John's Blog

Wow, the disconnect from blogging (reading and posting) is far more complete than I had imagined it would be. After feeling a bit blue and lackluster about blogging, I thought scaling back might be an effective way to make it fresh again. Perhaps a weekly post or two in lieu of the three to five that I had been doing might be the way to re-energize and revitalize my blogging efforts? But stepping away from the keyboard just gives me a clearer perspective, and actually makes it tougher to continue. Like many other addicting behaviors, it's tough to simply cut back and do less.

When I started, I just did it on a whim and never really thought I'd continue for more than a week or two until I got it out of my system. If I had realized that it was going to have it become a continuing obsession, I might have tried to think of a more creative blog name, but after that momentary lapse of judgement I just stuck with it and plodded on, and on and on. Until, of course this current round of blogger block.

I still find myself occasionally thinking a topic or life experience might be fertile ground for a new post. But in the process of mulling around what direction to take it, I find myself having one or more of the following reactions resulting in more nothingness vis à vie blogging:

Been there; done that.

Somebody else did it first and/or better.

Oh no; not another self-indulgent whining session that nobody gives a rats' ass about (although, apparently that didn't stop me THIS time).

Too much effort to even try and put together a coherent series of thoughts; but it's not like I did that all that often.

Political overload. The increasingly bizarre daily news stream makes this painful territory for blogging as well. When The Preznut uses his "bully pulpit" to sabre rattle, making vague threats about WW III, it makes me want to run and stick my head in a hole. Or maybe that should be a fallout shelter, instead. And it's not just the "right-wingnuts" that get me scared, but the absence of effective Democratic opposition gives me nightmares as well. Better to leave political punditry to others better equipped to do so.

Media overload. I find myself spending more time reading and watching TV these days. But recently I've been lacking the ability to multitask and focus, a real detriment to blogging.

A.D.D. perhaps? Or is this change in attitude something darker? Maybe I finally realized just what a pointless waste of time this is. Oh wait; I knew that already. While Googling "bloggers block" I stumbled upon someone who described it as the "realization that no one is going to go hungry to bed" if you don't blog. Well put.

Perhaps a longer sabbatical will recharge the batteries. Or maybe this vehicle just needs to be put up on cinder blocks and abandoned? But even that action plays out as unoriginal, since recently too many other bloggers that I looked forward to reading have closed up shop as well. Time will tell how this plays out. Stay tuned... or not.

Tags: pointless rambling, internet culture