Gasp! by Laura Axelrod

Going Forward

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve spent much of this year reviewing what I might do with this blog. The first incarnation of Gasp! began in 2002, at a different URL and server. I thought I could become more comfortable writing prose if I started a blog. I remember being somewhat shocked when I saw people visiting my site. It sounds silly, in hindsight.

Through that incarnation, I met many cool people throughout the country. They were from all walks of life: soldiers, teachers, law students, and teens. My visitors were conservative and liberal, evangelicals and atheists. Oftentimes back then, I found New York City to be stifling. I only knew people who thought like I did. Blogging widened my horizons. For me, it was creatively stimulating.

I miss that.

Over the weekend, I caught bits of an online conversation. People were talking about when to quit a blog and start a new one. I’d rather not quit this site right now. I definitely thought about doing it, especially since it’s going to undergo a complete overhaul. The topics will change. But I think theater has informed my writing. So there’s no point in starting again with a completely clean slate.

A few notes about going forward:

• As I’ve said earlier, I’m blogging about theater at the Clyde Fitch Report. It’s a bimonthly column.
• I will be including more book notes. These little memos will feature new books that have caught my interest. Book notes will not be full reviews.
• I’m also going to talk more about my own writing process. That’s something I’ve kept off the net. I’m a more private person than I used to be. So it sort of pains me a bit to write about my work on the blog. I’m forcing myself as a personal growth exercise. Plus, it will be good for people to know that I’m actually writing. For real.

Back... Again

Once again, I've let time slip by without writing anything. It's not that I have writer's block, though I will admit, it was difficult after my Dad's death. I think it mostly has to do with wanting to revamp this space. My plan is to make it more dynamic. Since I'm busy formulating my blueprints, I'm neglecting the day-to-day doings.

 

So please forgive me... Again.

 

Meanwhile, I will post my book reviews from the past month. And I'll work on summoning up a few other thoughts as well.

Status Update

For those of you who were following Project 1968, you may be wondering why it hasn't been updated in a while. A family member was diagnosed with incurable liver cancer the last week of August, which was also the week of the 1968 Democratic Convention; hence my "vacation" from the Project. 

It will pick back up again shortly.  I apologize to people I've interviewed who are *still waiting* for the interview to appear on the site, and to those who were left with a bit of a cliff-hanger.

I Care, Honest I Do!

Since Joshua has 'fessed up, I will as well.

I do apologize for those who've been checking in on a regular basis. I'm not ignoring you. I have plenty to say about many things, and I even have a few announcements. But the thing is, the project has developed a following. And since I make at least two entries a day - sometimes as many as five a day - that is where my energy is going right now.

This isn't to say that I'm closing up shop here. Not at all. But I've had to scale back a bit here to give the project its due.

So... in the next few hours and days, I've scheduled some posts to pop up while I'm doing other things. Hopefully this will catch us all up, and then I'll resume my regular posting. And I do mean regular.

Thanks for your understanding.

Tap, Tap

I'm still here. Project 1968 has expanded a great deal - and in a way I hadn't forseen when I first started the site. Most of my time has been completely devoted to content, book discussions, responding to emails, the journals and diaries of the girls, and a slew of other stuff. Though I've been reading what's been going on elsewhere, I haven't felt connected enough to respond in a meaningful way.

The hardest part about writing the Project is that I have to live in 1968 and 2008 at the same time. It gets confusing. I've forgotten to pay bills and when I do write checks, I date them 1968. While I was conducting research in Austin back in 2005/6, I suspended my blog for a few months to completely immerse myself in the time period.

I don't feel the need to do that again. But I don't want to let a long time lapse before writing here. So please bear with me during this period. Balance is forthcoming.

A momentary lapse

I'm straightening out the rest of the domain issues for Project 1968. For tonight, you can pull it up here. Everything will be back to normal by tomorrow.

Yes, I Read Your Blog

I highly recommend Bloglines. It's a site that helps you keep your blogroll organized. With one click, you can read all your updated blogs.

It occurred to me that most people don't know I read their blogs, since Bloglines doesn't show up on stats. (Unless I click on a specific blog to comment).

That fact, coupled with Why I Read Blogs, may lead you to think I'm no longer reading your stuff... But I am. I'm still reading, trust me. The blogs I stopped reading probably don't miss me.

House Rules, Again

More and more people are asking me why I don't allow comments on Gasp. Longtime readers will remember the problems I've had before with allowing comments. I'm not going to rehash them here. Those experiences, coupled with my recent issues with comment spam, have forced me to disallow that option.

But... I also miss the dialogue. A number of you have chosen to talk to me via email, and I've enjoyed getting to know a number of you. Unfortunately, emails limit conversations to the "private realm" and I would like to have more give and take.

So, we'll try it again. Several years ago, after my last comment fiasco, I posted an entry called "House Rules." I'm going to repost it again, since it still applies today.

House Rules
I’ve been keeping a journal for almost a year now and I’ve never had to delete comments. So, to keep everyone honest, here are a few of the reasons I’ll delete comments and why I deleted a whole series of them this afternoon.

1) I do not accept comments from ex-boyfriends. If I even suspect I’ve gone on a date with you, I’ll delete it. There are a few exceptions to this rule, such as former paramours that I’m currently in touch with. They know who they are. If I’m not in touch with you and you’ve claimed to be my soulmate, know that I’ve already found my soulmate and you aren’t it.

2) Anyone I suspect is off the deep end gets deleted. If you’re wondering about your current mental health, please seek attention from a competent therapist. If you think you might be mentally ill, you are.

3) No flaming me or being nasty to others. Name calling is stupid. Kumbaya people, Kumbaya.

4) No threatening or stalking. Cyber-stalking is a crime, and if you scare me in any way, shape or form, I'll delete and take it up with your ISP provider and law enforcement.

5) Make your point in less than 150 words. Free speech doesn’t mean a free ride. If you have that many thoughts on a topic, start your own blog.

You’re free to disagree with me or others, but just know that when you visit my site, you’re visiting my virtual abode and there are house rules. I don’t think this is too much to ask.

Now, after reading all that I'm sure you know what some of the issues were back then. Hopefully there won't be a repeat of them.

Thanks, and have a pleasant holiday.

See you Tuesday

I'm taking another one of those infamous road trips. This time, I'm heading for the coast. Have a good weekend, and I'll see you on Tuesday.

Administrative Note

Posting will begin again tomorrow. Over the weekend, I moved to another region of the country.

The Official Welcome Note

The last thing I remember, I had just finished a 30 day train ride. It was the January, 2005. The train ride ended in Austin, Texas. Since I didn't know where else to go....

Everything has changed, and not in an abstract way. It's impractical for me to tell you about it all in one entry. I'll have to allow it to dribble out in a series of shorter pieces.

This version of Gasp, however, will not be a personal journal. In earlier incarnations of this blog, I kept a record of my daily life. Living in New York City gave my existence an air of importance at the time. In reality, rumors of that importance were greatly exaggerated.

But I'm keeping the tagline, for reasons I'll go into shortly. As I get used to my new writing schedule, Gasp updates will appear regularly.

And by the way... Welcome.