ground rules

Dear Diane,

Apparently we both decided to take a five day (or more) hiatus -- that's cool, we can listlessly scroll through miles of facebook posts and wander into the elusive corners of the internet and chew on peach pits all while naked -- but I don't want to let this blog to decompose and become a part of that really shitty compost project that we had to do with Ajitan...

So since this punishment sys hasn't been working so smoothly bc you have been ruthlessly dodging my attempts at guilting you and my whiny texts and you have yet to provide me a smoothie / go skinny dipping with me… we need new rules.

1. Alternating day schedule: I have August's odd numbers, you the evens. Starts today.

2. One extensively researched post per week: writing well-researched / solid commentary on the social/political media happenings is time-consuming and exhausting, especially in the summer haze, and the stress of where to even begin just makes you want to not do anything. So once a week babe. You got this.
3. The rest should be at min 100 words: they can be just as simple as your reaction to a photo / video / a song / a pop culture phenomena that should not go unacknowledged. Or even a diary entry about your day. Either way, I don't want to give up on our daily posts.
4. I'm leaving the deadline as 11pm: but obviously the time stamp is flexible. So long as it's up before the sunrises and/or is made up, anything goes.
5. Our posts can be responses to the other person's post or it can be simply a comment: I think it would be a cool thing to simply comment on the post. Our emotions, how we feel differently, etc. It's a good way to feel like there's true reciprocal thinking going on and you're not alone with these stressful emotions -- and also to know that we are actually reading each other's posts.
6. If you feel like you don't understand a topic of interest as well as the other person, you can assign it to them at the end of your post: That takes off the pressure of having to find a topic.
7. This is a tough bill during college (which for me is in exactly two weeks). But can we try to hold onto this schedule for now? I know it's a commitment, but I'm going to be truly tough on you now: I really really look forward to your posts and it's disappointing to get on the blog and not see something up. WE CAN'T GIVE UP ON THIS. Seeing you post encourages me to post. Blogging shouldn't be a solitary experience which is why this experiment is so exciting and gratifying.

Blogging is definitely a selfish, Millennialist's project -- it's a presentation of the self, as if I, myself, have something worthy of being  published. Honestly though, I have a great fear of ever ever showing my chops off to the world. I am constantly trying to submit something to my school paper but I'm simply too chicken. I cannot deal with public judgment, and I have been infuriated for DAYS because of a dumbass Youtuber comment which had NO GROUNDS AND MADE NO SENSE gah what a dumbass that bastard was. So doing this is a great way to practice and really have a medium to at least pretend the world is at your doorstep.

Let's see if we can commit to this for two more weeks. Then I'll be in college (alone) and we'll just wing it from there. I NEED YOU DIANE. My real post (not this one) will be tonight.

Kisses,

Elina