I just spent probably over 400 minutes (yes, that's over 6 hours...) watching a... um, how is this best described.
There's a thing called a vlog. It's a blog, but video. Well, someone did a modern rendition of Pride and Prejudice in the setting of a series of 100 vlogs by Lizzie Bennet. (It was really interesting how they modernized it. You know it's good when it's a book you've read a ton and seen several movies of and you still felt compelled to watch the next video to see what happens next! Also they suck you in. Each of them are only 3 - 5 minutes so you think... sure, what's one more? Next thing you know it's 2 in the morning. True story.) (hmm, now there is a P&P that's 6 hours. Since we all know that the
A&E one is actually only 5 hours.. it's 6 episodes. But 5 hours...)
Anyway, I watched them all (cuz I'm a nerd) and around the middle I got a sudden desire to start a vlog. I mean, wouldn't I be so much better at vlogging than I am at blogging? I would just have to speak it instead of typing it! So easy! But then i realized- I really wouldn't be any better. The problem isn't that it takes so long for me to type a blog post or anything, I'm just lazy and lack real motivation. I would have the same problem when it came to recording and editing a vlog. I thought, this summer, that EFY would be so great for my family emails and blog. I would have time at night waiting for the kids to fall asleep where I could just sit in the hall and blog away. Well, when it comes down to it I'd rather chat with other counselors or read my scriptures or fall asleep in the hall in weird positions that type a blog post at the end of a long day when my brain feels like mush. It's true. (My brain doesn't feel like mush today. Hence the post.) (P.S. when I went to type 'brain' in that last parenthetical statement I accidentally typed 'braid'. Ha! that makes a difference. Thank goodness for computers, they're so much nicer than ink, or even typewriters.) (See, I can be just as random and distract-able in a blog as on a vlog.) Um, where was I? Oh yes- motivation. Truth is that I frequently have time in which I could write a family email on Sundays or a blog post whenever. I (especially up until I started grad school) frequently had oooodles of time on my hand. But I just would've rather watched another episode of The Magic School Bus on Netflix (true story) than write about what I consider my boring life and observations. So, my lack of motivation to actually write a blog post I think stems from the age old problem of "eh, no one wants to hear about that so I'm not going to take the time to tell it." or "my life's really bland. There's nothing to say." Both of which, in general are false. Besides, when I started this blog didn't I state one reason I wanted to was to help me record for myself some things in my life that wouldn't get recorded otherwise? Why am I worried about what people are going to think about my blog? or if anyone's even going to read it? (That makes it sound like I'm trying to think of amazing things to impress whatever readers I may have from time to time and I'm desperate for people to read what I have to say. Hm, funny how a lack of inflection can do that to words.)
So, what did watching this fake vlog make me think?
1. I'm a pretty good storyteller if I may say so. (Aunt Elaine said she likes my emails. I'll take that as proof.)
2. I have random stuff that happens all the time in my life. And I love retelling silly stories and making snarky comments.
3. If I can't use my blog for that, what can i use it for? I don't have any kids to blog about (which is what the majority of my friends who actually still blog write about. And really, who can blame them. Kids kinda tend to take over your life. And people seem to think they're pretty cute.) I don't have any big causes that I'm into or passions that I want to write about (Don't get me wrong, you start talking about education in the US and I'll get going, but I don't want to write about that.. blah.) So one way I'm going to be a better blogger is by being a storyteller.
Now, this again comes back to why I started this in the first place. I don't do too well with journals because I tend to write like Charles Dickens. (if only I got paid by the word for my works...) I tend to be overly detailed and ramble a bit when I record events (have you noticed?) So that can sometimes be demotivating since I don't usually like the idea of "I'm going to get on my blog and write a mini novel for whoever actually reads these things." But I have been trying something. I've started a new journal project that is forcing me to keep it short, so maybe I can follow suit here and not get bogged down by the weight of finishing such lengthy stories and such.
So, to start us off today here's a question:
If something happens but no one is there to tweet, update, snap-chat, instagram, or otherwise chronicle it on social media- did it actually happen?
(Well, of course it did. It's a comment on the over publication of our generation's personal lives.) (I wrote 'publisization' and spell check changed it to 'publicaton'. I like publisization better...)
Well, I did something today that I've been wanting to do for a long time. It was silly and I had a good time. And for a second I thought "Hmm, too bad I don't have a camera or anything." But then I thought "Nope, it's better when it's real, not digital." So, what was it? I'm not going to say. That would chronicle it, and though this is not a typical social media site it would still be publicizing it, so it would defeat the whole point of my deep philosophical thinking. Sometimes it's kinda fun to do things 'off the grid'. If you want to know you'll have to ask me. The end.
(Kinda an ironic end to a post where the first 2/3s is about how I'm going to share more of my stories online.. ha.)
