A Brief Moment On Blogging

Once upon a time, I was a prolific political blogger. I wouldn't say I was up to the same writing standards as a certain blogger who is fairly close to me, but I was pretty good at it. And I had the numbers to (mostly) support it. I averaged 60 unique hits a day, not a shabby number for someone who wasn't looking to make a career out of slamming politicians online. I ran that blog for shy of four years.

Then I hit the wall. I mean, I was so burnt out that I didn't touch a keyboard for over a year. I was kind of sick of it all ... the politicians, the flamers who came to my site just to argue, the depressing nature of it all (to me). And I couldn't think of what else to write about.

That same blogger I mentioned earlier pulled me aside one holiday afternoon and asked me why I quit writing. He thought I was good at it. He thought I had a unique and entertaining voice. And he was a little disappointed that I just stopped writing. We talked about it for a good chunk of time: he playing the psychologist, I playing the patient. At the end of it, he told me to just write. It didn't matter what about. Just write.

So, on 15 June 2007, I started writing again. About whatever random thought jumped off the front of my head.

I don't pull the page hits I used to. And you know what? I'm totally cool with that. Because I write about what I want to write about. I write about what makes me smile, or to vent a perceived slight, or to share a song or movie, or ... whatever.

It's my sandbox. Sometimes my sandcastles are works of wonder. Sometimes they look more like Smials. But they're mine. You can smile at them or you can sneer. Either way makes no difference to me. I've finally learned that I don't need your hit on my page to validate my voice.

But I do appreciate that you visit and I thank you for being here.

Now let us all go about our day. ^_^

UPDATE 04/21/2011 12:12 PM: Thank you, DCBlogs, for the link. And welcome readers who are visiting via DCBlogs. Feel free to rummage around.

So. Um. Yes. Hello. So, I Think I'm Back.

Okay. I'm sorry. I apologize for having been absent for several months. (Months?! Oye, I guess so.)

Oh, Diarist. Where have you been? What have you been doing? And how is the double hand transplant going? (Because that's the only excuse we're going to give you for being gone for so long.)

I wish I had an elaborate story of globetrotting and jet-setting with Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, and Gary Busey. Or of a horrific, temporary, partial bout of elephantiasis of the nether-regions. Or of a near-death experience from a wild llama attack.

But the truth is that I just didn't care to blog. Anything.

Politics of late has been downright depressing. Celebrities are too busy winning and missing court dates to be interesting. I haven't been moved very much by the latest tech news.

And don't get me started on D.C.'s sports teams. (Minus the Caps, of course. But there's enough ink being spilt by far better wordsmiths than I on that topic.)

So I haven't written. Nor have I wanted to write.

My muse has left me for another blogger. (Or group of bloggers. I don't know exactly. She's a slut like that.)

I need to get back to writing. This is one of the very few things that kept me grounded, one of the very few things I found joy in doing.

Until lately.

Perhaps if I just get back in the saddle and ride, damn the direction ... maybe just perhaps I'll get my mojo back.

(A little encouragement from you, my faithful readers, wouldn't hurt either.)

My Blogging State Of Mind Lately

Paging Inspiration. Inspiration, You Have A Telephone Call At The Front Desk.

Somehow I went through the entire month of October without adding one new post. I'm not sure I've ever gone a month without putting up a blog post in my entire blogging career. That, my faithful readers, is not good.

There were things on my mind. Like how I utterly despise the racial politics of the District. Or how I believe that Muse is the heir to Queen's musical throne. Or how I'm excited about a new television series that you may have inadvertently heard about last week. But every time I opened up this blog to put words to pixels, I came up empty.

The problem is that I'm completely uninspired. I just don't care that much to say anything about anything. In fact, this is the most I've said about anything in over a month.

So let me ask you, my faithful readers, how does one pull oneself out of such a mental funk? What tricks can I use to get back into the swing of things?

Cuz meh haz noe ideahz!

A New Creative Outlet

I was invited to, and accepted, a contributorship to a new group blog. To explain it in a nutshell, it's a mental gathering of friends and I expect that it will become the online version of what our get-togethers are like. There's no real direction yet (if there ever will be) and we are a very diverse group in many senses of that word.

So it should be fascinating. And I think you should become part of our crazy ride.

A New Year - A New Start

Looking over my posts from the previous year, I've noticed that I didn't post a lot of much substance. So one of my resolutions for this year is to get back to that - being more active on my blog and making substantive posts about what's going on, both in this fair city of ours and in my own personal life. You'll see me rant more about our city government. You'll see me talk about our professional sports teams. You'll see me review television shows and movies I've seen. You'll see me ... well, I think you get the idea.

But I'd like a resolution from you, my faithful (and also perhaps new) readers, as well. I'd like you to resolve to make this blog more of a conversation. I am just as interested in what you have to say as you are in what I have to say. Don't be afraid to comment. We can have a back and forth on things, you and I and even amongst yourselves. One of the things I've always wanted for this site was for it to be like a cyber-water cooler.

So what do you say? Wanna haffa go at it?

Rethinking A Decision, To An Extent

I've been thinking ... or rather my subconscious has been thinking ... about this site and why it's been languishing. And I think I've discovered a couple reasons for it.

The first reason is that I just don't post as much, on average, as I have in the past two years. I always made an effort to write something, anything, to keep things from getting all musty up in here. I have failed pretty badly as of late when it comes to that.

Which segues us into the second reason.

I made a conscious decision a few months ago to keep my personal feelings to myself and off this blog. At that time, it was a necessity ... I was falling apart and you were all witnessing it. T'weren't purdy ... a'tall. Since that decision, I came to quite a few personal realizations and conclusions, and I've righted my ship. I doubt that I will ever fall into as deep a pit of despair as I did last year. Which is why I've decided to begin writing about myself a bit more as well. Hell, that's why people visit personal blogs ... you can read news anywhere and you can listen to music anywhere. But you can't get my singular thoughts, feelings, or experiences anywhere else but here.

Maybe you're rejoicing and popping open the champagne. Maybe you're gnashing your teeth and rending your garments. Either way, I don't particularly care. It's my sandbox and I want to build me some castles.

But it'd be cool if you still want to play, too.

Template Change

I thought, what with Spring and all, that the ol' Diary needed some dusting off. So I'm trying a different template. What do you think? Keep it? Revert back? Try something different? The comments are all yours.

Why I'm Starting To Not Hate why.i.hate.dc

Remember this post from February about a certain website? No? Then read it really quickly.

Done? Okay, I'll wait.

Alrighty then.

It seems "Rusty" has left D.C. to move on to the greener pastures in Columbus, OH. (Stop that snickering!) Like "James F." before him, "Rusty" held a contest to pick the next Hater Of DC. That Hater has turned out to be "Liz". "Liz", it turns out, is an excellent hater. Don't believe me? Compare this final post by "Rusty" with this post by "Liz" on her third day in the Big Chair. Note the difference in language. Note the harsh, abrasive, manic tone of "Rusty" compared to the soft, subtle, almost tender tone of "Liz". (I say "almost tender" because she is, after all, a hater.)

I enjoyed "James F." and even "Rusty" from time to time. I can't say that either of them totally wowed me or won me over with their hate. But "Liz" ... she's a wiley one. She might just make me a fan of why.i.hate.dc yet. (Damn you!)

Happy Blogoversary To Me! (Now Where Are My Presents?)

It was exactly one year ago today that The District Diaries sprang from the cyber-primordial soup of the Internet. I wasn't a newbie to blogging. I ran a political-centric blog called The Devil's Advocate for the better part of five years. But writing about politics (local and national) took a major toll on me. I began to lose my faith in humankind. I began to lose my sanity. And so, in the early part of 2007, I shuttered The Devil's Advocate and vowed to never blog again.

As fate would have it, my brother and I were talking during a family get-together in May 2007. We discussed politics and music, as we often do. The conversation shifted to blogging. During that conversation, my brother told me that my unique voice should be shared and that I should get back to blogging ... maybe not about politics exactly, but about something.

I thought long about it. Did I really want to get back to the frequent updates and sharing that comes with blogging? It can be very draining, all this thinking and exposing and writing. I've shared more personal feelings here than I'm known to do, as some people can attest. I've jumped into some controversial topics that left me bruised. There have been times over the past year when I wanted to quit this, too.

In the end, my brother was right. I have a lot to say. I have a lot to share. Some of it has been very serious; some of it, not so much. It's been difficult at times, but I believe this site is helping me to become a better person. And for that I have you, my faithful readers, to thank. You have helped to steer the course of this ship. You have become quite vocal yourselves in the comments, commending me when I'm right and calling me out when I'm wrong.

So whaddya say? Think we can keep this thing going for another year?

I'm game if you are.

Things Will Be Better When ...

How did you finish that sentence?

Write it down and take a good, long look at it. Think about it. Meditate on it. Take your time with it.

Do you honestly believe what you wrote?

You do?

Really?

I want you to take another moment now. Think about the last time you thought "things will be better when ...".

Did things get better?

They did?

Well ...

... if they did ...

... why is it that you're still looking toward "when"?

A Long Week

And where have you been, Mr. Man? HMM?!

Yes, I've been a bit MIA the past week. There had been a lot on my plate, mentally and emotionally, which left no room for creative writing. But we're back now ... mostly ... and I'll have a few semi-important things to say in the coming days.

And if you're good boys and girls, I might have something later today for you. If not, it's off to bed without dessert for you.

Why I Hate why.i.hate.dc

Once upon a time, I happened across a blog site. This blog site was written by a fellow tagged "James F." and he dedicated his corner of the web to being critical of the District. What made his blog readable was his sense of humor, his wry observations, and his wit. More often than not his tirades pissed me off (because I happen to love D.C.) yet I could not help but chuckle at his posts.

"James F." has since moved on to other places (Seattle, to be specific) and, after an extensive auditioning period, he passed his mantle on to a new blogger. This new blogger, "Rusty", would maintain the venom, wit, and humor that readers had come to expect from the blog site, "James F." reassured his readers.

"Rusty" is the anti-"James F.", as it turns out. He has no sense of humor. His posts lack wit. Most of the time, "Rusty" displays the cynicism that often creeps into District transplants after a few years.

why.i.hate.dc has become quite painful to read. It seems that "Rusty" posts just to have something to complain about, without applying any time to find the humor in things that "James F." showed. A good example would be the most recent post about the Washington Post employees who are currently running a campaign against the paper to shame it into acting fairly in regards to wages, raises, and pensions. "Rusty" is upset about how the Farragut North Metro Station is plastered with WashingtonPostUnfair.com advertisements. That's it. No snarky comments. No sharp retorts. Just wholesale bitching. A missed opportunity, if you ask me (which you didn't).

How is that remotely entertaining?

Most of the comments on the site since "Rusty" took over have been about how the site has gone downhill and how "Rusty" should just shut up. Personally, I think "Rusty" should keep blogging. Cry-baby whining aside, he does point out some things that should be pointed out.

But I also think he should spend a day watching this man to see how complaining should be done.

New Year, New Look

Happy New Year 2008, everyone.

The turn of a new year (and hopefully a turn of fortunes) has prompted me to change the ol' blog site a little. Nothing fancy, just a fresh coat of paint and some minor rearranging. I've been playing with the layout for a few days now and I think it's just about right. What do you think?