"About Me"

(Warning:  Extremely long post ahead.  Hey! Give me a break.  I've been gone awhile and I have a lot to say!)

Some time ago I added an "about me" link in my blog.
Then I deleted it.
Why?  Because I was so worried that I might offend someone.....starting with the very first line.
That very first line went like this......
"No.  I am not a mommy blogger.   I am a mid-life, menopausal woman."
It was a line that was (a) sure to discourage readership and (b) take a swap at mommy bloggers.
Oh, I don't really have anything against mommy bloggers.
I read many of their blogs.
I was just ticked off because it seemed that mommy bloggers had no use for the likes of me.
In the world of blogs it seemed you're  insignificant unless you have a child attached to your hip.

As it turned out it wasn't just the mommy bloggers.
It was also people in my age group.
Blogging, social media, and, for that matter, anything to do with computers seemed to be, well, to paraphrase, a stupid waste of time for the narcissistic among us.
I was at a dinner party once with a group of middle-agers.
When I mentioned that I was on Facebook one of the guests had no problem telling me that women our age on Facebook were all pathetic.  Ouch!  
(Yep.  If there were an Olympic event for snark, the U.S. would probably sweep the medals!)
Unfortunately I've spent much of my time justifying my presence on social media, blogging, and even taking digital pictures.  And as time has gone on I just got tired of explaining.  I let them all defeat me.
I stopped blogging.
I stopped because I listened to that "waste of time" argument.
I stopped because I started believing those people who were not engaged in the social media world were indeed smarter than me.
I also stopped because I figured who would really want to read anything I had to say.
Yes.  You read right.  I wanted to reach an audience.
I call b.s. on anyone who says they just want to "blog for themselves".  
If I just wanted to blog for myself, I'd keep a private journal.
I think on some level, we all want to reach an audience and connect with people who share the same passions, struggles, and hopes.
So, there you go.  I stopped.
And yet here I am.  What changed?
Well, this morning I woke up and did the obligatory ipad surf.
It's a normal routine...E-mails, Instragram, Facebook (yep I still go there!), Google Reader.....
And it was in Google Reader that I found the following article:

A Call to Action - for Those 50+ - Social Media is For You, Too!

I have been reading, er, lurking at this lady's blog for a while and have always enjoyed it.  
Today, when I read this article, something just clicked in me.
For starters, I left a comment on the blog.
And then I started writing this blog post.
I decided to blog again.
Oh, it's probably not going to be "one interest, one subject" type of blog.
It's going to be a mish-mash (is that even a word) of everything.
I want to tell stories.
I want to share recipes
I want to show pictures.
I want to share life.
I want to be really narcissistic and talk about me ;-)
It is really the only subject in which I am an expert.

So, in that realm, here is the new "About Me".......

I am 51.

I am a retired cop. No.  I am not offended by the term "cop".

I am a wife.

I am a mom.  My kids are both grown and carrying on with their own lives but that does not mean I worry any less about then than I did when they would dangle over the edge of the swimming pool at age 3.

I just recently became a grandmother.  I am going to enjoy spoiling her silly and sending her back to her parents.  I am also going to enjoy buying her all kinds of cool stuff like drum sets, playdoh, and any other toy that annoys parents.  Isn't that what grandparents are supposed to do???  I'm just keeping up the tradition.
Oh, and in case you are wondering, I am thrilled about being a grandmother.

I would like to teach high school math.

I am a registered Independent.  I have trust issues when it comes to politicians....and a lot of other things...

I love Starbucks.  It is the best product in the past 50 years.  Well, except for maybe cell phones and Burt Bee's Wax.

I like to take pictures.  Not just those cheesy family photos.  I like to take pictures of everything.  I am not beyond taking a picture of a simple glass of water if the mood strikes me (and there's a story behind it).

I have become a dog person in my old age.  Didn't care for dogs too much when I was younger.  But I do enjoy two of my "best friends" cuddling on the couch next to me every night.

I like wine.   Red or white.  It really doesn't matter.

I hate August.  Yes. I hate a month of the year.  Why?  I live in Arizona.  Does anyone need to ask???

I love, love and love Christmas.  I love to decorate. I love to bake.  I love to sing Christmas songs.  I love to shop.  Yep. I love everything about it.  Well,  except for wrapping presents.  I don't like that too much.

I like to crochet.  It's relaxing.  This is another thing I have to spend a lot of time defending....along with scrapbooking, taking photos, needlepoint, baking, etc.  A waste of time and money (sound familiar?).

I eat carbs (gasp!) and enjoy every single morsel!  I could eat chips and salsa as a meal everyday.  I know....really bad for me.  hmmm.

I hate working out.  But I do it.  Almost everyday.  And I will admit that I feel much better when I do.  Or actually when it's over.  I don't know if it's because of the endorphin (sp?) release or because I'm just glad IT"S OVER.  

And there they are....the cliff notes of me.  In case anyone was interested.  I bit less snarky than my original link and certainly not everything (didn't really want to write War and Peace here).

Anyways, if there is anyone left who wants to stick around, I'll be glad to "see" you.  I warn you the post will be diverse just depending on my mood.....As I said earlier...a little bit of everything.  Well, except for politics and religion.....conversations about those topics never end well.....