I don't write about work

Over the time I've had a blog, I know there have been long periods where I haven't posted. (Or is "blogged" the right/accepted term these days?)

I started thinking about it, and I realized that one typical cause of quiet periods is stress at work. You see, I have essentially decided that I will not blog about work. I will sometimes blog about how I feel about work, but I don't write about the work itself, and when my mind is occupied with work, it's often tough to put those thoughts away far enough to come up with another topic which is worthy of blogging.

Why not write about work? First, because so much of my work is confidential. Second, because I look at my blog as a way to escape from work. Third, because it's so hard to explain the context of my job well enough to truly communicate about it. In fact, as I write this, I realize these are the very reasons why I don't talk about my work much to my friends and family.

So, my entry on May 2, 2007 entitled "Paralyzed in the Swamp" was not really about work. It was about how I felt at the time. In fact, I think the closest I ever got to writing about my work was "Second-Hand Swearing." Even then, the topic was really about how work -- and more importantly people with whom I work -- was affecting me.

I think I'll continue this restriction in my new blog. It's worked pretty well. True, sometimes it leads to quiet times. But in the end, I think that's better.