From Blog to Blog

Recently I've started a new hobby: reading blogs. I don't know what the fascination is -- perhaps it is a touch of voyeurism, since I am essentially reading other people's diaries, or perhaps it is a search for kindred spirits on the Internet. In either case, it is very interesting to learn about how other people perceive the world.

One of the blogs I have been following is written by Mildred Garfield (a.k.a. "Thoroughly Modern Millie"), who will turn 80 in a few days. Mildred started her site in October of 2003 and has maintained it ever since, with occasional contributions from her son Steve. I find her blog very interesting because her world is so different from mine -- she goes to Florida for several months every winter and lives in a retirement community, for example -- but she can make me see her world beautifully through her words. Mildred also seems like a nice person in general. When I e-mailed her about a recent Cathy cartoon that I thought she would enjoy, not only did she send me a thank-you note, but she posted a blog entry about the cartoon and specifically mentioned me as the source! Wow!

Another thing that makes Mildred's blog so much fun, I think, is the interaction she and her son have in their blog entries. Some of their blogs are essentially letters to each other pointing out interesting things they have read elsewhere. I wonder if I should try to interest my parents in starting blogs? Both of my parents are fascinating people who have gone through a lot, including surviving World War II. They also went through a lot to come study in the United States and to start new lives here after they decided to stay. I'd really like to find a way to record their life stories, and it might be fun to work together on a project like a blog. Maybe I could get my brother or my in-laws interested in maintaining blogs as well, and we could all link them in a family web ring! I'm not sure anyone in my family besides me wants to write for the general public, though. I will have to think about this some more.