Bye-Bye Blog?

Last night at home we had the discussion about why one blogs. For me, this was started several years ago as an outlet/diary of sorts, or as a way of just letting things go without it sitting in a dusty book somewhere. I have loads of journals from my past, and I wonder how antiquated the idea of "journaling" has become. Do people still 'keep a diary' for posterity? Has blogging taken over that piece of the past? I enjoy physically writing things because it's such a rarity anymore, but I also have found that in the last decade I have become a much, much faster typist than cursive or printing writer. Time constraints tend to take over and it seems so much simpler to log on because I can whip something out that's typed in a matter of a few minutes, whereas physically writing it out would take me, potentially, an hour or more. I also find that my thoughts flow more freely when typing (sometimes with typos, but still) because I don't have to wait for my hands to catch up to my spastic brain. 

So, why does one blog? Most blogs aren't read by anyone, other than perhaps a few friends. There are always the exceptions that somehow turn into internet crazes and everyone checks them to see the latest and greatest, or to read what others are thinking or saying or experiencing about some item or place. Shouldn't we be out experiencing things for ourselves though? Or, is it better to be able to read what others have thought or experienced before making a decision to go out and try it for ourselves? Perhaps it becomes more of an identifier, or a place where we can realize that we're not alone in the world and that there are, indeed, others at least somewhat akin to our likes and dislikes, political persuasion, or religious beliefs.


Semi-recently, I split my blogs up, creating two different and (supposedly) distinct places to "vent" my thoughts, frustrations or ideas, but I'm starting to wonder why I did this. If no one reads a blog except the writer (and perhaps a few friends), and it is being kept merely as a record of thoughts, feelings, and ideas, then wouldn't it be easier to just keep them together and not have the mess of two different places to rant? 

Should I even be blogging? Is there a better place for my constant need to expel the garbage in my brain, rather than cluttering the web with even more information that no one really gives a rats patooty about?  I like the idea of the separation because it allows the life side of me to be in one place, and the bicycle obsession piece of my craziness to be in another, but I am finding more and more that there is often overlap and/or one blog (journal) that gets ignored for a longer stretch of time.

While I'm not entirely sure where I'm headed with any of this, I have a feeling that the two 'journals' will once again become one. But then, of course, there will be the debate of which blog name to keep. The "Endless Velo Love" perfectly describes my obsession with bicycles and two-wheeled transportation, its accessories and politics, while "Almost, at times, the Fool" is sentimental and personal to me. It comes from a stanza in T.S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and I have always identified so much with this piece of poetry. I think it goes along well with much of my life and the feeling of always looking into things and not necessarily experiencing them... as well as reminding us how short life really is. So what's a girl to do? If one is to assume that I need to separate everything into a different and entirely distinct thought spaces, I should probably have a special blog for the dogs and my time with them, and one for books or articles I've read, and another for photos I've taken, another for my artwork attempts... and while I'm at it, perhaps I need one specifically for family, and another for clothing and shoes I like. I suppose one has to decide where it all ends and when it's okay to just have me, as I am, wherever I am, doing what I'm doing, and not worry about who might have to endure reading something they never intended or wanted to read. If this is in fact, as I have already stated, a place for me to journal whatever is going on in life, shouldn't I be able to keep it in one place as a chronicle of life as it was taking place, when it was taking place, without the restriction of a blog delineation that has been arbitrarily chosen by the person writing?


As stated, I am still not entirely certain where this is going, but I expect that some changes will be forthcoming in the near future. Change is good. Change is exciting. Perhaps this is what I crave more than anything: variety.  It stimulates the senses and keeps one on his/her toes. Hopefully, this outlet has helped and I will see the answer in the very near future, and if not, I expect that I will find peace in knowing that I am fortunate enough to have a place to express my frustrations.