Winding Down


So NaBloPoMo is winding down. This month flew by.

There were so many things that I wanted to write about that just didn’t happen. Like bringing back The Chowdah Project! The places I went out to eat weren’t chowder places though. It will still happen, just not by tomorrow.

I went to a funeral this afternoon, so today was rather melancholy. And my mind is just not focused. It’s so dry in here with the heat on, so I’ve been boiling water to help.

Just a second ago, I noticed that something smelled like it was burning. Yup, the pan of water was burning. Well, I was too preoccupied with lingering tech issues that I hadn’t noticed.

Anyway, for my own safety, I’ll just end this post here.

Blog Tech Issues

This is my actual face right now. Ignore the face on the sidebar. That was me before the tech issues today.

Mostly I love my blog, but I’m not a big tech person. So the tech stuff can be really frustrating. If it weren’t for NaBloPoMo, I definitely would not be blogging today. Because I am in no mood. But I’m just a few days from finishing, so I’m not stopping now.

I won’t be sharing this on the usual social media channels though. Let’s just all go about our business and pretend like this isn’t happening!

NaBloPoMo 2023

NaBloPoMo

Sixteen years! That’s how long it’s been since I first did NaBloPoMo. Way back in 2007. It was the last time too. I may have silently sworn to never do it again. In case you’re not familiar, NaBloPoMo is short for National Blog Posting Month.

It happens in November and was all the rage back in the day, which I’ve heard referred to as the golden age of blogging. Yup! The golden age. When I first heard that I felt like I was 300 years old. I wasn’t sure if it was still a thing. A quick searched revealed that it is, but on a much smaller scale.

Anyway, NaBloPoMo gave a blogging nod to NaNoWriMo, which is National Novel Writing Month. What they both do is give us writers a goal of writing every day during the month.

So why am I doing this now? Because of Vlogtober. I really enjoy Kay Patterson’s vlogs on YouTube. Kay, who lives in Boston, just finished Vlogtober yesterday. For Vlogtober, vloggers post a video each day during October.

I started thinking about how I’d like to blog at least once a week again. Blogging everyday would be a nice jump-start and would make once a week seem like nothing. NaBloPoMo is a marathon, not a sprint, and I know to pace myself accordingly.

Wish me luck and see you back here tomorrow!

Emma Andrews Library Author Series

Emma Andrews Library Author Series

I have some exciting news! On Thursday, April 7, 2022, at 7pm, I will be interviewed as part of the Emma Andrews Library Author Series!

Over the past week or so, I’ve shared it on different social media platforms. But of course the news had to make its way here. The main topic is about why and how I blog! It all started here. Hmmm. Well, actually my blogging beginnings go back to the old blog, Anali’s First Amendment.

It’s hard to believe that I moved to this domain eight years ago! And it’s now almost eight years here. For a combined 16 years of blogging! The official anniversary is April 29th, which is approaching fast. Time to start thinking about my new word of the year and the lessons of last year’s wordSURRENDER.

But back to the event! Emma Andrews Library is a small library and community center in Newburyport, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1886 by schoolteacher Emma Andrews as a lending library to serve local children. For me, as someone who grew up with parents who were both schoolteachers, and from childhood to this day always enjoying going to the library, this event feels especially wonderful.

The interview will take place over Zoom, so everyone is invited to watch and take part. It will be a Q&A format moderated by local author and writer Áine Greaney. If you’re interested in registering for the event, send an email to emmaandrewslibrary@gmail.com and you’ll receive a link.

Hope to see you then!