About david in manhattan: A Different Coming Out Story.

Editorial note: The following is excerpted from an email I sent on October 11, 2007. October 11 happens to be National Coming Out Day, and, while I had already accomplished its main objective years ago, I felt it appropriate to acknowledge the day by ‘coming out’ about a different issue.

My Dear Friends and Family,

For the past few days, I have been in deep turmoil over whether or not to send you this message. But, after three days and nights of intense internal debate, and as I look at all your names at the top of this email, I realize that, in your own special way, you have each had a tremendous impact on my life, whether you know it or not, and, therefore, I believe I owe you this.

The time has come to share with you a closely guarded secret (shhh…!), one that I have been protecting far too long. I apologize that I have not been upfront in my conversations with you. Many of you, no doubt, have been wondering how I spend my days. I confess my “nothing” answers to your “What’s new?” questions have been profoundly insufficient. Contrary to what a few (OK, probably many) of you must be thinking, I am not hanging out on street corners, nor am I selling illegal substances, working as an extra on ‘Law & Order’, hawking maps to homes of the stars, or running a pedicab service. I have a blog.

A few of you are already aware of this, having dragged it out of me, and I apologize to those whom I did not tell earlier. This is a work that is somewhat (read: extremely) personal, not that I share intimate details about my personal life (sadly, there are few,) but because much of it includes my writings on issues that I believe are extremely important and challenging to our lives and lifestyles, and to this country as many believe it was meant to be governed. (And no, I am not running for office.) Other pieces are snippets of what I’m doing, thinking, seeing, and feeling, or pieces highlighting cultural events here in Manhattan that deserve greater exposure. I try to focus on topics that in some way relate to the subtitle of the blog, “Art, Architecture, Culture, Design, and Technology. And Politics. In Manhattan.” And I try to pull seemingly disparate stories together to help people see our world from a different, and more comprehensive point of view. So, if you read something on my blog, and at the end are compelled to say, “ah ha!”, “hmmm…”, or even, “ohhh…” then I’ve done my job. And if you feel the urge to share what you’ve read on my blog with others, then, I expect, I’ve done a very good job.

The name of the blog? david in manhattan. Catchy, and yet, terribly under-read. (Feel free to affect that at anytime: Tell all your friends.) So, while I have yet to develop a large audience, I am pleased to let you know that last Friday (October 5, 2007), a small piece I wrote last month about September 11th, “Another Casualty Of War: Our Capacity To Feel” was named “Best of the Blogosphere” by The Issue.com, a top-ranked site, which describes itself as “a non-partisan blog newspaper that provides a window to an emerging world of diverse and informed opinions.”

While this is all well and good, it is only a start. There are many quiet stories that deserve to be told. Ultimately, my plan is to use what I am learning from this site, and from my countless hours studying other blogs, as a springboard for a collection of more focused internet sites, on dissimilar yet possibly associated topics.

Again, I hope you’ll forgive me for not sharing this with you earlier. To be honest, I find sharing especially difficult. In spite of that fact, however, I hope you’ll share this with anyone you think might be interested in reading the thoughts of yours, truly. Finally, if you have the time and/or the interest, I am proud of these pieces which seem to have become my most-read stories:

Dick Cavett, Meet Homer Simpson. Homer Simpson, Meet Dick Cavett.

DIY NYC or, See Manhattan Like A Local.

Andrew Meyer, Meet John Kerry. Senator Kerry, Meet A Lost Opportunity To Defend Freedom Of Speech.

“I Hate All Iranians” | Why Americans Really Have No Idea What’s Happening In Our Own Country.

DIY NYC: What To Do In Manhattan This Weekend: September 29 and 30. (Far And Away, Your Best Patriotic Guide To NYC’s Museums!)

Please, feel free to comment, and let me know your honest thoughts.

My thanks for your interest, understanding, patience, and support.

David

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Tags: blogging, blogosphere, blogs, Coming Out, Manhattan, New York City