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| April 2013 |
Ten years ago I sat down and wrote this: "Friday, April 12th Steve took me to see
Michael Nesmith at the Union County Performing Arts Center; a charming theatre
that has been around since the early part of the last century and miraculously
survived being torn down and becoming a parking lot. It was not the first time the two of us had
seen “Papa Nez” in concert. While
promoting his album Tropical Campfires in early 1992, he had done a concert at
the now defunct Lone Star Roadhouse in NYC.
Both Steve and I were there; even though we didn’t even know each other
yet." It was my first blog
post. What I write today will be my
1,353rd published post on this space.
There are posts out there that I never published. Posts that I never finished. Posted that ended up elsewhere. (I'm an occasional
contributor to MyVeronaNJ. I believe my
first articles appeared in 2014, which means I have another anniversary coming
up next year. I am still incredibly
flattered and honored when I am asked to share my thoughts and words directly
to my local community.)
According to the statistics Google provides, my very first
post got 99 views. Seems like I got more
views when Google+ existed. Does anyone
remember that? Proof that even a giant
like Google can "fail." At
least when it came to social media.
(That WAS what Google+ was supposed to be wasn't it?) Did Google+ help me or was it just inflating
my numbers?
Let me be frank (as I always try to be), mine is not a
"popular" blog. Thousands of
people are not reading my writing. I'm
lucky if I get into the triple digits.
And while it would be nice to have tons of people reading my thoughts,
that's not why I write. I write because
I "have" to. Something will
come up or happen that grabs me. I find
that I have to get my thoughts onto "the page". It has always been that way for me as there
are countless notebooks and diaries tucked away in drawers and containers that
are filled with my scrawl. They are
filled with my thoughts, poetry, attempts at stories and my bad fan fiction. (Before
knew what fan fiction was...when was the term coined anyway?) I am embarrassed by them and I am thrilled by
them. They show who I was: a not so
popular overweight female who was not quite smart enough to be a nerd and
wanted to fit in with everyone. This
blog shows who I am: a not so popular
overweight female with thoughts and feelings that she wants to share, advice
that she wants to give and receive and still wants to fit in, even in places
that I never could.
I will never be a trendsetter, influencer or whatever you
want to call it. Is it because my
thoughts/words are not "good" enough?
Or, as I'd prefer to think, is it because I don't have a niche. This is not a political blog, though I occasionally
dip my toe into my thoughts in that world.
It's not a fashion blog, although my 4th post was about getting my hair
bobbed. (Does that even constitute
"fashion")? It's not a travel blog, although I have written about my
vacations, though there are not many.
My blog doesn't focus on the arts, although as I pointed out, my very
first post is about a concert I attended.
My blog is like me, kind of boring.
Or at least not thrilling. I
don't focus on one particular subject or thing.
It's all about what is going on in my life and around me, hence tales of
family, work, and stuff that grabs my attention (and hopefully yours too). I figure if I'm interested in something,
maybe there is someone else out there who is too? What I experience in life can't just be about
me; we are all interconnected. (Aren't
we?) I have questions; if I write about
it maybe someone will give me an answer or a suggestion. I appreciate the feedback that I get.
A lot has changed since I started blogging. I've changed
jobs (more times than I care to admit).
My son was in elementary school; now he's about to graduate high
school. (As a matter of fact, tomorrow
we go to Admitted Students Day at Wagner College. I can't speak for my son, but I am thrilled
and terrified at the same time.) My
parents moved and my mother died. And
then there was (is) Covid. What
"average joe" could have ever imagined that? If the memories of remote learning,
"virch" and zoom meetings start to fade, I've got plenty of posts to
look back on and remind me of the scary uncertainty that was supposed to last
for only a couple of weeks (who were they kidding) and went on and on. I went from struggling with working from home
to reluctance to return to an office. (And not seeing the benefit of commuting
three days a week...more to come about that next month.)
Although nothing I have written has been earthshattering,
I'm glad that I have kept this record of what's going on in the world and in my
world. Maybe this blog will be helpful
to future generations of my family.
Maybe it has been helpful to a friend or stranger who has stumbled
across it. (Nothing would make me
happier). Maybe it will be interesting
to someday to a person who is not yet born.
I suppose, for better or worse, this blog is my legacy. When my memory
fades, I will have my own words to remind me of myself. I think that's a pretty darned good reason to
keep blogging.
Thanks to all of you who have read these words; whether past, present or future. As I intend to keep writing, I hope you will keep reading.
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| April 2023 |
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