First, a definition of an opinion from Merriam-Webster - "Opinion: 1 a : a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter". You will find that I like definitions - I will likely start many of my essays with a definition of the topic.

What does the image of grapes have to do with anything? Opinions are like grapes (you may have thought I was going to say elbows or assholes - everyone has one). Grapes come in many colors, shapes, and varieties, red, white or green, black, oblong, muscat, sweet, tart, wine varieties, and grapes used primarily for jams and jellies. Until you bite into a grape and let the juices flow to coat all the receptors of your tongue, you don't know if you will like them.

And, so it is with opinions. Until you experienced an opinion and let it contact all your cerebral receptors, you can't decide if you like it or not. Some will make you smile and some will make you frown, perhaps even gag. Such is the nature of opinions, not all are right for everyone.

My goal, here, is to offer an opinion on various topics. You may like some, or not. Hopefully, it will engage your mind and if you don't agree, you might form your own opinion, or alter one you already hold. The only way we can possibly solve many of the problems that plague our species is to think our way out of them. We've tried violence and wars to force others to think like us, and failed. It's time to unload our weapons and engage our wits.

The genesis of this idea came to me some thirty years ago when I began to entertain the notion that I might want to be a writer. At the time, pre-internet, I wrote a lengthy tome that did just what I'm explaining here. I didn't have a clue what the hell I was doing. I compiled that into a manuscript and had the temerity to begin sending it to agents and publishers, thinking they would find the content irresistible, publish me to great acclaim, and I would shortly be a guest on Oprah's book club. I lugged that manuscript around for years, but I think it went to the recycle in our latest downsizing exercise.

I will organize my opinionary alphabetically, from A to Z, as I work through the topics, just as I did on that old manuscript. Basically, I will look at words beginning with Aa, then ab, ac, etc. as I look for topics I find of interest. I expect to have an index of sorts, but currently I don't know what that might look like. It might simply be the blog index. How long this will take, and if I live long enough to populate it with a variety of thoughts, remains to be seen.