Arianna Huffington and a mini meltdown

I really better get some interesting content on here or I might lose all one reader that I have. (Hi mom!)

I have been so sporadic with posting. Let's be frank.  I know this.  You know this.  We all know this.

(Before I continue I have to say that I love saying, 'Lets be Frank.' It's such a funny sounding thing to me for no good reason. I just thought you should know that.) I guess I don't think it's too unusual to go through a kind of writing slump.  Sometimes you might feel like you just don't have anything interesting to talk about.  Sometimes you might just feel like nobody is interested anyway.  Sometimes, you need to re-evaluate your purpose.

That sounds very life-altering. 

Speaking of writing, such a super cool thing happened, that didn't actually end up happening.  OK, that sounds weird, let me explain.

So I submitted something to Huffington Post on a whim, and ARIANNA HUFFINGTON emailed me and said that she wanted to print it!!  Can you believe that??  Maybe I am being a little googly-eyed, but I thought it was so awesome.

But then I pretty much freaked out. I asked her if I could post anonymously, because what I wrote is kind of sensitive and I guess I'm not really prepared to attach my name to it at this point. But I know it was relevant, and should probably be heard.

She responded and said that Huffington Post doesn't post anonymously. So that stinks because I really couldn't go ahead and post it because I am mental, among other things.

But anyway, now you know that you can't post anonymously on Huffington Post, in case you were wondering.

But guys! She liked what I wrote!

So at least that was good, and kind of validating.  So maybe I will submit some other non-panic-inducing writing at some point, because HuffPo! I did get invited to their contributor platform, so I'm a little bit proud of that too.

So even though this is a lowly little blog, and pretty much nobody even notices that it exists, I might be able to write sort of OK, and maybe I don't suck. Maybe. 

approximately 63,072,000 seconds. Or I could just say two years.

I just realized today marks my two year blogiversary.  

Woo hoo!

Two years ago, I got some strange notion that it would be a great idea to write about a bunch of the random things that frantically bounce around in my head.  And then I got the strange notion to publish what I wrote for all of the world to see.

It started out pretty lame and boring actually.  I was just feeling it out, figuring out what was right for me and testing the waters really tentatively.  I was not exactly sure how to approach blogging, what the rules were, how much to reveal... you know, the regular blog anxieties I guess.  But I knew that I liked to write, and I kept plodding along.  At an irregular pace.

Anyway, after a few false starts, I got myself into a routine, and eventually I think I sort of got it down.  I started to feel more comfortable with what I was putting out there.  It felt really nice when I got a few followers.  I guess it was validating in some way.  Like someone liked me, like someone was actually interested in something that I had to say.

So at the end of the day, I'm still digging this thing.  I'm still finding things to blog about and enjoying blogging about them with all of you (four) guys.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for sticking with me. Thank you for reading, for commenting, for making this thing worth doing.  I guess I'll keep coming around if you don't mind.  At least til we get sick of each other.

OMG This took me ALL day!

I am happy to report that I have finally made some updates to my blog!

Yay!

Whoa.  As simple and fail proof as the tutorials that I followed were, it took me ALL DAY (well, every last bit of 6 hours and 36 minutes) to accomplish just a couple of neat changes.  I still have a few things to tweak here and there, but overall I am pretty happy with the results!

If you have any interest in making some changes to your blog, check out the totally awesome blogger tutorials on http://www.kevinandamanda.com/ and http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com.

Those sites totally rock and definitely made me feel all html-ish and computer savvy-ish.

HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY!

Hey!  I just made up a new word!

Wah.  I just went to put my new word in the urbandictionary.com and it was already there.  It's not fair!  I know I thought of it first.  Well, at least there was only one entry of my word, BLOGIVERSARY, so maybe that means only one person thought of it before me.   One of these days I will get the first entry.  I am adding that goal to my list of lifetime goals.  It can come after meeting James Frey in person. 

(google)

So back to the reason for this post.  One year ago, I sat down in front of my computer and decided to start a blog.  I've had some times where I slacked off and didn't blog much, some entries that were probably pretty boring and lame to the average person, and definitely some blogger's block has happened along the way, but all in all, I've been having fun with this.  I really have.  I've also been having fun threatening people with, "Interesting, I think I will put that in my blog!  Can you kindly pose for a picture with that obnoxious (fill in the blank)?"


Really though, I've been slowly teaching myself the ropes and hope to have this thing going strong for the long haul.  It's kind of therapeutic.  Not that I need therapy.  Not that there's anything wrong with that. 

So... Happy One Year Anniversary little Bloggity Blog...  I think I like you.

what is a blog, anyway?

I've asked a few people what they think a blog is, and the answers seem to really range greatly.

Most people I've talked to consider a blog (a contraction of the term "web log") to be an online journal of sorts. Some people use blogs as a way to communicate with a mass of people, or just as a way to connect with family members and friends. Some people's writings are personal, locked - some people put their blogs out there for all the world to see. Some people see blogs as very self-serving - a pulpit for a person to rant and preach and spew their feelings /thoughts shamelessly.

I talked to someone this weekend that thought blogs were sort of self-indulgent - like, no offense, but who wants to read about your average, boring junk, really? Another mused that there wasn't enough time in the day to post, that it's laughable to think that what you have to say is interesting enough to even be put out there.

Blogher.com states that "36 million women a week participate in the blogosphere." Broken down, they say that 21 million women a week read blogs and another 15 million read and publish blogs on their own. BogHer also says that blogs are considered a good source of information, advice and recommendations.

I'm writing a blog, so clearly, I am one of those that enjoy blogs. Honestly, there are millions of blogs out there in cyber-space, about thousands of different things. Parenting, politics, music, travel, religion, news, jobs, television, books, cooking, sports, families... and so very much more. Personally, I follow blogs that I can relate to. I like blogs that are uplifting. Blogs written by people that are similar to me, and some that are very different - people that experience things I wish to experience, or that I admire or aspire to be like. When I log on to read the latest postings, I often feel like I am catching up with friends. I like that there are really no hard and fast "rules," that your blog can really be anything that you want it to be. I read somewhere that blogs are like your personal "memos to the world." I like that.

Keep those memos coming...

on being inspirational

My brother-in-law John in bunny ears, Ty & sister Jen

So my brother-in-law read this blog, and he decided it wasn't "inspirational" enough. I don't think I planned on being inspirational when I started writing this. When he heard that I was writing again to try to get myself motivated (to write again), he expected me to inspire others, or him. Or maybe myself at least.

Here are the links to the top five inspirational blogs in case you are interested, as per http://www.blogtopsites.com/:

(1) http://lordcalls.com

(2) http://www.chasingmist.com

(3) http://officiallifebydesign.com

(4) http://www.inspirationsformoms.com

(5) http://www.inspirepositivelife.com



I don't want to write a blog to inspire others. Or if I do happen to inspire others, I don't want to do it on purpose. I just want to write a blog for myself. I loved writing in journals growing up. I miss it, and this makes me think of that - just free writing on whatever pops in mind - I am not writing for anyone else but me, really.



But just this once, for John, who has really good constructive criticism when he is being kind, I will write a very few QUOTES that inspire me, below.



"Make peace with your past so it doesn't ruin your present."



"Stay the course."



"It's never too late to be what you might have been."



"Get rid of everything that isn't useful, beautiful or enjoyable."

First day

Happy first day!

I am feeling creative these days... too many years spent focusing on everyone but myself I guess. I grew up journaling, and for some reason just stopped after I got married. We recently had a flood in our basement, and I was devastated to think that my cardboard box of old "stuff" may have been ruined. I am 39 years old, but cannot bear the thought of losing a note from a boy I had a crush on in 10th grade.

Written on the back of a Juicy Fruit wrapper.

Since the big flood we've had to tear up the carpet, haul a ton of wet, soggy stuff to the dumpster, and spend hours rifling through loads of veritable junk - but thankfully - my box survived.

Needless to say, I have been stealing away for some uninterrupted time to the basement to sift through things I haven't looked at in absolutely years.

Why do we save all of these things??

I just found a moldy leather bracelet that Peter, my boyfriend for one week in 6th grade gave me. Hmmm... just reconnected with Peter on facebook. Maybe he'd like his bracelet back?

ANYWAY, to make my long-winded story a little shorter - seeing my neatly lined up journals and diaries after all of these years prompted me to get blogging. I guess it's the new thing to do. Or since I am little behind the times, the old new thing. I just haven't had time to do this, and now I do - so yay! I am blogging! Who knew?