“I’ve Got to Write My Stupid Blog”

Blogging, dan ariely, happiness, humor, lessons learned, music, reading, Teaching and Education, Wall Street Journal, writing 2 Minutes

I heard myself saying that to my wife the other night, and I realized it wasn’t the first time I’ve uttered those words.

It was after 9:00 at night, I was tired, and I had no idea what I was going to write about.

Unfortunately, that’s a fairly common scenario (and now you know why the quality of my posts are what they are).

Fortunately, though, (at least for me), for the past seven years, I’ve been able to come up with some blather to write about every day, for better or for worse. Well actually, for worse or for worst.

There are some days that are easier than others, such as Music Monday. Knowing I just have to find one song or something interesting related to the world of music to write about takes some of the pressure off. Dan Ariely has a column every other week in the Wall Street Journal that I usually manage to squeeze a post out of. Daniel Pink has a Pinkcast maybe once a month that provides fodder for my blog.

As many readers know, the WSJ often provides something I find interesting enough to write about, and occasionally I’ll share something that I taught in school that day.

Earlier this year, I was quite happy to discover the website Study Finds that offers quick summaries of interesting research studies, many of which have made their way into my blog.

I also read the Huff Post morning email every day not for the news, but for their “The Best of the Rest” and “Before You Go” stories, hoping their might be some story quirky enough that I can write about.

And then there are posts like this one, where a random idea pops into my head and I’m able to get a few hundred words out of it.

So while I might occasionally whine about writing my daily blog posts, it’s good to know that it’s not something I have to do, but rather something I like to do.

And the icing on the cake is the comments that so many of you take the time to post, many of which cause me to laugh, to smile, and to think.

Thank you for taking the time to do so.

Now it’s time to find a stupid photo to go with this post…

*image from HowStuffWorks (and a not so veiled reference to yesterday’s post)

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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111 thoughts on ““I’ve Got to Write My Stupid Blog””

  1. there’s that crumpled up piece of paper again, it seems to be haunting you! i have to say that this happens to me and i’ll bet it happens to most of us at times. you are not alone, and we are here, for all of it, just as you all show up for mine, no matter the rhyme or reason.

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  4. “stupid blog”? You’ll never break Ripken’s record with that attitude. Did Cal Ripken ever say, “I’ve got to play my stupid game”? No, even if he was sick as a dog, or even if he had something much more exciting to do that was worthy of calling in sick, ol’ Iron Man Ripken stuck it out and played on, with a smile on his face and a twitch in his eye. Eventually though, the stupidity of the game beat him, and his long streak ended. So hang in there. Don’t give up. Deal with the stupidity and don’t let it get you down. You have history to make.

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      1. We have to encourage him. I fear his spirit is flagging, and he’s entertaining thoughts of giving up. He only has a little ways to go to break the record, and we can’t let him quit now.

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      5. Lucky Charms is one of my favorite cereals. Be sure to put some green food coloring in your Guinness. But it’s too bad you’re a vegetarian, or you could celebrate with some corned beef and cabbage.

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  5. What would happen if you missed a day. Would you need to start counting from zero again? I read (or used to) a lot of sobriety blogs. I was always confused by alcoholics who felt that one reckless night would undo the years of sober habits they built. To me, that’s an interesting perspective. I’m sure at some point I’m going to have a glass of wine for dinner, but I won’t need to start over. I say if the blog feels like a chore at times, take a day off.

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    1. I guess it must be a bit of OCD that keeps me going. There are some days it feels a bit like a chore, but I also like the challenge.

      and I probably would start counting over at zero if I stopped…

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  9. I did the daily post thing until the quality suffered but then I got out of the habit. It doesn’t sound like you’re having much fun though, when the title is, “I’ve Got to Write My Stupid Blog”.
    Blather on!

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  11. Stupid blog posts, stupid photos, and stupid responses. I see a common theme here. Yet, you continue to persevere. How close are you getting to the record? For some reason, this makes me remember when my wife and I retired. Her system was to X off the days from day 1 of her last year. My approach was nose to the grindstone and not think about it until it was my last day.

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      1. Wouldn’t it be cool if somehow Ripken found out about this and joined you for the record-setting post? Hey, a guy can fantasize, can’t he?

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  12. The good thing about blogging is setting your own agenda. An agenda that varies from ‘sorry I only posted three times today’ to ‘Hi folks, I’m back after my three year blog break.’ And of course the other good thing is you can write about anything or nothing, thousands of words or one picture!

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  15. This is classic Borden Blather. It is genius to use the idea that you cannot find a subject for a blog post as the subject for a blog post. If it gets to you now and then, you can always have Quincy do a guest blog.

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  16. We no longer get the catharsis of crumpling up a piece of paper and throwing it away after we have written something atrocious on it. Perhaps Microsoft Word and other word processing software should install a feature that would allow you to virtually crumple up drivel filled page and virtually throw it into a trash can.
    I suppose you could print out you page full of literary dreck, grab it hot off the printer, and then wad it up and play trashcan hoops, but printer ink is expensive.

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  20. OMG LOL you literally sound like me every Tuesday at 9PM! Sometimes I struggle with every word (most times these days) and other times they just seem to flow out of me… I never say “my stupid blog” though because I’m afraid that will put something into the universe like I’m over it already lol I really want to keep at this for as long as I can (weekly posts). I honestly can’t imagine how you’re doing it EVERY DAY for as long as you have – MAJOR KUDOS!!! I always enjoy your posts because it’s usually something interesting, digestible, gets to the point, and something I new that I wasn’t aware of! 🙂

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  22. Pingback: “I’ve Got to Write My Stupid Blog” – Site Title

      1. I don’t know, I’m feeling rushed. And as we say in my family, “I’m not rushin’ , I’m German.” (Okay. Maybe I’m to only one who says that.)

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  28. Pingback: “I’ve Got to Write My Stupid Blog” – informative site

  30. I don’t know how you post every day. I am so random, posting only when I am struck by the great urge to share something that is (to me) important. So, I admire you when it’s 9:00 PM and you are able to write a post I enjoy reading. Thank you for that!

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  31. this is one of the most relatable posts i’ve seen on this site. but i hope you’ve had a great time writing this blog and continue doing it with the same passion! i’m new here but i’m sure your regular audience loves you a lot!

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  32. Great post. I like how authentic you are in your writing, and I can definitely relate to experiencing those writing blocks or challenges at times.

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  33. PS
    – and I tried to leave a private message through the contact page (it might not be set up for mobile or maybe my device was off)
    But here is what I wrote –
    Hi Jim
    Just wanted to send a private note and say how awesome it is to really look around your blog site this month
    I have seen you connect with Clive for a while (those tuesday tunes)
    Anyhow – last weekend I really had the chance to look around at your blathers !
    You have a such a fresh voice with your posts – content is so interesting – and my too post (after seeing a good number so far) is the product placement fat tire post !
    have a great day
    Yvette

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      3. Same here – trust me – but I started that one for a local group related to an area I volunteer with
        And if it becomes too much trouble I will shut it down – but so far so good

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