One week in

So, one week in and I feel like I've been in the blogging game for a while. It all started last Saturday night/ Sunday morning during one of my frequent late night internet perusals. I wondered if setting up a blog and getting going on it was as easy as it sounded so I tried to access Wordpress, failed to connect to it for some reason, then set up a page on Blogspot instead. You snooze you lose, Wordpress. It was every bit as easy to to set up as I thought it would be, but actually writing something proved to be less so. When confronted with a blank screen I became encumbered with blogger's block, or 'blogstipation' as Lottie rather brilliantly referred to it in her first post http://www.lizlyons.ie/?p=3

I decided to write very little, published it, put a couple of links in the comments on Darren's page and went to bed.

Now, one week later, I've received some terrific support from my real-life buddies Darren and Liz, been visited and commented on by some very influential bloggers whose work I really admire, had some other relative newbies pop by with encouraging comments, and been fluffily linked to by the Big Daddy of Irish Blogging himself http://www.mulley.net/2008/05/15/fluffy-links-thursday-may-15th-2008/

Which is all incredibly gratifying, especially given the fact that I think my blog has so far been lacking in the wit, sharpness and clarity that I would hope to bring to it. This is partly due to the time constraints of work, social life etc, but also down to the fact that I am a traditionalist when it comes to expressing myself and composing my thoughts. So this post is being written first on an A4 sheet, with a nice pen, lying on my bed with a bag of Haribo Goldbears. And its fucking great!
I think a continuation of this approach may bring about an approved standard of post. Though if I have to work my way through 175g of feckin' tasty little bears every time I post my health may not see such an improved standard.

I also want to address something that may have been glaringly obvious in its absence: pictures. As it stands, all my posts have been prepared fairly quickly and I haven't had the time or inclination to be adding pictures to them. I also don't think it would have added a huge amount to any of my posts so far. But, above all else, I'm not really certain how you do it. I really ought to go round to Darren sometime. I'll bring cake. And Goldbears.

Update: I've just figured out how to do it, it really wasn't that tough. I'm still gonna vist Darren with cake and Goldbears, though. If he'll lift the restraining order.

Anyway, I've enjoyed my first week immensely - especially the way I now look at every little thing I come across and think "Hmmm...I could write about that." So thank you very much to everyone who's given me support, or taken the time to read the blog and comment. To anyone who's been visiting and has yet to comment, please feel free to do so - it makes my day. Darragh has a brilliantly comprehensive piece about how to do so at http://darraghdoyle.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-comment-on-blog-beginners-guide.html so there's really no excuse not to. If there's nothing in particular you want to say, just write "Hi, you muppet."

I'll know you mean well.