Postacious!  
A friend recently blogged about the lack of blogging going on these days and the lack of any "real" content in the blogs that are still used. This got me thinking about why I don't really blog anymore. A few clicks through my archives will show you that it used to be an almost daily occurrence in my life and yet in the last six months or so I've been a stranger to this interface. I came up with a few ideas.

The height of my blogging days were the end of high school and the start of college. Lots of things were going on and every little thing stirred up hundreds of thoughts, all of which I tried to post. This was a kind of second puberty, I think...learning that my thoughts could be more than just little nothings whirring around inside my head. That they could be put on display and give me a rush knowing that other people might (and indeed, for awhile they did) read them and even provide feedback on them. I blogged as much for my 'audience' as I did to have an outlet for my thoughts and feelings.

I'm older now. In one week I'll be 22 years old and on my second college adventure in a new city with new people. As I've grown older I've noticed that my desire, or even my willingness, to blog has diminished. Why? As far as I can tell now, I just feel more private. Maybe it was because blogging was still new back then...the 'facebook' or 'myspace' of the day...but I felt safe doing it. I had a good number of readers (I think the max was around 50ish) but I knew most of them and honestly didn't care if some stranger was enjoying reading about my life. Airing my thoughts and emotions was a rush! Now I'm happier keeping them to myself. Perhaps I'm more afraid of the previously exhilarating feedback, as I now see it more as criticism. Perhaps I'm afraid that people will see a different side of me, when once that's exactly what I wanted. Does this come with age, experience, or is it just the effects of a social backlash against such personal things being freely posted on the internet?

I wish I could write as well as Katie on thoughts like these. Maybe after a few years of graduate school and having to write more papers then should ever be legal I'll get it to sound as professional as hers but, for what it's worth, I'm going to try blogging again. I certainly have more time now (2 long boring shifts in a computer lab each week) and plenty of new experiences to share. I apologize ahead of time if it's more analytical than emotional but that's where my comfort level is right now. I have plenty of thoughts bouncing around in my head pertaining to my recent relocation and that will most likely be the prevalent topic of discussion here as it's 'personal' and 'emotional' enough to perhaps be interesting, while maintaining a comfortable distance from some of the more difficult to discuss things going on.

Check back often and please comment...even just a smiley face to say you read it. I enjoy posting for myself, but those of you who know me know that I love to entertain (read: I love attention) so if you're interested in my continuation just say so!