Blogging is ruining my life!

Someone. Please. Tear. Me. Away. From. This. Computer.

I think I'm addicted to the internet. I blame my job. You see, every morning I have to scan the major media outlets and find out what's making news that day. And if someone somewhere is writing something about the environment, it's my job to stay on top of it.

At first, I just scanned the national newspapers, tv stations and radio stations online. Now, I'm also trolling through blogs to find out who's saying what.

But I'm starting to feel like someone with a drinking problem -- the girl who starts with a glass and ends with the bottle. It starts with a glance at the latest entry in someone's blog and the next thing you know, I've just spent an hour going through their entire site.

Why are blogs so compelling? How can we be captivated by the ramblings of complete strangers? Is it weird that I'm writing this on a blog of my own without a shred of irony? And why are you reading this anyway?

I like blogs. I like blogging. I like their immediate nature and the public discourse they generate. Politics makes my blood boil sometimes and that's why I like reading Paul Wells' blog. It's a small, sometimes gossipy, window into the news behind the news on Parliament Hill. (Would be a better site without his boring jazz references though. What kind of sicko listens to just one musical genre?)

I also feel a kinship with people who are concerned about the future of the world with George W. at the helm of the United States. So I click onto Bill Doskoch's blog because he culls good stuff about U.S. politics and blogging and journalism that generally fits in with my world view.

And because I read an article about him in the Globe and Mail, I've been reading the Accordion Guy's blog too. I've never met this guy but for some strange reason, I find his life interesting. I've also been enjoying On The Fence. I could go on. And on.

So, does all this make me a voyeur? An exhibitionist? Probably a bit of both.

But I'm also a news junkie, a pop culture addict, a voracious reader (of everything, including the cereal box). I'm fascinated by people and the horrible, wonderful, scary, funny, interesting things that they do. And I use the internet to find out what they're up to.

Yeah, it's a machine, it's impersonal, it's screwing up our ability to have face-to-face conversations, blah, blah, blah. But it's real flesh and blood people that are writing and reading this stuff on the other side of the screen.

That said, I'm going to take a break from blogging for a few days. I'm heading up to Muskoka with some friends on Thursday for a nature fix. Sort of. Muskoka's more like Toronto without the skyscrapers and the concrete. But it'll do. I'm looking forward to spending New Year's in a quiet place where I can see the stars and pass out drunk in a snowbank.

Then I'm flying back to Vancouver. Thanks for reading. Or fuelling my addiction. I'll be back in 2005.

Sarah