Every now and then it’s good to assess your motivations in life. So it has come to my attention that I should address the following questions in an honest and not in the least sarcastic manor so that those who tip toe their way along the spidery web of this world of smoke and mirrors landing eventually at this site, on the back of some incredibly large and unfortunately dead or dying, suffering, suffering is more likely the best word for the situation, ending up on the mossy, diamond shell back of this suffering turtle which inevitably is bleeding, which isn’t of too much concern for as it has been suggested by the subtle yet obvious (can we have such a thing) subtitle of this blog which reassures the haphazard reader that the blood of the suffering turtle is really just memory. And what is memory anyway? An archive, however organized or in a state of chaotic disorganization it may be, of those moments worth grabbing onto and keeping for the opportune moment, like show and tell, when this collection of minutia can be brought before the eyes of a community of like-minded collectors, let’s call them poets, who appreciate such things despite the illusion of reptile death and unorthodox blood thirst.

but i digress. the questions burning to be answered are simpler than these.

Why do I blog?
It’s less about show and tell than about having a display case in which to keep memory collections. It’s also less about technology than one might expect. I’m not a blogophile, though I am very impressed in the ability of a blogging community to come together. I chose the blog format because I spend much of my day at a computer and in this way I could continue to work on the work that is important to me, writing, while upholding the illusion (the smoke and mirrors again) of being a responsible employee.

What’s been my best or worst blogging experience?
I’d have to say my best and worse were kind of the same thing. I created a book blog to serve as a public forum/readers’ advisory service at the public library where i work. the creation of the thing was the best experience, it was my first blog, my first effort at web publishing since abandoning an old zine during college, and i was so pleased with the ease with which i could create such a great looking site. But then when nobody was using the site, not even my co-workers who pushed so hard to have such a thing developed, that was the worst. Though I’d have to say, stumbling upon Poetry Thursday and Writers Island and the poets i’ve encountered in these communities is pretty damn great too.

What do I blog about and why?
Poetry mostly, books, music too, love audioblogs, especially exploring genres unfamiliar to me.

My first blog post.
here

A favorite, from a few days before the birth of my son, Finn.
here