Is social media the demise of blogging?

Yes, I'm a crap blogger and I'm not even going to apologise for it. Let's just say that the past year has been one helluva bumpy ride and the moon landing was probably smoother than my 2015/16.

(The above intro was actually written about 3-4 months ago... and left in Draft, but since it still applies I decided to keep it. Plus ca change.)

Fellow local blogger, Island Fairy, mentioned that her social media accounts, Instagram in particular, have caused her blog to start dying somewhat and I can totally understand where she's coming from. Social media is so instant that we've lost the need to save our photos for a great blog post, because it's faster and easier to snap and share. And once the sharing is done, then what's the point of creating a post with the same photos? (Ok, the reason would actually be that you have different audiences on different platforms, but you get the gist).

She also did a little round-up about who she is for those who follow her on social media but may not be aware of her blog, and therefore have no background to her. It was a great idea and even I found out some things that I didn't know!

As writers I think we tend to struggle when our writing platforms are replaced by competing, yet equally compelling, other platforms. They eliminate the 'chore' that blogging sometimes brings with it, leading to the question: Do people blog because they love to write? Or do they love to share their stories online?

I don't think that it's as black and white as that and I certainly don't have any research at hand to be able to provide an answer, but I do think that people who love to write struggle when that love encounters the dreaded writer's block; the want to express your thoughts but they're just stuck in your head as fragmented pieces, rather than eloquent, flowing sentences. So, let's share a photo instead that can tell the story in an instant snap. It's a solution to the problem, though somewhat of a Pyrrhic victory at the same time.

It's very evident that the blogging block hit me hard when you just look at the date of the previous post - December 2015! Seven months ago. Two seasons ago. Last year! 

Time takes on a whole new meaning when kids are involved. "The days are long, but the years are short" - this is Gretchen Rubin's Third Splendid Truth in her book The Happiness Project (there will be another blog post about that - hopefully). 

Last night, however, I had words inside my head that needed to come out. Obviously that was also the moment when my WiFi wasn't working and therefore I couldn't blog about them at that moment as I would have liked to. Thankfully today, they're still there and the moment hasn't dissipated. I'm hoping that it lasts a bit longer this time.

Handbag Dilemma

Yes, you can judge this post by the title and safely assume that it's going to be 'trivial' but there really is such a thing as a handbag dilemma, I believe.

See, I tend to buy a new bag and use it to death, and then repeat the process with another bag, and then with another, and you get the picture. The problem is that I end up properly ruining these bags which is a shame because I'm sure that if I treated them a bit better they'd last a lot longer. 

How do I manage to ruin them you might ask? Well, mainly it's because I carry around too much stuff that I don't need but keep with me just in case! I have a pouch that contains a notebook, a pen, tampons, a bag holder, a power bank and cord, a hair clip and probably a couple of other things too. All important stuff really, but it does add to the weight. Then there's my oversized purse, numerous keys, an umbrella, mobile phone, another (larger) notebook and typically something of Tom's (item of clothing, toy, water flask, etc). 

And the reason that I carry all this stuff is because the bag is big enough but when the handles start fraying it's clear that it's not strong enough. 

So last summer I treated myself to a medium-sized Longchamp LePliage bag which is all kinds of awesome but I've already noticed the bottom getting scuffed - and that bothers me. So I'm now trying to take better care of my bags, but in the meantime I'm also on the lookout for a new one (of course!). 

I'd love to get a small Longchamp in dark grey and I also loved one of the Radley totes, but was then very disappointed to find that they don't ship to Malta (bye bye 50% online discount). 

Does anyone else suffer from this same dilemma or are you all super diligent with your belongings?

Award Nominee

Those who know me personally know that I work in digital marketing, mainly on social media. It's a role that I fell into really but one that I love and that gives me great satisfaction, so it was amazing when I found out that the company I work for were chosen as finalists in the local eBusiness Awards for 'Best Use of Social Media'. For me it's a personal nomination and one that I truly hope we will win because it would just be the cherry on the cake, especially when I consider that I work 'reduced hours' - officially, but I'm often at my laptop late into the evening and checking work's social media accounts at the weekend. 

The awards night is at the end of February/beginning of March (date is yet to be confirmed) so I've still got a couple of months to wait but in the meantime, I'm allowing myself to feel pleased and proud by my work and achievements.

Where's my break?

Life is busy at the moment - very busy, to the point of being hectic. But it's 'temporary' - well, some parts are temporary, that's not to say that they won't be replaced by something else! But I like busy. 

In fact, this was the first weekend in a very long time that I wasn't 'working'. I still had work from home to do, but I didn't have any shifts scheduled. I almost didn't know what to do with myself - so I had a shower and a nap! Exciting, huh? :)

Of course, what I really need is a weekend away near a pool or the sea with a cocktail bar close by :)

The Tough Times

There's so much that I can write, and yet cannot. There's a lot going on at the moment and sometimes I feel that I'm running on automatic just running from one appointment to the next and moving from one task to another.

One thing that I've noticed is how subjective 'tiredness' is. In years past I remember being tired, properly tired and yet now that I have a child, my level of tiredness is just so different. But neither is better or worse than the other because they both take their toll. 

Having said that I'm also amazed at how versatile and resilient the human body is. We adapt. Interrupted sleep, doing as much as possible within half an hour (and succeeding), carrying a few (increasing) kilos in your arms every single day... it just becomes second nature. And I live in the hope of the 'one day he'll sleep throughout the night; it's just a matter of time' idea. Until then I typically go to sleep at around 22:00 because I know that there's another long day waiting just past midnight.

But it's all worth it. Even on the super tough days - and there are many of those, or at least many moments within a day - it's worth it. And although there will be tough times ahead there will also be better times; times that will make the sacrifices, doubts and hard decisions all worthwhile.