Friday 15 April 2011

Shut It Down

Over the past three weeks, I went back to the US for a marathon tour of law schools in New England, reconnected with tons of friends, more-than-friends, and frenemies, made what was probably the most difficult decision of my life, and then linked up with David and Emma in London and went backpacking in Turkey for a week. And at no point during this period of high-stakes decisions, interpersonal dramas, and novel desserts did I feel compelled to write about my day on the internet.

This is either a sign of maturity or a sign that my life has gotten so boring that I don't feel as sassy firing stories out into the ether, but either way, I think it probably means that it's time to shut it down. When I started blogging eight years ago - eeep - it was right after I left Fargo to go to college and knew absolutely nobody, and so nobody I knew read my blog, and it was a good way to brag and vent and process very new experiences to an undifferentiated mass of readers. Now, I think the only people who read my blog are people I know, and I feel weirder about bragging and venting to them, and the experiences don't seem so new, and in any case, the advent of Facebook and Twitter means that I'm more or less covered for my lingering fits of exhibitionist self-performativity.

I've been crap at blogging lately anyway, and I'd rather bow out gracefully than watch my readership continue to dwindle into the double digits. If I resurface and pick up blogging again, it'll be anonymously, and at a time in my life where it serves a purpose that picking up the phone and calling somebody can't quite serve. Until then, know that the glory days of this blog were probably my favorite experience that will never end up on my CV, and wish me luck as I drop offline and try to handle all this on my own. It's been all kinds of fun.

8 comments:

mikey said...

i object

alexandra said...

There's no way to say this without sounding completely creepy, but I don't know you and have been reading your blog for some time. So apparently I'm part of that supposedly mythical part of your readership.

All good things must come to an end, but I will miss your blog, one of the consistently wittiest and most amusing I read.

Anonymous said...

Good luck. And I hope you picked Yale, because that's definitely the best place for you.

Anyhoo said...

Another I don't think you know me as the chain of bloggers was always too tenuous for us to meet.

So what's your Twitter username?

It's a shame, but part of the vicariousness of it does mean yielding all control.

Anyhoo said...

Oh, so it helps if I can actually spell your surname. Ignore the question above.

Anonymous said...

I also don't know you. But your blog sustains me. It's my bread and butter, the air to my lungs, the wind beneath my wings. If you keep blogging, we'll give you a kitty. That way, when David sees random animals and cries "kitty!" he will be right with this one. Shit, it turns out we do know you. But, seriously, your storytelling isn't as wonderful in limited tweet or facebook forms! Will you do that stupid Facebook notes thing? I guess this means we'll have to start emailing or talking on the phone from Stanford or something stupid and old fashioned like that. And unless it's in a whiskey glass, I hate Old Fashioned.

Anonymous said...

This makes me sad! I always sign on the computer in the morning, hoping to find another blog from you.

Will said...

I was an active commenter in the far past, an occasional lurker since. Sorry to see you go! Best of luck whatever you decide to do.