Coming Clean

Most everything, as most of you already know, posted on this site yesterday was a ruse. I say most of you, because some took me seriously. But you’ll learn.

Today, then, we return to the original design, title, and such, with the reminder that the title is intended to be ironic. For the record, again, I will paste at the end here, my reasons for calling this blog by the name I’ve given it.

Interestingly, though, every ‘suggestion’ I alluded to in my justification for the ‘redesign’ was a real suggestion given to me by real people with all seriousness.

I must give credit where credit is due. Creative help for a couple of the posts came from my son Seth. Blame him for ‘Mere Crustianity’ and ‘The Abolition of Manna’, among other things.

Finally, I’m keeping my profile picture up for another day. That is the smile of a famous person. Can anyone tell me whose smile that is?

A free C. S. Lewis baker’s library to all correct guesses.

UPDATE: Two votes for Tom Cruise; two for Joel Osteen. An interesting contrast. But I confess, it is Joel Osteen’s happy face. Now what did I do with those baker’s librarys….

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It’s Ironic

The title of this blog is intended to be ironic. but not everyone understands that. I may really be somber and dull, but I’m really not trying to be!

A couple years ago I decided one day to see what was involved in creating a blog. When it comes to things like this, I don’t read up on things. I just jump in and fiddle. At that time, I was only aware of Blogger, so I went to that site and began to create.

I quickly was faced with the fact that I had to give the blog a name.

At the time, I had been reading – re-reading, actually – Alan Paton’s marvelous novel Cry, the Beloved Country. (Take this as an advertisement. If you are looking for a good book to read, pick this one up.)

The main character in the novel is a poor, black Anglican pastor named Stephen Kumalo. Paton introduces Kumalo as “a parson, somber and rather dull, no doubt, and his hair was turning white.”

Well, I’m a parson, and my hair is turning white. I’m not black, but the sobriquet ’somber and dull’ was kind of appealing to me.

So, that was on my mind, and when Blogger asked for a name, in went Somber and Dull.

It has grown on me. I like the ironic tone. Either way it fits. If the blog is indeed somber and dull, the title fits. If the blog is bright and interesting, then it suits the ironic intent. I can’t lose.

Enough of that. Now go get the book and read it.