A Bit of Genius

I love Paul Theroux. He's one of the most insightful and eloquent writers I know, and his travel essays are gripping from start to finish. If you haven't read anything by him, I strongly recommend The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling Through the Pacific, one of my favorite books.

But there was one piece of clever wordage I wanted to share with you. In his essay, "Chatwin Revisited," from Fresh Air Fiend, he discusses a personal aquaintence of his who recently passed away, an eccentric traveller and avid "postcarder." Of postcards, he says the following:

Postcards are the preferred medium for many self-advertisers, combining color, cheapness, and an economy of effort -- something like a miniature billboard.

That's how I've always felt about them, too. There's not enough room to write anything of any value on the back, and as you can tell, I like to write in-depth about my experiences to share them. But when I read this, I also realized how much like postcards blogs can be sometime!

Hmm...