Microblogging

Is Twitter dying? An article at tipping point labs indicates that it is and that Tumblr is well-positioned to be next.  I’m not sure about the demise of Twitter, but I am Tumblr-curious.

Tumblr is another microblogging platform and is an interesting hybrid between a full blown blog and a spot where you can spew a few sentences (Twitter). What is “microblogging” you ask? Well, according to Wikipedia it’s:

a broadcast medium in the form of blogging. A microblog differs from a traditional blog in that its content is typically smaller in both actual and aggregate file size. Microblogs "allow users to exchange small elements of content such as short sentences, individual images, or video links.”

It feels more appropriate to post an interesting Oatmeal link and a sentence rather than a full-blown blog post on Tumblr. Here are a few examples of Tumblr pages:

• A tumblr devoted to the movie Raising Arizona
• A tumblr about classic and beautiful women
• A tumblr about fake science

The list goes on but these give you a sense of the brevity of a tumblr.  I never got into Twitter and I already have a blog, but that didn’t stop me from starting something on Tumblr! I now have an additional spot from which to yell into the void. 

And now for something completely different – I re-watched Rushmore recently and it has rekindled my love of Wes Anderson films.  I was reminded of the Jason Schwartzman-Natalie Portman couple in the Hotel Chevalier short and thought I’d share a moment from that:

Brie and Beer

It’s Friday night and I’m slicing wedges of brie, eating bits of them with strawberries and washing it down with a Great Divide Rumble.  The night also includes laundry and who knows what other domestic endeavors.

I haven’t posted in a while.  I’ve been wondering if I’ve fallen into a narcissistic pattern with this blogging and woe-is-me life.  I find that narcissism is a little difficult to avoid as an only child. So, I’ve been thinking of discontinuing the blog. It is time consuming anyway…

What’s the point of blogging?

I’ve described it as yelling into the void since I know that even most of the people I know don’t read it.  I’ve also described it as an opportunity to write and coalesce my thoughts into something other than a disjointed conversation I might have.  Maybe it’s just satisfying for me and that satisfaction is on the wane. 

I realize that blogs have purpose and if the blog is focused on a specific topic then there is a point.  For example, Cake Wrecks exists to inform all who care to know about the various cake fuck ups in the world (to be fair they also showcase good work).  The Overhead Wire exists to discuss transit-related news (a hot topic for so many!). The Malia and Sasha Fan Club blog exists to keep us all up to date on the going on of the President’s children.  There is the Cliff Mass Weather Blog, which, of course, focuses on weather in a specific area.  And there are plenty  of other self-focused blogs.

Clearly I have not come to any conclusion as I’m actively blogging now. 

BTW here’s something I photographed during my recent Toronto trip:

Bye.

My new favorite blog (other than all of my friends’ blogs)

About two weeks ago my loving significant other sent me an email with a link to a blog: Hyperbole and a Half. 

I. LOVE. IT.

First, her drawings are just my speed – I’m a sucker for simple and stick figure.  In previous posts, I’ve provided evidence of my joy of stick figure-based art but this one also has stories!

Oh where to start…the first post I saw was one about the woman who does the art and stories and her adventures in illness.  Here is one of the pictures in that story – this is one of her in the ER (the doctor is the one tell her to pee).

This is the text along with the drawing:

I knew I had reached a pretty low point in my life.  There I was, halfway unconscious on a toilet; trying my hardest to pee into a tiny plastic cup and not on my own hand or the floor.  It sounds like a very simple goal to accomplish, but it isn't. I was crying quietly and drooling on myself.  I didn't even care that a stranger was standing there watching the whole pathetic situation. In that moment, I had no dignity.

Trust me, this passage is funny in the context of the rest of the story.

I’ve been spending about 15-20 minutes a night reading backwards in the blog.  Honestly, I find nearly every post laugh-out-loud funny but, of course, some are funnier than others.  For example, the “How a fish almost destroyed my childhood” was…oh, you’ll HAVE to check it out for yourself.  At first I was horrified but by the end it all came together.

I also enjoy the blog because I relate to this woman in several respects.

1. We both don’t like spiders. As my man can attest if you add me plus spider you get the same result as below.

2. We both recognize and analyze the business of awkward situations.  She has an entire post entitled “The Awkward situation survival guide.”    I often say that my super power is the ability to always say the wrong thing.  She covers that.

Anyway, I highly recommend you check it out.