Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Meno, again

Today is my first blogiversary. One year ago today i made what i thought was the brave leap into the uncharted waters of blogging. Why? I don't have a snappy philosophical answer. It looked like fun, and i like to write. I had been reading blogs for over a year at that point, and had, also bravely in my mind, left a few comments.

What i have found in doing this blogging thing has been a surprise to me. It has been more fun than i expected, and easier. I never stress about posting. If i don't want to/feel like it/have anything to say, i don't. But, me being me, i usually have plenty of things to say.

I know people that i've never met. How odd. And how easy.

Blogging friends are a group that self select. Y'all read about me for a while and get to decide whether or not to participate. It's a method of test driving people. A perfect way to interact for an introvert.

What i want to do today is to re-post my first post, because in some way, this story, that moment, is the reason i started to write.

Please don't shower me with presents or money. Instead, tell me a story. Tell me either why you started blogging, or where the name of your blog came from, or why you read blogs, but don't have one. I love stories.

Here's your summer re-run:

I am riding in the car with my husband and we are headed downtown. It's hot and the traffic sucks. We are on a freeway overpass moving intermittently forward, as fast as the goddamned traffic allows. I am bored and cranky. Up ahead i see three young kids walking along the side of the overpass, where they most assuredly should not be. They look all teen-age-ish in their scruffy clothes and dirty hair and they have their arms around each other. The girl in the middle has pink stripes in her dirty blond hair.

"Goddamn kids," i think to myself. They are probably the cause of some of this traffic mess. They annoy me. I think dark thoughts about them.

Eventually we catch up to them and slowly pass them. I look in the side view mirror and i see that the three of them together are carrying a dead dog. A yellow lab. And the girl is crying.

This is the kind of thing that lets me know i am a judgemental bitch. I start to cry as well. For the dog, and that other bitch too.

My husband looks over and wonders what the hell is wrong with me.

62 comments:

QT said...

Congratulations on one year! I would have thought longer with the oh-so-professional way you post.

As for your first post, I would have cried too, in your shoes.

The name of my blog comes from something I say whenever we go into a new establishment -can we kick the bar here? is a way of asking can we get rowdy here or cry in our beers if we have to?

Not all places allow you to show your true colors, you know.

Unknown said...

I started blogging because I was working on Saturdays with no one to talk to. I started reading blogs and leaving comments that I felt were way too long, so I started my own. I am not as amazing or amusing as some of the bloggers I love (like you and HeartinSF and Mist1) but it helps to get things out of my head and I get all excited about any comment that gets left. It's a great part of my day. Congrats on your 1year and keep it up!

Lynn said...

Awww, now you've made me cry. Those poor girls...and that poor doggie. You asked, so here is my story..."It was a dark and stormy night...thunder and lightening flashed through the sky." Oh wait who am I kidding...it never rains where I live...so why did I start blogging? Well my wonderful older sister, Joan, had recently started blogging and bugged the hell out me...I mean encouraged me, with tales of how much fun it was, to start my own blog. My dog had just had TPLO surgery and I felt the need to talk about how exhausted I was feeling…and voila…the start of my blog. BTW congratulations on your one year anniversary. I, for one, and really glad that you not only started to blog, but have continued blogging;~)

Anonymous said...

happy anniversary! I hope you have a cake and some bubbly. You deserve it. Thanks for a great year of bringing lots of people together and touching a lot of lives.

Joan said...

Happy one year of blogging!!! Why did I start blogging? Actually my husband decided he wanted to blog and, since he's a technophobe, I volunteered to create one for him. Once he had his blog up and running, the Envy Bug bit me and so I created one for myself.

Mignon said...

Blogging is my outlet for the soliloquies that bore my kids. And it's also where I can always count on someone to tell me 1) my kids are cute, 2) I'm cute, 3) my writing rocks, and 4) I have excellent taste, especially on days where none of these are true. Blogging is a support group I don't have to call and leave a message for, ply with cookies, alcohol or sex, or pay for by the hour. It's the perfect best friend, almanac, therapist (for me) and sounding board.

A story: we have a ghost in our house. Or, actually, in the vicinity of the front yard. He turns on the sprinkler system in our front yard at random times between 10 am and 1 pm for anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes. You may think this banal, but as a fix-it kind of person, it shakes my absence of faith in a god. Because typically the plants in the front are far thirstier than the rest of our flora.

OhTheJoys said...

Happy Anniversary.

I am relatively new to you - though I have seen you around - mostly at jen's place.

Looking forward to your second year!

OTJ

V said...

Ummm...you're turning down presents and money? I'm gonna have to take a minute to wrap my head around that one...
Happy blogiversary (though I have to admit I hate that word)! I started mine as a brain purge and for knitting of course. Whatever happens to strike me.

Princess in Galoshes said...

Congratulations! Wow... I cannot believe you've only been around for a year. That's incredible.

I'm right behind you, a little less than 2 months away, I think.

I started my blog as a way to force myself to write, again. I take such pleasure in it, but working seemed to be sucking the creative juices from me. Plus, as you said, it was a great way to be social as an introvert. Confession: I am terrified of talking on the phone. The advent of e-mail, and the internet in general, was a godsend for me.

Anonymous said...

Here's a story:

Yesterday I didn't answer the phone because I was outside watering the plants my husband put in to make the yard look nice for the open house we're having this weekend. It was my husband calling.

When I didn't answer, he decided to check out my blog just to "hear my voice." He is not speaking to me today because he read on my blog that I am having a lesbian emotional affair with the blogosphere.

the moose buyer said...

Like Lynn, I started blogging because Joan encouraged both of us to get involved and I have loved doing it. Gets a lot of my chest and I do like hearing from people.

This one made me sad too but it's a nice story.

egan said...

So that's the post that begin the magic of Meno? I like it. Judging too quickly only to learn these kids weren't so bad.

I started in November of 2004 after being a bit pissed about the election results. My co-worker, Sprizee, tried to convince me to blog for the longest time. It wasn't until she left the company that I actually started.

"les singes" is the plural form of the French word "monkey". At the time I was too lazy to verify if the word "singe" was masculine or feminine so I pluralized it to avoided screwing up the gender. I earned the title Monkey Boy from my college buddies. That's a very long story.

Happy one year Meno!

Anonymous said...

Raising a flute of the bubbly to you, meno. Congrats on the one year mark. And thanks, for being such a lovely blog friend to have and to ... read. :-)

I won't bore you AGAIN with my own blogging story. But I will say it's one of the most fulfilling hobbies I've ever undertaken.

Anonymous said...

Hmm- I don't blog but read at least 50 or so regularly. Why? It started because I had a job where I had to sit at my desk and look busy, but I had little or no work (really most days less than one hour of real work- hurray for state workers). A gal can only read so many posts on a fan based bulletin board until she goes bonkers as the same comment cycles complete time after time (did you know chocolate cures flame wars?). Fan fiction wasn't my thing, so here I am. I like the windows on other people's lives, and I am probably a little socially isolated (for a number of reasons). So I read frequently, comment less frequently (and only on a few at that). Reading blogs keeps me connected with the world and sane (relatively speaking). But I could stop tomorrow. Sure I could; I am not really addicted.
I don't write well enough/feel compelled to share the minutiae of my less than exceptional (but nonetheless satisfying) life. This is why I don't start my own- I don't really have anything to say.

Liv said...

Well, I missed my 1 year blogiversary which was 6/20. I also missed my 100th post. I started blogging when my husband did a travel blog. I really didn't know anything about the world of blogging, but somehow felt like pushing a little air out there and seeing if I was just another voice in the dark. I have found amazing company here, and I slowly am learning the dynamics of blogging. Sometimes I feel like a big loser out here, and sometimes I dream of being technorati popular and on everyone's faves. That's pretty much how I feel in real life--it just carries over into print. The biggest reward from blogging (to me) is that I am learning to say whatever I want because I can, I should, and because life's too short to keep it all bottled up.

congrats on your big day. I'm so glad you're here!

Anonymous said...

happy happy anniversary, mine is somewhere in this vicinity, too!

I started blogging after reading mama's blog and realizing that I wanted to tell the world my side of her stories.

I read way more than I write, because I am curious *some would say nosy* about other people's lives. I used to rummage about in my parent's closet and drawers when they weren't home. anytime I would babysit, or visit my grandparents, I would do the same thing. while I knew it was wrong, I just couldn't bring myself to stop. the things I discovered opened up a new window into that person, things I wouldn't know otherwise. of course, as I got older, I realized that there may be reasons why they didn't make those things known...for the same reason, I LOVE yard sales, auctions, etc. the things I see make me think about the people getting rid of them, why don't they want to keep the coffee mug that says 'world's greatest dad' or the billy idol cd?

Oh, my gosh, I just realized I'm a voyeur!

Melessa Gregg said...

I started my blog so I could stop sending out a weekly email to friends and family letting them know what was going on with the family. However, pretty soon I discovered I liked having my own little 'soapbox' in cyberspace and that writing helped me cope with the fact that my husband is not very communicative. Blogging has been a lot cheaper than therapy (which I believe is the actual name of someone's blog).

I call my blog "But I Digress" in reference to my inability to pick one topic and stick to it while writing a post or talking to someone.

sari said...

I started blogging because I a) wanted to better my writing; and b) I was feeling somewhat isolated being a stay-at-home mom.

I don't know if I have bettered my writing or worsened it, but I do know I haven't got off my hiney and done much more than blog since I started. I like to read "my friends'" blogs and I like to find new blogs by linking on links friends have.

Your first post is light years better than mine!

Lynnea said...

Happy 'versary Meno. Its been a wild and wonderful year hasn't it?

Well you know why I started blogging so, I'll tell some other silliness instead.

I once dated a man who had webbed feet. He was a very smart guy. The feet kind of freaked me out though.

Cagey (Kelli Oliver George) said...

I began blogging simply because it looked FUN. I found along the way, that blogging became much more than just a "fun hobby". It's become a way of expressing myself and trying to find humor even in the bad days (I try very hard to not spew venom and really attempt to find the humor when possible). While it's a creative outlet for me, I also use it for communication - I have a group of Real Life and Blog Friends that all use each others' blogs as a form of keeping up with each other.

I've been blogging for nearly 3 years and I call my blog Rancid Raves - it's a play on the term "Rants and Raves" but it also obliquely refers to the fact that I am always one step behind whatever is cool.

Anonymous said...

I started 'cos all the cool kids were doing it and I wanted to be cool too. But I didn't really like it.

Then I read that it gave you cancer so I got scared and stopped.

The moral is just be yourself kids, that's the real way to be cool.

Lazy

lu said...

This is the post that had me hooked on Meno. Humanity; You revealed your humanity and I was grateful, I'm still grateful.

thailandchani said...

I started because some people on a Yahoo email list told me I should. They found the cultural stuff interesting. Hence, "Thailand Gal" (I couldn't see using Thailand Girl, Thailand Woman or Thaiphile.) LOL

The funny thing is that I rarely write about that any more. It would have been a short-lived blog if that's all I wrote about.



Peace,

~Chani

Special K ~Toni said...

I started blogging because the Hubs learned to tune me out! Special K? Why not? I have a question for you~ Is Meno really your name? Doubt it~ how did you come up with it?

Happy blogiversary!

meno said...

qt, oh i love that story. i would say the answer to "can we kick the bar here" at your blog is YES!

wng, Long comments are one sign that you need to start yuor own blog. Amazing and amusing are in the eyes of the reader. Thanks for letting me know.

lynn, i think joan is responsible for a quite a few blogs around here. Ans thank you.

de, Cake! Bubbly! I like the way you think. But i still want the story of your blog name. Even though i think i already know it.

joan, oh hooray for the envy bug. I think you got more hooked than he did though.

mignon, a perfect explanation. By the way, your kids are cute, you are cute, your writing rocks, and you have excellent taste. Thank you foe the ghost in the machine story.

otj, thank you. And i will always remember your birthday from now on. :)

v, so why do you hate that word? I hate the word flabbergasted myself.

princess, i hate talking on the phone myself. It's so immediate. I much prefer e-mail.

de, seriously? C'mon, we are all having a huge orgy here everyday. Mutual mental masturbation.

moose buyer, joan strikes again. This story reminds me to not be in such a rush to judge.

egan, many of us were pissed by the election results. Thank you for the story. Yay for sprizee!

jennifer, another glass of bubbly. Mmmmm. I agree with the best hobby ever part.

amusing said...

Kids were gone. I was freaking out. Needed to "talk" to someone.

meno said...

chris, i could stop tomorrow too. i swear. You seem pretty articulate to me. But it really is the hobby that ate your life.

liv, i am glad you are here too. Lots has changed for you in the year you have been blogging. What a long strange trip it's been. Being popular would scare me.

holly, i always went through people's stuff too. I guess that makes us both voyeurs. Sometimes i found stuff i didn't want to know.

melessa, that is a great name. I can't always stay on topic either. And it is easier to talk to our bloggy friends rather than pay $150 and hour for therapy.

sari, i think light years is exaggerating but i appreciate the compliment.

maggie, was he a good swimmer? Thanks for that story. It has been a fun year.

cagey, i always wondered where your blog name came from. I started reading you during NaBloPoMo. Rememeber that? It's when you were first knocked up w/ number 2 baby.

Lazy, thank you for that inspirational message. I think we have all learned a lesson from you here today.

lu, really? you were reading back then? Wow. And thank you for the compliment. Shucks.

chani, i don't think you write directly about this anymore, but it pervades what you do write. Thaiphile, HA!

toni, meno is not my real name. It's from a Socratic dialouge written by Plato in which meno debates socrates about the nature of virtue and ends up getting confused and giving up. that's me.

amusing, It's a help to have some one to 'talk" to for me too.

jaded said...

Happy One Year! You read too maturely to only be celebrating a year : )

My blog title evolved from two too many glasses of merlot, and an unnatural fascination with alliteration (a lot like my poetry). I only intended to use it to test drive the software, I didn't know I would like it or that the excessiveness of it would make me go blind. Wait a minute, WTF was the question again?

Oh, yeah as someone else mentioned, It's a lot cheaper than therapy, especially with that whole split personality problem.

Schmoopie said...

You are definitely a person who should be blogging. You always seem to have funny stories to write. Sometimes I feel your blog is like an episode of Seinfeld (this is the highest form of flattery from me as I am addicted to reruns of the show.)

Pants did a Jedi mind trick on me or maybe it was some type of chant that sounded like "join us, join, us." So I did.

TTQ said...

Well, I'm glad I stumbled over to your blog. And I was surprised when I made it to one year of blogging this month too. I've had hundreds of hobbies, but none that give me the pleasure that blogging does. My blog makes me happy. Heck, your blog makes me happy!

I hope that dog is happy in heaven and that other bitch too (not heaven, just happy for her)

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary! I started blogging because I like writing and I needed to get a lot of stuff out of my head and wanted to communicate with others at the same time, kind of like pen pals I guess.

I'm tiredmummy because I'm a tired mummy:)

Bob said...

happy anniversary! Count me in as one who is really glad you blog. I admire how you pull little life lessons out of the minutiae of your life. I wish I had your insight.

Technically, I started blogging March last year as a place to vent/talk/whatever while Laura was gone taking care of her mother. I lost interest when she moved back home. I started back in November last year (which is what I call my real anniversary) - and you are one (of the main) reason(s) why. Your encouragement (outright when I asked if I should stop, and continual via commenting on current posts) keeps me at it. Thank you.

My blog title came out of the blue - I was trying to figure out what to call it. Although I've moved around a lot I am grounded in the red clay of south Georgia. When we lived with my Papa & Mama (grandparents), every Sunday we had dinner after church at my Mama & Papa Smith's house (great-grandparents) and most of their kids and whoever else in the family would come. Her dinner table was the center of that family and those memories are ones I'll cherish until I die. To this day southern cooking, especially vegetables, brings me back to those Sundays. All were grown in the fields and gardens around there, and a good many were hulled, shelled, shucked, snapped, and canned by my great grandma (with some help from me). butter beans, cream corn, black-eyed peas, fried okra, snap beans, squash casserole, field peas, fresh tomatoes - and collard greens with fried cornbread.

Liv said...

ps--my title is because I feel like I'm at the eye of the storm of madness. This bizarre level of absurdity in the truest sense.

btw, I discovered that our blog anniversary is 10/22. The day you first commented on my blog and the day I got to find you. A blessing to be sure! (hugs)

flutter said...

Happy year.

Once there was a girl, who stumbled upon your blog, and she found herself charmed. The end.

Girlplustwo said...

i blog exactly because of posts like this. exactly because of bloggers like you.

meno, it's been an honor. happy year day to you.

meno said...

patches, i think you just called me old! Damn, that's cold, even for a cat. I'm going to share a bottle of merlot with your missus and you can't have any. Hey, you know what? I used to have a red point siamese named Merlot.

schmoopie, that is a nice compliment. I love Seinfeld too. A show about nothing. Maybe i will change my tagline to A Blog About Nothing, but i bet there already is one.

ttq, quite a few people started around this time last year. But i guess with billions and billion of blogs, that can't be too uncommon. This bitch is mostly happy. I think i'm about as happy as i am capable of being.

deb, you have reason to be a tired mummy. I like your analogy to pen pals, very apt.

bob, now that's a great story about your family. I even have a picture in my head. I'm glad you've kept at it.

liv, i've always liked the name of your blog. It's perfect. 10/22 is our day huh? Awesome. Hugs back.

flutter, i especially love stories that start with Once Upon a Time. I used to be/still am a sucker for fairy tales.

jen, thank you sweetie and back at you.

Andrea Frazer said...

I don't remember how I found you, but am so glad I did. My name is pretty self-explanatory. My favorite thing about you is your honesty.

Sienna said...

Hey happy birthday blog!

Meno you are great, I am so glad you blog and that I found you...you are so funny and clever and sad and insightful and funny! I love reading what you write.

Sometimes you ask such tough questions of yourself (and flow on to me)...I am learning from you all the time and I very much appreciate that.

I was looking for something on google and found Josie's blog...from Josie I found Hearts...and from there to here, you are a fantastic group, internet-techno-relationship or not...amazing people and thoughts and experiences to share, it seriously fair dinkum blows my mind.

I didn't aspire to be a blogger, I'm kinda not, I am a picture person...and Josie said to me Pam put your pics up on a blog so people can share...after I thought about it and how much I got from everyone else's blogs I thought it is only fair I give something back...so that's why I am floating around :)

I love that all these people from all over the world put up their thoughts and parts of their lives to share with everyone...the dead dog story is so sad...but there in it is another message for me..(keep my dogs off the freeway...:)))

Seriously... love ya mate...great stuff Meno.

Pam

Anonymous said...

I was lured in with the promise of lesbians.

Happy Blogsistence!

gary rith said...

I too had read blogs for 2-3 years before starting pottersblog. I could never find any potters blogging which surprised me. They're probably too busy, but I am chatty with a keyboard, and spent a lot of time emailing blather and pics to my friends, so it was a small leap 10 months ago. Now of course I have met many of my commenters in person, what a great group, although it would never have happened otherwise. The blog keeps me busy, because people are watching what I do. I had noticed that customers like to watch a potter work, and that is true of readers as well.

Mona Buonanotte said...

Happy Blog-a-versary!

Why did I start blogging? Hm. Because I had to. Because the thoughts in my head couldn't spill out so freely in any other form. Because I'd been reading blogs and thought, "Why the hell not?"

Why the hell not.

Marshamlow said...

Happy Blogiversary! I do look forward to your blog everyday, and the community of lovely thoughtful people you have attracted.

My story: When I married my husband he was stationed in Italy. I gave up my job, friends, country to be with him. We traveled so much. I really was bursting with stories and pictures from everything we saw and experienced. It was so amazing, seeing the world changed my perspective, I learned so much. I would write long thoughtful emails to all my family and friends. I had a list of about 40 people and no one would reply to my emails. It was very frustrating.

When I heard about blogs on the news, I read a few and decided that I would keep an online journal of my adventures instead of emailing all my family and friends. I sent them all a link and that way I wasn't intruding on their space with all my verbiage. Now I correspond with family and friends with the short little emails that they prefer and I have long thoughtful discussions with strangers.

Lee said...

I started mine as a virtual scrapbook. I wanted a place to keep my favorite yellowing comics, my arts, book excerpts. But then people started to comment. There were people listening!

I'm glad to have found you Meno.

Ryane said...

I started blogging because I wanted to challenge myself to write more...not anything in particular, either--just to write more (I know, not very original--haha). It's worked in some ways and backfired in others. But mostly, I have enjoyed blogging b/c I have discovered some really great writers/blogs/friends that I might otherwise never have met. I hadn't ever thought of it this way but you are correct--it is like test-driving people. Happy anniversary!

karmic said...

Happy Bloggiversary! NAd here is hoping for many more.

It's a method of test driving people

I loved that line.

If I were you I would have cried after seeing what I read in your first post.

I blog cos I think I have much to say.
here is part of my first post. :)
A lot of people have blogs, for the longest time I thought I don't need a blog. I don't have much to say I thought, and a lot of people say what I might want to say more eloquently. But as time went by, I asked myself why not have a blog? Why not put down my random thoughts, musings, rants, opinions? I would provide my own perspective unique or not. Would any one care to read? Maybe..maybe not. I might do a bit of photoblogging who knows..lets see how it goes.

Em said...

A pretty powerful first post! Congratulations on one year.

I began because it looked like fun. Like you, I had read (and even commented on occasion!) for quite a while before deciding I could join. Now I love getting to know people that I'll almost surely never meet. I'm having fun!

Lex said...

I love that story. This is my first time here and I am so glad Heart linked to you. Any woman who can self-identify as a judgmental bitch is all right with me! Very few have the courage to be so honest with themselves.

I started blogging because I was sick and tired of not being honest with myself and those around me. My marriage had fallen apart, I was at odds with my family because I was refusing to live in their fantasy world any longer, and the thought of organized religion (in which I held a leadership position)made my stomach turn. I was ready to really figure out who I am and distinguish that from who I'd learned to be for everyone else's sake. I blog to hammer all of that out.

I'll be back.

Anonymous said...

Nice. You started off well. Look, I am actually clapping. I clap because I've been there and you have put it in words for me far more eloquently than I could have.

I started blogging because I thought I could throw thoughts without repercussion into the void and out of my head. It's been useful tossing the thoughts out there, but there have been repercussions.

Antonia Cornwell said...

Mrs Kennedy made me do it.

I'm glad she did.

Happy birthday! x x

Anonymous said...

I blog because I know I will find confirmation and connection with others. That I will find proof that the human condition is universal.

Tink said...

Happy Blogoversary!!

The reason for my blog title can be found in my first post:

Hoop: Do you think your dog understands "NO"?
Tink: She understands the tone you use when you say it.
Hoop: But you don't think she understands the word?
Tink: No. You could pretty much substitute it with anything as long as you say it the same way.
Hoop: Really? Like what?
Tink: Like, um.... Pickled Beef.
Hoop: Pickled what?
Tink: Beef?
Hoop: I put you on the spot and you shout out "Pickled Beef."
Tink: Yup.
...
Tink: Remember, you're the one dating me. I'm stuck with myself. You're with me by CHOICE.

So it all began with a Daily Hoop Conversation. Fitting huh? :)

meno said...

mamap, you were one of my very first commenters, so thanks for that. And for the honesty compliment. I try, but as i am really a short asian man, i haven't really succeeded. :)

pam, oh stop! Okay, don't. Thank you. I love your pictures too. i don't always have sonething to say about them, but i do look at them.

d-man, you're in the right place baby! Hot girl-on-girl action right here. Oh, i suppose you wanted pictures?

gary, you are chatty with a keyboard, and with the pictures. I like what you create and i am enjoying my hedgehog bowl. I've always thought that pottery is the grown-ups way of playing with mud.

mona, exactly. Why the hell not? And you are good at it too.

marsha, what a great story! Long thoughtful conversations with strangers. that's it isn't it?

lee, an odd feeling isn't it? That people are listening and commenting. Don't they have lives? Don't i?

ryane, maybe not original, but that's about it. My definition of a writer is someone who writes. Simple.

sanjay, thanks for that. There isn't enough time in the world to go back and read everyone's archives. You sort of do it all on your blog.

em, i am also having more fun than i ever thought i would. And meeting people that i like. I think we are able to find a wider pool of people to interact with.

lex, that's one hell of a story you tell. Has writing helped? As far as this story, this is one time when being a judgemental bitch up and slapped me right in the face.

reflecting pool, i am curious about the repercussions. Guess i'll have to come by and read.

antonia, that Mrs. Kennedy has a lot to answer for! I'm glad she did too.

mamalujo, perfect. Although i know there are people i DON'T feel a himan connection with, but they don't stick around.

tink, somehow that all makes perfect sense.

Anonymous said...

Happy Blogiversary!

I started blogging after a few months of reading blogs and thinking that it might be fun. My blog title, Catalina tu vecina, was my nickname when I lived in Spain. Not very original; I am a sentimental fool.

How did you decide on the name Meno? (Assuming it is not your real name, and forgive me if you have posted about this.)

Anonymous said...

Meno dear, congratulations on the 'versay plus one day (I came along late, I'm sorry!) *big hugs* And what a marvelous story to begin a blog with! I think we'd be a lot better off as a people if more of us saw those kids.

So. Tell you what, my story for you I shall post on my very slowly-updated blog, yes? Sound fair? Muy grasses.

Congrats again, dear! And please don't ever stop.

Lucia said...

Happy, happy blogiversery to you!

No time to tell a story...but sending well wishes and blowing kisses.

Scott from Oregon said...

In case I got conked in the head...

Mrs. Chili said...

I started blogging because I needed an outlet. I write. I need to write. I needed a place to write. Blogging seemed like a great fit - and it was.

The name of my blog (The Blue Door, which is NOT my url (theinnerdoor.wordpress.com) because thebluedoor was already taken) comes from a guided meditation I did once. I was led to a door and asked to unlock and open it to see what was on the other side. My door was blue, and had one of those brass push plates on it - it was neither locked nor had a handle - it could open either direction completely unencumbered. Afterward, the person who led me on the meditation said she'd NEVER had someone tell her that before; that it seemed to her an indication that I have free and unfettered access to my creativity and, perhaps, to the Other Side.

I like that about me.

Mother of Invention said...

Perfect 1st post as it typlifies what was to come and what your style is. Congrats on your first anniversary and for having such a successful blog. What you have on your mind, seems to resonate with many people. You have the most visitors of just about any blogger I know! You handle them well to. I could never do that...I just couldn't keep up. Word of mouth travels fast here!

Maurey Pierce said...

I started blogging because I want to keep a record. I've finally gotten to a good "place" and I want to remember all of it!

The name of my blog comes from the name of a column I wrote for my college paper. I'm not sure what that says about my level of development.

Tink said...

QT: You would have cried in her shoes?! ;)

Susanne said...

Congrats. And 60 comments! That's a lot.

And I already wrote about why and how I started blogging at my own anniversary post.

urban-urchin said...

Happy Bday Meno! I startede blogging because I wanted a place to talk. Because I don't feel comfortable in real life all the time to say all that I am thinking.

The name comes from a store I had and that the fact that I have always been and will always be (if only at heart) a city kid.