Dunge Blog

Earlier this month I said goodbye to Dirkwanda. Mmm-hmm, you read that correctly... Dirkwanda.  Dirkwanda was my 2003 Ford Explorer XLT. (Ford Motor Company executives, if you are reading this: my family and I will gladly accept your gift of a new Ford SUV, and will regularly "blog-brag" about the wonders of Ford SUVs to our massive following, should you be so kind and inclined to gift us with a new Ford or Lincoln SUV). Yes, Dirkwanda is an odd name, but odd is as odd does. I've always been of the opinion that a vehicle, much like a ship, should have a female name. In our case, a standard female name seemed lacking for our Explorer, so we modified her name to add a little more brawn, and "Dirkwanda" seemed the best fit. The etymology of "Dirkwanda" is a little hazy after 15 years, but suffice to say that the name Dirk is where it all began. To start, t he name "Dirk" is partial to our Texas roots, in support of one of the best NBA pla...

“Is there value in this? What is the purpose of writing a blog?”  I’ve asked myself these questions for, honestly, almost nine years. I considered starting up a blog in the summer of 2009 for several reasons:  it was a (or the) “thing to do” several friends had started blogging (and have since abandoned their sites) and I thought it might be a creative outlet for me during a period of the ho-hums.  But the above questions were unanswerable at the time, so I passed on the blog idea.  As I’m writing this entry, I still have those same questions that I had in 2009. In fact, I don’t know if what I’m putting on the proverbial paper will ever demonstrate value or express a purpose.  Others much more well-spoken, more articulate, and published have said (paraphrasing) that the value and purpose behind their writing is to express themselves and offer something unique, as their perspectives are unknown to anyone until established in written/image form. The ...