Who am us, anyway?

If you've been following the news, you've undoubtedly read about the legions of muckraking bloggers who've commandeered the headlines. A few months ago, right-wing bloggers presented evidence that a news report made by Dan Rather may not have been thoroughly fact checked, perhaps speeding his retirement. More recently, a CNN executive stepped down after some bloggers published embarrassing comments he had made. And, more luridly, a male escort turned pseudonymous lobber of softball questions to the president at press conferences resigned from a right-wing "news" service as a result of lefty blogs.

It all made very suspicious--of me. Just who is Jim Donahue? Here I've been, spewing my ridiculous lists and snarky comments, but what are my qualifications? Do I have any right to be here? Do I have some sort of hidden agenda?

I decided to do a thorough examination of my past the only way I know how: by Googling myself.

What I found surprised even me.

Long ago--decades before I was even born, in fact--I was a baseball star, and even had my own bubble-gum card. I was also a character in a silent film.

During World War II, I was both a Marine and a sailor in the Navy--at the same time, apparently, so I must have astonishing time-management skills. Somehow, in 1940, I found the time to win a crewing championship for my high school.

After the war, I became a lifeguard, later working with my two, much taller sons.

I must have tired of the lifeguard grind, and started my own trailer business. Apparently, I will be happy to solve all your transportation needs.

Along the way, I became a lawyer; the President of the National Recreation and Park Association; an assistant principal; and a guitar designer.

I hate Clear Channel. I love the environment. I believe war profiteering is bad. And I can describe two models for object-oriented document-management systems.

I am fairly sure that this is NOT me, as I can't imagine myself ever writing a paper entitled "Polyunsaturated Dicarboyxlate Tethers Connecting Dimolybdenum Redox and Chromophoric Centers: Absorption Spectra and Electronic Structures."

All in all, it sounds like a whirlwind of a life. I just wish I could remember a fraction of it.