About this blog

When I was young, and idealism and wit flowed in and out of my body like oxygen and carbon dioxide, I wrote a column for my college newspaper called Intro to Sykesology. Behind the oh-so-clever title lurked … well … some oh-so-clever articles that, as I look back on it now, were prototype blog entries. I was bright-eyed and ready to take on the heavy issues: why Valentine’s Day sucked, how aliens used squirrels to spread campus gossip … the important stuff. I thought, I wrote, I was published, and it was good.

Fast forward 14 years. I’m staring at my bedroom ceiling wondering exactly how someone who leaves college determined to write The Next Great American Novel ends up writing envelope stuffers extolling the virtues of auto insurance. Have I surrendered my dream? Or will I be satisfied with the horseshoe approach to life fulfillment: I’m writing for a living, and that’s close enough?

And then, I think of the Chinese New Year wish I buried early last year – the first time I ever celebrated a Chinese New Year. “I want to make a living writing about things I enjoy.”

It’s a good wish, and it’s too early for me to give up on it. And, maybe this blog is my way of rediscovering the joy of writing.

At the very least, it’s an excuse to drag that oh-so-clever column name out of the attic. Welcome to Graduate Level Sykesology. Let’s roll.