Well, it’s a start.

Hi there. You don’t know me yet and I don’t know you and it’s hard to tell where this whole blogging thing will go. There are so many voices out here already that I expect to get largely lost in the noise. I’m not even sure what my goals are in starting this blog, except that I’ve lived through interesting times, and that maybe, somewhere out there, someone might gain something useful from what I have to say. It may be hubris on my part (don’t we all have just a little, believing ourselves to be uniquely important?) or it may be nothing more than a vague hope. Regardless, I’m going to write a few thoughts here now and again, talk about whatever’s on my mind at the moment, and maybe say something useful to someone out there somewhere.

Why the name “Bending Metal”? There are many reasons for it, from my interest in metalwork and circuit bending to enjoying the occasional metal music, but the single biggest reason is metaphorical. Most people view metal as hard and unyielding — strong as steel! Iron hard! — when in reality it flows when struck, as my limited time over an anvil has taught me. You can push it around like clay if you apply the right forces to it. In fact, its very strength is related to this flexibility. And, as I’m starting to learn, life is the same way. Whenever you’re stuck, feeling trapped, thinking that your life is rigidly defined…..you can bend it into a different shape with just a little luck and a willingness to try. I’m in the process of bending my life now, twisting it into a new, exciting (to me!) direction, and the adventures along the way are going to play a central role in this blog, acting as an underlying theme to bind it all together.

Metal bends. Life bends. All it takes is the will to start.

Tags: Life