Blogging: Scrap-booking on Roids

Yes, I scrapbook. I am a heterosexual male, and I scrapbook. At least I used to / hopefully will be in the near future. In my closet I currently have three grocery bags, each containing a scrapbook which is either empty or near empty and all the "scraps" that I intend on adhering to the pages. Allow me to digress and reminisce for just a few paragraphs before I get to the point.

One bag consists of all the pictures, brochures, ticket stubs, and other junk that I didn't throw away from the summer of 2005, when I worked as an entertainer at Idlewild Theme Park in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. I played three guitar sets, two small group shows, and three nightly main stage shows a day. Plus every so often I had to do "live action" theatre with kids in the "Wild West" section of the park. We made the wee ones into deputy sherifs and had them help wrangle up some bank robbers. There were about twelve of us entertainers. We all lived in a ski chateau on the highest peak in the state. We were all in our early 20's and enjoyed a good time, so a good time we had.

Another bag contains all the accouterment for completing a scrapbook from the next summer which I spent in Maui, Hawaii. I worked as the arts & crafts director at a Boy Scout Camp in the West Maui Mountains. This little gig snuck up on me unexpectedly. The job was mentioned to me in passing by a scouter in the Wisconsin area. A completed application and a few emails later, I was on my way to Maui. Granted the job didn't pay the best, but after a couple months on Maui, I had completely broke even, including the flight. Not bad. The best part of the summer, though, was hanging out with my old friend and first ever boss, Scott, as he is now living on Maui with his wife and daughter. The beauty and attitude of this island is intoxicating. As is the feeling I get when I tell people, "yea, I lived in Maui...."

The third bag is even heavier than the first two, but it's content spans twice as much time. During college, when I moved into my first house at the beginning of my junior year, I began a scrapbook to document all the good times and a few of the bad. It's a great representation of the hard work I did at UWSP as well as a look into the intense amount of fun my roommates and I had at 1525 Briggs. This scrapbook is more complete because I tried the "create-it-as-it's-happening" approach. This method worked wonderfully until, just like my blogging at times, I got way behind. I have catching up to do.

Now, even though I have a little extra time on my hands, I do not feel compelled to complete these books of memories. The reason why is this little site of mine.

I took out the "college years" scrap book last week and attempted to put a dent into it. Nothing happened. I am now much more interested in this digital version of my life/memories. Paper, scissors, and glue no longer tickle my fancy like they used to. But it's easy to see why.

Lately, I've been reading a lot of blogs, friends' and some randoms as well. It seems to me that a blog has so much more to offer than a big book of scraps. Not only can you post your thoughts and words, but pictures, video, and audio as well. I'd like to see a book that holds all that (besides a MacBook....ha, get it?) A blog is also viewable by whoever you want to see it. Which for me is all the more motivation to do it. Sure, you can share a scrapbook with guests when they come over. But more often than not, I think that a guest feels obligated to look through my memories and he/she doesn't necessarily enjoy it. With a blog, on the other hand, whoever can read it whenever he/she wants, and if no one reads it, really that's fine too. But in the meantime, I'll just keep writing as if someone out there actually is reading.

So there, I love blogging. Is that the thesis statement I was aiming for with this post.... I'm really not sure. That's the other thing about blogging, well for me at least, it's total stream of conscience. For that, I apologize, but that probably won't change.

Though, I will add that I'm not completely giving up on the art of scrap-booking. I'll find the motivation to do those three books sooner than later. I think it's important that everyone keep in mind the physical world that we all once functioned in, whether it's completing a scrap-book or sitting down and actually writing a letter. It weirds me out sometimes this think of all the time and effort I've put into this digital life of mine, and to consider that with one server crash, it could all be gone. However a wise man once said:

What takes a lifetime to build can be destroyed in a night, build anyway.