Identity crisis
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
Me, most days, these days.
I admitted to Erin the other day that I think my blog is having an identity crisis. When I was in Edmonton, I was in an office every day, including many weekends, and that alone was reason enough for me to dress up and show off my style sensibilities, which was, in turn, ample ammo for my blog. Add into that the fact that a lot of my “people” back home in Ontario liked my blog because many of them I only saw once a year, and they felt it helped them stay connected to me – what I was doing, what I was wearing, and where I was going. I had plenty of motivation to keep up with the Joneses.
Now that I’m actually in Ontario, many of these reasons for blogging have disappeared. I work from home, and I see my friends and family quite a bit, but I think the biggest reason for my floundering feelings is the fact that I really don’t GO anywhere. I am never going to be one of those fashion bloggers with the moody pictures that show me in carefully planned outfits that I wore to the grocery store to buy milk. I just think, “What’s the point in that?” If I do go out to get a few grocery items for supper, I either run to the store with my running packsack and in my running gear, or I walk there in clothes that make sense for, well, walking. That usually means my Puma sneakers or, when it’s snowy or wet, my rubber boots – not stilettos, wedges, clogs, or any variety of heeled shoe or boot. What going to grocery store also means is jeans or leggings and a pretty plain ensemble on top. Most days, I don’t even wear any jewellery. So where does this leave De Facto Redhead?
In the past, I’ve written about books, baking, running, TV, and my old diary entries, so maybe I should start contributing more to my blog in those facets…? I know I will continue to post pictures when I’m dressed up for special occasions, but believe me, there is absolutely no point in taking daily pics. Who cares about jeans and a striped top? No one. Readers, where do you weigh in on my identity crisis? Fellow bloggers, do you ever feel like you’ve lost your direction?
While I ponder my blog’s personality transplant, I give you, in the spirit of the complete normality of my self-portrait above, this picture that shows my desk and what I have front of me when I’m working:
1. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, which I reference every day. I couldn’t edit without it.
2. A metal magnet-man of Darcy’s that he spotted at Liquidation World in the summertime, and just had to have. (This is actually his desk, but I overtake it during the day when he’s at work.)
3. Post-its, for necessary scribbling, and because I love to write on scraps on paper and leave them everywhere, a habit of mine that drives Darcy crazy.
4. Monitor #1, on which I’m currently editing a book.
5. Monitor #2, on which I do my research when fact-checking. I also always have my Gmail and Facebook accounts open in tabs one and two, for easy distraction. Sigh.
6. The home phone, which rarely rings, but just in case…
7. A previously published book that I am using as a reference for the formatting and style of the book I’m editing now.
8. The corner of my Paperback Oxford Canadian Thesaurus. I couldn’t be a writer or an editor without access to a thesaurus. You think I have my entire vocabulary in my head? I don’t. I look it up daily.
9. Darcy’s mouse pad, which features a redheaded pinup girl sitting on the rim of a martini glass. Isn’t that cute.
10. Darcy’s wireless mouse that he doesn’t mind me moving to right side of the keyboard, even though he’s left-handed.
11. My cellphone, from which I receive and send work-distracting text messages.
12. One of two Coca-Cola glasses I own, courtesy of Dollarama. Always have to have a glass of water handy!
13. Christmas Tic Tacs, which provide a nice break from gum, and that I eat when I’m hungry but don’t want to consume anything else because it’s too close to a meal, it’s too late at night, etc.
14. One of four Pyrex Butterfly Gold mugs that sit happily in my cupboard. I usually have at least three cups of tea in a day.
15. A capless pen, the only kind that ever seems to be around my house. I need something scribble on those Post-its with!
16. A list of all the chapters in my book edit, so I can keep track of where certain subject matter was discussed and if the order of the chapters needs to be changed, etc.
17. Wadded-up Kleenex because I blow my nose.
18. Darcy’s wireless keyboard, which moves out of the way quite nicely when I eat my lunch at his desk.
19. Darcy’s desk, courtesy of IKEA and put together with pieces from the VIKA line.
20. The corner of another notepad, because I usually need something bigger than a Post-it on which to write down my Internet-researched supper recipes. (I don’t have a printer.)
Now that the tour has finished, you can file into the lounge for some light refreshments, or browse the gift shop in the front lobby.
