Hi.
by marinashifrin
“Hi.” is the third title I settled on. First, I wrote “Hello?” but then couldn’t get Adele’s “Hello?” out of my head. Remember when everyone was titling things “Hello from the other side?” I miss that internet. You know the one where trolls just ate away at your soul and not the soul of society?
My second title was “Hey!” but that’s too casual and upbeat. I’ve never been a casual and upbeat person, though that’s certainly the personality I work hardest to project. So here it is, option number three: Hi. For the sake of blowing the dust off the mantel that is this blog, I’ll just keep it to that.
There’s so much I want to follow up with, so many stories and things that have happened in the four years since I’ve written. If I think too hard about what to tell you first, I’ll never say anything.
So for now, let me just touch base and say Hi. I’m not even sure if anyone will see this, but if you do I want you to know I’m thinking about you out there. There’s a lot going on and I hope that you’re okay. Also, how absurd is it to blog in your 30s?! Who cares about the heady ramblings of a sweaty chick in Los Angeles? Probably no one. But that’s the beauty of blogging, no one needs to care for you to do it.
Hi Marina!
Glad you’re doing well in the City of Angels😉. I would wish your Mizzou’s Tigers good luck this season, but honestly, the SEC should probably take a football hiatus until next spring. Like the PAC, Et al. All the other sport championships have been cancelled, so that would be the most sensible path to take, in my humble opinion. It’s a bummer, but hey, isn’t everyone’s health more important?
Da Bears fans can survive without a season too, right?🤤 Glad to see you back on your blog and to reading your takes on life and this crazy world we inhabit !!
JB
Auburn Tiger
Marina:
Your emojis are different from the ones on my phone! Can you explain this?
Hey John, not sure about the emojis and I know very little about football, but hello anyway!
Hi. I’m glad to hear from you and looking forward to reading what you’ve been up to and how you’re doing in this crazy new world we’re in!
What happened to Marina? Vacation already😎?
Thanks, Dawn! I’m glad to be back in this little corner of the internet.
Wow, a four year hiatus! That makes me feel better because I’ve taken a hiatus that’s longer than four years from my blog. A couple questions: what made you return to your blog? What inspires you to write (asks the guy who is trying to plow through a memoir)? And what are you doing during this pandemic nonsense that’s causing you to be sweaty? Anyway, I’m glad you’re back. Maybe I should be, too. Say something to inspire me!
Holy questions! Mmm, in terms of what brought me back: I guess I was debating on either deleting this blog or seeing if it can still provide the kind antidote to loneliness it used to? It seems like we’re all a little lonely these days.
In terms of inspiration, I often want to write when something peculiar happens. I like to write things down to untangle the oddities that come with being alive and to see if my experiences or thoughts are relatable to others.
I’m sweaty because LA is in the middle of a heatwave and I don’t have airconditioning. Being relegated to the indoors is resulting in a sticky, suffocating mess.
Now onto something to inspire you…um…uh…well, I think each person is uniquely motivated by different stuff. But I guess my pep-talk would be something like, “Go write something before someone else does?” Is that inspiring? Maybe I should’ve ended it with an exclamation point, but I’m not in the mood.
Go write something before someone else does. Yeah, I should heed that advice, because I was working on a book project two years ago and someone got ‘er done before I did and made a big splash.
How’s the heatwave in LA? Philadelphia finally cooled off a bit today.
that was a wonderful surprise. I am not a big writer but remember reading your blog the first time I ever started mine. Peculiar times they are and a lot has changed in last 4 years. Stay safe!
So glad I subscribed so I could find this surprise in my inbox.