17 September, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Anglofille turns two years old today! For the record, it’s pronounced: anglo-FEE. Or at least, that’s how I intend for it to be pronounced. If you say it differently, I’m not going to sue you.

Today on Anglofille’s big day, I decided I’d read through the archives from start to finish. It was quite fun at first to read my old ramblings [though the writing was pretty bad]. Damn, I was really feisty when I started, even more than now I think. After Samuel Alito was confirmed to the Supreme Court, I posted something long and rabid titled Welcome to the Christianist Republic of Ameristan.

Anyway, I was having a merry old time, reading along. Then I got to Paris. I read through September 2006 and had to stop because it was upsetting me too much. It wasn’t just what I wrote, but that I immediately remembered how I was feeling when I wrote it. So my trip through the archives came to a halt. Some other time, I guess.

This is a weird time for Anglofille to be celebrating a birthday. Over the past few weeks, I haven’t been much interested in blogging. The number of readers has dropped in half — it’s funny how people stop reading regularly if you don’t post everyday. Over the past fifteen months or so, this blog has really been all about personal drama, like a soap opera with some travel essays and feminist rants thrown in for good measure. I’m tired of that drama now. I live in London again, I have a stable home finally, I have teaching jobs and I’m working on my PhD again. I’m still kooky and high-maintenance and high-strung and a nut, but I no longer want to generate drama and chaos in my life and then write about it for everyone’s amusement. I don’t want to be self-destructive. I’m over that urge now, I hope. That kind of blogging (which so many people do) is really just about neediness and attention-seeking.

But here’s the scary thing — after living a life of such turmoil and chaos, figuring out how to live in a way that isn’t all about angst is tricky. How to write about that is even more difficult.

I feel a slight shift is occurring with my blog and how I approach it, which might be why I’ve had a hard time writing lately. In addition to the above, now that I’ve been living abroad for two years, there’s a limit to how much of an expat angle I can take. I’m still an expat, obviously, but it’s not “new” anymore. There are still a lot of cultural differences to explore and write about, but it’s not such a novelty. I also want my literary interests to play more of a part. It bothers me that my blog isn’t literary, because that’s a huge part of my identity. I guess I wonder if people will still read Anglofille if I go in a slightly different direction, but then all I can do is write what interests me.

So thank you for reading my little blog. I can’t believe it’s been two years since I did my first post. A special thanks to those who take the time to comment, because it’s nice to get feedback.

xoxo

1. Comments RSS | TrackBack URI

1. Lillie Says:

   September 18th, 2007 at 12:07 am

   All this time I’ve been “pronouncing” your name incorrectly

   I’ve enjoyed your blog since I first started reading it — and now I can’t even recall how I first found you.

   At the risk of sounding like Kathy Bates in “Misery”…. I’m your number one fan…

   LOL

2. Bob Says:

   September 18th, 2007 at 3:31 am

   I might be number two.

3. Anglofille Says:

   September 18th, 2007 at 9:38 am

   Awwww, thank you Lillie and Bob!

   Lillie, how have you been pronouncing it? Why didn’t I put the pronunciation on here for two whole years? That makes no sense.

4. Lulu Says:

   September 18th, 2007 at 10:35 am

   Happy Bloganniversary !

   I don’t read you since the very beginning, and I never ever comment, but I like reading you
   I started reading your blog when you were in Paris, not because I enjoyed the drama, but because I’m French and it was interesting to see your point of view about life in France. And I kept reading you because you write well, and it’s a way for me to keep practising my English Thank you for writing here !

5. William Says:

   September 18th, 2007 at 2:23 pm

   I can’t believe it’s been two years already! Happy Blog-irthday!

6. Sarah I Says:

   September 18th, 2007 at 6:24 pm

   Many happy returns! Keep writing. No matter what the content, it is always a pleasure to read something written by an intelligent and witty woman.

7. jen Says:

   September 18th, 2007 at 7:41 pm

   you do realise that just by sticking with it for two years, you’ve outlasted 98% of people who start blogs!

   my philosophy: blog for yourself if you want to be happy

8. Anglofille Says:

   September 19th, 2007 at 12:22 am

   Wow, you all are so sweet. Thank you so much. Big kiss!!!

9. nikoline Says:

   September 19th, 2007 at 3:20 pm

   Happy blog birthday! If you keep writing, I’ll keep reading. I really appreciate your thoughts, perspective and voice (are the last two the same thing? )

   P.S. The “Mrs. Dalloway” excerpt you posted awhile back left a lasting impression. To write about that which is literary is a true gift as not all of us have such a grasp on such things, and yet are hungry for it.

10. Anglofille Says:

    September 19th, 2007 at 6:04 pm

    thank you nikoline! more virginia woolf to come!

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