blog vs. journal

Finally finished my certificate program; Thursday was the last class and I turned in one final project, and then Saturday afternoon I sent off the final, final project. It feels good, I still haven't adjusted to the idea that I don't really have to do anything when I get home from work. I've been relaxing, reading what I want, watching more movies... it's been nice.

I've also been trying to write more now that school is out; I've found myself writing in my journal more than anything for the blog, though. It's an interesting dynamic writing for a journal vs. writing for a blog. I didn't really think it would be all that different before I started blogging; it had always been my impression that blogs were just online journals for most people. I've journalled on and off for most of my life (okay more off), and figured it wouldn't be that different.

What I have realized is that, for me, a blog is what I always wanted my journal to be like. I wanted to write about books and movies and philosophy and things. Most of the time, my journal is the most mundane writing imaginable. I write about what I ate in the course of a day, for example. Keeping track of my diet, my workout schedule, silly little things that happened to me...nothing that would be of interest to others. I always think of the great artists who have their journals published posthumously; it's as if they're writing with the knowledge that one day other people will be reading their entries. They just know that they're going to be famous enough that their journals will be published and people will want to read them.

This is the metaphor that drives my blog now. Writing a pseudo-journal, with the knowledge that anyone can read it at any given time. You don't have to be famous anymore to be a read author. (That's not a typo for "real author" by the way.) So I write my blog with that knowledge... and, of course, with the added knowledge that my mom will be reading it, too. That's one of the really big differences between blogging and journaling; it's like writing in a prescribed poetic form, a sonnet or a haiku. There are certain places you just can not go. When you know your mom will be reading, it definitely narrows your focus onto appropriate topics. And appropriate language, of course.

Which of course raises the question of watcher and watched, which I've discussed before. This cult of celebrity we've created, specifically with reality tv shows, is the perfect example. To imagine that the "stars" of reality tv act just as they would in their regular lives, when they don't think they're being observed, is absurd. They are acting as much as any actor on any other show or movie. And then, the next logical step in this progression is to consider how we, in our own lives, act around other people. When we're at work, or in a bar with our friends. We are all wearing masks and acting out roles.

It's also hard for me, because I'm a much more auditory/word person than visual, and I think the internet as a medium is way more geared to the visual. I try to spice up my entries with some interesting pictures, but that's definitely the hierarchy; the visuals are just there to keep my blog from looking like a sea of grey type. Obviously the people at Blogger have considered this in their own design choices, too, which is nice. This is something I learned in my last class this spring; when you're production editing a document, you have to keep in mind the visual accessibility. Even if the graphics you choose are just there to break up the text and allow a place for the readers' eyes to rest, you should still include them. And there it is; full circle complete. I guess I'm finished.