In the beginning...

I originally made this blogger.com account back in November of 2007, in attempt to chronicle my experiences as a first-time mom. BUT, what I didn't know is first-time moms who also work, have little time for a shower, let alone gathering their thoughts in a blog.

I'm now a 'second-time mom', (Welcome Ava Michelle, born February 18, 2010.) but at this point have no intention of centering a regular blog around either of my children, or my parenting experiences. Although, some posts may include some of the more interesting anecdotes from my child-raising adventures.

The inspiration behind this new blog is the film Julie & Julia. If you haven't seen the movie, or know what it's about, it's actually the first movie to ever be based off a blog. But it's more than that. This movie chronicles the life of one Blogger, Julie Powell, who decided to start a project called "Julie/Julia" where she cooks her way through all 526 recipes in Julia Child's famous book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in the course of one year, documenting her experiences along the way. The movie also follows the early life of Julia Child, juxtaposed with the life of young Julie Powell, as they share the same frustrations and experiences. Of course Meryl Streep delivers a powerful performance as Mrs. Child.

But I digress. I certainly am not out to have a movie created from my blog, or even gain much of a readership. My purpose is to grow as a writer. Julie Powell chose to write her blog because she enjoyed cooking and to learn more about it, as well as to give her life a sense of purpose. I enjoy writing and want to learn how to be better at it. Thus the challenge:

I have severe writer's block. I've been told by many: "Desiree, you have a natural aptitude for writing, you are missing your calling." I've dreamed of becoming a writer, but shrink from the idea of being a BAD writer, thus the writer's block. I'm ready to confront this head on and move past.

So, for the next year, and beyond that if I deem it so, I will be writing about a randomized topic, using this online random topic generator:

http://www.blogtap.net/blogtopicgenerator/

- I will not cycle through the topics by hitting the button more than once, unless I run across something I don't think should be discussed in public.

- If I know nothing about the topic, I will research it slightly before beginning to write.

- Not all of my posts will be from the random topic generator, as I may throw in a few poems, movie reviews and other odds and ends I find interesting.

- I will strive to do this at least three times a week, but I may do more, and I may do less, depending on what is going on in my life. The point is to have fun with this not have it be a chore.

- The title of my blog, merely describes my general outlook on life. I am an optimistic misanthrope. I expect the worst and hope for the best. I have a love/hate relationship with mankind, for I view it with both awe and disgust.

So with that being said, the rules are laid out before us, so let the games begin. :-)