How Not to Write a Blogitem

Sit down to write a blogitem with a limited amount of time before the meeting at City Hall.  As you start writing, realize that there's Something Wrong with the network.  Begin troubleshooting.  Next, realize that you have to leave for the meeting and also must leave the network in an unstable state and sally forth, without even starting the blog.

"City Hall" is named "City Hall" because it's in a city.  In this case the city was Hoboken, where it's only slightly more difficult to find Frank Sinatra than it is to find a legal parking space.  (It used to be easier to find Frank while he was alive.)  In my rural environs, I have not only never gotten a parking ticket, I've never seen one.  For Hoboken I left myself "plenty" of time, i.e., I walked in to the meeting exactly five seconds early.

I was asked to attend the meeting as part of a cheering section for a request being made to the Council.  I truly believed in what was being requested, so I didn't refuse despite the inconvenience and my firm belief that my presence was completely unnecessary.  While this belief turned out to be fully justified, I was glad I was there.  It turns out that the meeting was so beautifully orchestrated by an associate of mine that it turned into a love-fest for the project we were advocating.  The crusty counciltrons were treated to an array of artists, thespians, grantwriters, neighbors, and musicians, all of whom espoused ecstatic approval and enthusiasm over what was a legitimately controversial proposal.  There was not a single voice raised in opposition!  We cheered on cue, and the council put any misgivings aside and voted unanimously for approval.  One member even went so far to declaim that they were there to do what the citizens wanted, not to lead them.  I couldn't see if his fingers were crossed, but it did seem like the right sentiment for the moment.

I congratulated my associate; it was truly a political tour de force with a spectacular result.  I congratulated myself as well.  I happened to be sitting next to one of the organizers in the council room and she needed to borrow a pen to make a change to the points she was planning to propound before the council.  By the time her emendations were complete, she had used all three of my pens!  I'd like to think her multicolored corrections were instrumental in rallying the council, as she was the lead-off speaker.

I then returned to network troubleshooting, which consumed the remainder of my allocated blog time.  Eventually it was all fixed, with the aid of the telco and the ISP.  Perhaps some day I'll actually find out what problem they found.  "Cleared while testing" doesn't inspire much confidence, does it?  And so here I am with no blogitem for Friday.

Idea!

How to Write a Blogitem

Realize that there's no time to write a blogitem, add a heading "How to Write a Blogitem" at the bottom of the not-blogitem that you didn't have time to write, and post it.

NP:  "Don't Say No" - TAMI Show  (That is, the artists named "TAMI Show," not the show)

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