A Note To Our Readers About the John Drake Project

Last night, at about nine in the evening, the official mascot of Things in Light, Rosie the Dog, died suddenly, following surgery for cancer. She was beloved by me and by Samantha. We had hoped for the best, but sometimes freedom from the flesh is the best one can hope for in this world.

She will be forever missed and held in our hearts and minds here, there, and everywhere.

Coincidentally, John Drake died with her. The reason for that is simple. Rosie inspired some damn fine reflection upon the past, and subsequently, some writing about that past taking place in Burque. We posted that output at our old stomping grounds.

Reading through the morning news, I note that a discussion on Duke City Fix mentions Drake. One commenter puts forth the proposition that we here at TiL were " ...just screwing with this site. One might even say he was trying to get even by "saving" Duke City Fix."

Nothing could be further from the truth. The John Drake project was sincere, folks. It was meant to be a way to disperse the grief of our household, a grief and shock that grew as we cared for a much-loved companion who was dying. That we chose an uncommon and gestural way to accomplish that goal may be unusual, but its roots in postmodernism are undeniable and just fine, by our standards.

There was never any attempt to save that other site. Nor was there any malice involved in its manifestation. We are not eccentrics or agitators. We are dadaists and artists. We have no grudge to bear or any illusion about our ability to revive any person, animal, or website, living or dead.

If our posts generated more traffic over there, then that is a good thing, but that was not our goal. Our goal was to embrace the spirit of an animal we really loved, to make her the star of something that is greater than any of us puny humans.

Certainly, we have issues with both the content and powers that be over there, and have made them clear over the time it has taken to create this successful and hep site that you are visiting now.

We do not seek fame or acknowledgment from the folks over there. Some of them were friends. We take our work seriously. But it also says a lot about DCF that the detractors and doubters have center stage, can say things that are just downright foolish, are poor judges of character, and intention.

The publishers of this blog are both published writers who have significant credentials, by the way. It seems hurtful and unkind to us that what we did has been misjudged as the work of people that wear "tin-foil hats".

But whatever. This site, those John Drake posts, the inspiration for it all came from our interaction with our dear friend and companion, Rosie.

The world is a rough place. We work for its betterment, without concern for ourselves. That's punk rock, sabes?