It not so silly when you think of it.

You know when you come across a river's name, or a town, or heck, a part of the state of New York (Long Island I believe they call it). You sometimes wonder who came up with the not-so brilliant name of Fish Creek (I don't remember where, but I have seen one called this), the town of Two Hills, or as I said, the island of Long Island. Seriously, who thought up these names? Did the people not have anyone inspiring or wealthy enough to name it after? Was there no place back home across the Atlantic that they missed enough to name it after? These names just get silly right?

Wrong. When you actually think about it, naming things on one of their most basic characteristics is not such a silly concept. Those names that we use nowadays, some cool sounding word whose only meaning is the place that we call it, I'll use the word canada as an example. Sure most people know that Canada is a county, but really, what did they name it after? What or who is a canada? Well my ever so helpful friend, wikipedia, has the answer. I quote: The name of Canada has been in use since the earliest European settlement in Canada, with the name originating from a First Nations word kanata (or canada) for "settlement", "village", or "land". So really, the cool word (yes its cool!) is just the Indian word for town. That would sure sound cool wouldn't it? Just imagine telling all the Americans that you meet that you are from Town. That would make sense eh? Or just think of our national anthem: "Oh Town! Our true, north, strong and free!" Great classic that.

So really, any name of a place that sounds cool (and for the purpose of this discourse isn't named after a person) is really just as silly sounding as Fish creek, just in another language, with a suitable amount of time applied to make it seem different. Why, five hundred years down the road, Long Island won't sound like an island that is long, but will rather be a meaningful name of an island. All those multi syllable locations in Europe are an especially good example. I'll bet that the folks who speak the native languages there can even make a good guess as to what they mean.

So naming places after a chief characteristic is not a silly concept at all, but rather the established way of doing things. It’s just weird because it’s in English. I mean the language English, as we know it today, didn't get to name anything until the new world was discovered. All the old English stuff had been named already in such an old form of English so as to make it near impossible to all but Tolkienesk people to understand what it means. Then, 500-1000 years later, new land is discovered, and new places finally get to be named. The usual method is used, it just sounds weird because no one has ever named a place in modern English. At least that’s my opinion. I could be wrong. But it does kind of make sense though, right?

Heh, and if you need any more examples, why the very planet is named after a characteristic. Earth. I’ll maybe later go into my thoughts on lack of new places.

It happens.

So after I finished setting up this blog, writing the first post, and changing my homepage in my forum accounts (previously I had my Brickshelf as my homepage) I went outside and did some work on a trailer I am tearing apart. This was quite invigorating, mostly because I was actually doing something constructive (or as the case would have it, destructive) on my day off. It was especially invigorating because I had already made good use (to me at any rate) of my time by finally starting up this blog. Then I go out and do real manly work on the trailer (nothing can be more manly than swinging a hammer and smashing things) and then I go and get in a game of Bunnock before it gets too dark out. I'll leave Bunnock for another time, but let it suffice to say that I am in desperate need of practice and any game I get in is a good use of my time.

So yeah, I get three useful things done on my day off and have great a real invigorating feeling. But it was during the destruction of the trailer that I felt the best. The trailer is a 40-year-old beast that everything was broken on. My parents gave it to me to do with, as I will when they bought a new one. I planned pretty much from the start to tear it down and make a flatbed out of it. However, friends, family and co-workers whom I kept telling this to always seem surprised that I was tearing it apart. Most of them it would seem would have rebuilt it. Being more mechanically (or whichever trade is most suited to rebuilding trailers) inclined than me, they didn't find the prospect impossible. I however, not being all that knowledgeable didn't even consider it a possibility. But in order to prevent my lack of knowledge from showing and making me look less macho, I had to try and make a compelling argument that it was better to just make a flatbed. I don't know if I succeeded or not.

But either way, I found out tonight that I made the right call. As busted up as everything was up to this point, it was fixable, to some anyway. But when I took down the last window, I noticed something that would make repairs a whole lot more complicated. The wooden frame was rotten. And I don't mean a little brown and mouldy. I mean rotten to the core, rotten enough that it literally broke up in my hands. Well not literally, I didn't touch the stuff, but you get the drift. Now as I said, I am not all that well versed on constructiony stuff like some, but I am fairly certain that if the wooden frame of a trailer is rotten, then there is nothing you can do but salvage the metal floor frame. I guess that once in awhile I can be right. It happens.

In the beginning...

A rather uninventive title to begin a blog with I know, but if there is one that I can say that this blog will not be known for, its witty titles. Some how the skill to come up with a twist on an old phrase, or such is beyond me. Indeed, this blog's very title, Musings of a Wandering Sort is in fact not my idea. A good friend of mine, Josh, was the one who came up with it. Many thanks Josh!

I suppose I should make some sort of statement as to what this blog is all about. Hmmmm, how about "To Boldly Blog where no man has Blogged before?" Catchy isn't it? And I guess it sort of fits. Whatever I do end up blogging could possibly be something never blogged before. I honestly couldn't say, because I honestly don't know what will get blogged. Musings of a wandering sort just about says it all. This blog will be whatever happens to come into my mind. Being an avid fan of Lego, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and similar geeky stuff, there is a good chance that a percentage of the posts will lean in their direction. But who can say? Maybe this blog will get some sort of unity and direction at some point in the future, but for now, my thoughts are the limit. Hmmm, that almost sounded like twist on an old phrase. I must remember to use that for a post someday.

I do feel that I should warn anyone who in their browsing of the internets (and yes, I spelt it internets purposely) stumbles upon this blog and decides its worth reading. I am biased. Biased in the sense that I have definite views on what is right and wrong in the world, and will not hesitate to say so. I am a Catholic, and will possibly, from time to time, write stuff from that perspective. I will not start writing bad things about people, nor will write hate filled stuff against any religion or ethnic group (for some reason the word ethnic always sounds so political). That being said, I do not support anything and everything. I have definitely conservative views on same-sex marriage, premarital sex, abortion, all those moral issues, etc, etc. Just warning everyone now. If you feel you can't stand to read views on it, then feel free to skip over the deep (thoughtly [thoughtly? Is that a word?] deep that is) posts. Okay, that’s out of the way.

I wish I could say how often this blog will be updated. I certainly don't ever seem to lack thoughts for topics. But I am by nature a lazy person. Still, I have it on good authority (some guy told me) that blogs only get readers if there is some regularity to the post updates. And after some soul searching I figured it wouldn't be a bad thing to have people actually read this. I mean, that is the reason we write blogs, isn't it? I would like to think that at this time updates should be something close to daily.

And there is me. I guess something of me should be said, just to satisfy the one person who reads this curiosity. I'm a young man, who lives in Canada, loves to build Lego, goes to church every Sunday, enjoys no story more than The Lord of the Rings, and loves a good Star Wars, Stargate, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica,(in that order) or just general sci-fi thing. Oh, and my truck, I love that girl. Currently I am just working a simple job until such time as I can figure out a course in life.

So that should be enough for an introductory post right? I hope so.