One Down.

I started blogging one year ago this month. One of my friends was blogging, and I thought, hey, that looks like fun. So I started a blog.

Photo from Theory Of Infinite Smallness.

And no one cared.

Photo from Jendocino Grove.

Well, maybe one or two people cared. You know who you are. And you’re awesome, by the way.

Photo from The Flash Of A Cut.

At any rate, I didn’t give a lot of thought to blog design or visual appeal because like I said, when no one’s looking, there’s not a lot of pressure to be fancy.

Photo from Not Cruel. Just Indifferent.

With blogging, there’s just not a lot of pressure, period.

It’s refreshing.

Photo from I Like To Watch.

A blog post is the most public thing you can possibly do with your art or deepest thoughts or most profound emotions - and yet once you make that public statement, it's almost immediately lost within the sheer volume of other voices shouting their thoughts out into the ether.

Photo from The Whole Nine Yards.

It’s a public diary that is simultaneously available to, and ignored by everyone.

Photo from I'd Rather Be A Spider Than A Snail.

How sweet is that?

Photo from Vernal.

As a writer, I face rejection on an astonishing scale. I send short stories out by the gross, and in return, I receive reject letters which often make it abundantly clear that my submission wasn’t even read.

Photo from The Wild Tide.

Now that I can submit stories to most literary magazines electronically, I receive form email reject letters, too.

Photo from The Year Of The Beautiful Disaster.

But when I write a blog post, the only people who bother to check in and say anything are people who dig what I do. Well, most of the time, anyway. And that’s encouraging.

Photo from The Golden Guest.

Although you really shouldn't encourage me.

These photos are just a smattering of my favorites from over the past year. In terms of posts, there was some bird-nerdery I really enjoyed, probably best encapsulated in Because They Don't Know The Words - a post that is mostly about hummingbirds, but it links up to my chicken Haikus, which are not to be missed. Some other poems are linked to these photos, but two I liked that I didn't post photos for are Giants Wild and This Average Heart. I'm a sucker for a good love story, so I have to mention Love Hurts, which also speaks to my fascination with the macabre. Not as much as Flesh Machine, though. The macabre and peckers. That is so me!

Like I said earlier, when I first started this blog, I didn't give much thought to its appearance. But now I want it to be easier on the eyes, so I hope you enjoy the new layout.

Oh, hey, and if you feel like it, you should wander on over there to the right and click on the "follow" button.

(Disclaimer: I have no idea what clicking on the "follow" button does. If you wind up forfeiting your eternal soul because you clicked on a button just because some random blogger told you to, then that's on you. Here's what I do know: Seeing those thumbnail pictures pile up does wonders for my vanity, so fork over.)

I'll close by thanking those of you who take the time to swing by and give this blog a peek every now and again. Yes, you. I appreciate it. And those of you who leave comments are especially appreciated, although I don't know how many times I should have to tell you that you really shouldn't encourage me.

But now it's too late. See what you've done? Shame on you.