The Experiment

So, first things first. 

Yes, it's been ages and ages . . . and the time lapse is not helped by the fact that I deleted the last real post I wrote. And to answer the numerous questions I've received about that--I just had to do it. At the time it was written, that post was necessary, cathartic, liberating . . . but it was also bitter, cuttingly negative, and ultimately poisonous. Its presence on here made me not want to log on to the blog, not want to see it and be reminded of everything that had happened. I also felt it was too domineering, had too much power on here, tainted everything in an unbalanced way. That post is not what my life is about, not what the blog is or should be about. So, the NP post is gone, tucked away and saved in a safe place, but not a public place, not MY public space. It's better that way. And from here on out, the blog is a RWBF/NP-free zone. It's seriously time to move on.

And in the spirit of moving on, I'm making a new commitment to the blog. (Hey, you've gotta commit to SOMETHING, right?) And in thinking about this commitment, and especially in thinking about taking it seriously, I've realized a few things about myself. Mainly, I've realized that in order to really accomplish anything, I need structure. I think that's been the problem with maintaining the blog--there are no deadlines, no tangible rewards, no carrots, no sticks. No structure. And frankly, I don't do well without that. Without some framework to build around and to tie me to something, I tend to kind of . . . drift away.

I've kicked around some different ideas about how to address this issue on here, something to finally kick my ass into gear, and I've come up with a plan. Let's face it--the loosey-goosey, write-about-whatever-whenever method that most bloggers embrace and run with just isn't working for me. So, I'm trying an experiment.

First, I'm going with a "30 posts in 30 days" plan. That is, I'm going to post something, every day, for 30 days, barring insurmountable logistical issues (e.g., traveling with no internet access, which does happen sometimes). This is mainly to get me into the habit of logging in, thinking, writing, connecting with the blog again. I'm not promising anything particularly insightful, lengthy, or clever every day, but there will be something there. 

Second, I'm assigning myself topics based on days of the week, to help me focus. Yes, I know that to some of you out there, this seems silly and unnecessarily restrictive. Remember, structure! I need it! And it's not going to happen unless it's self-imposed. So, here's what I've come up with:

Monday: Pop culture stuff (books, movies, TV, etc.)

Tuesday: Relationships/dating

Wednesday: Politics

Thursday: Work

Friday: General life stuff/day-to-day observances/pets

Saturday: Week wrap-up/freeroll*

Sunday: Freeroll

(*Freeroll is open topics--gotta leave some wiggle room here.)

So, that's the plan. Regarding the 30 days, today doesn't count--tomorrow is Day 1, Politics. Tune in. The post will be there.