Nearly ten years ago, I had a book review blog. It was inspired by the particular boredom that comes from sitting at a desk, day after day, without having enough to do. My job was to answer the phone, sort the mail, and greet visitors, which meant that I was largely unoccupied but frequently interrupted. The philosophy in that time and place was that book and magazine consumption was of a personal nature, but staring at a screen was a professional activity. I was not permitted to read, but computer use was encouraged.

To fill the time at my desk, I began researching books and authors, determining what to read next and writing about whichever book I had just finished. Finding myself between books – and without a review to write – made for dreadfully slow afternoons, so I was reading prolifically during my breaks and in the evenings. A few months into this uniquely personal survival strategy, the collection of reviews served as the writing portfolio that helped me land my first marketing and communications position. When I changed jobs, I stopped maintaining the blog.

In 2009, my sister and I started a blog that stayed active for two years. We each lived alone, and we were cooking and traveling and spending time with friends, writing about the stuff that seemed interesting and going through the somewhat tedious process of digital photography six years ago (downloads and uploads, chargers and cords). It was a fun collaborative effort, and I still have friends and family ask about it, but continuing to post ended up feeling like a chore as our lives got busier and we had competing priorities. All 109 posts remain accessible.

So, here I am, at the start of a new blogging adventure. Coming up with a name for the project slowed me down considerably, but I’m happy with where I landed – and why not? The pajama squid is a peculiar creature – not a squid at all, actually – and so begins the metaphor, I think. This won’t strictly be a food blog or a book review blog, nor will it be a travel blog or a lifestyle blog. This will be a place for my observations and recommendations, a writing outlet with a purpose. I’m excited to get started!

Photo credit: Pajama Squid by pacificklaus (CC BY-NC)