Why Do We Read Blogs?

Song Lyric of the Day:

‘Cause you can’t jump the track, we’re like cars on a cable / And life’s like an hourglass, glued to the table / No one can find the rewind button, girl / So cradle your head in your hands / And breathe…just breathe

Anna Nalick / “Breathe (2AM)”

3:54PM.
Why does anyone read my blog? I know why my family and friends read it–not only is this the best way to keep up with my day-to-day life, but it also provides a glimpse into my warped little mind that verbal words may not quite be able to convey. But why do strangers read what I write?

I read a lot of blogs. A lot. Mostly by people I do not know and, in all likelihood, will never meet. Why do I read them? How did I come across them?

I read them for a variety of reasons–to keep up with my family members’ and friends’ lives; to catch up on celebrity gossip; to learn what it’s like to be a single, female writer in NYC; to get a glimpse into the minds of a hit TV series’ writers; to discover secrets. I find it funny that my two favorite blogs, MetroDad and Dooce, are by new parents as I myself am childless. Four-legged babies aside, that is. So why do I relate to what they write? I suppose it’s because they are so very real–what you write can reveal so much more about who you are than any words you could ever possibly say. Both bloggers are in my age range–I’ve exchanged emails with MD about growing up as children of the 80’s; Dooce is a couple of years younger than I am (bitch) and a seemingly lifelong photographer, which I, too, am at heart. Mostly, though, I think I love MD and Dooce’s blogs because they are so funny. Laugh-out loud, take-no-prisoners funny. No topic is too taboo, nothing too embarrassing to share, nothing too politically correct.

I admit, I tend to keep my blog fairly clean and somewhat family friendly. Mostly because I don’t want to offend some members of my family, although if a news story or issue really sets my ass on fire, I’ll be completely honest writing what I think about it, irregardless of who I think it might offend. If I really let loose, à la MD and Dooce, I’d probably end up on a government watch list, a psychiatric watchlist, and my parents’ shit list. But them’s the breaks. Someday I will list my favorite porn movie titles, though, both real and made up. Just because I think they’re hilarious.

Now that I’ve gotten all that out of the way, here’s a daily update so far for those of you who tune in to find out what’s going on with me:

• I went to HGTV’s big headquarters building this morning to fill out paperwork. I found out the life-size sock monkey which I’d heard about is real. I plan on trying to get a photo with it when I go back for orientation.
• I picked up grub from Chili’s and met Mom and Sam at the movie theater for lunch.
• I went by McKay’s Used Books and found a better copy of the Lisa Gardner hardcover I picked up a couple of weeks back. I’ll trade in the first copy for credit on my next visit. I crapped out on finding any of the CDs I was looking for.

And that’s about it so far today. Tomorrow I’ll be heading to Clarksville to stay overnight at Ken and Vanessa’s house; I only wish Sam could go, too, make it a sisters’ horror movie night. I figure Vanessa and I will probably try to catch the new horror movie, Slither. And not just because Vanessa lusts after star Nathan Fillion. That has nothing to do with it. Really.