I relent.

There have been a handful of worldwide phenomenons that I have deliberately avoided. One was Seinfeld. I never went out of my way to watch that show. I don’t know why, because on the occasions it happened to be on the television whilst I was sitting opposite it, I did find it amusing. Another was Harry Potter. I successfully blocked out all information regarding Harry Potter for years until one day I was embarking on a thirteen hour train trip and noticed the first book of the series sitting on the empty seat beside me with no one to claim it. By the end of the train ride, I had almost finished it and was ravenous for the next installments. Now, I am thoroughly converted, almost to the point of obsession (though I don’t hold a candle to some people I’ve come across on the web).

I’m not one of those people whose claim to cool is to scoff at the mainstream. Now that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy finding little gems that others aren’t aware of. I get just as smug as the next person when I’m the first to stumble across some cool website or shop. But I don’t dress or decorate based on what I believe will shock society and paint me as “edgy” and an “outsider”. There’s too much self consciousness in that approach for me, and frankly, too much effort. It’s more a case of wanting to make sure that I like something because it actually appeals to me, not because I’m being told that it appeals to everybody therefore I must like it. And so, sometimes, I deliberately ignore what’s trendy for a while.

Another thing that I have actively avoided for a very long time is blogs. My attitude to them was somewhat derisive, almost snobbish, at first. What makes you think that I’m interested in what you had for breakfast this morning? But, very suddenly it seems to me, blogs have become cool. People I find interesting are writing blogs. Artists I like are writing blogs. Bloggers, apparently, are becoming celebrities, getting invited to functions, being asked to write for publications... This caused me to reassess my attitude to blogs. Perhaps they weren’t all bad. Maybe I’ll give it a go. Maybe I should realise, again, just as I finally did with Harry Potter, that there could a reason for the worldwide cult following that goes beyond pack mentality.

However, my hesitation hasn’t only been due to trying to avoid the crowd. I confess, I like writing. Not just in the sense of composing words into prose, but the act of physically picking up a pen and putting it to paper. There’s something comforting in it. I’m sentimental about it. I am addicted to buying journals which I then never write in because they deserve something meaningful written in them, not just a list of groceries or my favourite films of that moment. Something I will still find meaningful five years down the track. Although I do enjoy typing, I was hesitant to give in to blogs because I don’t want it to replace writing for me. I am very attached to writing.

So why am I giving in to blogs now? My reason is a shallow one. I just got a new laptop. She is shiny and pretty and the name Betsy seems to suit her. So enamoured am I that I am looking for any reason to play with her, and I figure that writing a blog will be one of the many ways to dither around on the computer. It’d be nice to have a deeper reason for my relenting, but that’s it I’m afraid. It remains to be seen whether this blog with take on a life of its own or if my infatuation with Betsy will calm itself and I end up distracted once again.