Sunday, August 22, 2010

Humble Blogging Beginnings

Although I am unsure of the day, month or year I do remember the circumstances that left me asking the question 'What is a Blog?'

Vacuum cleaner in hand, preparing to flick the switch and begin the process, I found myself edging closer to the radio to adjust the volume. So what was it that I found so interesting? At that time I learned of the death of the oldest known blogger in the world. I am unsure why this news item was of interest to me. Anyway, I began to ask 'What is a blog?'

Deciding that my long standing friends at Aiello Computers would lead me in the right direction I made the time to visit. Of course, a computer related visit also gives me the perfect opportunity for a chat with beautiful wife Kim. I asked Lillo to tell me about blogging. From memory, Lillo being the true professional, did not leave me feeling like an absolute novice. Not knowing the questions to ask as I was charting 'new' waters, it suited me to let Lillo do the talking. Using a notebook and wireless connection means that my local telco does not do me any favours. There can be problems with usage and pricing. Lillo did tell me that a good starting place would be with my ISP so I set about searching for information that would enable me to compile my very first post on my 'new blog' with Bigpond BigBlog. I named it Lessons4Living. This blog gave me a deep sense of satisfaction as I found myself forming friendships that I would not have envisaged. Thanks to Starry, Mandy, Bev and Ponderosa, I was hooked.

At the end of 2008 there were difficulties with both Posting and Commenting. I realised that my readers were limited to fellow Australian BigBloggers. Having set up a memorial website for Jeremy I had overseas friends interested in reading my ramblings.

Thankfully, I learned of Blogger which has presented both highs and lows as I battle the pain and effects of medications and treatments. It is, therefore necessary to visit Lillo and Kim once again. This time my enquiry will be for a new laptop. It is definitely time for Skype and voice activation software that will enable me to continue my weblog without the frustration of having to type with only one or two fingers of my left hand. The very fact that a much higher level of concentration is involved leaves me feeling quite fatigued at times.

Any suggestions of new technology that would enable me to write more, with less effort, would be most welcome. I love the opportunity to read and learn from the blogs I follow around the world. There are times when I feel I am right there with you. Maybe some sort of new technology will allow us to share a coffee together. Now that would be something...

Live life, laugh and love always.

3 comments:

Jeanne Marren Egan said...

Chez,
I am sure that the pain makes typing difficult but I for one love to read your story and hope that you will continue your blogging.
I love the idea of sharing a virtual cup of coffee.
Jeanne

mandy said...

Hi CHez, I made some great friends from Bigblog which includes youself....Sadly I don`t find much free time these days to do what I love most which is blogging but I always make an effort to read what my friends are up too...
I agree with you when you say it`s like we are there with our friends , going through the highs and lows....I do hope that you can find an alterative to keep blogging..

artistdeb said...

Ches, there was a time that pain was all I knew and all I could think about. I am as well familar with the drugs you are taking to ease your pain to a level you can handle. My heart goes out to your and your body. Hang in their sweet heart. Know you are not alone