Sparks and Butterflies

I decided to participate in NaBloPoMo this month. We’ll see if I can hang.

I simply have stopped writing about my life. I know it ebbs and flows. After all, I’ve been writing my life online since 1995 (archives here go to 2000). Of course there are going to be times that I don’t write. It’s hard though. Lately, I’ve been extremely introverted and in a very personal headspace. Big thoughts about my place on this earth, my spirituality, my faith. This is a good process, but for a whole host of reasons, I haven’t wanted to share it publicly. Because the process takes up a lot of my mindspace when I’m not doing the mundane work of a family, or working, I’ve felt drained and unable to write about anything.

Well, NaBloPoMo requires me to write each day – so here I am. Here’s hoping it helps.

I got interviewed.

One caveat… She calls me a Mommy Blogger. I dislike that term. “Mommy” sounds to me like I have babies – my kids are 11 and 9, so that’s not true. Plus, I consider myself a “Life” blogger – I wrote before I got married and had kids, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be writing after they leave the nest. So, yeah.

Anna Deskins is a writer, and a huge proponent and lover of children’s books and reading to your kids. She asked to interview me – and the results are here on her blog, An Interview with Mommy Blogger, Michele. Go check it out.

I love books. I really do. And I’m part of the BlogHer Book Club! For them, I reviewed A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

So… Go check out what I thought of the book!

Our finances suck.  Therefore, I’m not at Blissdom.  That hurts – it’s my favorite conference of the year.  But Carmen, who is there, had a call for guest posts while she’s gone, and I obliged.  Go check it out: My Guest Post of Awesomeness.

PS – If you know me or went to school with me in real life?  I betcha knew nothing about it!  I kept it pretty close to the vest.  I was, after all, the resident outcast.  I didn’t want more attention.

I am a blogging dinosaur.  No, really.  The archives here go to 2000 (that’s a decade).  And actually I started writing an online journal in about 1995, so there’s five years of entries somewhere that I can’t access.

I’ve seen fads come and go.  I’ve seen platforms come and go.  I’ve seen lots and lots of people come and go.

I’m still here.  I’m not here because I’m some great writer.  I’m not even here because I have something to say, although I do.  I’m mainly here to leave a mark that I can come back to to see various points in our lives from my perspective at the time.

As journaling online turned into journals and weblogs, then journals versus weblogs, then weblogs, then blogs; the “cool” kids came out to play.  Did you ever think that high school would get renacted in your life in various ways over and over and over again?  I didn’t.  But I get it now.  Time grows shorter lately, and I decided to cull my blog feeds to make catching up easier.  There they were.  The cool kids.  The ones heralded for their longevity.

Ahem.  ::wave::

Or the ones who started blogging about their kids causing this phenomenen called “mommyblogging.”

Ahem.  ::wave::  And by the way I HATE that term.

And here I sit.  I realized that I was reading them because I was “supposed” to be reading them.  Because they are the creme of the blogging crop, you see.  And the truth is?  I can’t stand most of them.  So I culled.  Big time.  I will no longer follow people because they are (or were) the cool kids.  Take facebook for example.  I don’t follow those who were ass-tastic to me in high school.  Why?  Because I don’t give a rat’s patootie about what happened to them.  Why  in the world would I follow a blog?

I met a couple of the “big” bloggers in 2008 at BlogHer.  Want to know who was the nicest to me?  Dooce.  Out of everyone, the one who gets the most shit for her place in the blogging world was graciousness itself to me.  Kind, thoughtful, who listened and responded sincerely to what I was saying.  Even if she though I was an idiot, she absolutely didn’t act like it.  Others, were cold, aloof, and one of them literally looked down her nose at me.  I wanted to say “I filled up my free aol server space before you even knew Blogger existed.”

But I didn’t.

Every once in a while I get bent out of shape.  I’m not terribly witty.  I don’t have any vast knowledge to impart, although I’m great at giving advice.  So, no.  I’m not going to get recognition.  I’m merely here to chronicle my life using a platform that makes sense for my interests.  But every once in a while I want to get kudos for surviving.

<shameless self promotion>

After that incredibly dreary post, here’s an update on the other stuff I’m doing around the web…

As always, I write at the Fun and Function blog.

I have a card giveaway going over at Butterviews.

There’s a deal posted at Butterviews for Crystal Essence products.

And I have a fledgling business blog to go along with my business website.

::cough::Comment love is always appreciated.::cough::

</shameless self promotion>

As you all know…  I have a business, Vineyard Virtual Services.  I am a Virtual Assistant who caters to freelance writers and small business owners.  As part of that, I also freelance write/ghostwrite.  I usually can’t share that stuff, as it’s not my own byline.

However, at one of my gigs, I’m a one of the writers on the company blog.  I write as MicheleW, so the owner said she was happy for me to promote posts when they happen.  I’ve been writing there a few months now.

Fun and Function is a special needs resource company.  I would say they are more geared towards the Autism spectrum and Sensory Processing Disorder, but there’s something for everyone if your child has special needs.  I write about various topics in the blog from the perspective of being a parent of kids with special needs.

All this to say that there’s a new post over there!

I got interviewed about blogging over at Commitment. Won’t you take a look?

I have a small announcement to make…

Unfortunately, I will no longer be writing for Special Needs at Blissfully Domestic.  While I enjoy the magazine, and thinks it’s a great online resource…  I landed another client.  A paying one.  I’ll be writing on special needs parenting at this other blog.  I’m sure I could have worked at both places, but it just seemed like a conflict of interest.  And usually if your gut says “hinky” it’s best just to go with what feels like the right thing to do.  Once I get more established at this other publication, I’ll let you all know where it is.

I keep forgetting to promote anything else I’m doing around the innernetwebs.  Here are some links to recent Schtuff.

Most pressing – IMAX is doing a giveaway to promote Where the Wild Things Are and you can find out the details here.

I edited a new post over at Blog Nosh Magazine.  Embedded in Time is from an author that’s new to me, but expresses herself with such a strong voice.

And finally 4 reviews are up:

Give up the Ghost – Brandi Carlile

At Home With Friends – Joshua Bell

Safety Tats

Once in a Blue Moon, by Eileen Goudge

Phew.  Ok.  Carry on.