Sunday, December 1

To blog or not to blog?

Don't call it a comeback

A few years ago I made an effort to do a blog. I'd estimate the effort lasted a few months. Lucky for all of you, it seems to be making a comeback of sorts. Slow. But, starting to move a bit. Quite fitting due to one of my many nicknames appointed by my daughter. Turtle. That's the nickname, not my daughter.
In other words, the place is a bit of a mess. If you enter be prepared to find totally unrelated posts on extremely different topics. Think of it as the Potpourri category on Jeopardy! Someday I could start blogs on education, entertainment, sports, politics and/or personal stuff to make it easier for some readers not to wander into unexpected offensive territory. I could. Not sure if I ever will. But, it is a thought.
The word 'attempt' is a little strong considering my lack of attention, motivation and/or disappearance of mojo. Yet, smart person that I am, I see many blatant problems with said blog. In other words yes, I know it is all over the place. Yes, I know I need to focus on a niche. Yes, I know I should post on a regular basis. Hence, the use of the word 'attempt'. Someday (when  making memories w/ my granddaughter or spending precious time visiting my daughter becomes less important) I will split content into separate blogs. Someday. Maybe. Depends on priorities.
Writing club friends and blog gurus warn of losing readers by not posting enough content in a timely matter. Guess what? I care more about my loved ones than the opinion of another writer. This is just one more time when a reminder of my philosophy seems appropriate.  (WARNING. Sarcasm. Defiance. Message to gossipers and trouble makers.) Be yourself. Make your own decisions. Those close to you support you and love you. The rest of them? F'em if they can't take a joke. 
Crude. Could be softer. But, that's not me. You get the idea. Life is too short to care about what others think. To try to change for another person or regret too much of the past. Gotta savor the present.
When I started the blog it seemed more of a need than a want. Leaving a career in teaching to become a free-lance writer required such efforts. Social media, publishing sites, writing groups, professional memberships and writing workshops would surely prove I made the right choice. More than three years later, I am still trying to convince myself.
Photos of fam including daughters Amy (top left), Andy (bottom left)
son Shawn (bottom right, granddaughter Anna, husband Mark.

Face painting. It is fun to be a dinosaur!
Leaving the restrictive environment of the workplace certainly afforded me the time to create special memories with my granddaughter, Anna. As Gaga PJ, I've become a VIP in her world. When Anna started talking she struggled to say grandma. It eventually came out sounding like 'gaga'. Then my title officially evolved into Gaga PJ. BTW if Lady Gaga ever tries to sue, she is the one in violation. It was MY name first!
Leaving the classroom also allowed me to stay with my daughter at Hope Lodge during chemo and radiation treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  She's the first to say all things happen for a reason. She's right. When I place the correctness of blogs or the conventions of writing into perspective, maybe organizing a blog doesn't make the upper level of my priorities. It's all about perspective.

It wasn't until after I posted this picture on multiple
sites that I noticed the bar. Is it wrong to have a
backdrop of alcohol for a five-year-old's art "studio"?