Life here at the Ramblings has been a little slow recently (as we’ve pointed out). I decided that it was time to breathe some life back on this site, though we’re going with a somewhat plain look for the next couple of weeks until I figure out exactly what I want this incarnation to look like.
I do know that we’re going to post every day, and I mean every day (well, at least until the end of May). Considering what I do nowadays it shouldn’t be that hard, but it has been. I figured I’d go back to what I started doing this as – an exercise in writing. It’s one of my goals for the coming year…
Yes, I said goal. Those who were regulars to this site are quite familiar with the standing list of lofty goals for myself that have a deadline of December 28, 2008 (though I must admit I hadn’t looked at it a lot recently). Resolutions to me are a little scary – you never quite know when you’ll stop following them. Goals seem to be easily manageable. At one point in my life while in Savannah I decided that I wasn’t going to make resolutions; I’d make goals for that year and see where they’d take me. I’ve strayed from that practice in recent years and realized that revisiting it may be the best thing for me.
The Ramble: So why do I blog?
Published by Andre on January 3, 2008The past few months I’ve started to approach blogging as a profession with what some would consider my overly simplistic beliefs about the ability of a site to serve as a tool for change instead of just another receptacle for pundits and writers to save their thoughts. It’s led me to realize that some may in fact lose their soul while others cling to beliefs with passion that makes you wonder why they didn’t write as their first profession.
I’ve learned that while the idea of a community blog for the sake of moving a region forward is beautiful and idealistic in nature, the capitalistic nature of our society forces the notion into the structured boxes of the ordinary rather than allowing it to spread its wings and grow, serving as the virtual town square that the area so desperately needs. I’ve learned that viral marketing in a town that still clings to the past like Linus does to his security blanket is worth it, but much slower than I thought it would be. I’ve realized that as much as the city yearns to prove that it’s not stuck in its ways that at times it acts worse than what people expect it to, especially in the areas of race and crime.
I’ve also seen some of our region’s most beautiful moments, captured forever (or until someone feels the need to erase the cached image) on monitors around the world, providing a glimpse of the region’s promise and potential. I’ve seen people become moved with a person’s tragedy and cheer strangers on in their accomplishments.