I have a few words as well.

From where I am, the blood still runs freely in the streets. The consequences of my posts, especially the “Nightmare” essay, as with any controversial action, are still in the process of being forged. I may soon be estranged from at least one sibling who was greatly offended by the essay, unless calmer heads prevail and peace is salvaged. Then there was pain and anguish for those who were in the peripheral areas, those related or close to the main or even the minor characters. For that, for what it’s worth, I apologize. There is no pleasure in extracting my pound of flesh, but there is a lot of satisfaction in the knowledge that my story has now been told, that this destructive episode can never be spun again by anyone, anywhere, without taking my perspective into account as a counterweight to such spin.

Many of you who read this have never met me and do not know who I am. And that’s fine. Only I got an uneasy feeling from all the hits on the site that the vile class of people I most despise, the Gossipers, are and have been busy filling up their great storehouses with poisonous bilge and bile. I can’t control that, but if you are on this site for gossip or to discuss or feel others’ pain for your own perverse pleasure, then get the (bleep) off. I don’t need you. So, because all who had any business reading the “Nightmare” essay have had ample time and opportunity to do so, and because of other sensitivities, I have removed it from the site. Those who salaciously check for more intimate details of what I wrote about will be disappointed.

Pain is no respecter of persons, and every person involved in my story is in pain. R, his wife and family (who I purposely did not mention in my essay), and Ellen and me, all of us have pain as a constant companion every day. I do not say this for sympathy; I state it as fact. And pain from wrong actions is just as deep and real as pain from being wronged, maybe more.

Another class of people, and the Gossipers often overlap into this group, the Enviers, are actually delighted that a wealthy and powerful and successful man like R has stumbled as he has. Envy has quietly consumed them over the years, and when he slipped in spectacular fashion, they swarmed like jackals to the kill. If that is you, then may the Lord rebuke you as well. If you get pleasure from his or any person’s downfall, you need to reexamine your priorities. I will be clear. In every point in my life but the scenario about which I wrote, R has been by far the most generous, caring, and loyal friend I’ve ever had. That’s why my lament plunged to such depths of woe and rage and grief and fury. That close, lifelong friendship is now gone, and regardless of what the future holds, it will never be the same again. And I don’t know how one even begins to pick up the pieces and go on.

But go on I will, and I’m done with my speech. Thanks for all the support to those who posted comments. I treasure each one and especially appreciated Pat Henry’s thoughtful and in-depth mini-essay and Thorne’s Ithaca poem and comments. I am especially grateful to those in my family and extended family who have posted comments or otherwise quietly expressed their support.

WELL. So what did you think of the site otherwise? I think it’s a winner. (Now I will make like a Nascar driver: “I wanna thank my crew and my sponsors and we had a good car today and the track was great and everyone worked real hard to make this come together, and we’re excited about this season, (take a swig of Coke) blah, blah, blah….”) In fact, I do want to thank my crew, namely Matt Yutzy, the 16 year old web master, who designed and set up my site and made it user-friendly to a total tech-klutz like me. Matt’s company, CTMedia Studios, is linked to the bottom of each page on this site, and I highly recommend his services. Quality and affordability are his hallmarks.

The pictures are probably of most interest to family, friends and those who knew me way back when. I dusted off a batch, sorted through them and took them to a professional, who scanned them and touched them up where needed. It cost me $100, but was well worth it, especially now that they are posted and available to anyone who wants them. I hope my old Amish buddies on a Sunday afternoon don’t beat me up when we next meet.

So how many of you have clicked on the Superfood link and gotten healthy? It’s as good as the testimonies claim, even better, in fact. I started taking it sometime after I quit drinking in 2005 to restore my body. It took a month or so to really feel it, but I would not be without it anywhere now.

I also wonder how many of you actually linked to the other sites that are listed. I can’t say enough about the Fred Reed-Outstanding Curmudgeon site. The man writes what he thinks and it’s all politically incorrect and thus extremely sensible, even when he bashes President Bush, which is every once in a while. He is especially scornful of “security” at airports and such.

Other than that, I don’t have much to write, except to say that I hope to continue blogging, most likely on a weekly basis. I welcome your comments and if anyone wants to challenge anything I wrote or to debate issues (any liberals out there?) you are welcome. If your comment is too long, email it to me and I’ll copy it over.

I am doing fine batching, except as a cook. So, for all you locals out there, I absolutely appreciate and adore leftovers. I ALWAYS compliment the cook, even if the food is burnt (not that yours would be, of course). Finally, I am very pumped because this morning after my workout at the gym, I weighed in at 199 pounds, under 200 for the first time in twenty years. All those at the gym, a raggedy crowd of about five people, gave me a clamorous ovation. About that I feel GOOD.

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(12 Comments)

  1. right there with ya on the cooking thing …. can barely boil water ….

    Comment by Glo — April 14, 2007 @ 10:44 am

  2. congrats on the 199 uncle! I know you have been working hard to get there..enjoy your “sucess” Love you!

    Comment by Dorothy — April 14, 2007 @ 2:17 pm

  3. Will have to remember you with the “leftovers”, although you are more then welcome to come join us anytime before they become leftovers!! ( : Congrats on the ‘199’ mark!!
    And I am a frequent visitor! ( :

    Comment by MJ — April 14, 2007 @ 4:45 pm

  4. Your site sends all those “xanga’s” straightway into orbit. I love your photos, etc. I’ll be at your first book signing, what are you waiting for? Congrats on the lesser category of 100’s you’ve re-entered!! Bravo!

    Comment by Lil — April 14, 2007 @ 9:00 pm

  5. congrats on the 199 mark!! am almost convinced to try the Superfood link now…..am enjoying frequent visits to your site:) kudos for the latest blog.

    Comment by janice — April 15, 2007 @ 1:18 am

  6. We were sitting at a wedding reception Saturday afternoon and as I was chatting (and waiting to eat) I noticed a gentleman that looked………familiar, kind of, but…then it hit me, he looks just like Ira. Since I’ve never been the timid type and have enough Amish/Mennonite blood in me to inquire about peoples’ names/families/relations I asked him if he was related to you. Sure enough, your “just a little bit older brother” Jesse. Quoting him. 🙂 I guess we should try the Superfood. We’ve been “sick in the city.”

    Comment by Anne — April 15, 2007 @ 7:52 pm

  7. get a kick out of Fred, he is an honest real guy, keep writing

    Comment by Steve aka. (Bear) — April 15, 2007 @ 10:07 pm

  8. I am excited about reading your weekly blog. Please keep writing. If you have an e-mail list please add me to it. Blessings and prayers

    Comment by Mike Fisher — April 16, 2007 @ 4:49 pm

  9. I thought you were Amish???

    Comment by amy — April 18, 2007 @ 9:42 pm

  10. just thought i would let you know that i recommended your superfood to a lady at work, she ordered it last nite and sent me an e-mail that said, and i quote…”just ordered superfood, hope uncle Ira is quite creditable!!”

    Comment by janice — April 19, 2007 @ 12:42 pm

  11. Hey, Ira it was good to sit & amp; chat at your house tonight. Even got to watch some baseball. I thought the old pictures were interesting/especially the ones of Titus walking. Enjoyed our week-end at the cabin with Jesses. Becky crawled thru a tiny unlocked window to open the front dr, as they got there first/said she fell on the couch!!! Ha

    Comment by Bro Steve — April 19, 2007 @ 10:49 pm

  12. We run thru a snowstorm coming back from the wedding.In hillsville va. area.Had a great time in pa. at steve’s cabin.Thanks all.Well it’s about time to go off to work…s.c. time ,things are somwhat slower paced here.and oh yes ,it’s fri. so get to quit early..

    Comment by uncle jess [pops w] — April 20, 2007 @ 8:36 am

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