About twelve years ago, this actor I met said, you have to check out my website! “Oh, okay, sure, I said.” I didn’t even really understand what one was. I didn’t know how to find one, I didn’t have email and I had a computer that was the size of an aircraft carrier. And I certainly did not understand why in the world an actor would need a website. The theeeaaatuh is a live art form. That’s the beauty of the stage. Whatever… cut to, I’m about to launch my website. The launch word; it kills me. I think John Glenn, I think NASA, I think the Challenger when I hear launch. What exactly does that look like? I have some friends over – dinner first, dehydrated food for space travel. We stand around the computer, donning bubble helmets, then my web designer pushes a button from her house. I picture the computer floating off my desk.
I’m like my mother when she got her first phone machine! But to some extent we do turn into them, don’t we?
And while I love the idea of having a blog, I’m conflicted about it too. Ida Dupont said to Andrea Askowitz; www.andreaaskowitz.com, “Do you think anyone cares about what you are thinking every day?” That’s how I feel. I am exhausted by my own thoughts – why spread them around cyberspace every five minutes? I read blogs that say… “My husband loves bluebirds” – ugh, so what? and “We tried this great asparagus dish last night.” If I don’t know you, I don’t care. Even if I know you I may not care. If I know you and love you, that could be different. If I’m romantically interested in you… Give me the asparagus recipe! I'm researching asparagus. God, I’m shallow. But of course I love good writing if it’s about asparagus, bluebirds or pretty much anything.
So, here’s why I think I'm going to blog. Maybe, hopefully it will connect me to people and I would like to be connected to new people and ideas and new art and artists; music, film, writing and business. I hope people will learn about my show, “Project Baby,” and want to bring it to a theatre near them. That said, I will try my best to keep my blog amusing and interesting. Maybe blogging will make me a better writer.
Truthfully though, having a website has been on my To Do list for about six years. Working on it was challenging. It forced me to consider what I want to put forth in the world. What kind of work do I most want, who am I, what do I care about and how does that translate through media? Oy vey. For someone who overanalyzes everything you can only imagine what it was like for my poor web designer. I am so grateful to have had the author extraordinaire Hillary Carlip www.FlyHC.com design and build my site. How lucky did I get? She is brilliant and has been so easy and delightful to work with and supportive. She always answered my questions kindly - all twenty million of them - and offered feedback and solutions and suggestions. Okay, so 10, 9, 8, put on your helmet, 7, 6, 5, thank you so much for stopping by and looking at my new website… 4, 3, 2, 1 ! Blast off!
