Mom: Dictionary word

Dictionary Word

I have wanted to start a blog for sometime, but my working knowledge of a computer made any start-up scary and daunting. The expertise I thought one had to have to just operate the machine left me feeling left-behind, old, and alone. Besides if I ever needed anything from the computer or needed my problems fixed I had children and a husband who could tap a few buttons and I was back in operation. Now my children (let me brag: there are four of them; all incredible) are out of the house, off to college, out in the real world and I’m left home. The job that once defined me – the stay-at-home mom job - has been downsized to the occasional telephone call or visit. I am no longer needed to run children to piano lessons or scouts. I no longer have willing dates for the ballet or shopping. My husband is a good sport and attends some cultural events with me but draws the line at shopping and ballet. I have a new girlfriend-in-law (can we way that?); she lives with one of my sons. She joined me and my two daughters this past Christmas when the Russian Ballet came to town and performed the Nutcracker. She loved it, but she (they) are two hundred miles away.

I’ve strayed from my point and that was that I was feeling sorry for myself and needed a new direction, something to get me up in the morning, some friends to talk to.

This blog process did not come easy. I had to educate myself on what a blog was first, so I looked up the word. Wikipedia has a nine page discussion of the word, and it’s written in small print. Wikipedia says that blog comes from the phrase web log and can be a noun or verb. And the word’s only been around since 1997. After surfing cyberspace, I discovered all kinds of users and creators of blogs from big corporations to individuals; and all kinds of reasons to blog. There was one blog written by a woman in Alaska who was showing off her yard. It had commentary and pictures. I didn’t know you could grow flowers in Alaska; I thought it was all cold and white up there – you know, ice and snow and frozen nose hair. She had hits on her site; people were looking at her yard. I didn’t see a comment card to respond, but she had over a thousand hits. That’s a conversation without words.

So I wanted a blog, too. I tried to do this on my own, but it’s the same computer – scary, daunting, and very frustrating. I mentioned all this to my other son who lives twelve hours away. He came up with the site, created it, and advises me on it. We both submit stories to it. And we can comment on it. AND it’s got a “hit” counter on it. So here I am! With a blog! The child has become the parent! I am connected. I have new friends to talk to. And pretty soon, I’m gonna have Skype (is that how it’s spelled?) – you know that camera that sits on the computer. I’ll be able to see my kids when I talk to them! Well, I’m here now: I’m modern and I’m hip. So check us out; leave a comment; talk to me; I’m listening. However, I gotta go just now; gotta look up the word Skype.