By the Way, I Sold Out

What better time than the eve of the Super Bowl to discus the commercialization of every aspect of daily life?  Well, maybe during the Super Bowl would be a powerful time to have such a discussion, but nobody would really be listening because they would all be watching the Super Bowl and tweeting about how clever the last Doritos commercial was.


If you look carefully, you may notice something new on this blog.  I have been known to make sudden, drastic changes.  I usually make a big deal about the fact that a change was made only to change it back to the way it used to be a few weeks later without admitting I was wrong.  But this particular addition is here to stay (for now at least).



Transformer Generation Dad has signed up for Google's AdSense service and is now featuring advertisements selected through Google's apparent mind-reading technology below each post.  This is scary in that I never imagined this blog being a potential revenue source.  I wasn't ever against it, but it began as a method to practice and hone my own writing and as an outlet for my feelings about life as a father.  Also scary about this is the fact that a significant amount of ads regarding ways to stop snoring are appearing beneath my posts.  How did Google know I snore like a semi-truck downshifting on the highway?  I don't remember talking much about that.  (Note to self: peruse the AdSense agreement one more time and look for a clause on hiding a Google rep in one's closet.)


But mostly it is scary because it serves as a waypoint.  I have crossed a threshold in my blogging experience that cannot be undone.  To remove the ads from TGD at this point would either indicate that I have even further progressed toward having specific corporate sponsors or that I have failed miserably and don't generate enough readership and/or revenue to make the service worth it.  It is sink or swim from here and that causes me a bit of trepidation.


But enough about me.  Let's talk about what this means for you: the loyal, avid (have I told you how good your hair looks lately?) reader.


I am not talking about the quality products and services tailored to the TGD audience that you will no doubt be made aware of below each post, like a reward for putting up with my mindless ramblings long enough to reach the bottom of a particular entry.  What I mean to celebrate is the fact that you are learning more about me with this little experiment.


Yes, the door to my mind has been swung open...let me stop right there, because if my mind does in fact have a door, it is more than likely a revolving door through which just as many things escape from as enter.  At any rate, you have been allowed entry into my mind to gaze upon the spectacle that is my passion for writing.  Even though the things I have written here may lead you to believe that I have very little respect for the written word, perhaps it has become clear to you now that I hold an ever so faint glimmer of hope of carving for myself a profession as a writer in some capacity.  My commitment to this blog and providing you with what I think is occasionally quality entertainment and insight is a window to my dreams.


Also, it should make you aware that I have less shame than you may have originally thought.  I mean, if someone was going to pay me to display a symbol on my person at all times, I would emblazon that bad boy on every item of clothing I own.  In fact, while I;d love to be a writer, I may have missed my calling as a NASCAR driver.