April 2012. With a fresh injection of holiday bonus cash burning a hole in my pocket, I decide that it is long overdue that I invest in my very first laptop. How I had managed to survive without one up to that point was perplexing. Just think of the hours of translation work that I could plough through with the right technology in my hands. And then there was the matter of my blog. Now that I had become a regular and accomplished blogger, with portable IT at hand, I could finally become one of those enviable souls that lounge around plush cafes uploading intentionally faded retro photos and typing up their witty repartee as they nurse the same pot of Lapsang Souchong over the space of an entire morning.
5 months later and time for a reality check. Glancing sheepishly this morning at my neglected, unedited blog, it dawned on me that I have spent €600 of my hard-earned on what is just another (more cumbersome) device for playing Bubbleshoot and that even my commuting hours have been spent mostly unfruitfully.
To be fair to myself, the past few months have been a busy time. But before I embark on an intricate myriad of excuses, honesty is probably the best policy. I feel compelled to acknowledge that this blog has been weighing me down somewhat and adding an element of unnecessary pressure to my life. While the concept of trying out new pursuits remains dear to me, the practice is unsustainable and what was supposed to be an escape channel from the humdrum of routine has, ironically, become equally as suffocating. By promising that ‘Every week I will try something new’, I essentially created a set of limitations for myself.
At the same time, my passion for writing and sharing anecdotes and photos has not dwindled, nor has my zest for new experiences. I considered starting another blog, something more focussed and sustainable, but I’m not ready to abandon ‘The Spice of Life’ and its voice just yet (nor can I be arsed desiging a whole new page!) So I guess it’s time to take the blog somewhere else…I’m not sure where…but watch this space…
