A few things about this blog. Okay, two to be specific. First, the name. The name of this blog, "A Season of Mists," is a tribute (of sorts) to the title of one of the collections (a.k.a. trade paperbacks) of The Sandman series, Season of Mists. I chose the title partially because Neil Gaiman (the writer of Sandman and a wonderful author, though the two are not mutually exclusive) comes up with some wonderful phrases and quotes. I also chose this title because I sometimes feel like I’m living in a season of mists, where the next step, turn or chapter is obscured. I often don’t know quite where I’m heading other than "forward." And sometimes even forward is a guess.
A warm thank you goes out to Neil Gaiman and his illustrious assistant, Lorraine Garland, for permitting me to use the title. In many ways, I feel honored.
The second point. When I first contemplated starting a blog, besides the focus (which, as may now be apparent, meanders between law-related and personal), the other important question in my mind was whether or not to make it anonymous. I’ve been following some very effective anonymous blogs (namely Running With Lawyers and Anonymous Lawyer). At the same time, I’ve been following some equally effective non-anonymous blogs (namely Jeremy’s Weblog). In the end, I decided that I want to share too much for it to remain anonymous. In addition, there really isn’t anything I want to say that I’m not willing to do so publicly, affixing my name and reputation. I try to live an honest life and there’s no reason to keep this blog anonymous when I’m not.
Hopefully the above paragraphs have answered your questions or have provided you with enough background so you can confidently say "hey, [Alan’s] just this guy, you know?" (Can you tell I’m having fun with the links?) If you have any questions, either about me, the blog, babelfish or law, feel free to e-mail me. And thanks for stopping by! Cheers!
ADDENDUM: And where does the phrase "Season of Mists" come from itself? Why it comes from The Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists:
"To absent friends, lost loves, old gods, and the season of mists; and may each and every one of us always give the devil his due." --Jim Pascoe
[Oct. 26, 2006]