Saturday, Feb. 12, 2005

MY HUSBAND WANTS TO KNOW, CAN I DO IT EVERY DAY?

Here I am going along thinking that I'm doing OK with this blog thing and my husband tells me that the number one way to make sure that your blog is read, is to blog every day. Yikes! I've already made a big mistake. The problem is that I'm not sure if any of you are up to listening to my daily ramblings of how my day went (mostly with the girl). And I'm not sure if I'm up to an interesting commentary every day of the week. So, if I'm going to do this daily thing, it's going to have to take a bit of work and I'm just going to have to think on this. In the meantime, let me give you a little bit of information on my background so that you might understand where I'm coming from.

In my past life (that means when I was single and had a life), I was a photojournalist. Now, I really can't say how good I was compared to someone who writes for the New York Times or Harper's Magazine since I was a photojournalist for the US Army (just to let you know, everyone who can complete their school with a passing grade is considered a journalist). But in my defense, I considered myself fairly good and most of my bosses did, too. Many of my photos and stories were front page and double-truck (that means the double-paged story and photos in the middle of the paper). I did photos and stories of soldiers (of course) doing everything from shooting in Worldcup Marksmanship games (in Fort Benning, Georgia) to soldiers driving tanks in front of and meeting Senators and the Vice President (in South Korea) to taking photos out of helicopters of soldiers and sailors running counter-narcotics operations (in Honduras). During this time I enjoyed my work immensely and it built up my self-esteem and became part of my identity. I did this for six years and three years later married another journalist (one who is much better than me).

From all this I aquired a sense of pride in my work and although it's been a long time and my first blog entries were not that good, I would have a hard time writing one just for the sake of writing. One that had no beginning, middle and end. Or no main point.

So, I'm in a quandary. Do I go for the large audience via the "blog every day" route and lose some readers because some of the blogs aren't that good? Or, do I hope that my plodding, hit and miss system with half decent things to say will bring the readers in anyway? Because, as a journalist, readers are what I am hoping for - and making a few friends on the way. I'm not going to fool myself and you all and say that it's just a diary for me. We're back to one of the oldest delemmas of all time: quantity vs quality.

Like I said earlier, I'm going to have to think about it. It's incredibly tempting to think that I can do it (blog every day) and become good at it. Because, that's what I really want. Again, I'll have to think hard and, of course, I'll let you all know what I've come up with.

Friday, Feb. 11, 2005

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Yesterday I decided to do something different with my diary or blog or page (you know, I really don't think of this as a diary but of course I'm working out of diaryland so what can I say?). Being that this is my first blog I have lots of ideas and each time I see another blog I get more. Diaryland is fine, but I'm getting the urge to branch out and do something more interesting on my blog. So, for some time I've been debating the merits of a picture of the day and I have finally decided to do it. Most of the reason I want to do it is because it is so beautiful here and my daughter is growing so fast and I want my family to be able to see her.

I have chosen to put my photos on Flickr which was recommended by a friend and seems to be pretty interesting (I'll keep you updated as I go along to how useful it is). So, if you are inclined, you can click on the photo to the left and see the photo full sized (I think that's how it works, I'm still figuring it out). Right now, I only have one photo in Flickr because I haven't had a chance to organize my other photos and because the batteries on my digital camera have died and I can't download my most recent photos.

As I tinker with the blog/diary it may change a bit but I'll probably be keeping the photos there until I blog no more. Hope you enjoy!

-- 8:42 a.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 08, 2005

SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS

Today I watched the Super Bowl commercials. Yes, the commercials and not the actual Super Bowl itself. I used to watch the football game (american football) and at some point I liked it. It's exciting when your team is playing or when you're with a large group of people and you can talk or eat, etc. But I'm just not that much of a sports watching kind of person. I love to play (I've even played games of touch football in my younger years) and I can't seem to get into being on the sidelines and not being involved. Just not my cup of tea. And I was happy to find out that my husband is not a sport watching kind of person either.

Now, I enjoy the Super Bowl for only one thing: the commercials. For you see, everyone enjoys a good commercial. It's like the comic relief. When a truly superb commercial is shown on TV you can tell how good it is because everyone talks about it. It may even become an icon of great commercials and some even become part of the culture. It is absolutely amazing that something so short and ultimately inconsequential should have such an impact. Because, if ask most people if commercials really have an effect on their lives, they would tell you, no. Most people consider them an annoying interruption of their favorite TV shows and at best, a chance to go to the bathroom or get a snack from the kitchen. And some, like me, buy technology just so they can watch their shows uninterrupted and have time to do something else. When I lived for five years in Korea, most of my TV shows were on video tapes and I never watched the commercials.

So, why would I then, take the time to watch just commercials? Because when commercials are good, they're a joy to watch. At the price companies pay to air a commercial during the Super Bowl, these are the cream of the crop. Some are even talked about for years. Even some of the silly or stupid ones are enjoyable in the light that it shows us how to not take ourselves so seriously and also the creativity that goes on behind it. One of this year's commercials that shows insight into the American culture is where a famous singer is shown getting out of a Pepsi truck at an awards show and after that you see everyone else buying a Pepsi truck just like it. A perfect depiction of our culture today. And it's fun. And I'm not embarrassed to say that I enjoy it. I've watched a few TV shows that show the best commercials from around the world. And I loved them. Because if they're good, they're great.

But if you come to my house don't expect me to be sitting and watching the everyday, average commercials. Or the sports, for that matter. They just don't do it for me.

previous - next