Pick Me!!! Pick me???

When you were in high school or college, were you jealous of the popular girls and guys? Did you try to be like them? Or did you sit in the cafeteria watching them...just watching, wondering what it felt like to be the ones who got to give permission?



That's how I've been feeling.



At the moment I'm adrift on the edge of the vast ocean of men and women (well, vastly more women) who blog on a regular basis about their social lives, children, and dating.



I don't know if I have the idiosyncratic ability to stand out in a crowd like that -- and I'm egotistical enough to want to stand out. And I don't know if I want to compete...for your attention.

I mean, I want you to notice me, of course. But let's just agree that it's complete serendipity that you are here at all.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with date blogs, or parenting blogs, or virtual truck stops on the blogging roads where old Harley riders get together to recall some of the fantastic trips they had.

And I have some good reasons to join the stampede -- as a writer today, you are continually under the gun to raise your profile, and be current, witty, and very cool, in the hopes that someone, somewhere will see you -- and want to brand you.

OK, maybe that's not retirement income. But it might buy your daughter a jacket at Hot Topics.

Hey Mr. Ziegfeld, here I am!

But I'm not sure I'm cut out for mommy blogging. I am not cute enough. Being an introvert who doesn't get out enough (I'm working on it) sharing about my social life much more than I do already would be a stretch.

Some raisons I'm probably not going to veer solely into blogging about relationships --

1. In general, I get squeamish about blogging about people who might be reading my blog. Unless I am mentioning you as part of a story or a meditation on a theme, you aren't likely to find yourself here.

That's a rule that gets broken sometimes, but I don't think I could do it on a regular basis. If you recognize yourself, I'm not doing my job. Or I've given in to temptation, and I need to see you and confess.

2. While I am most definitely not a saint, and can bitch as well as the next guy, I have problems getting too snarky. In print.

3. I don't think what I have to say about dating, for example, is neccesarily helpful to you. And I'm afraid I was born with the "helpful to you" gene.

4. I like being able to vent about whatever crosses my mind. How can these bloggers write about the same subject all the time? Many of them seem to be smart, funny, successful people. Don't they ever get bored with their topic? Do they start to lose themselves in the brand?

6. When I try to ask you questions, I sometimes sound pedantic -- even to myself. I don't promise to stop, however.

6. I know its a way of making a living, and I am not being critical at all, but I find I can't advertise on my blog. Just saying.

7. I'm probably too old to be hip.

As you can tell, I'm way too ambivalent to market myself effectively in the world of relationship blogging.

Maybe.