The World of Blogging

So I've been going along in my own little bubble of blogging, completely oblivious to the larger world of blogging. Nope, I don't read other blogs. Shocker of shockers, I know. A blogger who doesn't read blogs. Except the ones you see in my little side bar. And they're all my friends, so they don't count, per se.

Because as I now see it there are three general types of blogs.
1) The "hi this is my life and my friends and all the stuff I do" blogs
2) The "I have an issue, a slant, a topic, a subject matter, and I'm going to comment on that" blogs
3) The "I'm going to write about random things here and there, my life mixed in, have some snarky commentary on life in general" blogs

My blog would fall into the first category. I started it to keep people updated on my life. I didn't consider myself a "blogger" in the traditional #2 sense. I was content to ramble on about my adventures, whether or not anyone read or not. Then there are political blogs, or blogs about a profession or finance or celebs, or whatever, those are the #2 type, and I think where blogging got its fame (infamy?). But what I'm most impressed with and have recently started reading are the #3 variety. Little did I know there is a whole world of people out there who are just so ridDONKulously funny and who write about, well, nothing, and it's hysterical. Or maybe they write about "something," but in general, nothing. So basically, kind of what I aspire to be, now that I've gotten into this gig.

We're talking people who it's even their actual job and income and life line to just write about their lives and the random thoughts that are in their head. Where did I miss the sign up sheet for THAT gig? Seriously though, that's what I would love to do. And also seriously, when I started reading other blogs of the #3 variety, not only did I realize that that's what I wanted to be/do, BUT, I realized how terribly unorginal and unfunny I am, in comparison. Like that my style is just, so, bourgiouse. Yeah, how bout them apples?

My two favorite (ok, the only two I've read extensively, because they're so dang addictive) are Dooce and Redacted.
I may or may not have sat reading Dooce for 2 hours last night (yes, if you're doing the math, that would be FRIDAY. I am fully secure enough in myself and my social life to be ok with announcing that yes, one Friday night I decided to sit at home. By myself. Reading blogs. About other people's lives. Seriously, it's ok. And totally normal).
But I have to admit, I didn't discover Dooce on my own, my friend Preethi has told me she reads it, and I happened to recognize it on the list of "Blogs I Call Back the Next Day" on Redacted's site. And I figured anything that the Redacted dude (his name is Dan) would read is probably pretty hilarious.
Redacted is a guy named Dan and he lives in New York. And by New York I mean Brooklyn, kind of near me, which makes him cool by default. Guys, he's hysterical. Like for those of you who think I'm funny, you will probably never read my blog again once you read his. It's just unreal. And for some (sick?) reason, I'm really drawn to blogs by people in NYC. Like they almost instantly gain credibility in my mind if they're a New Yorker or something. Sad, I know.
And Dooce (Heather is her name). Oh my word, I am not kidding about the 2 hours thing. She is just that funny. Her entries are even more hilarious than Dan's. She's an ex-Mormon in Salt Lake City Utah with a daughter named Leta (like pita, not jetta), and her commentary on, well, everything, is nothing short of hilarity. She's so un-PC, it's just glorious. Honest, raw, and never boring. Basically, my dream.

So now I'm rethinking my strategy with blogging. Now that I have this handy site-visit counter up, I can confirm that in fact there are people reading my blog. I have an audience. Even a fan base (cough). So, I must venture out into new waters. Find new random and utterly useless topics on which to write. And comment.
This blogging thing? It's totally fun. And if I legitimately thought for a New York minute that I could get paid (well) to do it, you bet I would be all over that. Like white on rice.
Thank you Dooce and Redacted, you have opened my eyes to new mountains to climb and new levels of rambly commentary for which I can strive. Stay tuned.