Bloggers of Interest: Beyond Don's Left Field

For the second blog in my Bloggers of Interest series, I chose to interview Don, the man behind Beyond Left Field.

Don has quite an impressive biography, and at his blog he writes about 60-year-old paperboys, some rules for funerals, and places to use K-Y jelly. But he can tell you more about his blog in his own words...

What got you into blogging?

I began blogging just six months ago, because I wanted to do something where I could curse and not get yelled at too much... Actually, I wanted to share some of the funnier things that I've seen, or experienced, or both.

How did you choose your blog's name?
When I first set out to write a blog, I figured that I could really relate to morons and idiots well. However, the bulk of my subjects were going to be others that I could point a finger towards and exclaim, "Yeah, you moron! What were you thinking, you idiot?" Then I realized that question would be best answered if asked of me. So, here I am. Answering the question on everyone's mind--"What were you thinking?"

Does it have anything to do with liberal or left-leaning politics?
My blog's name is simply derived from the expression that describes a strange or clueless thought or idea or some really odd behavior such as, "Where did that idea come from? Left field?!" Then I thought I wanted to get way out there with some of my stories as far as the "funny" goes. Hence, the "beyond" was added.

Do you track the search terms that people use to find your blog? What's the weirdest?
I don't track the search terms that people have used to find me, although some of us at Humorbloggers have compared ours with one another's for fun. I still get a lot of queries into "doggy butt skids" and "Mexican hot wax baths." Go figure...

I'd imagine that your "incredible life and history" pulls in some people looking for rapist Viking pimps that they can buy slaves from.
Actually, my profile doesn't garner much in the way of search words, and initially I thought that may be a good use of the profile--a hook and catch so to speak.

Do you believe in reincarnation?
No. I believe in not dying though, if that counts. I was thinking of Shirley McLaine when I took that reincarnation route with my profile... she was nuts! Although Popeye and John Dillinger were definitely "special."

You've got quite an awards cabinet. Which award are you proudest of?
Ahhh, those well deserved, ugh....I mean hard earned--no wait! My awards are really cool to get. It's nice to be recognized and thought of in a positive way by so many fellow bloggers. Especially the humor bloggers. The one that I'm most proud of is the Zuchinni Award bestowed upon me by no other than Da Old Man at Crotchey-Old-Man-Yells-At-Cars

. That one is not passed around so there are not too many of us that have earned the right to "own" one. It's for a captioning contest that I won which is amazing because I truly suck at those. I just got lucky that one day though and voila!

Tell me about the Humor Bloggers Blog Roll.
The Humorbloggers genesis goes back to only August '08. I joined 5 days after it went online. Chelle B. from The Offended Blogger is the site owner and masseuse. Really, our only goal besides from spreading it on thick is total world domination. So far, it's going well! However, since most bloggers aren't as funny as we are... ahem, then we proudly share the interwebs with blogs of all types!

Do you think that there's a place for "serious" blogs in the blogosphere, and if so, what topics do you think that serious blogs could cover well?
Serious blogging can be of great use, and there are already millions of serious blogs out there. I believe that they can actually perform a service to the average person. For example, the news media is to general, too slanted, too brief (due to time constraints) and too damn ill informed! That's where some heavy duty blogging can come in and step up to the plate. It already has in many ways.

Speaking of serious subjects, Is there any truth to the allegations that you were personally involved in Mississippi having the highest teen birth rate in the United States?
No. I quit drinking a couple of years ago for the most part... but I'm glad to see that Mississippi is still forging ahead with its failing policies. It warms the heart to know that our state legislature is as least as good as that of the fed's.

Where do you see yourself (and your blog) in 3 years?
I see myself still plugging away at this blog in a few short years. It's really growing at an impressive rate so far, and I will try to maintain that growth and even "shoot" for far more. I may possibly introduce a new blog in the future, but I'm still undecided. Right now, one is enough! Blogging is just something that has almost turned into an obsession at this point.

So, no worries about running out of material,then?
The future should be interesting, and I'm looking forward to it for sure. People (including myself) will never cease doing crazy things, and I intend to cover as much as possible!!!