June bloggoom
After a hell of a scorching weekend, Los Angeles’ unique phenomenon known as the June Gloom has settled in.
I have mixed feelings about the June Gloom. On the one hand, it offers relief from intense heat. That’s a good thing. I hate intense heat (which makes me question my sanity about moving to an LA valley, but that’s another story for another time). Sorta on the same hand, it makes me a bit nostalgic for the San Fran Bay Area, where I was born and spent many years of my youth. Ocean fog is a unique trait of the Bay Area, and a feature of it I love. Though in recent years there was less of it (global warming, perhaps? I hope not).
On the other hand it fulfills its title — gloom — quite nicely. I wrote a rant a few weeks back about how the gloomy weather had really induced depression, not just in me, but in some other locals. And this gloom we have today is very similar. If today is anything to go by, the weather helps to fuel my constant feelings of depression, worthlessness, and general loseraucity (I do apologize, this post will be all about inventing stupid new words).
A quick trip to the Weather Underground confirms that the week will roll out with more of the same, possibly burning to some hazy sunshine in the afternoon, possibly not, while the highs taper off out of the 80s and into the upper 70s. Again, that’s a good and bad thing, all at the same time.
Anyway, this week I haven’t posted anything new to this lame blog, because I really haven’t known what to say. Truth be told, I’m in something of a blog crisis. I’m very new to this blog trick, and I really don’t feel I’ve found my right path yet, both in writing the entries, and in figuring out what this blog is supposed to be about.
Of the blogs and podcasts I visit/hear on a regular basis, all of them can be separated into one of two categories:
- personal blogs
- topic blogs
By which I mean that personal blogs are an open journal or diary of their author, writing about whatever the author wishes to, and reflecting that author’s personality and life. They are often fiercely honest. Among these are some of the local Los Angeles-based blogs I read, including Shane Nickerson, Wil Wheaton, Liz Rizzo, and so on. These blogs are reflections of their authors’ personalities and thoughts, on whatever topic those thoughts might happen to dwell at that particular point. What gives these blogs coherency and direction is that they’re always a reflection of the author’s persona, despite the variation in subject matter.
The topic blogs, as I call them, are not an online diary but rather more like a newsletter or zine done by one or more authors on a particular topic. Although they certainly reflect the attitudes and opinions of their authors, they are usually limited entirely to one subject or topic. Most professional blogs fall into this category, including many of the web design blogs I visit, such as Eric Meyer, Dave Shea, and Jason Santa Maria. Similarly, some of the gaming blogs I read do the same thing, with posts pretty much sticking to the topic at hand. Many of these blogs will occasionally see unrelated posts or personal posts pop in, but only occasionally and often with apologies for straying off-topic.
Of these two categories, it was the former — the personal blog — which I wanted mine to fall into. But as I cast back over the handful of posts I’ve written since launching this site in early April, I see that very, very few of the posts are very personal at all. Some of them are downright inane. When I first launched I was interested in writing on a variety of fun topics that were of interest to me: a bit of science fiction, a bit of gaming, a smattering of heavy metal. And, pretty much, that’s what I did.
It wasn’t the right way to go. It’s not that I don’t like to write on these subjects. It’s that they really don’t mesh together very well to form any sort of coherency. Actually, it’s entirely possible that I’m the only person on the entire Internetsphere who actually likes all those subjects, at the same time. It’s my belief that the scattered nature of my posts make for a scattered, unfocused blog.
On the 16th, Shane Nickerson is going to throw this get-together with a hand-selected group of local bloggers reading their best selections on-stage. I wager that, in addition to those up on the stage, many of the audience will themselves be bloggers (including me). This idea of forming a community out of geographically-close blog people is really exciting to me. I personally can’t wait to go.
Yet. The one sort of sour side of it to me is that makes me see that my own blog hasn’t really been the success I want it to be. It makes me compare their blogs to mine, and I find mine wanting. Looking over my posts, I realized there really wasn’t anything I had ever written that was stage-worthy. For some of those guys who will appear, they have an embarrassment of riches. Of course, some of them have been blogging for years and years, but still.
I realize that I lack the courage and perspective to write the fiercely personal blog I wish to. In order to make it that which I want it to be, I must somehow find that courage, and that perspective on myself.
This post itself is somewhat unfocused. There’s no solution or goal I seek in writing this. It is observation, and disposition. Nothing more. I’ll still keep plugging away, writing my silly things. Evolution, improvement may come. Or it may not. We’ll see. Hope I’ll have some people join me for the ride. I’ve only been blogging for two months. I’m a first level rogue still struggling to pick those super-easy locks, to build the experience to make it to level two.
And for those of you who are interested in web design, but hate heavy metal, or those of you interested in heavy metal but hate Star Wars: sorry. I’m a weird guy; I have weird combinations of interests.
Negativity ain’t a great disposition. I blame it on the weather. I blame it on the June Bloggoom.
Hi Raphael,
I don’t know which was better about this post, that you put me on a shortlist with Shane and Wil, or that you said my blog had coherency and direction. Man, I hope that’s really true! LOL
I think, if you’re crashing around in your little corner of the blogosphere, trying to find your way and how you want to do it… well, that’s called blogging.
I’ll be at the thing on Friday. See you there!
June 10th, 2006 at 7:12 am