What a weekend! I participated - in a somewhat passive albeit integral capacity - in a 180 mile relay race in southeastern Massachusetts, called The Ragnar Cape Relay. My friends - 12 of them - did the running and I did the driving, along with another friend who drove as well. Most teams had 12 runners, though some teams were comprised of 6 Ultra Runners, but all would run in succession, one leg of a pre-determined distance, and then the whole shebang started again at the first runner, times three. Thirty six distinct exchanges, starting in Plymouth, MA - aka America's Home Town - and ending in Province Town, at the very end of Cape Cod.

This was a cool and fascinating exercise in team building, logistics, planning, care-giving, caloric intake, patience and focus. And it was fun. And it was exhausting. But mostly, it was awesome and I love participating, even in my limited way. Plus, it allows me to skip the focus on Mother's Day, which I appreciate, because since my mother died almost 11 years ago, Mother's Day no es bueno. Yes, it is avoidy behavior, but it works for me for now.

I suppose I should mention that I am on Twitter. If you even remotely enjoying my stream of consciousness ramblings, you can follow me if you like, @ArieRegan. I'm not particularly prolific on Twitter, I follow who I enjoy and find amusing or interesting, and I re-Tweet the stuff I like best.

Well, I'm getting better, my last post was only a week ago, so I feel particularly good about that, and I will endeavor to be consistent, so stick with me, I think it will be worth your while.

Holy Crap, Time Flies

So, here's the thing, three years later. Every aspiring writer is taught to follow two primary objectives: 1) brevity is clarity, and 2) just keep writing. I have masterfully failed at both those things, however I will atone for my sins here and now. (Fun fact, I chose the word "will" very carefully because, as that other favorite old chestnut goes, hope is not a strategy.)

Unsexy 2012 update: I'm now 45, and while most of the rest remains the same, I am now fully, gainfully, and miserably employed (more on that hateful situation another time). My un-startling epiphany that bloggers have changed the world turns out to be truer-than-true, good on me. And good on bloggers; you know, the ones who actually write with some level of consistency.

I still sort of follow WWTDD, but more so Filmdrunk, as it resonates in a smarter way to me now. And speaking of smarter, my most recent genuine joy is Nerdist.com, the @Nerdist himself, Chris Hardwick, and all things Nerdist adjacent, not the least of which is their newly launched YouTube channel, found conveniently at YouTube.com/Nerdist. I won't proselytize, just check it out, and I triple-dog dare you no to find something interesting/original/amusing.

If I'm able to keep to my word and write with any regularity and level of quality, I will continue to blog here. I will move over to my own website sometime in the future, when it makes better sense. I'd love to hear any suggestions you might have for a domain name.

In the meantime, rock on, and for fuck sake, be nice, will you? It matters.

Just go with it

Today's version of joy I found at a beach. Not just some random beach, but a beach that I've never visited before, as I was very generously invited by friends who are much too kind and genuine and humble to ever speak aloud that they have deeded beach rights to their own private beach. But they do, and they deserve it, because they've worked indescribably hard every day for the last 30 years and have earned that and so much more. And it was magnificent.

I brought my nieces, and sandwiches, and towels and sunblock. Truly beloved friends came, too. Waves broke, clouds rolled, boats launched, starfish were found (alive!), and all was right with the world; simple honest it-really-doesn't-get-any-fucking-better-than-this pleasures. We drank a little - private beach, remember? - and the joy came not from the beer or rum or vodka, but by osmosis and by proximity; it was everywhere, unavoidable. Today I happened to be paying attention, and I embraced it, gratefully.

It is said that lightning never strikes the same place twice, but I'm going back there again tomorrow; I accept and relish my joy wherever I'm able, so I'm just going with it.

Bloggers have changed the world

Hi, I'm Arie. I'm a 42 year-old married white female - shit, have I bored you already? - and very often I have something to say, random opinions for a random world. I'm sure I'll be set straight if what I have to say is not of any intrinsic value, although, if I'm honest, I don't give a fuck; I intend to have my say regardless.

For the record, I am considered fairly intelligent by many (of my immediate blood relatives), I have always been well loved, I am currently somewhat under employed at the moment, and despite my penchant for the first-person singular, I am not nearly as self-absorbed as these first few lines may have lead you to believe. I have wanted to blog for a long time, so now here I am, let us together reap the whirlwind.

I think: blogging has quite literally changed how we live our lives. I have a few super-favorite blogs that I've happened upon quite by accident over the last few years (I'll note some of them later). I feel a bit lost if I don't read them thoroughly every day, or even worse, if they aren't updated on a daily basis; seriously, are you just lazy, non-daily-blog-updater-people? My favorites truly make me laugh, or make me think/rethink, or piss me off; without them, my day is somehow less than it should be, not all it could have been.

There is also apparently newfound and justifiable respect for some of the elite bloggers; Joshua Micah Marshall of http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/ was on The Colbert Report last night, to specifically discuss how bloggers have now come to set the current news agenda, and how collaborative reporting has become the "alternative" news. I think bloggers have changed the world, and it makes me feel hopeful.

You can follow all my current favorite blogs (listed in no order apparent to you), simply and conveniently by following the links provided on the right of this page. As for Fuck You Penguin, it is possibly my all-time most favorite, and you really should buy the damn book.

I look forward to your feedback, even if just for the laugh.