Blogging At Last

This is my first post…really. And it’s been six years in the making. I’ve wanted to blog, regularly and properly, since I first discovered the “weblog format” in 2001. Andrew Jones quite nearly set me up with a blogspot blog when we were hanging out in England together the summer of 2003. But I resisted his good-natured prodding, even though I read hundreds of blogs and thought of my days in terms of blog-sized chunks at least since then.

Why didn’t I do it?

Because I’m picky. A snob. I didn’t like the free blog templates available in 2001 or 2003, or 2005 for that matter. I was waiting for either a.) my main website, zoecarnate.com, to be redesigned, with a custom template integrated into it, or b.) a really clean, highly-functional, free template.

I’m still hoping for the former–any week now! As I’ve said for the past five years. But I’ve got an awesome designer at work now, so it really will be soon. In the meantime, I now have the latter–WordPress is awesome. I don’t know if I’ll stick with ’em or not after the redesign/integration of my main site, but we’ll see.

So why do I have archives that go back to 2004?

Because I’ve dallied, on both Xanga and Myspace. Some of those posts from my “early 20s” were painful to read–I’ve grown alot as both a person and a writer since then. But I wanted to post them (I haven’t transferred absolutely everything, but I’d say a good 90%) to see, at a glance, where I’ve come from…and to give myself and others the illusion of depth. : ) It kind of reminds me of people with new checking accounts who number their checks starting with “301,” or the early days of comic books in the 1930s and 1940s, when #1 issues weren’t a good thing because that meant the titles were untried. So they started with…well, #301 or something. But now I’ve told you and disclaimed these older posts, so that removes at least some of the duplicity.

Why Blog At All?

It’s a legitimate question. It was kind of novel in 2001 when I first wanted to, but with 80-bazillion blogs out there today, why bother? I guess it’s because I’m kind of like Bono…I have a “stadium-sized whole in my heart.” No, I’m not looking for glory and adulation. But I do need an audience to help motivate me…at least a hypothetical one. I am a born writer. I’ve been writing both fiction and non since I was five years old. But ever since I read the Diary of Anne Frank at age 10 or 12 I was a.) Convinced of the value of journaling as a way to describe and sort out life, and b.) like Anne, I was afflicted with the queer feeling that even my most personal writing needed some kind of eventual readership to give me the energy to write it down in the first place. So as a child, I suffered delusions of grandeur, and before the blog (or my eventual publishing outlets) I never wrote as much as I did in 10th Grade English when we needed to keep a journal for class and our teacher was going to read and comment on it. And now blogs exist, to facilitate these twinned needs. I write because I need to; I write because I need you.

“A TV special, about me? Guys, you shouldn’t have.”

What I Expect from This Blog

I have pretty high standards for blog content. I like reading blogs that are one part journalistic in orientation, and one part introspective. In other words not all navel-gazing, and not complete arm-chair philosophizing about the world, but a good mix of both. I plan to keep things fresh and interesting, writing alternately about my upcoming degree program, general life (including the “married” and “with child” portions), publishing pontifications and gossip, the Trifecta of God, church, and spirituality, and my interests in justices, sustainable living (both economic and ecological), and comics. I shall try not to be boring.

My Commitment To You, The Reader

I hate when blogs go stale. I am committed to blogging as a spiritual discipline. My friend Brian has said he feels God’s smile on him when he writes–I feel that way too. So I will blog, God willing, at least five times per week. Quite possibly more–though I’m no Scot McKnight. And I have promised my wife that I’d try and integrate some Sabbath in my life.

Your Commitment To Me..?

No commitment necessary. Just the mere idea of your potential presence gives me wind beneath my writing wings. It doesn’t matter to me who you are–Sufi, Buddhist, Christian, agnostic, atheist; woman, wommon, or man, Jew or Gentile, gay or straight, optimist or cynic–I’m just really happy you’re here. And if you’re inclined, comment often–when you love a post, hate it, or think it’s mediocre. That’d be swell. And link to me if you want. But I personally usually wait ’till a blog is at least a month or two old before I do that, to make sure they’re gonna make good on their posting intentions. So I wouldn’t blame you if you did that.

Okay…that’s it for today. I promise most posts will be shorter than this–thank you for reading!

12 Responses to Blogging At Last

  1. Steve Cornforth August 21, 2007 at 3:45 pm #

    Thanks Mike.

    That is a similar tale to my own.

    I was heavily blogging most days until a few weeks ago.

    Am having a break – due to restart in the Autumn. Will sign up!

  2. Four Eyes August 21, 2007 at 5:12 pm #

    Good too see you in the blogging world. I am excited about reading your thoughts.

  3. Jason August 21, 2007 at 5:36 pm #

    Quite a first post; you have my attention. I’m looking forward to more.

  4. Gunnar August 21, 2007 at 8:52 pm #

    I like your take on blogging being devotional…I kinda gave up on my blog somewhat recently, but looking back, it kept me more ‘plugged into’ the Lord, so to speak, because it made me think, reflect, and pray through thoughts I was having. Your nailing me, man!

  5. brotherjohnny August 21, 2007 at 10:57 pm #

    “I read (your blog) to know I’m not alone”.

    Looking forward to the assimilating your modus operandi.

  6. brotherjohnny August 21, 2007 at 10:58 pm #

    Comment moderation!?
    C’MON!!

  7. John Sherrod August 22, 2007 at 12:47 am #

    Hi, Mike! Good to see your first post on the new site, and glad to hear from you in general! I hope all is well with you and your family.

  8. Jeremy August 22, 2007 at 2:25 am #

    What, no porn?

  9. zoecarnate August 22, 2007 at 2:33 am #

    Hey there, friends old and new–thank you for your encouraging words! And no, Jeremy, this is a family ‘blog. Well, not really, but it’s still gonna be relatively wholesome for the most part. (Philippians 4:8, geez-o-pete) You all are quite heartening…more to come tomorrow!

  10. Jasmin August 22, 2007 at 3:32 am #

    Hey there, you did it–It’s your blog…FINALLY! As always darling, looking forward to reading your well-crafted thoughts.

  11. voxstefani August 22, 2007 at 7:20 am #

    Thanks for passing along the link! Glad to be here from the beginning; looking forward to what is to come.

  12. Matt Stone August 22, 2007 at 3:32 pm #

    Well, well, well. Nice to see you

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