About

Hi, everyone. I’m Mike Goldense.

Welcome to A Small “x,” my essay blog.

I refer to what I post on here as “essays.” They’re not essays in the traditional sense, like the kind you had to write in school; however, in my opinion, they more closely resemble this prose format than they do a regular blog post.

I try to have a reason for each post. A reason more than just explaining my day, or ranting about something. I try to think about the subject with the same kind of clarity and desire to support my claim as I did when I wrote those classic school essays. I don’t always succeed, but I give it my best.

Plus, I sound like I’m using my English Degree more if I call these “essays.” So, scratch one solitary notch on the otherwise empty board of “When My Education Came in Handy.”

I don’t update regularly. In the past, I’ve had blogs I’ve updated on a regular basis: daily, monday through friday, tuesdays and thursdays. While that’s a great format for some, I’ve learned that if I regiment my creativity too tightly, I start to feel like I’m extorting it. Therefore, anytime you’d like to stop in and see if I posted a new piece please do! It usually ends up being a couple times a month.

These essays are about anything that really makes me think. Lots of times, they end up being about the quirky, idealistic way I view the world. Now, I’m not trying to say that my way is the best way. I’m just offering yet another opinion in this already crowded blogosphere.

The header picture rotates on an also irregular basis. They’re all photos taken on my not-so-fancy digital camera by me, my girlfriend, or my friends. I give credit to these wonderful people when credit’s due.

As for the question of what the name’s about, it comes from a great song by the Weakerthans titled Benediction on their album Reconstruction Site:

So you don’t get to be a saint.
Martyrs never last this long.
Guess I’ll never be the one
to defeat desire in song.
Here’s a marker,
here’s my naked skin,
our Exhibit A.
Put a small x where I lost my way.
- John K. Samson

Thanks for dropping by!