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Today is a special home Michigan edition of Monday, Monday. My father - who worked in commercial and community radio for over thirty years and was also a writer at The Grand Rapids Press - landed me an internship with his friend (amazing journalist and professor) Ruth Butler at the Press my senior year of high school in 2006.
It was around this time I decided I wanted to be like Diane Sawyer when I grew up. I wanted my own news show or to start and run a newspaper. I wanted to bring people information. When I was 9 years old I started writing a novel about kids on my block playing basketball, by age 15 I was writing poems declaring that I was NOT a dyke, and by age 17 had started by first advice column.
Until my dad handed me this the other day I did not recall making it. But when I held it in my hands I had that feeling of like - I have always been me. At five years old my parents filmed me dancing to Rhythm Nation on the couch, my first personal practice video. I have always been the way I am. These reminders help me like the way I am, the parts I never want to change or shift or grow or be different.
So, today I present to you : TIPS FROM A HIGH SCHOOL BLOGGER. Apparently I have been writing about the exact same things for fifteen years. Apparently having a Xanga made me an EXPERIENCED BLOGGER. Enjoy.
TIPS FROM A HIGH SCHOOL BLOGGER :
Written for The Grand Rapids Press - February 2006
♢ If you are going to post pictures of yourself on the Internet, be responsible for the actions represented in the pictures. If you don’t want your mom or teacher to know you were drinking when you were supposed to be at a movie, do not post a picture of yourself with a beer bottle
♢ Do not reveal your whole name, street address, or something that would make it extremely easy for online predators to contact you. Remember : EVERYONE has access to your blog.
♢ Sites such as www.live-journal.com have “friends only” options. So if you can’t resist the urge to write inappropriate comments or post revealing pictures, open a live journal account!
♢ Try to remember just because you don’t get 45 comments on one of your posts, doesn’t mean you are an un-cool person. It is just an internet blog. Real relationships should be established in person, not on the internet.
♢ It is not a good idea to write rude things about your peers in your blog. This only causes drama, and Internet drama is the most unnecessary thing ever invented.
♢ No one wants to see 50 pictures of yourself that you took with your digital camera.
♢ Don’t start an update with “I don’t even know why I’m updating but” or “Today was so boring all I did was” because if you were bored all day chances are the person reading it will also be bored
♢ The most important thing to remember is that everyone in the whole world has access to what you are writing. People down the street, in your school, even in other countries. If you do not want someone to know something or are worried your mom might see it : DON’T WRITE IT
Listening to This is Ann Peebles in the living room with my family
Looking up everything possible to build out an ultralight backpacking pack to hike the 171 mile Tahoe Rim Trail next month … alone … because I guess that’s the best way to do something for the first time. To bring a light chair or not a light chair?
This is the pack I got - thank you all for your suggestions!
I love my Detroit friends I love everything they do I love the way they pay attention, the art they make, the way they collaborate with neighbors and land, wow what bliss! What excitement!
Quilt books and all the places they appear - garage sales, nightstands, discord threads, and more
Lake swims, river swims, every possible swim there is to swim I swim
New Tierra Whack song : Walk the Beat
Getting a tattoo from a bisexual king while you watch The Real L Word
When you teach your friends to quilt and then you go to their house and there is a quilt there. This is my favorite thing.
Many Blessings
A portion of this month’s paid subscriptions goes to the Navajo Quilt Project. You can also support them yourself and receive a beautiful tote.