Introduction

Blogs have always seemed to me to be one more way to indulge in our own self-centeredness. Many blogs I've read along the way have been full of everyday babbling without much point to them, other than perhaps a way for the blogger to qualify his/her life to the world. I have found myself mostly frustrated with blogs because I do not want to read about what you did today- unless, of course, you can provide for me a deeper meaning to your doings of the day. I do not want to read about your woes in finding a detergent, unless you can provide for me advice on buying or choosing detergent or a larger message of the impact of detergents on our endangered planet. I do not want to read about the TV you watched yesterday, unless you can spin it into a rant against today's sex-saturated, in-artistic, sell-out entertainment.

Blogs have only ever seemed useful to me when loved ones travel far away, in which case blogs offer a more dynamic story-telling device than plain mass emails.

Today I find myself beginning my own blog. And no, I am not leaving the country. In fact, I recently moved back to my hometown. I do not really have anyone to update. I don't even know if anyone will read this. But I do vow to anyone who does, that I will not post any play-by-plays of my day, I will not write only about myself. I vow to explore my life and what I see a bit further than that, and hopefully provide for you a more substantial blog that others I've seen.

And since I am being honest, I will also let you know that another reason I am beginning this blog is because I have decided to write a book. A friend told me the night before I moved back to Minnesota that I should write a book about some of my experiences. Maybe I am taking her more seriously than she intended. But, I have had some unique experiences and feel that now is a good time in my life to start exploring them, reevaluating them, and qualifying their meaning in my life, and the lives of others. I intend to do this by writing about them.

I hope this blog will be an outlet where I can work out some of my experiences, receive feedback, and experiment with my writing style. That being said, I hope that any readers of my blog will read it critically, offer feedback when they have it, and enjoy.
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Once upon a time I was also a hater of Facebook, adamant that it had no positive use in my life, even in society. I now proudly state that I have been a faithful Facebooker for at least three years, and have found it profoundly useful in the way that I network, keep in touch, and build relationships. Perhaps my journey from blog-critic to blogger will be similar, and I pray that it yields equally positive results.