Then, quite unexpectedly, I got some praise and encouragement that prompted me to consider a return to my political blogging days. For several years, I'd steered clear of that due, in large part, to a negative experience I had involving a friend. More recently, both career aspirations and Facebook have cautioned against dipping my toes back into the political pool. You see, there's a job I'd really like to have and, unfortunately, being outspoken about my political views is likely to put the kibosh on that. And, given that I typically link to my blog through Facebook, and that a good portion of my friends (including family) hold views different than mine, I've worried about alienating people I care about. Which, when I think about it, strikes me as quite cowardly. I'd like to believe that those who know me and call me "friend" love and accept me for who I am regardless of whatever political differences we may have. Still, feathers get ruffled and offense, once taken, is often hard to set aside and forget.
So I've contented myself with mostly fluffy writing -- at least in terms of what I've shared with/inflicted upon my friends. Then Twitter came along. Well, that's not quite accurate -- I've had an account since 2008. I'd never paid it much mind, though. Something sparked a renewed interest in it earlier this year -- I think, quite honestly, it originated with my (rather embarrassing) obsession with Bravo TV. I started following "real housewives," but before I knew it, found myself following real politicos instead. It began with politicians, and then evolved into pundits and media sorts. No longer did discussions of who's had the most plastic surgery or is heading into foreclosure intrigue me. Not even the undeniably adorable and irresistible Gigi the Pom managed to hold my interest.
In Twitter, I found my true social media soul mates: those fascinated with both political science and journalism. We are geeks (of the borderline cool variety), sharing this corner at the intersection of the Beltway & the Fourth Estate. To the unTwitternitiated, it must all seem quite alien. But to me, it's a slice of cerebral heaven. There's only one problem. No, I take that back - there are two: 1) Ruminating on all this more substantive stuff has put a damper on my fluff-inspired efforts; and 2) Twitter is such a lightning-fast medium, and my timeline so populated by people who write/blog/editorialize for a living, by the time I'm able to cobble together something more substantial than 140 characters, they've already written it, published it, disseminated, and covered it all far better and more thoroughly than I could ever hope to. In short, I'm intimidated.
And yet, I can feel the spark inside. I do have some fire in the belly. And I'm tired of being apathetic and, worse, cowardly. And that's the best place from which to write, in my opinion. Structured, overly-planned out writing is great for motions and briefs. But a blog, if it's to have any hope of being remotely interesting to anyone other than its creator, has to have that fire, and maybe some sass to accompany the humor.
So, what's a girl whose muse is both defused and confused to do? Why, develop a split personality, of course. One of the wonders of the Internet is that it allows us to assume multiple identities. So, that's what I aim to do. I welcome those who have more than a passing interest in my political musings to let me know, and I'll be happy to share my links. For those who prefer the lighter side of Susie, I'll still be right here. Prattling on about smiles and other random musings.
:)
