Wednesday, April 30, 2008

I was just listening to Jonathon Coulton's Ikea song. He's pretty awesome, and I'm proud to say I knew about him before Portal made him almost mainstream. Anyways, just stumbled onto a great collection of Ikea commercials. Felt kind of like... serendipity maybe? Anyways, they're really amusing and I thought I'd share:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1276531/a_few_ikea_tidy_up_funny_ads/

Hello World

Well, I've been reading blogs... probably since the term blog was coined. So here is the requisite "Hello World" posting.

I've been meaning to start a blog for a while now, but it never seemed to be the right time. I remember planning to do one during my year long internship in California, but feeling like I didn't have time. When I came back I decided that during my next "big adventure" I would definitely start blogging. Then I sat back and waited for the next big adventure. And waited. And waited. Meanwhile, I graduated, got a somewhat settled job in Toronto, and had several small- and medium-sized adventures, many ups and downs. I told myself that no one would want to read a blog written by such an average person, all the while getting into more and more blogs, mostly written by other average people around the world with fresh ideas, different perspectives and unique experiences.

But still, I would say to myself, I don't have the time to blog. 20 minutes a day? I'm way too young for that kind of commitment! I supported servers, and had a weird ever-changing work schedule. But after a killer week of night shift (during month-end hell, no less), I got an internal transfer into your typical 9-5. And suddenly, I’ve traded my previously easy commute and overtime hours for some extra time on evenings and weekends.

What am I doing with all my extra time? Well, after the shock of normalcy started to wear off, and I decided that I was stumbling and Puzzle Questing a bit too much, I started attempting to jog and bike, a couple of evenings a week. I’m getting back into touch with friends. And I’ve just started to take Spanish lessons. There’s a lot of other stuff I want to add to my plate, and I’m also open to suggestions. What I’m saying is this: I feel that I can commit the 20 minutes a day.


So instead of making excuses not to blog, I started to find excuses to start blogging. I think it's appropriate to put them here, blog about blogs... so here it is: my "meta-blog" entry on the benefits of blogging

  1. It forces me to think. Reflect on my day, and put some of my more interesting life stories into written form.
  2. It will help me keep in with friends
  3. It will help me with my spelling and grammar. I’ve been chatting way too much, and while saying “LOL” is fine and dandy when someone expects instant responses, writing out full sentences feels like a welcome brain massage.
  4. Blogging is a great outlet for many things. The title “Cyber-catharsis” comes from this article, which tells us that many bloggers consider their personal blogs as a form of therapy.
  5. Blogging feels social. Whether or not this is true is definitely up for debate. But you’re reading the opinions of someone who thinks that the radio is more social than listening to CDs (because you’re listening to the same thing as other people) and solitaire is social when someone is sitting next to you playing it as well.

So here begins my entry into the collective cyber-consciousness. Please stay tuned.