Happy 100th Post; Pho PhAQs

Between attending a blogger meetup and reaching the 100th post milestone, I've been thinking a lot about what goes on here. I've decided to post a few posts blogging about the blog. The first lays out some information about me and the blog with a Frequently Asked Questions list.

Why "Pho?" Pho is a college nickname. I had been using it on other blogs, discussion groups and so forth for about a year before I started blogging. I decided to blog under a pseudonym, so it fit.

Why a pseudonym? I am active as a volunteer in a number of groups. In some I am to the left of the prevailing political view, in some I am to the right (well, more in the center) and some are studiously apolitical. I was concerned that someone finding a blog under my name might take my opinions as those of a group I belong to. Speaking through an alter ego sends a signal that these opinions are mine alone, not those of any organization I belong to.

Wasn’t this once “Pho’s Norka Pages?” Well yeah, bit of silliness that. “Norka” is Akron spelled backwards. Something of an in joke among Akron hipsters. It was also an homage of sort to a good but unfortunately short-lived Akron portal of a few years ago. Trouble was, it hid the blog from people scrying the ‘net for things Akron. I changed it, but Norka lives on in the URL.

What exactly do you do? Mostly I take care of the kids and the house. We have two daughters – Kid Z is eight. She is, by the way, responsible for the portrait you see up top. Kid T is four. Kid Z is biological; Kid T we adopted from Vietnam when she was one. The "Pho" nickname also appealed to me as a sideways reference to her (pho famously being a Vietnamese noodle dish.) Professor W, my wife, teaches at the University. We all live in a c. 1920 home in West Akron which constantly provides challenging new projects.

What is it like being a stay-at-home dad? Mind-numbing more than anything else. When you inevitably hear the Wiggles’ “Fruit Salad” echo though your brain every time you walk though a produce section, you know something has to give. Me, I took up blogging.

What is your blogging philosophy? My main topics are public policy, law and politics. I try to stay as local as possible. First, I hit Akron political news whenever it presents itself. Second, I try to do gap-filling on NEO or Ohio stories if I see either some information I can add to the conversation or a take no one else has posted. Finally I occasionally go off-topic and hit a national story, if I feel strongly about it.

What is your political orientation? I am liberal, but not reliably so. I am more moderate on some issues, especially on economic policy. I am liberal on most so-called social issues, but pretty moderate on abortion. On foreign policy I am actually somewhat hawkish, at least by liberal metrics.

Can we expect more cheesy wordplay based on the “ph” in your screenname? Abso-phreaking-lutely.