…this blog
Despite its title, this is not intended as a blog about cracks. It’s envisioned as a blog about words.
Words we read, words we write, words we say to others, words others say to us, words we keep to ourselves. Words that inspire, words that terrify, words that teach and words that make us smile.
We can talk about all the places words can be found: books, poems, songs; about movies, shows, even sports when they inspire great words. The only thing I wish this blog will never be about is news and politics.
…the Idea
Many years ago I listened to a night show on the radio. It was called “Lovers and Other Strangers”. The host, Don Jackson, a guy with a calming, velvety voice, guided us, the audience, through mellow romantic music with tales of love. Between the songs, he told stories of good deeds people did for each other, small acts of love and care between lovers, siblings, family members and complete strangers. It was soothing, inspiring, and uplifting. Best of all, the good feeling it created lingered long after Mr. Jackson signed off for the night.
That is what I would like to re-create here. I may not have a face for TV, nor a voice for radio; I am best “consumed” as reading material. But I do crave, as I think many of us do, words that make us feel like that radio show of long ago did — warm, happy, content. And, sometimes mildly melancholy, in a good way.
If I manage to put a trace of a smile on your face when you click off this blog, my mission is accomplished! But also—if, when reading these posts, you feel that you have something to share, please don’t hesitate; if you did something that made someone feel good and happy, I’d love to read about it. If you know of someone else who did that for you, or someone else, please share.
If you have a quote that inspires you, if you read a book, or heard a podcast, a radio show, a TV show that touched you, send it over.
…the blogger
As long as I can remember, I loved stories. I love to read. Books are likely responsible for my rich imagination, (too) many unfulfilled fantasies, and strong emotional reactions to fictional stories and characters. I know, crying over a fictional character sounds a little, err, silly, but if that’s the adjective that describes me the most, I can live with it.
My name is Zoran B. I was born and raised in Croatia, while it was still a part of communist-run Yugoslavia. Both my parents were teachers. We weren’t well-off by any stretch of the imagination, but we had enough for a worry-free childhood. Most importantly, I always had books and access to books. I studied to become a physical education professor, but a few steps before graduation, I realized I really didn’t want to spend the rest of my life teaching kids how to run, throw a ball, or do a flip.
At about the same time with that realization, my hobby and passion of photography turned into a profession—I became a photojournalist. I worked for the largest local daily Vecernji List in Zagreb, Croatia. Then, as Yugoslavia imploded in the war, I joined the Associated Press news agency. After the Balkans wars, which I helped document for the AP, I moved to Canada, where I spent the next two decades and the rest of my working days. I worked as a photojournalist, photo editor, and video/audio/multimedia editor for a number of Canadian newspapers, ending my career at the National Post, the smaller of the two national newspapers.
It’s somewhat ironic that a guy like me, who used pictures to tell the news story, where “a picture is worth a thousand words” fell so deeply and completely in love with words. Or, maybe it’s exactly because I know how much can be told by a picture that I realized also how much can NOT be told by it, and reached for words. Whatever the case, here I am, sharing my love for words and humane stories with anyone who stumbles across this blog.
You can reach me via the contact form on the home page, or through comments in each post.