On to the discussion at hand?

As the keeper of this little piece of un-real-estate, DaSauce is a guy who tries to be a good only parent to his (Tomorrow!) soon to be five and three-quarter year old. He periodically offers recipes for odd-yet-tasty-meals. He�s an oafish male who is attempting to learn to do introspective-style-stuff right here in plain view in his diary. As a person with an odd-view and a sense of joy over the whole LIVING THING--he has mostly seen this whole-journal-experience as a lark and a chance to do something different for 15 or so minutes an evening.

Now, periodically, YerDiarist does think that he is funny.

Once in a great while he might be a fair detailer of the life of a little boy.

He knows that anything he has suggested and offered for your cooking-along-at-home pleasure totally phucking rocks.

But, does he bring drama to the diary?

Not really. It came of its own accord, before the journal was started.

For some reason a particularly lovely human decided to enter this diary in last quarter�s Diarist.Net�s Diarist Awards with an entry about How This Oafish Boy Became An Only Parent (top stat entry below) as the Best Dramatic Entry.

Now as a naturally not-so-introspective male-person, this puzzled your intrepid and often nattering typist.

A very recent and quickly become dear (never met, yet kindred) friend in the diarist community tried to help him to understand why anyone would think THAT ENTRY had value.

It is hoped/believed that she would offer permission for a reprint of her words here, as they actually clued DatSauceHuman into what might-just-perhaps be a rationale for all the hubbub about this particular entry. It might be a reason that others like it anyway. DaSauce feels strongly that he didn't do his son's now Non Compos Mentis mom justice and that the whole thing came out as rather flippant--which was not the intent.

So rather than just saying something like, �WTF? or Whoa! It won?!? Best Dramatic Entry? Really? Well, gorsh� � �And stubbing his toes in the dirt, it kind of makes sense to let her words try to stand as a possible rationale for why DaReaders liked that particular piece�because this boy JUST doesn�t get it. This is as good a reason as any. But please note that your diarist, did and does love the woman he married. She is no longer that woman, but he loves the person he knew her as�and there were no ulterior motives for writing that entry other than giving a solid foundation for the how�s and why�s.

But the kindness of the voters is appreciated.

So with thanks to the unnamed writer of the content below (and should she wish, her name will go here in an edit tomorrow) here is a possible explanation for why the damned thing won.

***snip***

Most people are probably introduced to your writing in

the entry "How This Oafish Boy Became an Only Parent".

What impressed me most about this entry (and this

circulated in my brain for days, like a hook to a good

song) was your overall tone of forgiveness towards

your (ex?) wife. You're honest with your readers--you

still feel mad at her for the times she wasn't the

best mommy to your boy--but even after all the fucked

up shit she put you through you can refer to her as

your best friend. You fondly remember the good times,

and seem to wish her well, PLUS you offer rationales

for some of her behavior so that your readers can't

even hate her on your behalf. All this, when most

people would consider themselves virtuous for not

openly calling her vicious names.

You really impressed me. I mean, I lay awake at night

and wondered about it. Did you write it that way only

because your son might read it later? But then I read

the entry again, and your good-natured-ness is so

palpably without forethought. Surely you can't fake

that playful tone. Or can you? I know I can't.

I think you really mostly forgive her. You make me

believe you do because you make (what could

uncharitably be called, please don't be offended) a

cheating, lying, alcoholic, drug-using, bad mother A

SYMPATHETIC PERSON. We feel sympathy for her, because

you let us know without saying so that she's the one

who missed out. You show us a woman, worthy of love

and essentially good, who made some crappy choices and

let herself be weak. Then she lost it all. My god,

we feel bad for her.

And that impresses the hell out of everyone who reads

that entry. You could allow yourself to be the bitter

wronged party--but you don't. It takes--fuck, I don't

know what that takes. The words aren't big enough.

Shit--it made me want to call my dad and forgive him.

NOTHING makes me want to call my dad, much less

tearfully tell him that his failings as a dad are

okay. and I love him.

***snip***

--DaSauceOfSeriousSurpriseSaysThanksAndLooksSheepish