Struggles of a tech saavy Luddite

I debated this for a long time.

It is true to say that I often feel uncomfortable when I hear the word 'blogosphere.' I like to think I live in a world of rocks and trees and kittens. You know, things you can touch, taste, see, etc. I work hard to make my living doing things that keep me closely connected with the 'real' reality. Was it Edward Abbey who first called it that? No, I think it was MacPhee. Something about how our houses, cities, grocery stores are what make up the human constructed world. Nature is the real world - the world that exists whether we want it to or not. I try to be real. That means a lot to me. I feel ill if I can't spend a lot of time outdoors, interacting with reality.

But I'm pretty good at technological things, if I do say so myself. I was a computer technician in college. I almost started a career as an astronomer, working in front of computers all day and night. In fact it was my experience as a lab aid to an astronomer that made me realize I needed to be in the out of doors. Many hours spent in front of a computer was not good for me.

There are also the social implications. That little voice deep down in me says its no good how glued to computers we are. Bloggers always seemed kind of self-important to me. Recently, though, I find myself reading blogs and really enjoying them.

Also recently, I find myself struggling to follow through on things I really want to do. In third grade I discovered a talent for writing. Mrs. James and Mrs. Carlson (my 3rd and 5th grade teachers) gave me a lot of praise, saying things like how when I become a famous writer I better not use a nom de plume. Then in college, I took a fiction writing workshop course. I would get comments like, "I think you're one of the few in here that would actually make it as a writer." That made me feel good. Like I have an innate talent at something. But I just haven't kept it up. I've kept a journal for most of my life, but in recent years, I just can't seem to bring myself to bring pen to paper. Every day I have ideas about what I could put into writing, but I don't do it. I am just having a harder and harder time actually taking my thoughts and feelings and creating interesting prose. Journaling has lost its luster. Most of the entries I made in the last year are boring and repetitive.

So, here's an idea. Blogs are like online journals where you can write about life or post short stories. People might read it and make comments. That's kind of cool! Maybe it is a way I can jump start this. I don't know, but I'm going to try.