Well, my immune system finally went out & I'm totally sick this weekend (5 more days!!), but I wanted to wish a happy first birthday to our Dore Family Blog : ) I've sure enjoyed doing it this year, and I hope that other people have gotten some enjoyment from it also. Like many sites on this crazy new Internet thing, it's very simple, but really has many properties, not all of which were obvious when I began doing it.
Of course it's a great way to keep people appraised of what's been going on with the L.A. Dores. Our family & friends seem particularly far-flung these days, and I hope that this has let people feel a little closer to our small family. One of the best things with the blog has been the conversations that I've had with friends and family that have sprung from the posts on our blog or on theirs. I know that keeping one of these going is not for everyone, but I really do wish that everyone I know had one! We usually hear the big stuff, but it's all of the details that we all miss by being so distant that are so great.
Another thing that I have enjoyed very much is sharing a lot of random stuff with anyone who cares to check in. From the pictures of my school to the Internet oddities like the recent Dylan head-scratcher (Alan Ginsburg with the stick on the left by the way) I hope that it doesn't seem too vain to think that there has been some things worth sharing with you all here. Of course one of the most fun things has been the music, but it is also one of the most frustrating, because it's been limited by what is available on the site. I've also tried to keep it mellow at Em's request so she won't get in trouble at work : ) Anyway here's a very partial list of songs that I would have put up on the site if they had been available:
Skip-Along-Sam - Donovan
Streams of Nancy (and just about anything else) - Kate Rusby
Take These Chains (and much more) - Uncle Earl
Rocking Chair - The Band
The Unwelcome Guest (especially after the last couple of weeks) - Billy Bragg & Wilco
Annie's Lover - Dave Carter
Geordie - Maddie Pryor & June Taylor
Rider on the Wheel (why the heck is this not on there???) - Nick Drake
Lord Franklin - Patrick Street
Mary & the Soldier - Paul Brady (Oh Paul, what happened?)
Oh yeah, and Morning Glory from some late night practice at Uncle Studios!
Of course there are other nice things about doing the blog - just the act of writing regularly has been really great! As an English teacher, I get especially embarased when I spell something wrong, but I'm always telling my student to be careful, so it's a good yoga.
Of course it's a great way to keep people appraised of what's been going on with the L.A. Dores. Our family & friends seem particularly far-flung these days, and I hope that this has let people feel a little closer to our small family. One of the best things with the blog has been the conversations that I've had with friends and family that have sprung from the posts on our blog or on theirs. I know that keeping one of these going is not for everyone, but I really do wish that everyone I know had one! We usually hear the big stuff, but it's all of the details that we all miss by being so distant that are so great.
Another thing that I have enjoyed very much is sharing a lot of random stuff with anyone who cares to check in. From the pictures of my school to the Internet oddities like the recent Dylan head-scratcher (Alan Ginsburg with the stick on the left by the way) I hope that it doesn't seem too vain to think that there has been some things worth sharing with you all here. Of course one of the most fun things has been the music, but it is also one of the most frustrating, because it's been limited by what is available on the site. I've also tried to keep it mellow at Em's request so she won't get in trouble at work : ) Anyway here's a very partial list of songs that I would have put up on the site if they had been available:
Skip-Along-Sam - Donovan
Streams of Nancy (and just about anything else) - Kate Rusby
Take These Chains (and much more) - Uncle Earl
Rocking Chair - The Band
The Unwelcome Guest (especially after the last couple of weeks) - Billy Bragg & Wilco
Annie's Lover - Dave Carter
Geordie - Maddie Pryor & June Taylor
Rider on the Wheel (why the heck is this not on there???) - Nick Drake
Lord Franklin - Patrick Street
Mary & the Soldier - Paul Brady (Oh Paul, what happened?)
Oh yeah, and Morning Glory from some late night practice at Uncle Studios!
Of course there are other nice things about doing the blog - just the act of writing regularly has been really great! As an English teacher, I get especially embarased when I spell something wrong, but I'm always telling my student to be careful, so it's a good yoga.
Finally, it's nice to think of our kids looking at all of this someday and hopefully forgiving me for the time when I could have been playing with them (I mostly write when they're asleep, so it's not too bad). And of course as we get older and our brains start to erode, we will hopefully be able to remember some of the weirder aspects of our lives a little better. As long as Blogger doesn't just dump all of this stuff - anyone know anything about that by the way?
Anyway, I'd probably still do it anyway even if no one was reading, but it seems like some people still do, which is so great! One of the best things of all with the blog has been the wonderful comments over the year. They really are manna for a blogger, and if you don't read them, you've missed some of the best stuff. Thanks so much to you all!!
Oh yeah, also a happy 144th birthday to my Irish homie William Butler Yeats!!! He's one of my favorites and of course he knew all about the dark side - "The center cannot hold" and Maud Gonne and all of that - but I especially like this one. It's 10 years too early yet, but it has come to my mind a few times since the big 40:
My fiftieth year had come and gone,
I sat, a solitary man,
In a crowded London shop,
An open book and empty cup
On the marble table-top.
While on the shop and street I gazed
My body of a sudden blazed;
And twenty minutes more or less
It seemed, so great my happiness,
That I was blessed and could bless.
Anyway, I'd probably still do it anyway even if no one was reading, but it seems like some people still do, which is so great! One of the best things of all with the blog has been the wonderful comments over the year. They really are manna for a blogger, and if you don't read them, you've missed some of the best stuff. Thanks so much to you all!!
Oh yeah, also a happy 144th birthday to my Irish homie William Butler Yeats!!! He's one of my favorites and of course he knew all about the dark side - "The center cannot hold" and Maud Gonne and all of that - but I especially like this one. It's 10 years too early yet, but it has come to my mind a few times since the big 40:
My fiftieth year had come and gone,
I sat, a solitary man,
In a crowded London shop,
An open book and empty cup
On the marble table-top.
While on the shop and street I gazed
My body of a sudden blazed;
And twenty minutes more or less
It seemed, so great my happiness,
That I was blessed and could bless.
Peace & Love to you all!!!
2 comments:
Happy birthday Blog!
I sure am glad you keep it up. It's been great following your adventures, and commenting on them. Makes me feel closer to home.
And thanks for the inspiration. I finally started my own last week instead of the mini-blog I was establishing within your comment section. But I promise to still comment.
Regarding music and Yeats (What Rough Beast!), I don't know if it's available to you, but if you could add the Waterboys' adaptation of "The Stolen Child", it would be apropos, n'est–ce pas?
Oh, I should have thought of that!! Good call : )
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