Thoughtful response-- thank you! And hearing from folks like you is a large part of the answer to "what and why do I write here?"

Well, because there's a sense of community and interaction here that you really don't get on Farcebook or any other the other social content platforms.

I suppose I am also very self-indulgent in that I just write about stuff that interests me, makes me think or otherwise amuses me... with more or less reckless disregard for whether or not it is popular. Occasionally it turns out to be... but that's not by design.

Which isn't to say that I don't get all happy and glowy when one of my pieces gets a bunch of recognition and we can suddenly afford a nice dinner out.