So it begins

Bridget and I meant to start this earlier this month, upon our arrival in Boston, but as is wont to happen to young urbanites, we got sidetracked. My intentions were good; I started a new job on Sept. 1, the day we moved into our new apartment, and I figured I could do like Bridget did when she worked in D.C. and write a blog entry during the day when I had a down moment.

Of course, I forgot about new employee jitters. That’s the tendency for an office rookie to be hyper-vigilant in the first weeks of their employment as they try to feel out how much they can get away with in terms of coffee breaks, Internet browsing, and just plain ol’ goofing off. And so, in the first few weeks, there was no way in hell I was going to risk being seen doing non-work-related activities while at my desk.

Now that I’m coming to the end of my first month here, the jitters are slowly wearing off, and I feel comfortable (especially since the boss is working from home today) taking a few moments to get this damn thing started.

Much like Tommy Jefferson started the Declaration of Independence with an explanation as to why they were writing it, I suppose I should explain why Bridget and I felt the need to start this thing. There are three main reasons:

1) It’s a nice way to keep in touch. The blog of my brother and sister-in-law is a regular destination on the World Wide Web for me exactly because it keeps me updated with what’s going on in their lives. Now, I suppose I could pick up the damn phone and call and get the same thing, but us McKenzies have never been one for talking on the phone. We have a lot of friends in D.C., Oklahoma, Texas and elsewhere, and blogging’s part of our strategy to keep those connections alive.

2) It provides Bridget and I with a way to keep track of our history. Now, it’s not going to be a complete history, but I think it’ll be nice to have something like this to look at in 20+ years. Granted, we won’t be writing some of the more intimate things that are going on in our brains, but it will provide some nice guideposts to our memory.

3) I miss writing for an audience. More on this later, but suffice to say, I long for the glory days when I wrote a column for the Pauls Valley Daily Democrat. That’s why you’ll probably not see too many “update” blog entries, i.e., entries that consist of a sentence or two: “Hey y’all. Having a blah day! Wish me luck on the interview! Peace out!” Once I get started, I go on and on.

Bridget will ostensibly be writing in this blog as well, although she already has an excellent blog of her own that she’s still writing in. We’ll see how this develops; I’m sure it will morph into something unique within no time. Enjoy the ride.