dimanche 19 octobre 2008

While I was sleeping...

How did I miss that?

I've been blogging for a year and never noticed! Damn, I hate it when I miss a birthday.

So, it's been a year and it's most certainly been a year.

It's pretty unusual for me to blog about blogging. Seems like a strange thing to do in some ways...kind of like writing a book about writing a book, or singing a song about singing a song. Both of which have been done, so maybe it's not so strange.

Anyway, with a year under my belt (and not wanting to miss an opportunity to tell you all how I feel about a subject) I thought I'd talk about blogging, just this once.

Almost everyone who comes here with any regularity is a blogger themselves, so I'm guessing you have feelings about blogging and the impact it has on your lives. Blogging for me has been a big surprise, delivering me far more than I ever expected.

I thought I'd just write about my life, in a kind of 'this stuff doesn't seem to happen to anyone else, so I'm going to write it down before I forget' kind of way. I never thought anyone would want to read it. But Swearing Mother wanted to.

Sweary was my first ever reader, and has been a loyal friend ever since. So many of you followed and I love that you did. What has amazed me about you all is the sheer diversity of everyone and how very few of you have a similar life to mine.

I've been discussing with Louise the role that blogging plays in a world where tolerance isn't always there.

I really do think that blogging gives a window into a life that we may never think about living ourselves (Lord knows me and Louise are very different - which we secretly love about each other). Blogging allows us to see the normal-ness of that other life, despite it being very different from our own normality. I like that. If more people blogged, would the world be more tolerant?

Beyond this, blogging is all about being nosey, surely? We say it's 'human interest' but surely it's nosiness? It's like looking into someone else's front room (and sometimes their bedroom) taking it all in and then telling them what we think about it. How cool is that? I know more about my fellow bloggers than I do about some of my family.

But more than seeing how other people live, being nosey and sticking my oar in, blogging has brought me a bunch of people that are turning out to be good friends. Some of you I talk to regularly via email, which I really enjoy. And then others are friends in the flesh too. Well, when I say in the flesh, I just mean that I met you and I liked you.

At least one of you is starting to look like someone I'll still be annoying when I'm old and miserable. I love that blogging brought me this friend.

It'd be a bit odd to say that this old blog has changed my life, but in some ways it has. For the better, too. I'm still me and I still fuck up pretty regularly. I just tell more people about it when I do. I guess it's like really cheap therapy....

So, this has possibly turned out to be a mix of sentimental claptrap and the musings of a tired mind. But I mean it all. Really I do.

Please keep coming to see me, keep leaving comments and, for those of you who visit me and don't post comments - well, you're also welcome, but I do love me a comment!.

Thanks everyone, it's been a fine year.

TBNIL x

29 commentaires:

Nico a dit…

Happy birthday, TBNIL !!

Breezy a dit…

Happy birthday TBNIL and many more you are definately improving with age

Anonyme a dit…

happy birthday ,penblwydd hapus i chi
I enjoy coming and sitting a spell with you
Cheers - raises my glass of schapps to you

david mcmahon a dit…

Happy (belated) anniversary.

Louise a dit…

I'm grinning ear-to ear!

Happy Blogaversary. I amuses me you forgot.

And yes, I secretly love our differences, but I'm not sure I knew you did!

And of course it's nosey, not human interest. Let's be honest!

And to reply to a couple of your replies... the Margaret Thatcher comment totally cracked me up. The haircut joke was just as funny. And Prince Charming NEVER complains when I can't sleep!

Blogging has to change everyone's life who does it at least a bit, and I think it is usually for the better (except for the lack of sleep) because we can choose which parts of it we want in our lives. Your blog is one of the most fun and interesting parts of my blog life.

The Hangar Queen a dit…

Congrats on the first orbit.May there be many more.

Right..where's the good stuff?

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Thanks Nico

Breezy, comme un bon vin, n'est-ce pas?

VM, I love to see you here. Cheers, me dear. Iachyd da.

Thanks David.

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Hi Louise, I'm glad that made you smile...we just need to put Margaret Thatcher behind us now...hee hee

HQ, the good stuff is en route...worry not.

Brett a dit…

What a mile stone, i know what you mean about unexpected result from blogging, when i started i had not really read any blogs so had no idea what i was letting myself in for.

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Brett, it's a strange concept isn't it? But it works...

Anonyme a dit…

Happy Bloggy Birthday!

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Thanks Alan...

softinthehead a dit…

Many Happy Returns - and I agree wholeheartedly :)

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Cheers Softy.

Lola a dit…

I'm horribly behind with reading, trying to catch up without compromising studies, but yours is a blog I never skip. It's even taught me some French ('enregistrer un commentaire'). So Happy Blog Birthday with many more to come.

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Thanks Lola dear. I always enjoy your presence...x

Anonyme a dit…

Joyeux anniversaire TBNIL!
Keep on blogging, the curious need to know.

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Rob, the curious will get what the curious want - and sometimes what they deserve too ;-)

Unknown a dit…

happy anniversary! i've been doing this for over 5 years and still have no idea what i'm doing. you write great stories and i look forward to reading about your daily adventures. keep it up! :-)

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Thanks Mike, keep on visiting too!

imbeingheldhostage a dit…

Happy blogiversary! I completely agree that the world would be a different place if there were more bloggers. I have connected with people and have empathized with friends I otherwise would have never met. Congrats on your POD!

Jeni a dit…

Thanks to David and his "post of the day" I found your place and that it is your anniversary -or rather, it was, recently. Loved reading your logic about blogging -very interesting and also, very true too. I love the fact of how many new people I have met via my blog and many of them are more than just a blogger buddy but have become very good friends now as well.
Peace.

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Hi Imbeingheldhostage and Jeni...welcome both!

It's true, most bloggers get something special out of blogging - and if it is only being nosey, well so be it.

But so many people make good friends in this weird half-world too...

Swearing Mother a dit…

Blimey Travelling, I missed your anniversary!

It's hard to believe that it's a year since I stumbled upon your blog and although we're so very different in so many ways, even then I instantly recognised something in your writing that really appealed to me, and still does.

I especially like the fact that one year on, your blog has unsurprisingly become so popular. I've enjoyed seeing it develop from your very first post to the meeting point it is now for some really interesting and fun people. I feel quite smug that I spotted your potential way back then!

Anyway, congratulations and keep on doing what you're doing, Travelling.

We like your style.

:o)

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Sweary - thanks....you were my first...x

Anonyme a dit…

Congrats! Hope you'll continue to blog for many years to come!

travelling, but not in love a dit…

Marjolein, ditto. mwah, mwah.

Megan McGurk a dit…

Yay!
Happy first anniversary, Travelling!

travelling, but not in love a dit…

thaks medbh!