Surviving in the world of blogging

Ive been trying to think of ways to resurrect my blog. Its not the first time this thought has crossed my mind, as I am an infrequent blogger. I blog when I have excess energy, and unfortunately that is not something I have been blessed with lately (lately being several years…). I found that once I was done with my studies and was forced to wear the chains of adulthood (generally referred to as “fulltime job”) my spare time was reduced to almost nothing. Suddenly I found myself exhausted come Friday, and going out or sitting down with the computer to write, was unthinkable. Also, sitting in front of a computer all day at work doesn’t exactly render spare-time computer work arousing. At least, these are the excuses I am giving myself…it could of course be that I am getting old and lazy…or just lazy.

So the result of all this is what you have now stumbled upon. A half-dead blog.

“Why don’t you just delete it or leave it be?” you ask, and it is a perfectly valid question. I have asked myself that as well and I think my answer to it is that this blog holds a special place in my heart. It contains all, -well not all, but quite a few, of my thoughts and rambles over the past 6 years and also quite a few memories. Almost like a diary, except this one is far more public. I also still enjoy writing a little here and there, and can’t quite accept the idea of leaving it completely behind.

Instead I am trying to think of ways to give it a new voice. If I have ever had a theme on this blog it has been the total lack of one. I have enjoyed not having to write about one specific topic or from a certain viewpoint. And I guess this very thing is also what has made it difficult to keep up. –Almost like a vicious circle. I have no specific topic because I don’t want to have one, and hence I have problems writing.

– Quite the pickle Ive gotten myself into, huh…?

I did try the theme blogs though…photo and film, both interests of mine, but I found it too time consuming. And although I haven’t quite given up the idea of maybe getting back to ‘em, I have left them idle for even longer than this one (bad girl). So that leaves me with a conundrum;

What to do?
-give up?
-find a theme?
-write once a year? – And if so, what about?

I know that a blog, in order to be “successful” (I guess success can be measured in many ways) in the world of blogs, needs a theme. Or at least that is what they keep telling me. It needs a theme to attract readers and mostly, to keep readers. But how do you get around this if it is the writing in itself that interests you, and not necessarily the topic you are writing about? I find it amusing that one of the entries that get the most hits on this blog is a ramble on flies in the rain…I had a silly thought and decided to put it down on paper…or screen…

So whats the key? How do I survive in the world of blogging? How do I resurrect my blog?
Any ideas?

I welcome any with gratitude.

App addicton

So...When you are stuck in the Saharan desert (work not pleasure), you suddenly find yourself bored at night. Not because the Sahara in itself is boring...but because there really isnt that much to do after working hours.

You can always turn on the TV, and watch one of the 20 arabic satellite channels, but somehow that isnt as fun when you dont speak the language...Nor is it stimulating watching other foreign shows (spanish, french, german) with arabic subtitles. -Although I will admit that getting TV signals in itself is impressing enough! I can also concede that arabic is a beautiful written language...

Anyway, my point is that you have time to kill in the evening, and this is where my latest app addiction manifests itself.

I wrote about wordfeud in a previous entry and although fun, I quickly lost interest. It just wasnt amusing enough to hold my attention. Draw Something, on the other hand, has what wordfeud is missing...It has the laughing factor.

The game is simple; you draw a word, your friend guesses and finally draws a word for you to guess. And so it goes. You get points and I assume someone wins in the end...But who cares? It lets you laugh out loud while watching your friend draw "Madonna"...or "hurt". It also lets you snicker while watching your dad trying to guess your drawing of "plague". In fact, I have so much fun drawing and guessing that Ive never even bothered to learn the rules. I just play and laugh.

Its a fun way to pass time.
Enjoy. I know I do.

Carpe Diem et Anno

I was almost hit by a car this morning.

As the environmentally conscious person that I am (and lacking a driver’s license) I take the bus to work every morning. It is not a long walk but it does require that I cross a three-lane street. Two of the lanes go in the same direction while the other is in the opposite direction. I was going to cross the street at a pedestrian crossing and a car in the first lane stopped to let me pass. As I was crossing I noticed another car approaching in the second lane, so I reduced my pace while waiting for the car to slow down. I continued to walk, although slower, realizing a little too late that the car was making no effort to slow down. It approached me in an incredible speed and if I hadn’t already noticed it, I wouldn’t have been able to turn to the side just in nick of time to save my toes. I had to support my weight on the hood of the car as it came to a halt. The tires grazed my boots and my knees were shaking.

I realize that it was dark and rainy and the visibility was probably poor, but still, as you approach a crossing and the car in the lane next to you has stopped, it should be a sign for you to stop as well. –Or at least reduce your speed.

I got away with a scare and a joy of being alive and well. It also reminded me of how easily everything can come to an end. How quickly life can change. Ive always had the “live now” philosophy to life as opposed to delaying everything for later. Ive met too many people in my life who keep saying “I’ll do it later.” Or the standard: “One day I want to do that”. People take for granted that you can delay dreams and do it some other time.

It probably comes from having medical issues in my closest family. Medical issues related to the heart and nerve system. I have grown up seeing how fragile life is, and how easily the body can change from fit and healthy to weak and helpless. You can go from perfectly healthy and above average fit, to immobile and dependent on others in only a year. -Without the possibility of improvement. There aren’t medicines for every condition. Not everything can be avoided or fixed. And yes, it can happen to you as well. -Just as easily as anyone else. Instead of thinking: “That only happens to others”, I’ve changed it to: “That could happen to me as well”.

I have learned from this that life is what you have today. Your health is what you have now. Do not put off things you wish to do. Do not wait. Do it now. –Today!

For this reason I try to make the most of it. I move out of my comfort zone at work to try new things, I am continually trying to and working on becoming more spontaneous (unfortunately Im still very fond of planning), I travel to the destinations I want to travel. I don’t have a perfect economy, but I make different priorities. We don’t own a car, although it would be a great benefit to have one. Instead we spend our money traveling. People wonder how we can afford to spend two summers in a row in the US, driving from coast to coast, living in nice hotels and eating great food. We can because we buy our furniture at IKEA and take the bus to work instead of driving. We can because we buy our clothes on sale and in the cheaper stores. There is plenty of time later to buy a car or an expensive chair, -you can do that even with cancer. But the chance to travel far, to a country you want to visit, may not ever come again. You may have a child (blessings!) and suddenly a major roadtrip becomes economically and practically impossible. You may lose your job. You may get sick. You may get hit by a car...

We all live our lives differently. We make different priorities. –And there is no right or wrong way. I just wish and hope that everyone will remember that a chance may not come twice. An opportunity may have en expiration date. Don’t tell yourself that “I will do that when I retire” or “one of these days I will have to try that”.

It is far better to regret something you did, as opposed to something you wish you would have done but never did.

I for one, am planning to make 2012 a magnificent year. -A year of travels and play. -And a year of new, scary and hopefully educational experiences. I can only hope that I will be allowed to do so, and that I will leave this year even happier than I am today. This year will never come again. Imagine the opportunities!

I wish you all an Exciting and Happy 2012.