Autobiography

I’ve been gradually but enthusiastically participating in the #bloglikecrazy challenge, administered by my friend Javacia Harris Bowser and embraced by the local women’s writing group she founded, See Jane Write. I’ve loved receiving Javacia’s daily prompts, and it’s been a wonderful way to get writing (for myself) again. But today’s prompt has stumped me.

Javacia asked us to write about inspiration found in mundane moments. I know what she’s talking about–haven’t we all had those simple moments that have resulted in an “a-ha!” insight? But sometimes, it’s hard to view anything as mundane.

One of my best friends is moving this week. We met in college, when I was a senior and he was a freshman, and we’ve lived near each other for the better part of 10 years. I’m a big fan of “When Harry Met Sally,” and I’ll admit that having a best friend who is a man has sometimes been a little different. He’s not my only best friend, but he’s definitely one of the people who understands me best. After more than a decade of friendship, he’s more like family than a friend.

That’s pretty mundane, right? Meeting people and hitting it off is a pretty regular occurrence, especially in college. But every friendship is magical, especially when it stands through time.

So I may be in denial that he’s moving. I’m so excited for him, because I think the job he’s leaving for is a great opportunity, and he’ll be closer to his family. But friends are a treasure, and I’m sorry to see another one move away.

Today’s subject line is from Nickel Creek’s “When You Come Back Down.”

Next year will mark my 10th year of blogging. When I began, it was partly because I had taken a bit of time off of school and I needed something to keep me engaged. This was also just before I began my master’s program in journalism, and if you look back at those early entries, I think my lack of training shows. My blog isn’t a journalistic effort, but my writing is considerably more efficient now.

But now, I write for a living and spend a portion of my work life blogging. So why do I continue to write in this blog?

There have definitely been times that I’ve put my blog on the back burner, in part because I do spend so much of my energy writing elsewhere. I started blogging for fun, and I don’t want this site to become a burden. That’s a grace I offer myself, and the reason why I sometimes let months pass without updating.

So what’s the point? Well, I could argue that it’s to my advantage to keep my name out there. We say that your name is your brand, and there’s truth to that. As a journalist in this increasingly digital world, it’s important that my work be easy to find and that it reflect some knowledge of technology and digital media.

That’s all true enough, and reason enough to keep blogging. But I’m really more interested in this platform because it gives me a space to air out my thoughts and join in conversation with those interested. My journalistic work isn’t about me and my opinions (nor should it be!). My journal doesn’t offer room for interaction (and again, it shouldn’t). This blog doesn’t focus on any specific theme, but it allows me a space in between, a “third place” in my writing. (Yes, I just ripped off Starbucks’ terminology.)

It’s a loosely defined mission, but it’s mine. And in it, I find space to flex my writing muscles, which, after all these years, remains one of my favorite things to do.

The ninth #bloglikecrazy prompt was to write a mission for your blog. The subject line comes from the Beatles’ “Revolution.” If you didn’t already know that, we need to talk.

When I started in on e-readers, my girl friends were probably preparing themselves for a lecture about why print will always be better than digital. I’m famously a creature of habit, and already during the weekend we’d discussed how little each of us have changed since college. And there’s some truth to that suspicion; I love print. I love seeing my books gathered throughout my house, each shelf representing different interests and moments in my life. I collect letterpress art in part because I love the literal weight it gives to words. I’ve got a 1920s Underwood typewriter sitting within spitting distance of me, even as I type on this already-outdated Gateway. (I bought this sucker back in ’08, after all. Time moves even more quickly with regard to technology.)

But what my friends probably didn’t expect was a diatribe against Amazon. Yes, I prefer print because I love the heft and beauty of a physical book. There are arguments to be made for e-readers, and if I traveled more often I’d likely embrace them more quickly. But I don’t want a back-lit screen, and even though I like the Amazon Kindle’s e-ink, I’m not willing to support the company’s business practices.

Carrie Rollwagen, who co-owns Church Street Coffee and Books, has written extensively about how Amazon relates to publishing. The Kindle only works with books published through its store, and as I understand it, the company has enough buying power and a strong enough customer base to arm wrestle publishers into selling their product at prices lower than they otherwise would. Yes, it’s awesome to get a discount as a customer, and yes, e-books cost significantly less to produce. But it still takes a writer time to write, and an editor time to edit. These tasks deserve to be compensated, in my opinion, but when a single distributor aims to control the market, I’m not so sure that these people will benefit. (It’s obvious that I’m concerned as a writer, editor and book reviewer. But that also concerns me as a reader. I want great stories, and I want writers to have the time and resources to create those tales.)

So, I told my girl friends, I’m not anti-e-reader. I firmly believe in delivering content to readers in the medium of their choice. Mine happens to be print. And until I find an e-reader that is easy on my eyes without taking advantage of a business I care deeply about, I wouldn’t give e-reading a shot.

Hours later, I walked into Church Street Coffee and was confronted by a Kobo display.

It turns out that the shop has established a mutually beneficial (best as I can tell!) relationship with Kobo, which offers e-ink e-readers while embracing a free market. The Kobo Mini is tiny–it’ll even fit in a small purse–but still readable with easily adjusted font sizes. And it’s affordable; it retails at $79.99, but this Saturday, Church Street will offer the device for $50. It’s easy to buy books through Church Street for the Kobo, and it also has free apps available on other smart phone and tablet platforms.

After learning all of this, I must have looked a bit stunned as I sat down at coffee with one of the aforementioned girl friends. Saturday is American Express’ Small Business Saturday, which means if I spend $25 or more at a local shop, they’ll credit my card $25. “That means I could buy an e-reader for only $25,” I said. “Should I do that?”

My friend insisted that I should, and after I returned to the counter to fill out a pre-order form, I immediately began brainstorming uses for this device. A daily New York Times subscription costs little more than what I currently pay for the Sunday-only print edition. I would love to keep reference books on this device, where they’re both easily accessible and annotatable without taking up inches and inches of space on my shelves. I can think of several magazines, particularly my weekly subscriptions, that don’t necessarily need the glossy pages of print. I’ve got to explore how many of those I can transition to digital so I can cut down on how often I need to drag the recycling bin to the curb.

And as much as anything, I’m excited to use this device to vote with my dollar. I don’t know where the publishing industry is headed, but I believe the content matters, and so do the people selling it. I can’t spend the time researching how every cent I spend affects the local economy or issues I care about. I don’t shop local without fail, and I do keep an eye on how much I’m spending. But I like to put my money where my mouth is. And where my life is; in this case, that’s Birmingham, Ala., and in a book.

The topic for day six of #bloglikecrazy was “Why I vote.” I think many folks are a bit burned out on the 2012 campaign, so I decided to focus instead on why I vote with my dollar. And yes, I’m several days behind because of the aforementioned college roommates visiting. I’d rather spend time with them than adhere strictly to a blogging challenge.