2013 Resolutions

So, with reading The Willpower Instinct and the start of the new year and all - I got to thinking about resolutions.  And, you know, making some.

I have one distinct one that has come to mind.  Drumroll, please....

Be a better blogger.

I know what you're thinking, dear readers.  You've heard it before.  You've heard it again and again.  Instead of talking about blogging, why not actually go and do it?

I know.  Perhaps I've just hit a road bump this past year.  Perhaps I have hit the 'five year itch'.  But I am not giving up.  This blog has quite a few things going for it.

1)  It has existed for five years, which is legendary in the blogosphere.  Five years in the blogosphere is better than five years of marriage in hollywood.  I'm not going to give up at the 10 yard line.  And I never thought I'd use such an analogy.

2)  It is part of BlogHer, which is an excellent, well-respected all female blogging network.  I feel like I got into a prestigious sorority.  The only requirement is that I put out new, relevant content on a regular basis.  I will forge on.

3)  I have some awesome readers.  I HOPE I still have them.  Dear readers - are you there?  It's me, Jaime.

Ok, enough of this.  I had to publicly express this goal.  I figured it would help with accountability and that there'd be a better chance of me not failing at it.

Dear fellow bloggers - how do you forge on?  What do you do when you struggle with finding the time and energy to blog?  What do you do when you struggle for meaningful content?  Please share.

Well This is Sad....

One of my favorite and most entertaining websites, My Very Worst Date, is shutting down.  I feel the moderators & I understand their reasoning.  Thank you for many great (and some not so great) stories.  I'm glad I got my own story in before this site ended.

I must say - it's very very challenging keeping a website up & running....

Struggling Blogger

So, as my (now few) loyal readers might have noticed, this blog is struggling.  Or perhaps, this blogger is struggling.  There has not been much posting lately.  This problem has been a bit consistent over time.

I'd like to blame life having gotten busy (which is true), but a) I have always been somewhat busy and b) we always cover our priorities.

Another issue that comes to mind is that I've been struggling to find material.  Some topics I used to write about I've lost interest in (politics), others I feel I've exhausted (dating).

It's not that this blog isn't a priority to me, and it's not that I don't care about it any more.  The best thing I can say to explain this situation is it's as if my blog and I are an old married couple that have hit a rough patch.  I still love my blog.  I still want it to continue.  But for some reason, the feeling I once had for it - the excitement - seems to be lost.

I would like to continue my relationship with my blog.  I hope to get it back.  An honest question, other bloggers - have you struggled in such a way?  What did you do to combat it?  Did you abandon ship/blogging?  I am not sure the average shelf-life of a blog, but I know it is probably shorter than this blog has lasted. Did you come back from a rough patch?  Your thoughts?

Getting off to the Right Start

I just downloaded the blogger for iPhone app. I am not sure how good the app is, but at least I am attempting to be a woman of my word.   This will, hopefully, help in my quest to be a better blogger.  

An Open Letter....

So, in a previous post, I mentioned there was something on my mind that I wasn't saying that was clouding my ability to blog. Well, in the best interest of this blog and its readers - upon 50% careful consideration and 50% blogging whilst emotional, I have decided to, in the words of John Mayer, 'say what I need to say' for cathartic reasons.  In the spirit of 'stuff white chicks do on facebook', yes, you can assume that post is directed at one specific individual.  You are also welcome to judge me for handling this in the form of a blog post (as opposed to a phone call, personal email, etc.).  Anyhow.

Without any further ado....

I honestly still cannot believe you did this to me.   I am still angry.  I am still in shock.  And I am still hurt. Don't get me wrong - I am doing fine.  I am doing well.  But you wronged me and you hurt me and you know it.  If you think I've forgotten you or if you think I've forgotten what you did to me, you are surely wrong.   If you think I am somehow confused and that I think there is possibly some misunderstanding that leads to some acceptable explanation of your behavior, you are also wrong.

I was good to you.  I deserved better.  I would not have done this to anyone - I surely would have not done this to you.  If the end goal was to make me hate you or make me think you are a bad person - you have not succeeded at this, however, again, you have succeeded at hurting me.  And if you possibly think, for one second, that you are, in some way, off the hook for what you did - you are wrong.  I cannot believe you were so selfish that you didn't think twice about causing me pain because you felt, for whatever reason, that you needed to do so at this time in your life.  So, if you have a conscience, or if you have any consideration for anyone for anyone but yourself, let it be known that you should feel guilty for what you did to me every single day of your life.

I might be out of sight.  I might be out of mind.  You are welcome to be a coward and hide - that doesn't undo the wrong you have done to me.  I don't wish ill on you but I do sincerely believe you should feel terrible about yourself as a person for what you did to me (and to some others as well).  I am a decent person and I am disgusted by what I got from you in the end.  Both you and I know I deserved better.  Again, I don't hate you, and I surely will go on just fine in life, but let it be known that what you did to me will never be forgotten.  I am very confident that you are so vain that you will definitely know this post is about you.

**************************

Again, dear readers, go ahead and judge me for posting this (juvenile, emotional, passive aggressive, what have you) - it felt good for me to get this off my chest.   Now, on to some other posts.

Committed to my Blog

So, as I touched on earlier - one of the biggest challenges of being a blogger is coming up with material on a regular basis and consistently posting.  Most blogs don't last more than 6 months to a year.  

I am not one to not own up to something.  This blog has suffered lately - partially out of my busyness (not an acceptable excuse), partially out of a lack of material (again, a good writer will tell you there's no such thing as writer's block - just work through it).  I have noticed my blog has suffered in other respects - complaints from regular readers and fewer comments, to name a few.  I am not happy about this.

Anyhow.  I remember in 6th grade, there was a poster in my homeroom:  Don't make excuses, make improvements.

Since this has been a somewhat consistent problem, I have decided to put forth more effort to fixing it.  I am going to try to make more physical notes on things in life that are worthy of a blog post.  And, more importantly - I have put blogging on my calendar.  I am carving out several times a week dedicated to addressing this blog.  Blogging used to be something I did for fun - I remember times I was rushing home because I had such a great post idea in mind.  Now I am working it into my schedule, homework-style.  I feel like I am part of a married couple that has scheduled sex.  Dear married readers - believe you me, I will not judge you right now.

Do any of my fellow bloggers have similar problems?  How have you gone about combatting them? Your thoughts?  

Get ready for a better, more improved blog.  I'll be back, stronger than before.

Bad Blogger.

Hi all.

So as you all know, yes, I have been a bad blogger.  I don't have an excuse.

Actually, I quasi-do.  I started a new job.  This is my first new job in four years.  I left the Sun-Times just shy of my four year anniversary.

Anyhow.  I know it is frowned upon to 'blog about work'.   I also know that one of my coworkers was very upfront and told me he'd discovered THIS BLOG by pregoogling my name when I was going through the application process.  Luckily, he said he'd discovered a post where I'd mentioned I'm the kind of person who likes to go out and occasionally have a beer, so he knew he liked me from that one.

With no further ado - a brief overview of the new job:

I really like it.   It's a much smaller company from what I'm used to (only 6 people in the Chicago office!!!), but it is a very comfortable working environment.  It is definitely interesting work.  Nice people.  Fully stocked fridge - which is a complete and totally new interesting benefit to me.  I will now be eating all my meals at the office.   Also - it is a very casual dress code - as in, there isn't one.  I'm sure if I were to channel my inner high school self (aka queen of the dress code violations) - I'd be able to inspire some ground rules, but I'm not going to push my luck.  I am so happy to wear jeans and a t-shirt daily.  I always dreamed of having a job where I could make use of  my entire wardrobe.  It weighed on me to have to dress in red and khaki when I was the cashier at Target.  See kids, keep reaching for the stars.  This brings new meaning to 'dress for the job you want'.  The job I want is CEO of a laid-back company - I am on the right path.  Anyhow.  I love it.  I was sad to leave my old role, but I definitely feel good about this career opportunity.

Now that I am getting settled (and fed), I should be able to dedicate more time and energy to said blog.  

Delinquent Blogger

So this has totally been me.

There are no excuses.  Well, actually, there are.  I have been super busy.  I have had a lot of life changes lately, which I will soon touch on in some more posts.  I have been online dating.  I am soon going to be starting a new job.  I have been (trying to) update my apartment and spring clean.  That, and it's the summer - I have been trying to log a good amount of beach/lakefront time.  Also, I have been working on my excel and google product skills.

Please don't unsubscribe.  I am on my way back.  Like vampires and Britney Spears, I will rise again.  

The Biggest Challenge of Being a Blogger

What is the biggest challenge of being a blogger, dear readers?  Consistently putting out material.  (Nevermind whether or not it's GOOD, meaningful, substantial material.  That's another can of worms in and of itself.)

I remember reading a statistic somewhere about how half the blogs out there on any given day won't be in existence a year from it.  I notice quite a few of the blogs I enjoy and follow haven't updated in quite a while.  I notice there are often longs gaps between updates; I also notice some blogs slowing down in their regularity of updates.

I am curious why this might be - other than the obvious 'life is busy'.  Is that it?  Is it a lack of material?  I feel I have exhausted several subjects I have enjoyed writing about in the past.  Is it a lack of an outside motivating factor?  Since most bloggers' blogging is a self-employed experience - is it that there are no deadlines and little to no consequences for not putting out new material regularly that plagues us?  Now, I've always liked to think that I'm a rather self-motivated person - however, there are several things over the past couple years that I decided, on my own, that I wanted to accomplish.  Not all of these things have been done.  I've been super busy is a good go-to excuse.  

Anyhow.  Do my fellow bloggers agree that this is the biggest challenge?  How do you stay on top of blogging regularly?  What does the rest of the blogging community do to combat these challenges?  Where do my fellow bloggers get their material?  How do you all stay motivated?  Your thoughts?  

Running Out of Topics....

Ok, I know this blog has been slacking lately.  I also know there have been quite a few posts about how this blog has been slacking lately (of the few posts I've written).  Oops.

Ok - so I know we've also been through this before, but what do I discuss on this blog?
--Politics (a little dead for now)
--My dating life (perhaps also a little dead/also - do you care?)
--Random things going on in my life (do you care?)
--Random observations I make about stuff (I'm running out of observations that haven't already been stated/recurring them of 'do you care')

Anyhow.  I pride myself on the fact that this blog discusses topics that I believe to be of interest (humor me people).  Please let me know any topics I should cover/observe/weigh in on.

MIA Blogger

So folks, my three or four loyal readers have commented on the fact that I've been a MIA blogger.   I apologize.  My few readers are precious to me.  It's very important that I keep them happy.

I suppose I have been very busy with work, the holidays, and perhaps impending life changes (let's call this 'foreshadowing').   Anyhow.

I can't help but notice that most of my fave bloggers have also slacked off.  I'm not a fan of groupthink and wouldn't follow someone else off a bridge, or however that old expression goes, but maybe misery loves company?

Anyhow.   Just to let you know, I'm still here and I plan on bringing this blog back in full-force pretty soon.

Catch Up on My Life

So I had a paid furlough this week.  It was sweet and reminiscent of last year's furlough, but nicer because it was paid.

I had a chance, for the first time in a long time, to give my apartment a very thorough cleaning.  It needed it.  I feel better about my surroundings.  The 'feng shui' is right.

However, this took my ENTIRE week.  I could use a second week to explore Chicago as a tourist.  I wouldn't mind doing the Shedd, etc.   There were just too many things that needed to be accomplished.  Sigh.  All those weekends going to the beach this summer got the better of me.  Oh well.

I am sure this is one of the most thrilling, exciting posts that my readers have read.  Sorry.

A Day in the Life of a Blogger....

Ok, I have to be brutally honest....

I'm struggling for material. 

Dear readers - what do you like hearing about?

Big Milestone....

My blog turns 2 this Wednesday. I'm going to celebrate by...going to work and getting a haircut? Or something like that. Hopefully I'll have a couple good posts to put out there by then. Sorry, I've had quite the blogger's block lately. I will do my best to change that.

I Screwed Up....

Ok, speaking of posts everyone HATES - I'm sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I'm still setting up my new apartment - and yes, I'm going to ride on this excuse for the next couple months. But I will try to blog more often in the meantime.

New Home?

Ok - so so very very very sorry - I know I am way overdue to update this blog and that I have not done a good job this past weekend. I have been apartment shopping - in my defense. It has taken up a large quantity of my time. In my defense, I have somehow unfortunately missed out on a lot of the things that take up my time - refreshing facebook compulsively, emailing Emily, checking up on celeb gossip, etc. So it wasn't just this blog that got neglected.

However, fingers crossed - it looks like I might have a promising lead. It was, ironically enough, the first apartment I looked at. I guess, after seeing what was out there, I didn't realize how great it was. Anyhow, somehow, it was right there waiting for me. It's like running back to your first boyfriend or something crazy like that. The more I think about it, it was perfect in every way (price, location, size), but I'll probably have some complaints about it in nothing short. Anyhow. The right one was there the whole entire time - funny how it works out that way sometimes. Sigh.

Endurance

I find one of the most difficult things about blogging to be the challenge of consistently posting decent, quality material.  Actually, scratch that - how about just consistently posting?  That's a challenge in and of itself.  

I know my fellow blogging buddies feel me on this - all of the five blogs on my page have recently had a lull in posts.  A blog is a responsibility.  There are plenty of days when it's really easy to be a blogger (read:  any time Sarah Palin opened her mouth) - probably like it's easy to be a parent when your baby is all cute and, you know, sleeping.  However, it's enduring the hard times that, sometimes, are what's really important.  And this is a blogging lull, but I know I will come out on top.  

I'm Sorry

I just have nothing to say.  For once.  

Vacay

Sorry to my loyal readers - this blog has been on Christmas vacation.   I do appreciate that on Christmas day, this blog still got views (by someone other than my mother).   Well, I hope all my blog-viewers had a nice Christmas.   How was mine, you ask?  Spectacular!

Hello, lover....

Sorry

I was at a cabin in Michigan.  I know I am due.  I thank you for visiting anyway.