I seem to attract a certain type here on this site.
Or maybe the web attracts them, and they all find their way here.
(Like a “Mecca for Wack Jobs”)

I don’t know if it’s insecurity, loneliness, a need for constant validation…
… or maybe they’re just taking their medication in far less doses than prescribed.

You know the type: Their world fits in this neat little box. They’ve got it all figured out… the only way they can maintain this little facade is by hearing and seeing only what they want.

When their fragile, imaginary world begins to fall apart… they keep order by throwing fits and having minor psychotic episodes every now and then. Scare every one into submission and MAKE everyone tell them what they want to hear. It’s far easier than taking a look inside themselves, and seeing what it is that’s wrong with them.

[Insert a clip of Jack Nicholson’s “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH” here.]

Somehow, someway, it always comes back to bite me in the ass eventually. My “nodding and agreeing with the crazy person” eventually turns into “Eric is SO two-faced”. And then a campaign to convince the world that I’m the antichrist because it turns out I’m not the person that they built me up to be in their delusional little heads. And there’s always an idiot or two that follows along in their soap opera. They never seem to get that we’re all simply posting a one-sided story on our sites.

Well, maybe I am a *little* two faced, sort of. I like to think of it as “diplomacy” though. But I’m not the one who’s afraid to look deep inside my cold, black little heart here. I know me pretty damn well, and I certainly don’t think I reflect the real me at all on a web page. People like to come here, amuse themselves with tales about the latest hole I find myself in… and watch me dig my way out. :0) It amuses everyone, and I have no illusions that anyone really cares beyond the time it takes to drop an email or leave a comment.

And hey… I’m cool with that.

So before the usual suspects start with the war drums (and yeah, I admit I have quite a few select lunatics in mind with this post), let me get to the point at what precipitated this preced.. brought this on:

An incident happened recently where I did the dumbest thing imaginable… I said something negative about a former client in another part of this site, and it almost cost me my job.

It was beyond dumb and irresponsible… even for me.

I’m not going to feign outrage, and act as if I’m running a private diary here. I have since apologized, removed whole sections, and have tried to set it right. Many of you have designed sites for other people, and you know what I’m talking about… you could probably write volumes of stories. I accept the consequences.

But there are some things you never say out loud or in public. You don’t trash a client. Ever. And it was really out of character for me to let that slip like that.

So, effective immediately… as part of my agreement with the powers that be: Work is officially off-limits on this site. No mention of projects, or people, or even my opinions based on local news… nuthin!

So with my family and friends *already* off limits for some time now, I suppose I’ll just be making stuff up here.

Compared to what we’ve actually been through over the past three years… fiction would probably be more believable anyway.

To the rest of the looney toons that I have been steadily pissing off on a regular basis, I now have the following legal disclaimer posted on all my pages to indemnify myself:

Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are solely those of Eric Brooks. They do not necessarily reflect those of his employers, friends, contacts, family, or even his pets (though my cat, Puddy, seems to agree with me on many key issues.). In accordance to my terms of use, you hereby acknowledge my right to psychoanalyze you, practice accupuncture, and mock you incessantly with every visit. As the user, you also acknowledge that the author has been legally declared a “Problem Adult” by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and is therefore not responsible for any of his actions.

remember: I probably never liked you to begin with.
(Well, maybe not YOU, per se. I’m actually directing that to the OTHER people reading this. Certainly NOT YOU. WE’RE BUDDIES! I think YOU’RE the greatest thing since sliced bread… you know that, right?)