It's been a slightly bleak time since I posted in July of 2025 thinking I would get back to writing and posting here. Blogging is, of course, an outdated idea and nothing that the cool people do nowadays. I don't have a substack, wouldn't dream of thinking my thoughts fit there. Neither would I work on IG or tiktok since I'm more of a written person media - even if I like my photos that I make into cards, calendars or printed gifts for friends and family.
Nope, I like the blogger format since it is what I did for a long time. It allowed some interaction. And also, maybe most importantly?, it wasn't in your face. It's something that people would look for and find. Or have as a bookmark. It's not the push information the same way most social algorithms work nowadays.
Those algorithms spill into how my family and friends communicate with me. And it's taken me some time to see and really feel the difference between those "who aren't on any social media" and those "who are on a lot/work with algorithms IG/tiktok/others". My friends without social media write me texts and emails. Then write questions, and tell stories about themselves in context. They share photos in the photo albums we share with eachother in private.
Others only reach out when they need support with questions - "can you tell me where you stayed in Paris for the best hotel location", "I wanted to check if you have a subscription to this paper" etc. It's not malicious. They just post a lot of their stuff on social - as influencers do - and it's left up to me to take their information/posts and then turn it back into conversation/comment.
I get it, I really do. It's not malicious. But it is making it more difficult to have a connection that feels private/personal/worth special.
Not to worry. I see the irony of me writing this blog post after 6+ months and having a smaller complainy rant about "my friends don't write me, they post themselves on social".... but that is not my point. My point with this is that I feel that this writing here, is getting back to basic where it's someone who looks for the posts and will read them if interested. It's not getting posted to blast. It's not in your face. It's almost like the old Loesje (still exists loesje.org) where you looked for it, and it popped up somewhere on a lightpole in your city, but it wasn't all there all the time and easy finding.
Anyhow, I have taken a couple of months to contemplate what would make my life better and journaling is making a come back. With that I've also realized that I miss forcing myself into writing shorter, more succinct pieces and diverse pieces. While I have journaled my feelings and stories over the years (hand writing in a bound book next to the bed) and always felt enjoyment of that, I have also enjoyed free writing blog posts and fiction pieces on the computer. I've also liked the article format for work, and "more old school formal" formats. It's not something I have done regularly that last couple of years. I lost some of it during covid years. And now it's over 5 years ago so it's not really right to keep it as an excuse.
Mainly though, it's a promise to myself to do something for me. A hobby if you like. Something that makes me both uncomfortable (putting myself out there) and happy (writing freely) while keeping an option to connecting to someone and not only keeping a journal at home which only I write and read. It's a great way to sort out myself and my thoughts. And after that, an old school blog post is a good way to proceed with honing in on the message.
(And yes, looping back to the header - measles and lots of other diseases will come back in 2026 in the USA since the vaccine recommendations are pulled back due to science not being a factor anymore. "Because I say so" seems to be the running idea of Health recommendations. It will not end well.)
