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WELL… I’m back.
August turned out to be every bit as hot and humid and hateful as I anticipated it would be. Just a miserable excuse of a month during which I did not do much of anything except think about what I will be doing in the future.
Planning? Or procrastinating? You decide.
Whatevs.
Bottom line? I’m here now with a renewed sense of purpose.
To wit, I’ve decided that blogging gives my weeks a bit of much-needed structure, provides me with a way to process the details of my life, and overall it’s fun.
Plus I’ve concluded that I’m doing something right and helpful here, considering how many people follow me and make the effort to comment. Thank you.
So I’m going to keep on keeping a blog.
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BUT… I’ve also realized that writing a quirky personal blog, such as The Spectacled Bean, has morphed from a hobby into an unpaid part-time job that has a certain work-y-ness to it that you, my gentle readers, don’t see.
Rather like an iceberg. Much going on below the water line to make this blog engrossing and twaddle-y, so to speak.
I’m not complaining, mind you. Just explaining that if I disappear from the blogosphere from time-to-time, it’s not that I don’t love you all to pieces. I do.
It’s just that I’m an introvert who occasionally doesn’t know what to say. About anything. Here.
Or in real life.
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I have some familiarity with not knowing what to say. I’ve been on something of an unintentional blog vacation myself. But I missed reading your thoughts and I’m glad to see you back.
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Thank you, Zazzy! I enjoy blogging but sometimes I have nothing to say and I worry that this quietness will be misinterpreted as rudeness. ‘Ya know?
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Yup. Know the feeling.
… and sometimes when I do have something I want to say, I don’t. Introverts need to introvert.
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Joanne, EXACTLY! You said it: “Introverts need to introvert.”
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Seems you’ve enjoyed your rest. Welcome back 🙂
It does feel a bit worker-y at times here on WP, and I sometimes consider a break as well, but then, I realize I suffer from FOMO. *sigh*
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joey, I hear ‘ya. I worry about dropping out of sight for too long. Will anyone remember I exist if I stay away? FOMO it is.
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I cannot believe you’d even mention the idea that anyone could forget us. *adds a worry doll to the box*
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Me? I’m forgettable, but never you! Perish the thought.
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Oh good. *removes worry doll, eats cookie*
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🤗
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Happy that you can leave August behind, and glad to see your blog back in my line-up. Everyone blogs for different reasons, just as everyone who blogs has the right to write as much or as often as they like, or to take a break. No need to explain. I am always just glad when I learn that a blogger who has been “on retreat” from blogging, or even the world, comes back and assures us that there was no significant health (or other issues) keeping them away.
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Deb, you are so right with all that you say here. I like to explain myself so that no one worries about why I’m doing what I’m doing, because, like you said, sometimes bloggers disappear… and the reasons are valid, but lousy.
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Happy days are here again! Sounds like you made the perfect use of your time off then.
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Allie P, I grumbled about the weather ad nauseum, but was generally a good slacker, reading, watching TV, occasionally doing something productive!
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Welcome back. By all means enjoy your blogging. Please know it gives so many of us pleasure, wisdom and the gentle reminder to Snark Against the Machine.
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Zen-Den, I love the idea that I’m a reminder to Snark Against the Machine. My hours here are not lost if I can have that kind of influence in the world. 🙂
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So glad to see you back! I’ve missed your quirky outlook on life! Woo Hoo!
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Beth, thanks. Be quirky or go home!
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Missed you Ally! Totally agree with all you said about blogging. I like it too and it helps me when I have some sort of structured posts, like the A to Z or the Blog-tember that I am doing now. Sometimes life just gets in the way of fun, though, and when that happens I miss a few days (weeks). You know, I actually have real work to do (sigh). Looking forward to reading whatever you want to share 🙂
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Janet, I find that if I’ve committed to posting once a week, then I’ll pay more attention to what’s going on around me so that I’ll have something to write about. I think that’s probably a good thing for me because I could easily go live inside my head for a year. Introvert, ‘ya know?
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Good to see you back. I blogged about the weather endlessly and I like summer! I tried to use synonyms for weather (there aren’t many) so readers wouldn’t say “there she goes again!” Blogging can get worky especially when the river (of inspiration) runs dry. Fortunately I have cats that do inane things.
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Kate, I do admit to envying you and your cats with their antics. The closest thing I’ve got going on is an unreliable squirrel with a bad attitude. Finding things to write about can be a burden, can’t it?
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Yes it can. I was dry for today. I started something on my mother (it’s her birthday) but I’ve already written all the good stuff about her. I went to the gym and got inspiration there. Which saved everyone from hearing about the cats. A squirrel with a bad attitude? You could script a conversation with him.
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Great idea!
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Yay! Nice to see you in the floe again.
Did using the analogy of the anatomy of an iceberg help you keep your cool while writing this?
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Why yes it did! Those icebergs are the most useful things, I tell you.
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I know what you mean about the unpaid part-time job aspect of blogging. There are days I don’t want to do this, but I do, because at this stage of my life it’s either this or drive Mary crazy full-time. I have themes for every day of the week, which helps a lot.
Anyway, welcome back!
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John, I’ve done that theme approach before. It’s a good one, but I’m trying to be more spontaneous in this blog. Go where the road leads me, even if it occasionally turns out to be a dead end.
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Gotcha. I’m thinking along the same lines, although the daily features are a lot of fun yet. Maybe I’ll post a couple of times a day, the regular feature and something a little more spontaneous…
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You are ambitious. Go for it!
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Glad you’re back. I missed you! Great diagram and post!
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Chez Shea, thanks. I need to get over to your blog and see what you’ve been up to. I feel like I’m out of touch with all my bloggy friends.
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Welcome back! Your kind voice and interesting perspective have been sorely missed. I too am searching to write what I want and what fulfills me, and yet not bore people with the same old STUFF. I haven’t been blogging as much, but I still love it and writing is very therapeutic for me. xoxo
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Thanks Margaret. I know what you mean about the same old stuff. I try to keep things fresh + unique here, but some days/weeks/months it’s a trial. I agree about the therapeutic value of writing. Things make more sense after I write them out.
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Wait, you were gone? Oh, did you not notice Fuzzy took over your blog during your absence and put up many great pro-sciurine posts that went viral?
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evil, I would not be surprised to find out that in an alternate universe Fuzzy is running this blog and I’m merely his staff. Pro-scurine posts? Now that sounds about right from our friend.
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Sigh. All of that is So True. I am trying like hell to work through a Dry Spell myself. No themes, constructs, or self-imposed schedules seem to work for me. I simply cannot be Bossed. And this summer has been absolutely Brutal. Awful. Horridly Terrible.
Pardon me. Coming off a four-day migraine. Feeling…Imposed Upon.
Glad you’re back.
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nance, I understand your point of view. I want to be a prolific, insightful daily blogger… BUT like you said: “I simply cannot be Bossed.” So if I disappear from the blogosphere from time to time, so be it. My intentions are pure even if my follow-thru sometimes lack.
[Hope you’re felling better. Agree about this useless excuse of a summer.]
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