An Entire Week

I have done this for a whole week! And I think I like it.

Yesterday, I went looking for one of the blogs I read when I first started mine, but couldn't find it. Instead I found other bloggers like me who also cite "The Wiz" as one of their favorite movies (I think that is how I found this other person's blog the first time). Anyway, I found other kindred spirits out there, which made me feel not so weird anymore. I found a guy who used to write for NetNoir, which is a site that I wrote for back in 2001. I liked writing for them, but then the terrorist attacks occured, and then I got married, so I just got too distracted to continue it. Too bad, because I might have been able to parlay that into something really prominent.

Oh well, so I start again with an anonymous blog. I am not sure how a blog becomes public or how people finally decide to respond, but at some point, someone should discover my ramblings. I saw a blog circle yesterday for other Black writers, and it looked promising that maybe one day I might join it and maybe my work will be discovered there.

There are thousands of folks like me out there, which has its advantages and disadvantages. We are all trying to get our writing noticed, and I am not so sure that these little pages are the best way. At the same time, when I read that guy's page about his past writings for NetNoir, I realized that the blogs are most valuable for practice and revision. Even if only a few folks read our writing, we get practice at our craft and we also get to *publish* our work. Thus, if I am eventually discovered, I can point people to my site. So, let's just see how this progresses.

However, I am such a perfectionist, and for at least three days this past week, I spent hours on just one posting. I still have not gotten to the point where I can just dash off a few lines and just post. (Well, this one may be one of the first). I think that when the spirit moves me to say something *profound* I have to take the time to write it well. Then I get into a cycle of constant revision and re-writing, which then turns into hours of time, which then feels wasted. But, when I re-read the results once they are published, then I don't feel so bad. I've read much worse.

I'll be on vacation next week because we are going to a wedding in Florida. One of my friends from law school is getting married and we got free accommodations through my parents' timeshare. Unfortunately, it is still expensive because of the airline tickets, the rental car and the other expenses of going on a vacation for a week. But I am looking forward to it because I need a break from DC. I love this city and all of its drama, but sometimes I just want to get away to see how other people live.

Not that Floridians live any different than the rest of us, except that they live near the water and in the sun. I love the beach! I rarely get in the water, but just to be near it makes me happy. One day, I'll retire to the beach and I'll spend the summers with my visiting grandchildren. It will be wonderful. (Does this sound extra hokey?)

After the wedding, which is on Saturday, we will spend the week in Ft. Lauderdale. I went there as a teenager with my family, and I don't remember anything nice about it. Hopefully it's been built up a bit. If not, then we will go to Miami and to other points of interest.

I will also spend a chunk of time preparing for this class I'll be teaching on the Civil Rights Movement. I am a little overwhelmed by this, because teaching is new to me, but I am still excited.

Anyway, I am happy to say that this blog took me only 30 minutes to write and revise and I will quit while I'm ahead. I will try to squeeze in time to write next week, just maybe not everyday. If anything interesting happens, I'll be sure to share it.

Ciao!