The end is only the beginning

A passing thought did not continue through the invisible passageway. It wanted to be noticed instead, so it lingered in my mind, interrupting my partially asleep state. It also brought along a friend.

The thought? "I want to write more often."

Its friend? "I want to blog consistently."

Even though I have a journalism background and was heading to an editorial internship that morning of their "visit," there is still so much more that I could and should be doing when it comes to writing. Before this summer, my writing in recent months has mostly been limited to lengthy research papers for classes. I wasn't writing for my school newspaper or any other publications at the time.

Perhaps even worse, what I was writing left something to be desired: I felt a need for expression that was personally fulfilling, expressing my thoughts and opinions on matters or writing just for the pure fun and joy of it all.

There is where blogging comes into play.
I have had accounts at various Web sites that feature such a component and even had to create blogs for classes and a previous internship. However, I would have trouble with posting to them regularly; I have also had similar trouble (if trouble is the right word) when it came to keep a journal. It seemed like such a hassle to create content and maintain it, you know? In this day and age, though, especially for my field, it is even more important to put yourself out there to catch the attention of prospective employers, and blogging is one way of doing it. Being a summer intern, looking into job prospects, and thinking about the future has definitely put the significance of blogging into that kind of perspective.

On a more personal level, I would like to blog as an outlet for self-expression, as well as a chance for interaction if people do leave comments at my posts in the future (Don't be shy!). In hindsight, if there was ever a better time for my blogging epiphany to arrive, it should have been before this summer even began: I'm from California, but for my internship, I've spent this summer on the East Coast (mostly Philadelphia, but also New York and Washington D.C.).

Now that my internship is winding down and I'm returning to the West Coast next week, I certainly feel like something is ending in my life. On the other hand, I also feel like something else is beginning, and I hope part of this new beginning is the birth of this blog. The hope is that this blog won't be just the result of a passing thought, but rather a lingering presence for sharing my writing (and photos, among other things) with you.

Hello world, indeed.

(This self-portrait was taken in Philadelphia at Eastern State Penitentiary, a former prison that is now a museum. There are art installations throughout the site, including this one at the prison greenhouse. The name of this work is "my glass house" by Judith Taylor).