BLOGAVERSARY IN REVIEW

As promised, I took a little time to reflect on the past year in blogland and this is what I've come up with...

Background: After Christmas last year, I was searching the net for something - most likely iPod info, being a new proud owner- and came across this new world of blogs. At first, I just lurked - finding a wide variety of blogs. Some were specific to food, some sex, some all about being a parent and others dedicated to any one of a number of random subjects like knitting, finger-painting, books - I even remember one specifically about just words. I couldn't get into the blogs that were focused on any one specific topic and gravitated toward the true web logs, where people wrote about their daily trials and tribulations. Within a few days I realized that to be in the game, I really needed my own site. At first, I really didn't know what to write - which wasn't really that big of a deal because nobody was reading it anyway. As time passed, I started to open up a little and write more about me - which in my head is my favorite topic- but I've never been comfortable with talking much about me to anyone else. Believe it or not, you all know much more about me than most people ever will.

Random Observations of my experience:

-I set out to write a book on men and women almost two years ago. I felt that the blog world would give me lots of research reference. I found that most of my observations on the battles between the sexes have been right on. I also found that although that might be true, I still don't know shit about women.

The book isn't progressing as I had expected.

- I'm a total smart-ass. I also tend to have a dry sense of humor.

- In the blog world, as in real life, the people who understand that I'm a smart-ass tend to like me. The people who don't get it, don't like me. I alienate myself often.

- I can be compassionate. Sometimes. This wasn't always the case.

- It's possible that I could feel for a woman again. This too, wasn't always the case. Not that i'm looking for anything - but for a long time, I was pretty dead to the concept. Is this because I suffered some kind of heart ache? Nope. I just seemed to attract women who were pains in the ass and high maintenance and I had better things to do. I do, by the way, take the majority of the blame for this.

- Learning more about women from the blog world has done me more harm than good. I used to be able to talk to women in blissful ignorance of how they were interpreting what I was saying. Now, I have this voice in the back of my head which is the collective conscience of all of my blog friends (vastly female) telling me what an idiot I sound like because of this, or that. I'm not crazy. Really, I'm not. Can this be used in a competency hearing??

- I've had the great pleasure of getting to know a few of my blog buddies in person. That's always been really fun and they're all cool people (even if they got mad at me for my drunken disappearing acts...).

- Its always funny when people ask us where we know each other from. There is always an awkward silence because saying you know someone from the internet can carry a negative connotation. On the other hand, saying "blogs" makes people say "what?".

-For those of you I know in person, if we again have to explain this to someone, we should come up with something far more creative. Like "We actually met at a wedding. Neither of us knew the bride or the groom - we just wanted free alcohol." or "We met in an OBGyn waiting room.... never mind why I was there."

-Many of my friends and family know about my blogging addiction. Only a couple know how to find mine. Mainly because nobody is really all that interested. Not that I want dear old mom spying on me, she did enough of that when I was a teenager. It was bad enough having her find copies of Penthouse under my mattress, she doesn’t need to hear anything else intimate about me.

-Everyone I know from blogging has considered giving it up at one time or another. A few of them have. Some from being shamed by something stupid they did or said. Others from life changes. Mostly though, my core of friends has been around since the beginning. Hard to believe I’ve “known” you all for almost a year.

-I cruise for new and interesting sites from time to time. I don’t find too many good ones. If I do, I like to comment.

-I think people get funny about making a new comment on a blog they’ve never commented – as if they don’t want to impose. I like all comments and they keep me motivated. Even if its someone saying “I hate you.” At least they have an opinion.

-Can someone explain why Dooce has such a popular site? It seems like thousands have a link to her site. I mean, she’s funny and all, but I have a feeling this was just a trend more than anything because I don’t see the value more than any of the sites I frequent. I’m not jealous – shut up.

-I would ask the same question about Osbasso (HNT), but then again – he promotes half-nekkid people. His site’s popularity is self-explanatory.

-Finally, I’m going to have a self-toast tonight – to the friends I’ve made here, and to the friends I have yet to make. CHEERS!!! (eww! I just threw-up in my mouth a little).