Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Why are you doing this?

Not to be outdone by my husband's query, What made you think that was a good idea?, a friend asked recently why I'm writing this blog.

Although I had invited her to read it when it launched, I don't suspect she ever has. Which is too bad, because there aren't many people who can make Faulkner seem orderly, an effect my ramblings probably have.

It's a valid question, of course. So I'll try to do it justice. (If I were really talented, I'd do it in Letterman Top Ten reverse order. Where's Paul Shaffer when you need a muse?)

1. Writing this blog is fun.

When you spend your days scribbling about floating operational oil platforms or next-generation chemical compositions, getting to write about something you have a passion for is kind of a thrill. (I never imagined I'd enjoy working on technical, scientific or engineering accounts, but making something interesting out of the dullest stuff on earth -- or North Sea -- is very rewarding.)


2. Writers should write.

I wasn't doing that enough. I was waiting for clients to give me business. I lacked the discipline to try to start a new spec magazine article each week. This way, I'm not getting as rusty between paying gigs.

3. Motivation.

Not just to write more and to use this venue as seed for future articles, but to sew through the stash. Even if I only pretend someone's reading, I have to keep producing.

4. Self-absorption and self-indulgence.

Self-explanatory. 

5. Routine.

I know there are adventurous people who continually seek new forms of excitement. I'm more of a Groundhog Day kind of girl. I still get teary before the end of the school year because it marks a change in routine. But then I get used to the summer and I'm upset when September rolls around. I suppose it's losing my mom at an early age and then being sucked up into a whirling vortex of insecurity that makes me crave predictability. Knowing what to expect can be very comforting.

Writing this blog lends a little routine to my day, or at least to my Monday through Thursday. Each day at 5, I make myself sit down and work on it. Only a text from Alec Baldwin that it's my turn in Words With Friends can distract me.

6. You like me. You really, really like me.

So, I like positive feedback. And I get it from you nice people who read me. Some of you tell me I make you happy. That's been my goal since first grade, right? I like to tell tales, and the cats have already heard all of my stories. (You should see how cute they look, though, when they put their little paws over their ears.)  It's nice to have this audience.


No photos today, but I have started a new project. Inspired by a quilt I saw on Pinterest, I'm taking the 4.5 metric tons of Kona I have left and combining it with my favorite batiks.  I'm also going to get back to the table runner I quilted with the embroidered sun motif, bind it and put it up on my etsy shop. I've also challenged myself to make what I'm calling IPod quilts -- wallhangings based upon music I listen to at the gym. Now, if they'd only invent a treadmill powered sewing machine, think of all I could accomplish in a day.

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