Well . . .

Wow, as Corey Urman pointed out in his comment, I'm kind of ahead of my time in some respects. I just have to say that in many ways, even my little puppy, montrealfood.com has gone the way of the dodo. It's extinct, man, dudes, dudettes, whatever the name is these days. Do I regret it? Not much. As Christie Blatchford says in her column, the days of notebooks are so, so gone.

But you have to remember that this is coming from someone who did graphic design with a square rule and rapidograph and had fonts scripted at the typographer; how many of you even have a goddamned clue what I'm talking about? I hope not many, because I for one don't regret those days having long since gone.

But the difference between what you are reading right now and what you read in the newspaper . . . well, there should BE a difference. Although I have been paid to write for a newspaper in the past, I sure as hell wouldn't presume to charge for it now.

For better or worse, much as Christie Blatchford mourns the past way of doing things, it's all over now. I realised it a long time ago and I think it's a good, even great thing.

The written word should not be the property of a few privileged individuals. Gerald Durrell, of all people, was a genius of the pen yet he couldn't spell worth shit. But what tales he had to tell. And he was always reluctant to tell them -- he hated writing.

I can't believe how many people I've corresponded with recently who are able to write, and not just write, but write WELL! They are every bit as talented as those who write for newspapers or magazines. I am so not worried about the future of writing, just glad that more talent is going to be involved. It's the way things should be.

Now that the playing field is leveled a bit, let's enjoy the bounty,

Shall we?