Blog me this

I have mentioned before on this thing that I am a bit promiscuous when it comes to reading other people's blogs. I'm not even ashamed that I am a blog stalker and I am not ashamed that on many, many occasions I begin a conversation with "So I read your blog, and..."

Although I find it curious that, as Facebook declares, perusing blogs really is a primary interest of mine, I find the reason for why this is even more curious. What is it about an online journal that I find so fascinating? A better question would be why do I, and the other members of my generation (I'm not only gonna incriminate myself, here), find this voyeuristic hobby so enthralling?

I think the reason I love perusing the blogosphere so much is that it invites me in to snippets of my friends' lives without an actual invitation. (Important disclaimer here: friends in the above sentence is a key phrase. I read very, very few blogs of people I don't know, and when I do it's usually because I have some connection to them. I'm not so much of a blog freak that I just click "next blog" for hours on end...my perusing doesn't quite go that far.) I get to find out about how their kids are doing, what great vacations they just went on, how they will spend their summer, how life since I saw them last has been turning out, what they thought of the most recent episode of Grey's Anatomy, and general life-tidbits that are much more interesting in writing. For example, the reason I love reading my friend Justin's blog is because he usually has something interesting to say about national/world events. He is very smart, very well-read, and always has a sarcastic comment or two to keep me coming back. I read Ann's blog because in order to be able to keep up in a conversation with my mom I kind of have to. (Haha, just kidding. Two and half of you will appreciate that. The other half of one of you will appreciate it but try to hide it with disdain.)

I don't enjoy blogging myself as much as I wish I did, but am already looking forward to updating once I am in Natal. After all, you who have been around from the beginning remember that was the sole reason I decided to begin blogging in the first place. I don't support subjecting innocent recipients to unwarranted mass-emails, so in order to keep up with my comings and goings in Brazil, my friends and family will be able to choose when they want updates.

One more thing. The list to the right is by no means a comprehensive list of the blogs I peruse. I would say that list represents about one-fourth. I just don't have the guts yet to admit publicly how many and whose blogs I am actually keeping up with on a regular basis. However, I would love to know who drops by this site, even if only occasionally, so please say hello when you do.

Fundraising update: As of this past weekend, I only lack $975 for my first year of work in Natal.In case you were wondering...that is INCREDIBLE. Muito obrigada!! (Thank you very much, for you non-Portuguese speakers.)