Kids have gone back to school, and so most households are busy with their school oriented activities. Since I don’t have any kids, it means I can take a few days off here and enjoy the quiet of the off-season. In fact, my love of this time of year probably came about after I graduated.

Yesterday, I took the day off, and went with my husband and one of the dogs (Ares) to the local state park, with its hiking trails and lake for the Ares to swim. We packed a lunch and had a picnic. It wasn’t crowded, though Ares did get to play with a few other dogs where they are allowed to swim at the boat docks. The lifeguards are gone at the human beach, so we could let Ares walk on the sand and near the water, and even have a turn at trying to to toll (attract) a few ducks.

It was really a perfect sort of day.

I know myself well enough that I have come to recognize the pattern when I start to get like this. I know that the longer I take to start some project the higher my level of expectation becomes on how great the project is going to turn out. I develop expectations that I can never begin to meet and so I never really get started.

But what to write? What am I interested in writing about? And more importantly, what would anyone else be interested in reading? Then comes the big question of how do I start it all off?

My husband has not one, but two blogs, and I love to read them. Of course, I suppose that I am biased. I knew him first only in text (there’s a long story I could tell), so you have to figure I liked something about his writing.

I came to the conclusion that many of the more successful blogs have one primary theme. For example, one of my husband’s blogs, Spandex Justice, is about comic books, toys, games and related topics. Its great when you have a lifelong interest like that, where you don’t run out of things to say after a few weeks, or grow bored of the subject.

My interests tend to wander considerably. One week I get into one hobby, a month later, I’m all wrapped up in something else. My husband’s other blog, Strangematter is a lot more freeform. In addition to seeking out strange stories, and sharing his unusual sense of humor, he writes about whatever is on his mind. Typical stuff for the boy who never grew up.

After much internal debate, and in the interest of filling all this empty space, I finally decided that I’m going to abandon thoughts of a perfect theme and just jump right in. I’ll write whatever is on my mind, even if my only audience is my family and a few curious friends.

As far as how to start? Well, I guess I just did.