To Blog or Not To Blog...

That is the question. Some days I have LOTS of thoughts. And when I say LOTS I mean so many I can't keep them organized. If I feel it coming on early I carry index cards in my back pockets to put them on. Each index card is a category and I go from there. I would color code too if the pens would fit in my pockets. I no longer wonder why my back pockets seem to be the first things to wear out on pants. Front Right - Badge clipped in the right corner then tucked inside my pocket. Keys have shifted from hanging on the badge to actually putting them in my pocket because the loop won't stay snapped on my badge. Back Right - cell phone pocket. Add to that ink pens and index cards as needed. Back Left - "the mouse in my pocket". I have a radio that the office can call me on if needed. I have learned to tune out the voices until I hear "Deckinga", but sometimes the voices startle those I'm around. Honestly the conversations on there are pretty darn funny. I have faced my fear of being in the "echoing office" when I'm being radioed. It's happened twice now, and I've learned to finish quickly or hold it until next opportunity. Front Left - That one has stayed pretty empty, except when I need to carry change because I can't handle the chocolate void in my room. Though I HATE the prices in the vending machines so I have to be pretty desperate to pay them.
When I have these thoughts I really do use my filter. 1. Are these just inside thoughts or is there an audience for them? I would say 90% are inside thoughts. Aren't you glad? 2. If they are outside thoughts - how much material is there? Really there, and not total rambling. 3. If it's a one liner it goes to the Facebook post. If I remember it long enough to post it to Facebook. 4. If it's more than a one liner, is it worth a whole blog post. If it, is it usually stays in my head until I've developed it enough to be almost final draft mode. Back to #2 - some times total rambling on the blog is fun. I'm still tickled at last summers rambling about being a TEKS based family. Rambling leads to some pretty funny stuff!
My head has been filtering tons of thoughts all night while reading my rather extensive blog list. Cleared this morning and came home to 57 posts. Usually I'm ok with 57 posts. They're all usually pretty good. Here's where I get concerned - when I see a blog post 3 times in the course of my school day. Really? You had 3 posts worth? Why don't you save 2 for a sick day or something. There was one that posted 17 times in 2 days. WTHeck?!?!?!?! I deleted all the posts from my read list and didn't read any of them. I really feel that if you post that frequently it's not quality work. Most of the time I'm right - it's a repost. "Oh! Look at so and so's blog!! Isn't she wonderful?" Honestly you and about 50 other reposters have just posted the same post. Some times I will see the same unique idea posted on 20 blogs. One blog has been getting heavy traffic based on a post that is over a year old. I just laughed. My solution to sharing really great posts - I post them as a link on my Facebook page. Add a one liner if needed - ok it's always needed because I have to tell people if I love it or if I LOVE IT!
A friend of mine was talking about Facebook posts. She said she had to delete some people because they post 20 times a day and it's the stupid stuff. "Little Johnny went poo - poo in the potty!" Followed by a whole string of "Yeah Little Johnny!!" and "Way to go buddy!!". Of course that post is an hour after the one that reads "Little Johnny ate all his fruit, and drank a whole cup of juice!" with the replies of "What a big boy!!!" "Must be growing!". Honestly if you feed Little Johnny he will eventually poop. If you're not sure about it there's a great book called Everybody Poops, and it can tell you all about everyone and their poop. BTW - I'm so getting this book for the echoing office (yes you have to click on the link to laugh with me)! Please people - no one wants a play by play of your day.
The lesson of the day is to filter your thoughts - PLEASE FOR THE SAKE OF PETE!!!! FILTER YOUR THOUGHTS!!!! (Thank you to Andrea for the "for the sake of Pete!" it's my favorite phrase of the school year and I put it in kids notes every time they are supposed to leave the denominator alone. In big bold marker!) No one wants to hear your inside voice if it's dumb or offensive. Sometimes the one liners are only funny to you, and if you think they are universally funny share them on Facebook. Do not waste my reader on one liners - it's offensive to my intelligence. I expect undeveloped material on Facebook. When you blog I expect quality work targeted at your audience. Please look for words that have the little red lines under them. It means that you spelled the word wrong. Read through the text at least one time to make sure it flows and doesn't have random errors in it that disrupt thought (I correct 4 on my reread). If I have to turn on my teacher brain to decipher your blog I'm kicking you out. If you can't separate yourself from your text enough to do this, get a friend to do it. I'm sure they would be honored. And FOR THE SAKE OF PETE!!!!! Hit the enter key at least one time in the 10 inches of text you have written. Thank you!