So You Think You Can Dance And Be A Civic-Minded Blogger?
I’ve led an active and exciting life, with a share of adventures and perils I’d hesitate to wish upon anyone. And as you may have guessed, not a single one of those hair-raising or enrapturing experiences has equaled the ceaseless thrill-ride of being an Exit 133 writer. Most weekends (when I haven’t taken an unexcused week-long hiatus), I simply collapse on the divan with a glass of port and a copy of The Weekly Volcano, spent but for the last drop of ink in my trusty ballpoint.
Often, I am asked by curious Tacomans, “What’s it like to be an Exit 133 writer? What does Derek require of his collaborators?” I never tire of answering such questions, because I feel the answers expose something singular and signature about the City we inhabit. For the sake of candid efficiency, I’d like to put these answers to print for the first time.
The principle characteristic of an Exit 133 writer is a finely-developed ability to work well with others. Blogging is an intensely social, exposed and cooperative process. My ability to work well with others has never been verified, though I am often told that the tone of my writing communicates a warm sincerity seldom found in this alienating galaxy. In that sense, I work well with others if the interaction is limited to outlines, subject to editing and impersonally distributed.
Next, if you would write for Exit 133, you must possess nerves of steel. Steel wound with teflon. The world is a dangerous place – you can tell because the popular balladeer named Bono never removes his safety glasses. And Tacoma is very similar to the world: There is no shortage of treachery lurking in its pot-holed corridors of power. But when nefarious proceedings take place in Tacoma, an Exit 133 writer must learn to coolly close their eyes with one hand, and pat backs with the other.
This leads to the next qualification for an Exit 133 scribe: hand-eye coordination while eyes are closed.
Any Exit 133 writer must also possess a sizeable collection of ambivalent adjectives to describe economic development in Tacoma. The public often takes pride in reflexively interpreting optimism as hucksterism, and negativity as cynicism. In the broad ground between, there is ample room to present data without fear of criticism.
Finally, the poet-soldier with an 133rd Exit Press Pass is an epicurean, capable of summarizing meaningful events in a fashion compact enough to prevent the reader from regretting time spent on even a single paragraph [editor note: please find a way to express this idea more pithily, ask for reader comment, and tie-up with a call for public action].
Filed under: General
27 comments
T Tim August 24, 2010
???
R RR Anderson August 24, 2010
It’s good clean fun. I’d be happy to contribute more in exchange for a old Schwinn kickstand or hand break
E Erik B. August 24, 2010
Congratulations Daniel (Rahe). You follow a fine line of successful Exit 133 writers. The world is your oyster.
If you are lucky, very lucky, you may even have the Tacomic angel shine on you and make it into a Tacomic for your writing skills.
J jamie from thriceallamerican August 24, 2010
Or he could make like so many Daniels before him, and by so many I mean one (Blue), and split for the big city. Perhaps Crenshaw would like to weigh in on pushing our Daniel assets away.
J jamie from thriceallamerican August 24, 2010
(Incidentally, Daniel is my middle name, so if the city will be creating a Danielancial Services District, I’m listening.)
C captiveyak August 24, 2010
Jamie,
From what I am told, I’m a far sight unpleasanter to look at than Mr. Blue. I also cannot sing or compose poetry. My opinions tend to make people consider their proximity to the nearest bed. I have never designed a logo. If I were to take up residence in a artsy apartment in Seattle, I’d be a broke loser – not a romantic artist.
I’m not sure how I ended up with this Daniel moniker. If it increases my chances of being driven away from this town, I might just stick with my murderin’ name: Talbot Michelin McClellan.
R RR Anderson August 24, 2010
“I also cannot sing or compose poetry.” that makes two of you! ha ha but seriously, you know longer words than our friend DB which may come off as bullying.
Anyway, your blog posts are less horrible than hamburger fast food treads so you’ve got that going for you. Excelsior!
A Altered Chords August 25, 2010
Daniel Blue knew big words too. He dumbed down his writing for his audience. You see the reaction Tim @1 gave this article.
M Mofo from the Hood August 26, 2010
I find the idea of a dancing civic-minded blogger simply repulsive. The whole thing about authority and rules to live by and the sing song-y “we are the world” mindset is utterly trite.
Somebody brought up the name of that face dancer civic-minded blogger Daniel Blue.
You know what is more maddeningly provocative than a Daniel Blue attempt at discourse?—-Suggesting that life is worth living because of Exit133.com.
“Exit133.com saves lives.” Is that what this rambling essay by Mr. Rahe is implying?
“Exit133.com Cares”—-I’d like to see those words in ten-foot tall red neon bracketed on top of their office building.
I just spent 5 minutes of my life writing this commentary. 5 minutes of my life that I’ll never get back. Thanks Exit133.com.
A Altered Chords August 26, 2010
Mofo – your post made me smile. Surely that makes your life worth living. Surely that’s worth 10 minutes. I’d call that a great investment!
C captiveyak August 26, 2010
Mofo:
I think you may have missed the point. Perhaps I’m incorrect in assuming you missed this, because I’d hesitate to suggest even the subtlest literary nuance would soar over your head.
The point I make in this essay is that “the divine spirit” lives in each of us. Whether we choose to let it flow outward – or, selfishly, ever inward – is the great, great challenge of spirituality.
Dance, as such, merely served as a metaphor. Sometimes, I line dance. Sometimes, I polka. Other days, I foxtrot and shuffle and juke. But do i ever stop dancing the dance of Tacoma? No. I don’t. And I won’t.
T tom waits August 26, 2010
“danielancial services district.” it makes about as much sense. thanks for the chuckle. btw you forgot “international.” we don’t want to exclude the daniels in shenzhen or singapore.
A Altered Chords August 26, 2010
Before the gang crackdown the dance of Tacoma was the Crip Walk. Please put together a youtube instructional video like they did for the Crip walk.
M Mofo from the Hood August 27, 2010
jamie from thriceallamerican @12, that’s exactly the image that I was trying to translate.
EXIT133.COM CARES ABOUT YOU
(I’d forgotten about that original sign which was on the same property over on South 38th & Steele.)…
If Exit133.com is the answer then what is the question?
M Mofo from the Hood August 27, 2010
You can work your whole three score and ten to reach the pearly gates of glorified Tacoma, but then when you get there you develop chronic neck pain from looking back over your shoulder.
A Altered Chords August 27, 2010
I just got back from Cary N.C.
I am planning to run the bank to bay 10K but could not run while in N.C. because it was 100 degrees and 95% humidity.
Advantage: Tacoma – no amount of effort, politics, dramatic blogging, captial investment will change that.
Weather matters – Thank you Tacoma. I will now dance the T-walk.
(Although when I was there we went to Tyler’s Taproom in a renovated Lucky Strike factory – beats anything we have here by a mile. When will we rennovate our abandoned buildings in the brewery district?)
C captiveyak August 27, 2010
The Volcano did some nice work on the medical marijuana issue this week. 7000 words of nice work. It’s worth checking out.
Also, i probably don’t have to point this out, but this article was all tongue in cheek. If any perspective or character is to emerge from Exit 133, it is composed almost completely by the community response and comments. Generally, the idea here is to provoke discussion, disseminate useful information and hopefully foster some kind of balanced civic involvement. To be honest, to do such a thing well is a bit tricky – and i certainly have no delusions of excessive aptitude. I’m just happy to live here and happy to feel vaguely useful at times.
I was just winking at the format, and the clever little jabs we take sometimes. My sense of humor can sometimes too closely resemble seriousness.
I’d love to see some brewery district renovation. I still treasure some hope that a 23rd St (in Portland) kind of area could emerge in that district. Pacific is just too busy and wide to encourage a lot of that kind of activity. And the Brewery District is still close enough to UWT to viably latch on to an actual youth market.
R RR Anderson August 28, 2010
that nice lady who had her home raided by the TPD for no reason is lucky she didn’t have a pit bull. The cops would have killed it right there.
M Mofo from the Hood August 28, 2010
The thing about pitbulls and bloggers is that they have no natural enemies. It’s one of those freak things, an anomaly of evolution.
M Mofo from the Hood August 29, 2010
Look, pitbulls, bloggers, and dancers are just different species evolving on different trajectories of you name it.
Sure, you could say that each species is competing for the same limited resources. And you could point out random incidents of violent action in various combinations between the species. But do the noted species have natural enemies? Could Exit133.com blog about that with certainty?
Over and over again I read bloggers like Mr. Rahe propound the virtues of cooperation. But does the practice of cooperation work in the real world? Try telling an annoying pitbull or obnoxious dancer to cooperate—-It’s just so many wasted words.
How about the concept of a cooperative blogger? Those of us who haven’t yet fallen out of our chair from laughter know that such an idea has no correspondence with reality.
Yet blog commentators are daily confronted by blog writers who insist that they are a cooperative being—-an evolved species, if you please.
Apologists is what they are. Blogger sophists always defending their silly position with acres of words—-Wasted words.
A Altered Chords August 30, 2010
People and dogs share a common trait. Their brain/body mass is now less than the brain/body mass of their predecessor. Wolves have a higher brain/body mass as did our ancestors (I forget which ancestor – neanderthal? – this was in the discovery mag. I read a few weeks ago).
THe uncooperative blogger, dancer and bit bull probably just have brains that are too big given their body mass. Makes them too aggressive. Also makes them smarter.
You’ll note by most of the articles on exit133.com and the comments written that most of us are probably very cooperative.
R RR Anderson August 30, 2010
I was almost run over by a jazz musician today on my way back from the library. He was very apologetic which made me feel better about community and stuff.
A Altered Chords August 30, 2010
I am only capable of looking left on Mondays. Good “Don’t run me over” dance by the way.
M Mofo from the Hood September 2, 2010
Just curious: Are the Exit133.com office floors made of plexiglass with pulsating multi-color disco lights?
C captiveyak September 2, 2010
Mofo –
Yes, and yes. What a feeling!
M Mofo from the Hood September 2, 2010
Could a civic-minded pitbull be a Exit133.com dancer?
M Maria September 3, 2010
Wait—Exit 133 is sponsoring a jazz dance in a pit? I’m so confused.