Bloggerlicious

Blogging has become a much-needed luxury to me. It is a bit (free) therapy, a bit "look ma, I really can write!" and a lot self-indulgent "me" time. It is also coveted time that as a wife, mother and holder of a full time job (and therefore critical component of the household income financial equation) is hard to come by. Period.

The reason I feel the need to explain my passion for writing in my blog vs. the distinct lack of frequent (apparently weekly is not frequent according to blogging best practices...) is that I have received quite a bit of advice (mostly unsolicited) by friends in the last few days suggesting that I should consider posting more often. My friend Brad from California was the first to suggest that I should try to post something daily, if possible (yeah. I laughed too. Maybe I should re-post excerpts from my first post about commitment issues.). My friend Anne let me know that it isn't always necessary to post mini-novels "because they are a bit long" and she would rather that I post a-little-lesser a little more often. Kate suggested, in response to my complaining about the sometimes difficulty of feeling inspired by my own life, that I completely start to make things up in "A Million Little Piece" fashion in an effort to spike my writing genius (Are you there Oprah (God)? It's me, CC...). And, my friend Haley was inspired enough by my blog to start her own as a form of therapeutic creative output and references mine for inspiration from time to time (no pressure Hale!).

At least the millionaire twins, Dolly and Ruby, have an aversion to anything technology other than basic electricity, basic cable and not-so-basic automobiles. They prefer things printed in the good ol' fashioned sort of way. So, they get what I give them when I choose to give it to them.

The problem is that I have a serious, serious problem as a writer (okay, maybe two problems). The first problem, according to people who are nice, call it attention to detail. Anne, who is also nice, but a bit more to the point, has diagnosed it as OCD. I prefer to think of it as "selective perfectionism".

Selective perfectionism is, well, selective. It comes and goes without warning and attacks certain, specific areas of my life. At times Ms. Selective P. focuses her attention on my house and the need to keep it shiny, bleachy peachy clean. Other times she turns her slightly sagging bottom to my exercise routine and my need to run EXACTLY 5.5 miles EVERY DAY, come hell or high-water, monsoonal rain, screaming-child-in-jogging-stroller, plantars fasciatus, blisters, snow, flu or internal hemorrhaging. And, now, she has focused her undivided attention on to my writing (well that and immigration, for what it's worth... but, I digress).

In somewhat rapid fashion, I have gone from lighthearted posts about life to writing, reading, rereading, rewriting, reviewing, rewriting, convincing myself it is crap, leaving it, coming back to it, editing it, rewriting again and then, maybe, finally posting. And, all of that writing and selectively perfectionisted editing needs to occur somewhere in the delicate balance of time between work being done, household chores finished, the child being asleep or otherwise occupied, after a glass of wine to be relaxed and in impressive writing form but before too many glasses of wine rendering me incapable of thinking much less typing a sentence (and, any of you smart asses who want to look at time stamps...I said the writing required wine, not the editing) and all while actually having something remotely interesting to say. Not easy folks. Not easy.

The other serious problem I have as a blogger (I do wish they had come up with a prettier word for DEF: n. a person who writes a blog) is that my ego has become slightly tied up in the whole thing. I admit it. I want to be a brilliant author. I want recognition. I want the gold star for something other than teaching my child to do her business in a toilet. And, sometimes, ego causes head inflation and pride delusions that make me incapable of posting something that doesn't feel (to me) like a well-thought, articulate masterpiece. One might actually think I had a readership in the thousands (actually, I think there are ten of you or so. Thanks for the support! I love you guys!). One might think that I had a book deal riding on every post. I think Ms. Selective P and Mr. Ego now have a love child and it is one Ugly Baby.

Ugly Baby actually told Lola recently that I didn't want to tell her a certain story because I would prefer that she read about it on my blog.

Ugly Baby keeps interjecting "I need to write about this in my blog" in to conversations with unsuspecting participants.

Ugly Baby spent hours combing the Internet trying to learn about "feed" and "tags" and "chicklets" and "HTML" in an effort to increase my reader traffic and blog publicity.

Ugly Baby needs a Valium.

In an effort to make the world right again, appease my dedicated reader base and put Ugly Baby up for adoption, I have decided that it would be a good idea to develop "CC's Code of Conduct for the Blogging Enjoyment of the Readers and the Writer". The CoC is quite simple:

1) Will (try to) post more often in an effort to share my stunning wit and somewhat-original "voice" with my wonderful, adoring readers and, secondarily, with an intimate fellow known as Mr. World Wide Web.
2) Will become one with the idea of parsimonious posting.
3) Will avoid becoming annoying, egotistical, holier-than-thou bloggerfanatical.
4) Will avoid Seinfeldesque blogging about blogging in the future.
5) Will give myself one, 24-hour period from start of writing to actual post.
6) Will aim to add pictures in the future to increase reader's viewing pleasure.
7) Will not lie in order to become brilliant, published author in the James Frey sort of way. Embellish? Maybe. Fictionalize a little? Yes, but only to protect my friends, family and job. Lie? No. Bad, bad Kate!
8) Will do my best to provide insight, entertainment and humor as it relates to the lives of all Bridgets who are now in a married, and possibly with children, state.

So, there you have it. I think the code is going to prove very valuable in providing much needed parameters in my already crazy-enough life. It will help to control Ms. Selective P. It will help to answer the requests of my readership for more postings/less words. It will help focus my direction. And, it will help to keep Mr. Ego in check... along with Vince, who, keeps reminding me that he hopes all this "blog writing business" is not getting in the way of doing my "real job" which actually "pays the bills" (good-bye inner child with big award winning author dreams!!).

Maybe I should show him how much "real therapy" costs...

Posting Recipe
Nothing says decadence and ego like cake, in an Antoinette "let them eat cake" fashion. I recently made these cupcakes (from Bon Appetit) with Airlie and received rave reviews (because, after all, it is all about the reviews). The fact that this is officially "baking" and the fact that these actually turned out, was also a huge boon for me.

Lemon-Raspberry Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar, divided
4 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel, divided
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
12 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam
Fresh raspberries (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Using electric mixer, beat butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, and 3 teaspoons lemon peel in large bowl until blended, then beat until fluffy and pale yellow. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat in half of flour. Add buttermilk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; beat to blend. Beat in remaining flour.

Drop 1 rounded tablespoonful batter into each muffin liner. Spoon 1 teaspoon raspberry jam over. Cover with remaining batter, dividing equally.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted halfway into centers comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan on rack. Meanwhile, whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel in small bowl. Spoon half of icing over 6 cupcakes. Whisk 1 tablespoon raspberry jam into remaining icing. Spoon over remaining cupcakes. Let stand until icing sets, about 30 minutes. Garnish with raspberries.