Blogging

Anybody out there?

Can you hear me?

Hmmm.

Blogging is interesting.

It takes a bit of time but, so far, I’ve gotten enjoyment from it too so the time is worth it. But, will it always be? That is the big question. I guess I’ll find out sooner or later and, in the meantime . . .

Blogging is such a personal thing. I like that. Tech writing isn’t so personal. Not sure if I like that or not.

My job title is Technical Writer but I spend almost all of my time managing content on a website. There are a lot of other people at my company who write and, well, somebody has to make sure all those words get on the site and look okay. That’s me.

Writing isn’t my strength and I enjoy poking around on the site. I was a graphic designer in another job a lifetime ago, so it works for me. I get the best of both worlds — most days I play with html and some days I write a word or two.

I guess that’s why I’m here, though. Writing a word or two doesn’t seem to be enough anymore. I like to write even when I don’t know if anyone will ever read it. I started writing a book once upon a time but lost track of where I wanted the story to go and got stuck after about a 100 pages. It’s in a drawer somewhere. I might finish it someday.

Maybe. Maybe not.

Blogging is a different animal. It doesn’t require all the care and feeding of technical writing and it doesn’t live with you as long as a book. It’s a brain dump and, as Martha would say, that’s a good thing.

Getting all those things out of your head and into a blog is sort of therapeutic — like talking to a shrink without the hefty fee — and makes room for more thoughts, newer thoughts, bolder thoughts, sillier thoughts.

I think I like it.

The hard part for me is all those new thoughts coming at me 90 miles an hour when I’m supposed to be doing something else — like working. That’s why sticky notes are also a good thing. Right now my sticky notes are:

~~Blogging~~
Tech Support
The Music Man
~~Aging~~
~~Nothing but one-pointers~~
They don’t make them like Cary Grant anymore
~~Game of Crones~~
Pennies
Light bulbs

Will I get to all those topics anytime soon?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Four down and five to go!

(Updated March 3, 2012.)

It’s my baby sister’s fault.

She got me into this just like she got me into all kinds of stuff when she was a teenager and I should’ve known better. Of course, “baby” is a relative term, given that she’s past the half-century mark. But, I am definitely older and there’s another sister in between so I guess baby still applies.

Me, blogging!

Who’d a thunk it?

I don’t even like to talk.

If left alone, I can go for days without speaking. Unless one of the cats gets under foot and then I say things my Mom would be ashamed of me for saying. She washed my mouth out with soap when I was nine — but it didn’t take. It did, though, take me about forty years muster up enough nerve to buy a bar of Dove soap. I wouldn’t have even then except that my daughter spent about six months trying to convince me that it was really good for keeping your skin soft, and it does, so now I’m a convert and don’t get antsy in the shower at all. (No, they’re not paying me to say that and let’s just leave Norman Bates out of this discussion.)

Back to topic …

Given the choice between a room full of people and a good book, I’ll take the book every time. Not that I’m particularly anti-social. It’s just that I like to read — a lot. And, I’ll read almost anything but more about that some other time.

I read a magazine article once about how there are two kinds of people. For some, other people give them energy. For the rest, other people suck the life right out of us.

Now, don’t start thinking I hate people. I don’t. Not really. I mean, I wouldn’t want to go live in a cabin in the woods or anything. In fact, I don’t even like visiting out in the country except in cold weather, but that’s another story. I like the burbs (great movie, by the way) and being around people. I just don’t like to talk a lot. I’m shy. Kinda, sorta.

Enough of this for now. It’s getting late, I’m sleepy, and I have to work tomorrow.