Julie & Julia & Len

It took a few weeks but I finally caught up to "Julie & Julia." Along with "(500) Days of Summer," these are the best movies of the summer, hands down. Written by somebody over 25 and with a brain. Comedy that is genuine and not resorting to profanity and/or vomit emissions. And the only thing that blows up might be Julie's first attempt at making Beef Bourginon.

For my money, Meryl Streep passes "go," collects $ 200 and the Oscar for Best Actress right now. After seeing the film, I came upon a Julia Child documentary on PBS. It is incredible how well Streep captured every nuance and tic of the French Chef. While Amy Adams is almost as good with the more shaded and less showy role of Julie Powell, any serious moviegoers need to see Meryl do this at least twice. She is that formidable.

Beyond the sheer entertainment provided, "Julie & Julia" provided me with an interesting and rather introspective subtext. That has everything to do with this ole blog of mine. As you may know, the Julie in the title is a writer who, in 2002, blogged daily as she made her way through every single recipe available in Julia Child's famed cookbook. Julie's goal was to complete said task and blog about it all in 365 days. I didn't realize that blogging was already being done in 2002. But, as I viewed the movie, I gave some thought to Len Speaks.

Julie's blog had a purpose and an end date. It was something she was doing for herself, but ultimately, it was done for many others. A distinct design. A definite purpose.

And me? Well, I began this daily triviality in March of 2007 for sheer selfish purposes. I needed to give myself some discipline with regard to my writing. I needed to re-focus on my creativity. The idea that others might read it and enjoy it was a distant, but ultimately welcome by-product. My objective was to see if I could meet the daily deadline of putting something relatively readable on this site.

Oh, sure, I have cheated by including videos on certain days and cartoons on others. But, by and large, this is all about my writing and I certainly do a lot of it here. The Sunday Memory Drawer postings have been particularly therapeutic for me. By posting some rather embarrassing photos of my youth, I have been called brave and perhaps, by writing about those moments in life, I am coming to grips with some feelings that were previously buried deep inside.

So, basically, Len Speaks is about me. When I started this, I had no idea that I would still be doing in September of 2009 and closing in on 1000 posts sometime around Thanksgiving of this year. Along the way, I have developed fans, some friends and some not. Thanks to the Site Meter metrics, I can quantify them on a daily basis and even see where in the world they are. They read from New York and Florida and California and Texas and Pennsylvania. Canada has recently chimed in regularly. There were hits from Holland and Australia. I've just expanded to Great Britain. I know who those folks are and I welcome them here to the regular nonsense offered by this "ugly American."

I love accessing Site Meter to see some East Coasters checking to see if the daily post is up. For them, I try to accommodate them by pre-loading the entry and scheduling it in advance. I can tell that Saturdays are the lightest days and Tuesdays are the heaviest days for readership. I work hard to maintain a consistent tone, which is why certain elements are posted on regular days.

Frankly, I've been doing this blog in the dark, as there are few comments. Several of you prefer to add your two cents via private e-mail and that's fine. But, I know what you like. The Sunday pieces are a hit. The monthly movie guide is popular. You want a lot more photo essays. And a few of you have submitted cartoons or even "awkward" photos you have discovered on your own. All suggestions are welcome. I'd even turn over a day's authorship to anybody who wanted to contribute some thoughts on anything, with the only pre-requisite being that I have final approval on content.

Not surprisingly, the most polarizing post every week is the Wednesday rant, which is really nothing more than a uncensored Jay Leno monologue. I call them as I see them and, unlike anything else in the media, I am not afraid of saying anything about anybody.

Recently, I had a friend tell me that he stopped reading this blog, specifically because of Wednesdays and the politics that are always embedded within. I tried to reason that the content and tone would be no different if it had been written six years earlier in the middle of another Presidential administration. With regard to politicians, I am an equal opportunity despiser. I have enough pins to prick the balloons of every bombastic leader or office holder, regardless of which side of the aisle they sit on. But, I doubt that made a difference with this person. It's hateful to call a President "Nazi" or "Socialist" if it's the President you voted for. Of course, it's perfectly acceptable when tables are reversed, as if we have seen and heard time and time again. A complete microcosm of what's wrong with our media today and it is wonderfully defined with this argument about my blog.

Yep, there will be things you like and things you don't like. There will be things you love and things you absolutely hate. My advice is don't read the things you might hate and definitely read the things you know you will like. Because, at the end of the day, this is not about you. It is all about me.

But, to what means and what result? My good friend Lorraine just started her own blog and, like Julie Powell, it's about something specific. Lorraine and a friend are taking you on a journey up and down the coast of Manhattan Island. It is well written, educational, and darn interesting. The link is at the side of mine (We'll Walk for Food) and it's definitely worth your time and effort.

But, it ultimately is finite. Len Speaks is not. Lorraine's blog has a goal. Len Speaks does not. So, is that enough reason for its existence?

Again, I remind myself. This is my daily writing exercise. Almost a personal journal. For me.

But, if it's for you, too, I am pleased. And, for some strange reason, I think you and I will be together here for a while longer.

Dinner last night: Chicken wrap at Islands.