I was about as squeamish about starting a blog as someone who is actually likely to start one might be (and still do it). Why? Because I thought that bloggers are a seriously self-absorbed, navel-gazing, and kind of self-righteous bunch.
A year after starting this blog, I proudly consider myself one of them.
Being pulled in a million different directions lately, I tried imagining what ‘signing off’ would be like – just posting a ‘last post’ with a thank you and abandoning my blog. As a result, I got a kind of panicky feeling. I wouldn’t/couldn’t do without it – at least not yet!
I haven’t had that much time to blog in the last few weeks, and that’s making me depressed. Maybe I need to start taking blog-breaks at work as other people do cigarette breaks or something. Right now, I barely have time to read a good post and ususally decide to come back later for comments. When I do, more often than not, so many comments have been posted since I ‘left’ that I don’t feel like spending time on catching up on the conversation.
It was my one year blogiversary on Wednesday – I started blogging a year and 4 days ago. I was going to post that day for sure… but then it didn’t happen: we just came back from a one-week vacation today – and I am actually not sure how the time passed that quickly, but I didn’t get the writing done I hoped I was going to. Making things worse, I had one complaint e-mail about not having posted in such a long time in my inbox today, and I read a friend’s message on facebook with the subject line ‘resume posting’ – he was looking for job-seeking advice – to mean that I should bloody well get my act together and start blogging more again.
I can’t make any promises because the weeks ahead will be nuts at work, but I’ll try. Meanwhile, here are some of the posts I have enjoyed most over the course of this year, on some of my absolute favourite blogs with such consistently good writing that I sometimes hate these people a little bit for their great ideas, creativity and writing skills!
Although the list is a little random (and very incomplete – lack of time, of course!), I would like to – fittingly – start with:
Stephen Curry’s blogiversary post.
Flags of our daughters
is also on Stephen’s blog, Reciprocal Space.
Dishwashers and panic attacks
Look at my cat and
Distant friends
on Eva Amsen’s Expression Patterns
In which I have seen the future of science, and it is male
on Jenny Rohn’s Mind the Gap
And just to keep you busy, here is a list of some of my own favourite posts:
I couldn’t help noticing
Self-censorship
Facing the dragon
No Sir, she is not a bullshit artist
I am knot dumb
A tale of fishermen, a driven lady and a research lab at the edge of a fjord
Dear senior PI,
Worms touching worms
Please feel free to add your own favourite posts in the comments. Come on, the list up there is so deplorably incomplete, help me out?
Just popping in before signing off for the evening, hence no time to rise to your challenge (!) – happy blog anniversary, Steffi! As you know I love reading your blog and long may it continue. I also hope things get a little less stressed for you during your second blog year.
From your title I thought you were posting your CV.
Thanks Maxine!
Richard – I wonder what would happen if I did.
I’ll bite – I liked Look closer
Keep at it!
Heh – thanks Anna, I actually remembered that one on the train this morning and wondered whether I should include it.
More good stuff:
The parrot and the pussycat and
Clichés Nouveaux on Henry Gee’s I, Editor.
Oh, and I just saw that there’s no excuse for not blogging more…
Happy blogiversary! Blogging breaks can be useful once in a while.