Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. - Eleanor Roosevelt



Thursday, July 24, 2008

Someone said to write without discrimation

Someone said (the other day) that it's important to write down everything. Even the most mundane details will one day be not so mundane. I always knew this, and in the age of the blog it is now easier than ever to record every detail no matter where you are.

I remember when I used to have one of those diaries with a lock and key, and a cute little satin ribbon to hold my place. It was a green hardback book with an illustration on the cover I don't remember well enough to describe, but for some reason is reminding me of something out of The Secret Garden. This book of mine had green ruled pages and smelled like an aromatic novelty eraser. I loved that book and wrote in it sporadically until I was about 13 or 14. I haven't seen this book in quite some time, what with moving and storing things not of immediate use, but I do remember the sort of things I used to write in it. They were mundane details of my adolescence, but I suspect that if I were to find this book today, I'd gobble it right up like good reading material.

With this blog I've gone back and forth on what constitutes a post. I've even gone back and forth on what this blog's focus is, and now with almost two years in business, I still don't know what this blog is about other than the roller coaster ride that is my life. The only thing that is for sure and constant about this blog is that it's about what has invaded my mind for the moment.

Some posts are about me sitting on the porch and hearing kids in my neighborhood say the darnedest things. Some posts are formal movie and book reviews, while others aren't so formal. Some posts are strictly my news and travel experiences and pictures. Some are just streams of my conciousness, or something I've discovered (like Japanese gum) that I find so fascinating, I must write about it.

Having said all that, I feel that the lack of focus of this blog is what makes it so interesting... at least to me. It's kind of like one of those heart monitor printouts telling me exactly what was fascinating me and occupying my psyche at a particular moment in time, and it's really cool. I already go back and read some of my older posts and either think "Wow. I totally forgot about that," or "What the hell was my problem that day?" I just love having that window into my mind from months ago, and it's so much easier than it used to be to create that window into your ultimate growth in words.

I guess I will continue to treat this blog as I have been treating it all this time, writing anything that suits my fancy. The only difference will probably be more entries, as I plan on really writing everything without discrimination.

In an attempt to write without discrimination...

- One of my favorite TV shows, if not my absolute favorite, is The Golden Girls. It's only natural that I would be saddened by the death of Estelle Getty, who played Golden Girl Sophia Petrillo. She died on Tuesday after having suffered from dementia. I wanted to pay a tiny tribute to her, so I wrote a piece about my love for the show on Intrepid Media, so look for it in the gallery.

- For weeks now, and thanks to the wonderful summer weather, my sister and Dad and I have been going on walks in the great outdoors for exercise. I can't tell you just how nice it is to not be cooped up in the basement doing the same mundane workout on the treadmill. There is so much to look forward to when your exercise is outside, that I'm dreading when the basement is the only option. It reiterates my love for the summer, and warm, snowless weather. Not only does the newly watered grass smell heavenly on these beautiful evenings, but the birds are singing and sometimes I see deer in the distance. Aside from my strength training, which is obnoxious, these walks have eliminated the feeling of dread toward working out. I only wish we could go for bike rides the three of us, because that would make it even more exciting and relaxing. :-)

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