Two Hundred Posts

I can't believe I have made 200 posts since I started this blog last year. That's a lot of posts. 200, to be exact.

If only there had been 200 very important things to write about, but take note: I managed anyway.

So, thanks to any and all who have wandered to the Outpost and stayed for a spell (at least long enough to read a little bit of this or that). I appreciate it, and my hope has always been that something I have experienced or witnessed or pondered or felt and then shared here has helped someone somehow.

Many hugs, and many tomorrows for us all. Here's to 200 more posts!

And One Blog After Another Bites the Dust

It must be spring in the blogosphere because I have been doing some spring cleaning tonight.

I have deleted several blogs, carefully managing a tricky cut and paste from the old blogs to this blog to save the extremely important information contained in hundreds of random blog entries that I have made over the years on numerous unrelated subjects. Critical data. Key information. Seriously. It's all about me. (It's 2010, remember?)

So now I only have three blogs. I have this blog, Gia's Outpost, for general banter on just about anything, Baugh Humbug for political ramblings, The Q on the QT for comments on Albuquerque events and venues. If you can't wait the links are to the left in the My Other Blogs box. And sometimes I comment at New Mexico Liberty, although those guys are way to serious and cerebral for me, well, at least they are for most of the time.

But that being said, my spring cleaning in the blogosphere is now done. You can thank me later.

Of course by the time anyone reads through all of those old posts and feels any desire to thank me I will have long since bitten the dust, just like my blogs.

Ah well, what's wrong with a belated thank you, no matter where you are.

So go ahead and thank me, no matter where I am. In the dust, or wherever.

I'll hear ya. Mom's always do.

(i would give) My Write Arm

And another blog bites the dust... I AM CONSOLIDATING MY BLOGS (DELETING SOME), SO I WILL POST SOME OF MY BLOG ENTRIES HERE SO THEY AREN'T LOST FOREVER. ENJOY!

(i would give) MY WRITE ARM entries are below:

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

When Life Gives You Poetry...

Many years ago my Dad told me that I should never trust a man who writes poetry for me. Fortunately, this has never been a problem for me. He can rest in peace.

But what is it about poetry that awakens something in our hearts and creates an almost melancholy deja vu feeling? Although poetry often has a rhythm, I don't think that's it.

I believe it's the poet. We connect with that unseen person through their words. We can empathize with their emotions even if we haven't experienced things ourselves.

Poetry is fascinating. Nearly anyone can rhyme (not always well, but they can), but very few can write poetry that speaks to an audience.

Maybe someday I will write a poem that will touch hearts.

Actually, it's rather unlikely. I have fairly small feet.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

A Reverence for Words

The ability to translate thoughts to language and then capture them in writing to share with others outside of your immediate location is unique to mankind.

English 101A is a required course at all universities and colleges. English is a required course in high school and junior high. Writing, spelling and reading are taught as early as nursery school, or even before in our own homes.

We know the value of communication, but we don't always take advantage of it - or worse, we abuse it.

We scream about the right to free speech, simply to have our voice heard not because we have an important message. Or we use profanity in a weak attempt to sound authoritative or adamant about something. Someone once told me that people swear when they can't think of anything better to say - I have never found a case where that wasn't true. The 'art' of cursing is not an art at all; it's an avoidance of meaningful, thoughtful communication. It makes light of important things. It's an insult to the listener.

Now, I am not claiming to never swear. I don't swear a lot, but I certainly do swear. I come by it naturally. My grandmother's favorite but rarely used curse was "Shit"! We would gasp and giggle and gawk every time my 5'2" 100 lb. Mimi would spat that word in anger.

But we also celebrate our unique ability to communicate. We write poetry that wrenches emotion from our audience.

We compose pensive letters (emails) to loved ones and friends.

We write articles for the paper, letters to the editor, columns for the PTA School News.

We scribble notes on napkins. We share lyrics on toilet paper. We sign contracts on the back of menus.

We are a communicative bunch and we like it so much we want everyone to know. It's not about a handshake and an "AYE!" any more. It's about permanence and global influence and instant information.

Do you remember the old adage about gossip? "Gossip is like a feathers, once tossed to the wind you can never gather them all up again."

What we say matters; what we write matters, and how the words we use can make or break someone or something.

We should be direct and honest and fair and kind in all of our communications. Sharing bad news, or expressing anger or disappointment does not have to be done in a hurtful, negative way. There is no need to sugar coat anything, but presentation is the key. Say good bye with a smile. Say hello with a smile.

And be careful what you say and write, because someone is listening and someday someone will read. Nothing is secret anymore; even those sacred things that were private are no long secret. The internet has given us access to instant data and information; anything we want. "Just Google it" is now the standard response when someone asks a question that requires more than a three word response. There is no incentive to share orally anymore and there are no secrets.

A certain reverence for information is something we all should appreciate and strive to cultivate, in ourselves and in our listeners.

So, listen, contemplate, communicate, share, be concise, choose your words carefully, speak well, write well, search well and smile...because you can be certain that someone somewhere is watching and listening, or will be.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Blogemma

It's a dilemma. Blogging is a dilemma, that is.

Serious bloggers need to blog regularly to create a presence online, but we should have something to say to justify the blog entry. Blogging just to blog seems a bit blogacious.

But what if you don't have anything to say?!?!?!? And that is my situation in a nutshell. I am tired, I am stressed, I am working my tail off. I have been going a zillion miles a minute for the past 36 hours and I really don't have anything to say even if I had the time.

Don't forget me Google (and all other search engines); I am still here! Please don't deblog me!

OK, done. I blogged, or maybe I nonblogged, whichever.

Dilemma solved.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

My Right Foot

I would give my right foot away if someone wanted it. You should see it. A normally decent looking foot is now purple from mid-toes to the base of my leg where my foot attaches.

I was stepped on. Hard. Without an apology.

It's true. I was in a crowd, a man stepped back on my sandaled foot, took a quick glance at me (presumably to see if I was sobbing) and then kept going (presumably because the sobs had not yet begun, I was still in suck in air and widen eyes mode).

OH MY GOSH it hurt! It hurt so much I couldn't run after him, or even yell after him, to say "Thanks a lot, you jerk!"

Anyway, today my write arm is blogging about my right foot. And that's all there is to that.

The moral of this story: Always wear steel-toed boots. (Especially when in a work environment that might require them, and this includes social activities. They might slow you down on the dance floor, but you won't be wearing purple the next day).

Monday, July 13, 2009

Silent Conversation

What will happen when typed words replace face-to-face conversations? It's already started happening, you know.

Facebook where we say hello to people we haven't taken the time to contact in literally years or decades.

Instant Messenger on every internet provider where we can talk multiple people at once - co-workers, family and friends, our boss, our spouse, our lover, our boyfriend(s) - not really focusing on any of them in the way they deserve.

Text Messaging where we speak in abbreviated language that is creeping into emails and real conversations. We think in Text now "R U OK?"

Email instead of conversation. Why walk 6 feet down the hall to talk to a co-worker when you can send an email and not get out of your cubicle? Why call to tell someone "no" or "regrets" when you can avoid the emotional fall out of possibly disappointing them in an impersonal email.

Blogging instead of a journal. At least the kids will have something, but is it the same? I don't really know.

What I do know is that communication has gone silent. No sound. No voice inflection. No body language. No facial expressions.

It's communication without all of the important communication tools. It's impersonal. It's not really authentic.

What will happen when typed words replace face-to-face communication? It's already happening and the fall-out is an increased detachment, a lack of the personal touch, the way overused CC:, the much overrated BCC:, and rabid miscommunication leading to unnecessary misunderstandings.

If silence is golden, I can only hope that silent communication has a silver lining.

And if there is a silver lining, that silver lining might be that we actually communicate now when we might have not made the effort in the past, or maybe we communicate more, to more people, more often and if that's true it's a good thing.

Since I am the author of five blogs and the author of five Twitter sites and the creator of two websites and the uncrowned queen of email, a decade-long veteran of IM and very present on Facebook, this is an interesting topic for me to blog about.

Let me think about it a little more, then we can text.

U R GR8

BBIAB

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Blogophilia

There's a bug in the air and I think I caught it. It's been around for a few years now but I have just recently been exposed.

This particular ailment can be hard on your wrists. It can threaten your posture. It can even mess with your vision. Things get blurry. Limbs ache. Meals are left untouched. Hours and days pass by. Thankfully, to date there are no conclusions indicating that blogophilia a life threatening tendency.

Blogophilia. Blog - type of website; weblog (abbrev.), and philia -friend (Greek); blogophilia, a great example that too much of a good thing is not always good. In fact, it can cripple you.

Before we know it a new condition will be in the headlines, can it be long before there are new treatments and interventions for blogophobia? It too is real (the fear that someone might actually READ what you blog.)

The writing is on the wall, or I guess I should say, the blogging is on the web.

Mark my words (and just engrave them on my tombstone)

A Fine Line

I crack myself up and it's a good thing since I spend so much time with me, myself and I. Two very recent instances of my own laughter at myself come to mind. Both instances are great examples of the fine line between sanity and insanity. I, of course, am sane. And so are me and myself.

The fine line, defined:

A) During a regular morning walk earlier this week my mind was whirling as it typically does, jumping from topic to topic and person to person and emotion to emotion (think: whirligig action in a monsoon). As I was maneuvering my way through the adobe abode neighborhoods of the Nob Hill area in Albuquerque, simultaneously navigating the tornado-like thoughts colliding in my mind, something struck me as funny and I found myself laughing AFTER I had made a verbal (out loud) (to no one) conversational observation. As soon as I heard myself making audible sounds (thankfully, I did not answer myself) I looked around to see if anyone was looking. I can't be certain, but I think I was alone on the street at that moment. However, I do think that me and myself were listening.

Later that same day I was walking in another part of Albuquerque to a business appointment downtown and passed an old, wrinkled and stooped woman who appeared to be homeless. As I passed her, presumably unnoticed, I felt compassion for her situation, but only a few minutes later I heard sounds from behind me and turned to look at the source. It was the same old woman, now about 20 feet behind me and walking the other way, with no one else on the street, talking audibly to herself (out loud) (to no one). I immediately thought, "Well, just another crazy old woman...." and then froze in place as almost at the same moment another thought surfaced, "Well, she sounded just like you did this morning, you crazy old woman." I immediately stood up straighter and zipped my lips. And as if that's not enough, sadly there is more:

B) Earlier today I posted a comment on my boss' Facebook page regarding his link to a blog entry concerning high speed rail in New Mexico. Because I am not a policy analyst (like he is), I tend to look at life and issues from "the lighter side" and my comments are typically tongue-in-cheek. Today as I typed my typically tongue-in-cheek comment and hit "POST", I laughed out loud as I read through it once more and said (out loud) (to no one) (as I was laughing), "I love my sense of humor."

I really don't think any further comment would be in my best interest, do you? Thank heavens I can laugh at myself, and so can me and myself, cuz it's not real often anyone else does.

Ok, enjoy your day; me, myself and I are heading off on a short road trip and we plan to share some laughs along the way.

(PS I am still laughing)

Blood, Sweat and Tears "Spinning Wheel"