Navel-gazing

It's the beginning of a new year, and that means that it's time for a little self-reflection here at IPoL headquarters. I've been doing this blog-a-day thing for two months now, and I've learned a few things that I'd like to share with y'all.

First, on the whole, I've enjoyed it. It's been a fun challenge to come up with something to post every day. Sure, some days have been easier than others, and some posts have certainly worked better than others, but generally it's been a good experience. I've also noticed that it makes me look at the world a little differently. I'm no longer just experiencing things as they happen, I'm also constantly observing and culling for shareable bits and putting together post drafts in my head. It's a new way of looking at the world, which I sort of like, but which I also sort of need a break from.

That leads me to my next point, which is that I don't plan to keep it up. I gave myself two days off this week and it was really nice not to have to worry about finding time to get to the computer to bang out a post. I enjoy blogging, but I will probably be a more sane person if I only do it once or twice a week or so, and not every day. Though there's something quite thrilling in seeing my post dates marching forward, one day at a time, the overall pacing is just a little too fast for me. I like doing posts that are a bit longer and more involved, and it's hard to do that under this kind of time pressure.

Third, I've had a bit of chance to think about why I'm doing this. Why bother blogging at all? Do I really think that anyone is interested in my incoherent ramblings about this and that? (Okay, anyone other than my mom.) There are a lot of strange, pedestrian, small-minded blogs out there --- a curious click on the "Next Blog" link at the top of this page once led me to a site that chronicled all of one woman's shopping trips, including how much she spent out of her pocket versus how much she saved with coupons. Seriously. But do I really think that what I'm doing is any more interesting, or less inane, than that? Well, no. No one should be any more interested in my Thanksgiving menu than in her most recent trip to CVS. Then why do it?

The answer is remarkably simple: I do it for me. I don't particularly care if anyone ever reads what I write here. Really, I don't. What's important to me is that I have some space to express myself, to do a little writing that isn't related to work, to try out ideas in way that has some kind of published finality and also some kind of you-won't-find-it-if-you're-not-looking-for-it privacy. If anyone else finds this stuff amusing or entertaining or thought-provoking, that's a bonus, but it's not the point. I do seem to have somehow attracted one follower (Hi, follower! Glad you're here!), but otherwise I am not holding out any hope of more than, say, a dozen people ever taking more than a passing interest in this tiny corner of the web.

And that's fine with me. I just like that I have a tiny digital room of my own, and I intend to keep inhabiting it whenever and for however long the spirit moves me.