Blues, Books and Blissdom

I thought after the new year I might have more motivation for my blog....so far, WRONG!   Apart from work, my days are filled with routine household activities leaving me with little inspiration to write.  I thrive on routine but not writing isn't good for my state of mind.  My thoughts become jumbled and unorganized and I can't concentrate on any task.  Maybe it is due to a decreased lack of a vital hormone or lack of Vitamin D due to sunlight deprivation.  I've been going to the tanning bed a few times per week to soak in artificial light but it doesn't seem to help my lethargy.   The cold temperature, snow covered ground and grey skies add to my unproductive state.  Life feels blue and bleak in the winter. 

I've been reading bits and pieces of non-fiction books.  I can't seem to read any fiction right now.  Two of my favorite fiction authors (Francine Rivers and Jan Karon) have new books out and I am not interested in reading either of them.  What's up with that?   Three books I am working my way through (The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin), (The Comfort Trap or, What If You're Riding a Dead Horse? by Judith Sills) and (Committed, A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert), are proving to be worth my time.  I go through stages of wanting to be aware of new ideas, not that I'll agree with them, I just want to learn.  I'm constantly looking for ways to challenge my thought pattern.   It's a complicated process that I can't explain simply because I don't fully understand it myself.   I do know that indulging in the same conversation on the same topic with the same people week after week becomes dull and annoying.  I yearn for new experiences and have found when I stifle that yearning, I begin to suffocate.  

Two weeks from today I'll be attending Blissdom '11 in Nashville, Tennessee.   Blissdom is a social-media mega conference.  I attended this conference last year by myself on a fluke not knowing anyone or what to expect.   As it turned out, I connected with some fantastic women with whom I've formed solid friendships over the last year.   This year, I'll be traveling to Nashville with Megan from Sweet Sadie Marie.  We will be meeting up with Jenny from Great Little Stories and Jessica from Notes From The Garden Spot and maybe a couple more (I've been promised less than 30 in our room) at the Opryland Hotel.  There we will join nearly 500 others to Facebook, Tweet, and Blog our way through a fabulous three days.    Scott Stratten @UnMarketing will be the opening keynote.  I'm quite excited about that as he was one of the first I began following on Twitter. He also has a great book out UnMarketing: Stop Marketing, Start Engaging.   If you're a social media/blogger junkie and you've never attended a conference, I encourage you locate one and attend.   You'll find others who speak your "language" and totally get why you choose to share a part of your life to the world. 

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

Photo courtesy ttcolli photobucket.com