Why me? Why blog? Why now?

First, let me say that I like the idea of blogs. I read them, I find them useful, I have my favorites. And yet, I didn’t think I’d start one. I could see myself agonizing over each post, spending hours on it, trying to make it entertaining, funny, relevant. What’s more, I like being anonymous. I read forums but never post on them. I read blogs but never leave comments.

So why now?

A couple of reasons, which I will try to explain.

Reason #1. To keep in touch with friends. I used to be good at it, but lately I’ve been slipping. I grew up in Moscow, and I thought I’d spend my whole life there, surrounded by family and friends. Then when I was nineteen, we moved to the US, and I became Frog the Traveler, moving every 2-3 years. Pittsburgh to Baltimore to Boston to Syracuse to Madison to Boston…and who knows what’s next. Not only that, but my many of my friends move as well (to Ireland! to Texas!), Or they live far away to begin with. So what am I to do? Starting a blog might be just the right solution. I’ve been inspired by some of you, who’ve done just that (Jane, Heidi). It’s great to have a place where I can go and read about your experiences, see pictures, hear your voices. And even if I don’t leave comments, I still feel connected to you. Now I will try to do the same.

Reason #2.

Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.

I’ve always wanted to be Dorothy Parker. Albeit without suicide attempts, lapsed fiction career, failed marriages, and general heartbreak. What I like is the idea of reading books, watching movies and plays, and then writing witty reports about them. In other words, I’d like to be a reviewer. What strange is, I don’t even like Dorothy Parker’s reviews all that much. They are funny, true. But in general, I prefer the more thoughtful reviews (see James Wood or Keith Gessen), the sort that puts forward ideas, the sort that informs as well as entertains. It remains to be seen what kind of “reviewer” I will turn out to be. But I’d like to give it a try. I read a lot, and lately I’ve been watching lots of movies as well. On the most basic level, I want a place where I can tell you about it, and let’s hope it won’t be too boring.

Reason #3.

The Chicken or the shameless self-promotion.

I have a book coming out in the fall -- The Last Chicken in America -- and I’ve been trying to learn a bit about publicity: op-ed columns, web sites, stuff like that. I haven’t figured it out exactly. On the one hand I’d like this blog to be semi-anonymous. On the other hand, if it turns out to be interesting, I might want to link it to my web site (when I have one). I don’t know. I’m torn about this. Privacy vs. publicity. For now, I’m thinking of it as an experiment.

And on that note, let me conclude this somewhat indulgent introduction and get to work…