Navel Gazing

As usual, I'm starting out the day a couple days behind, so all you get from me is navel gazing.

I'm asking myself, why do I do this?  This blogging thing?

There are a ton of people out there who are much much better at it than I am.  (No.  I'm not going to link to anyone in particular on that statement.)

I'm all over the map.  Serious politics gets me some days.  Other days are meme, cool science stuff, family, news bits, faith, interesting links.  There's no consistency in theme or output.  Not exactly the best formula to attract a steady audience.

It's not like I have the time to do this.  In fact, I pretty much choose to do it in rebellion to spit in the face of the reality that I don't have the time.  If I don't decide to do stuff I don't have time for, I'll never do anything but what's required of me.

You can spend hours getting something ready to post, then put it out there, and no one cares.  Not one comment.  Not one link.  You read it later and think, "Man, I SUCK AT THIS."  Then you spend five minutes throwing up something as an afterthought that gets more reaction than anything else you've blogged in a month.

Some people do it to keep their writing skills up.  I write for work plenty.

(You're probably reading this and thinking, "What AM I doing here, anyway?")

It's a cruel, cruel blogging world, and lucky you got the invite to my pity party.

On the other hand, blogging has allowed me to meet some really great people in real life.  Spend an evening at Keegan's for trivia and you'd see what I mean.

Blogs are also there for me to feed the information junkie who's been left starving by the MSM.

Bloggers amuse me when I need to smile.

I'm not throwing in the towel just yet, and it may be just the pressures of work and life talking today.  Feel free to click another link and ignore me.  Did I mention that it's raining again, dammit?

Well I've run through rainbows and castles of candy
I cried a river of tears from the pain
I try to dance with what life has to hand me
My partner's been pleasure my partner's been pain

There are days when I swear I could fly like an eagle
And dark desperate hours that nobody sees
My arms stretched triumphant on top of the mountain
My head in my hands down on my knees

Sometimes it's a bitch sometimes it's a breeze
Sometimes love's blind and sometimes it sees
Sometimes it's roses and, sometimes it's weeds
Sometimes it's a bitch sometimes it's a breeze

Final thought.  Cheaper than therapy.

Comments

[Steve Gigl]

That's odd, I had nearly same thoughts yesterday (when it was sunny out, so you can imagine how I feel about it today).

[Sandy]

Maybe we just got the blogger blues, Steve.

[Doug]

You can spend hours getting something ready to post, then put it out there, and no one cares. Not one comment. Not one link. You read it later and think, "Man, I SUCK AT THIS." Then you spend five minutes throwing up something as an afterthought that gets more reaction than anything else you've blogged in a month.

I think that's some kind of law of the blogosphere.

[Jim]

I read your blog everyday and enjoy it. I never comment and never will again, but just wanted to say hi once.

[Jo]

No comments?
It doesn't mean that people are not reading it. I find that when I read you, I am thinking to myself "ditto" and since ditto it too stupid of a comment to put up, I just move on.
Don't think of leaving, you are allowed a sabbatical but never full leave.

[Will]

Rain sucks, most of the time. I live in the NW, so I can empathize with the constant rain. Be encouraged, the sun always shines even when we can't see it. Light always wins over the darkness.

[triple_a]

um ... dito

Sorry Jo

[Sandy]

Aww shucks. I really wasn't fishing, but it's nice to hear from everyone. I'm sure the blogger blahs will pass with time. (Though I'm starting to have my doubts about the rain.)

[aelfheld]

Just because I don't comment doesn't mean I don't read; there are times when I haven't anything to add, and other times when anything I could say would be superfluous.

I wouldn't worry about the rain though - you've got bigger problems heading your way:

[...] the recent report that Al Franken has purchased a home in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, gearing up for a potential 2008 US Senate run.

[Joan]

Cheaper than therapy

Got it in one, as a Marine Corps friend of mine is fond of saying. Plus, there are never any scheduling conflicts.

You don't suck at this. I specifically like your multiple-attack approach, probably because I do much the same thing.

A blog is just one weapon in the arsenal with which we defend our sanity.

[Night Writer]

I like the variety, and somehow not knowing what to expect before I click on this site heightens the anticipation...it's almost like opening a present. In that context, we taught our kids from an early age to directly acknowledge and thank a gift-giver before moving on to the next present. By my own standards, then, I've been remiss. Thank you for doing what you do, and please keep it up (though it would be rude of me not to allow you a few days off here and there). Write on!