The longer I'm online,

the carefuller (Yes, it's a word. I typed it, didn't I?) I have to be.

When I first started this blog I talked about everything and anything I wanted. I swore quite a bit and was extremely opinionated. Check some of the old ones from 2006/07 if you don't believe me. I was clever but that was waaaay back when I had 5 to 10 readers a day.

As of yesterday's blog (you know the crappy one I literally did in 5 minutes) I now have on average over 70 readers a day. I feel like Perez Hilton some days. These readers include friends, former colleagues, old bosses, my husband, some (surprisingly few, actually) family and, also as of yesterday, my little girl.

This blog is automatically linked to Twitter, Google Buzz and Facebook where I'm now Audrey's "friend". For the last few years I've become keenly aware of my vast readership so I've been checking myself a bit when it comes to posting. Being a little more politically correct, watching my language and generally behaving myself. But now there's something a little different at work here. My baby girl, the one I gave life to, the one in whom I'm trying to instil a sense of right and wrong and values, the one who doesn't quite yet have the ability to know when one is being sarcastic or exaggerating (especially in writing) has access to my blog. So people, I hope you like vanilla and the exotic seasonings of salt and pepper.

Okay, you know that's not going to last very long, don't you? Looks like another "teaching moment" is on the horizon...

kxx

Thinking in blog

I go through my day, and as you'd expect, things happen. Sometimes interesting, usually not. Before 2006, I'd react like a normal person and absently ponder whatever the occurrence was. Since 2006, however, I elaborately construct and arrange the thoughts and events of my life into blog-like sound bytes and printable sentences.

How many times have I seen my neighbour walk by my house rocking her Nordic Walking poles and thought "Good for her that she's getting her exercise but it sure looks funny" only to mentally re-arrange that little thought into a long-winded blog entry cruelly mocking what I so obviously don't understand. Okay, not exactly cruel but you get my drift.

It's so weird. I never seem to have passing thoughts anymore. Everything turns out to be blog fodder or at least re-worded in my head to sound more bloggy. Sometimes not even in my head. In fact I have half written sentences; little seeds of blogs; everywhere. In my iPod, on the PC in notebook, in emails written to myself, at my bedside... loose scraps of paper with crazy random stuff on them are everywhere. I just peeked over at the closest one and it says: "Archie's that have Jughead liking girls. Really?!". Your guess is as good as mine.

Blogging has changed me right down to my juicy little brain and it can be exhausting. Huh. I must be a real writer. I'm actually suffering for my "art". Yes, I'm calling blogging art. Deal with it.

kxx