Testing the Waters

Several years ago, I created a blog on this very website.  It started off in a grand fashion, with posts about things near and dear to me (like the Brooklyn Bridge and John Augustus Roebling) or reviews of albums that blew me away (Lemuria's Get Better being a notable one).  Over time, it gradually became an outlet for my frustration and unhappiness.  And, let's face it, who wants to read someone else's whiny ramblings on the internet?  That's what a journal is for.  Get it off the world wide web and reserve it for a journal or a Word document where the only eyes that can see it are your own.

I grew weary of being jaded and pessimistic and, worse yet, throwing those emotions at friends and total strangers who decided to peruse my blog.  It prompted me to start a Tumblr where I would only post things that inspired me and were positive in nature.  I named that, and this blog, after a quote by Voltaire that reflected the mindset I was trying to keep: 

Life is a shipwreck 
but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats

Over the course of the last year, I've been doing a damn good job of sticking with that goal; I have kept a positive mindset and have (mostly) kept my negative thoughts or difficult circumstances from overwhelming me and determining how I present myself to the world.

However, that tumblr account has been a storm of photos and very little writing.  During the last few months, I have realized just how much I miss writing as a creative outlet.  Writing to share my love of certain subjects.  To share my thoughts on a particular band, movie, or event.  In high school and college I wrote for the student newspaper; when I "grew up" I found myself drifting farther and farther away from writing anything of real substance or length.  A blurb here, a caption there, a short observation shared via a status or twitter update.

I can't guarantee that everyone will enjoy what I choose to write about but, in the grand scheme of things, this is more for me than for any one of you.  Perhaps, though, you will find a gem in the rough in some of what I have to say.  Let's get this going!