f/k/a archives . . . real opinions & real haiku

Happy Lunar New Year! It is, of course, the Year of the Rat. While Westerners tend to have a rather negative image of the poor, misunderstood rodent, in Chinese culture the Rat is the symbol of hope, cleverness and illumination. And, according to the Las Vegas Sun, Chinese New Year brings the “second-biggest gaming weekend of the year.”

hidden in shadows
a laughing mouse…
New Year’s inventory

the kettle’s lid
rattle, rattle…
New Year’s herbs

bedtime sake–
whether the new year comes
or not

………………………. by Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

As Paul Noll reminds us, “People born in the Zodiac Year of the Rat [2008 and 12-year intervals] are noted for their charm and attraction for the opposite sex. They work hard to achieve their goals, acquire possessions, and are likely to be perfectionists. They are basically thrifty with money. Rat people are easily angered and love to gossip. Their ambitions are big, and they are usually very successful.” If you’re born in a Year of the Rat:

You are imaginative.
You are generous.
You can be quick tempered.
You will be happy as a writer, critic or publicist.

. [“Rat Pack”/LV Sun] Except for the “quick tempered” facet, this description of “Ratters,” reminded me quite a bit of the person I was having a long lunch with yesterday, while ringing in the Lunar New Year in downtown Schenectady, NY, a couple blocks from the landmark GE Sign. However, although he did order a cheese omelette, I can not confirm whether my pleasant luncheon companion is, indeed, a zodiac Rat. You see, he’s the infamously anonymous “Ed,” editor of Blawg Review. And, although he made a special stop in Schenectady — coming by Amtrak from LegalTech NY 2008 in Manhattan and heading to Buffalo to meet with clients — the mysterious Ed would not reveal his true identity.

sprinkled in
with the new year’s rain…
flitting snow

………………………. by Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

Naturally, I was truly honored that the man who gave f/k/a the Blawg Review “Creative Law Blog Award” in 2005, placed us on his ten-best blawg list last year, and has been our best long-distant proofreader and cheerleader for three years, made a stop in our humble little city, just to meet me. But, let’s be frank (in addition to the initial letdown when I realized Ed was not in fact Anne Reed of Deliberations weblog): I’m both disappointed and irked that Mr. Editor didn’t take me into his confidence and reveal his true identity. As I told Ed, “You’re the first pseudonymous lunch companion I’ve ever had.” And, let’s hope, the last.

Although I understand how this Anonymity Thing started, and can sympathize with the almost-captive nature of the Anonymous Editor Mystique, I believe I owe it to readers and bloggers across the blawgiverse to help unmask the man behind the unseemly secrecy shtick. In addition to this Law.com headline: “EDD uncertainty looms over LegalTech,” the frustration of weblogging lawyers who encountered Ed at LegalTech NY this week can be seen in posts by Robert Ambrogi at Lawsites (“Sighted: Anonymous Blawg Review Editor,” Feb. 7, 2008) ; Eric Turkewitz at New York Personal Injury Law Blog; (“Anonymous Blawg Review Editor Spotted at ALM’s LegalTech Trade Show,” Feb. 6, 2008); and John Bringardner at LegalBlog Watch (“LTNY 2008: Anonymous Blawger Sighting“, Feb. 7, 2008).

for drinking buddies
the usual New Year’s pilgrimage…
sake shop

the cat steals
a New Year’s nap…
sitting room

……………………………….. by Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

Eric (here) and Bob (there, see the figure in black, in profile, on the far left) each tried to photograph “Ed,” but were foiled, with disappointing results. Therefore, although I was too cowed and polite yesterday to whip out my Canon PowerShot and steal Ed’s soul, I decided this morning that I had to help identify this self-proclaimed Mummer Blawgger. Despite doing a little bit too much Year of the Rat revelry last night, I sat down with a retired police sketch artist and worked for hours to reproduce the likeness of the man who sat across from me for so many hours yesterday. To the best of our ability, we came up with what I believe is a striking likeness:

“Ed Post,”Blawg Review ‘s Anonymous Editor

Because the complete drawing depicts a dramatization of a felonious action that is a bit spotty in my memory, and may not have occurred exactly as shown, I’m only including a mug shot of “Ed Post” in this posting. Our hope, of course, is that someone out there will be able to make — perhaps aided by the profile and chin shots taken by Bob and Eric, and some high-tech facial recognition software — a definitive identification of the man known in the blawgisphere as Ed of Blawg Review (f/k/a Ed Post).  Please let us know, if you can help in our effort. Anonymous comments shall, however, be ignored.

into the snake’s hole
oh foolish
mouse

………………. by Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

mistaken for a mime –
the vampire bites
and blogs about it

……………………. by dagosan

loft cleaning —
the mouse nest in a gift
from amsterdam

………. by matt morden – Morden Haiku –