CBMused

No internet connection. Possible delays. Send Martinis.

Edited 21 May: Back online. The Martinis helped.

When I started this blog not long ago, I made a mental note of topics to avoid. High on my list were subjects like politics, religion, current affairs, serious issues and topics I have no desire to discuss on any blog. We all have our reasons for blogging and sharing our thoughts or lives with the world, mine include escaping the humdrum and tedium with which the media bombards us.

Another topic I wanted to avoid was blogging itself. Yet I have been observing an interesting phenomenon of late on certain blogs where I occasionally lurk, especially those who garner a lot of comments and I can’t help but wonder what makes a blog gains popularity.

The blogger may be an interesting writer who draws a lot of attention or they may be on a mission to conquer the blogosphere through excessive commenting and thereby bring a lot of traffic to their sites. Regardless of the reason, it is often the study of the comments that proves more revealing.

If we believe popular culture and the celebrity hype that paper and online magazines feed us, people are drawn to popularity, often worshipping the famed as higher beings they wish to emulate through fashion, appearance and lifestyle. Popular bloggers may share a similar status, drawing lesser known readers to their web of fame.

Like the adage that the rich become richer, blogs with a lot of comments seem to attract even more comments. Yet for me, quality over quantity remains the dictum to which I relate.

At school, I’ve never been the girl who collected friends, always preferring a close few over a large number to boast. Popularity didn’t cross my mind, though I was the quiet/pretty/shy/studious type, I forged friendships based on connections or some shared interest.

My site is testament that when it comes to popularity, I am not that different to the Cléa of those early school days. I could go on a commenting spree hoping to attract the masses but that would not mean I would get the audience I desire. For now, I am content to have a small group of visitors whom l enjoy receiving in my home as much as I like visiting.

I guess our core personalities and values don’t change that much when we grow up.

1. Blog and comment after a damn good Martini and a few glasses of red.
2. Dig up old posts and comments after the few glasses of red have settled in.
3. Listen to Muse, no… watch Muse perform live on DVD on the LCD TV with the volume of the stereo turned up so loud while sipping on single malt Scotch after the Martini and red wine.
4. Let her mind wander back in time and back to the present.
5. Remember old posts that evoke feelings and give in to nostalgia.
6. Refer to herself in the third person.
7. Send soppy emails to friends and relatives abroad because she misses them.
8. Jot down dot points that could or could not become a post she may publish the following day.
9. Give a tiny shrug and post it anyway.
10. Then switch her possessed computer off in fear of reprisal from comments she may receive.

About Postcards to the Past

Dear Cléa

Hi, thought you would like the card I picked up in LA. I have been here 1 ½ days and I have been to Knotts Berry Farm Amusement Park, Hollywood/Beverly Hills and then the Spruce Goose and the Queen Mary Ship at long Beach.

Fiji was nice. I have discovered a place to have long hours in the sun by day and long hours doing nothing at night. It’s a good break.

Things are good but guess who I’m thinking about.

See you soon.
Love
Nathan

xxx

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A less than fleeting dream, lasting moments of an eternity. A feel good sensation, a heart-warming emotion, a smile that screamed silent sentiments.

An enduring longing, leaving a bittersweet aftertaste in the daylight.