I thought about doing a post yesterday but I loved that picture of Seattle and didn’t want to see it moved lower on the page…isn’t that dumb? What a beautiful day that was, though.
As we become more and more immersed in planning our move, the blogs I read daily become more and more important to me. I just want to know what people are thinking and doing so much – I guess to try to project what I will be doing in the not too distant future. I’ll be adding a few new blogs I’ve been watching to our links list sometime today.
When you take on blogging people start to depend on your posts. One blog we were watching just stopped writing one day and I really worried about them!
It can be a lot of work to blog sometimes – but then the opposite is true, too – that the ideas and words can flow quickly. I keep a list of topics that I’m thinking about and I imagine other bloggers do, too.
But why do we do it? Make our thoughts and feelings and everything public? Is it some pathetic attempt at our 15 minutes of fame? Or a chance to connect with people we wouldn’t normally reach? Is it because some of us are frustrated writers or that we want to keep a diary for our own use? I still don’t know exactly what it is for me…although it is probably a bit of all of those reasons. And since I am on a sort of stream-of-consciousness flow here, if you haven’t read E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops, it is a great read for a blogger. The amazing thing is that it was written in 1909. The entire text is available to read here.
I sometimes look at our blog statistics and see that there are regular visitors. (The only thing you can see is the city and state or country they are from, and sometimes their domain name.) I do wish that they would come our of lurkdom sometime and make a comment or just say hello. It is really nice to hear from people.
Enough rambling! It’s time for me to get going on some project or another to get us closer to moving day! Hasta luego!
Billie
January 24, 2007My blog started as a way to keep family up to day on what we are doing but it has become much more than that for me. I’ve found I like to write…..please don’t misunderstand, I know I’m not a “writer” but it is satisfing to me to put the words together. Maybe the other side of the question is why do people read blogs???? LOL
Brenda
January 25, 2007I, like Billie started my blog to keep family updated when we were here just for the winter last year, as we had no phone and I was too lazy to email everyone, it just seemed easier. I have kept it up for the same reason; but now it has gained a momentum of its own and our family is a small minority of the regular readers. I read blogs for the same reason I read books, I just love to read and always have. The majority of the blogs I read have to do either with Mexico or with gardening, which are my main interests currently whereas; in a book form I will read everything/anything.
I enjoy looking at the blog stats also; but take them with a handful of salt. If you put the same IP address into 3 or 4 different lookup sites you will likely get the same amount of different answers; although you do get a general idea. At times it will show a Mexican or Canadian IP as coming from the USA as that is where it is being routed through. It is interesting to see how our world has shrunk. It also seems that when the weather is ugly people from other places read my blog more, maybe “warming up” vicariously or just nothing better to do when it is ugly outside.
I, too have the same “regulars” who comment. I guess people still prefer anominatity(SP?)or are just not interested enough to comment, who knows.
Anyway I enjoy reading your blog and hope that you keep it up. I am waiting to see where you decide to settle in the end. See, it’s just like a good mystery book! I have my ideas about where you will end up and am curious to see if I am right.
Brenda
Gary Schroeder
January 25, 2007Hi,
Thanks for visiting my blog. I read most of yours. I admire your planning and efforts to learn Spanish. I arrived in Mexico pretty much un-prepared because I was in a hurry to connect with John Calypso for the trip here.
I used the Pimslear Spanish lessons while traveling in my motor home but lately I haven’t had much time for studying. In Armeria, I am the only gringo in this town of about 25,000 so I am being forced to learn everyday. However, at my age of 68, it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks. I get along enough to survive but sound like an idiot most of time. I’m lucky that the Mexicans are forgiving.
Good Luck on your new adventure.
Nancy
January 25, 2007Brenda, I am dying to find out where we settle, too! I will be interested to see if you guessed right!
Billie, You are a good writer – isn’t it fun to find things out about yourself? I have my other blog that I write for friends and family at http://www.nannernoo.blogspot.com so we are alike on that front.
Gary, thanks for the vote of confidence – we are TRYING to learn spanish but it is hard from here…I’m sure you learn more in a day down there than we do in a month up here!
La familia Sobaje
January 25, 2007Instead of lurking, I thought I would leave a comment. I honestly have no idea how I stumbled upon your blog. I know it was through billieblog, and I think I got there through looking at a noteworthy Google list from a gardening blog, and then followed the trail. Anyway, it was a long road…but I am interested in anything Mexico related, which is why your story is interesting to me. I lived in Cuernavaca, Morelos after I graduated from college and worked there for a year. In my travels, I went once to San Miguel, which I thought was lovely. I am back in CA and I now teach high school
Spanish. ¿Muy interesante, no?
Jillian
February 6, 2007The Machine Stops is an excellent story. I first found it in a collection entitled Fairy Tales for Computers. Totally unexpected stuff from Forster and Kafka.