The older I get, the more I look for markers of the passage of time. When you’re in school, the rhythm of the academic calendar provides you with important dates and milestones, but when you’ve finished college and are working, you have to come up with those markers on your own. I think these are very personal for people – birthdays, wedding anniversaries, etc. For me, in July I often think of the summer program I did in high school where I met one of my best friends – we’ve now known each other for nine years. In late August and early September, I think about moving to New York and starting my job. And now, in early September, I think about when I started writing this blog, just about one year (and exactly one hundred posts) ago.
I’d thought about starting it for months. I had a few blog post ideas and sample posts written, but it wasn’t until I sat in Washington Square Park and wrote about the end of summer that I was ready to start sharing my writing with the internet. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I started the blog in September. After seventeen years of school, it doesn’t matter that I’ve been out of school for years now – September still feels very much like a fresh start. I’m already thinking of what new project I should begin, now that summer’s almost over.
A year is a long time. I’ve learned how to be more disciplined so that turning out two posts every week doesn’t sound daunting, but I’m still learning how to craft the posts to make them more interesting. I’m still trying to make taking photos a regular part of my life so that I’ll always have something to illustrate a post. I’ve shared a lot of stories and outings, but I want to write better, to really take you with me when I walk through a park in Brooklyn or sit in a café in Manhattan or take a train along the Hudson.
A New York blog I follow called Tracy’s New York Life recently did a post on one hundred and one things she’s done or that have happened to her since moving to New York. I’ve done a number of the things on her list, and many more, since I moved to this city four years ago. I’ve written blogs posts about a lot of them. I want to keep pushing myself to explore and to take every opportunity I’m offered, because here’s the thing: New York is special. At any given time, the number of things I could be doing here is infinite. I don’t want my life to be ruled by a fear of missing out, because as I’ve said, sometimes you just need a quiet night at home. But taking advantage of things you can do or see only in New York is just smart when you live here.
So. A hundred posts in a year. The word document where I write these posts is nearing 50,000 words – I’m sure no one is surprised to learn I’m verbose. Thank you to those of you who have been reading since the beginning, and thanks to everyone who has joined along the way. Thanks to all the people I know in real life, and thanks to those of you (still small in number, I believe) who have come across my blog on Tumblr or the Toast or elsewhere and started following it. It’s a lot easier to get myself in front of the keyboard each week knowing there are people out there reading this!
There’s a couple of polls below, to give me a better picture of who you are and how you’re reading this. But please, if you’ve been lurking, take this as an opportunity to come out of hiding! Post a comment and tell me what you’ve enjoyed reading, and what you’d like more of. If there’s a place in New York you especially love or you’ve always wanted to go, tell me about it! I’d love to check it out and write about it.
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September 11, 2014 at 7:45 pm
Congratulations, that’s exciting stuff!
(Incidentally, and I feel a little weird about recommending this since it’s a bit odd, and really more about middle-age-marking-time than mid-twenties-marking-time, but I’ve recently been a huge fan of a song about, well, marking personal time with strange events. Look it up — it’s “Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes” by Sun Kil Moon)
September 12, 2014 at 2:40 pm
Thanks, Gabor! I’ll have to check out the song. I feel like marking time with strange events would be a lot of fun — like, oh hey it’s the one year anniversary of that time I saw that weird guy on the subway.
…I feel like there’s an XKCD comic waiting to happen here, or maybe it already has.
September 12, 2014 at 1:29 pm
I just discovered you because you liked my most recent post! I love finding NYC blogs of substance. I think I’m your newest follower! I also enjoy the blog you mention, Tracy’s New York Life. Congrats on 1 year of blogging, it’s not an easy thing to maintain.
September 12, 2014 at 2:43 pm
You are totally my newest follower! I just switched to WordPress from Blogger a few weeks ago and it’s been neat seeing a few people discover my posts. I actually started following you because a mutual Facebook friend, Arianne (she was my student conductor in college for a year), linked to your blog and I thought it sounded great! I’ve really been enjoying it!
September 12, 2014 at 2:47 pm
That’s so funny! Arianne is one of my best friends, I’m actually gchatting with her right this very second! She’s featured in several of my posts! http://newyorkcliche.com/2014/05/08/were-camera-whores-at-the-brooklyn-botanical-garden/
September 12, 2014 at 2:50 pm
She’s so great! I haven’t seen her in a while but I love following her updates. Tell her Sarah E says hi! :)
And now I’m totally going to have to read more of your back posts — I was planning to anyway but now I’ll have to look for Arianne in them!
September 12, 2014 at 2:52 pm
haha! I love this connection! Here’s another Arianne post http://newyorkcliche.com/2013/08/12/in-the-audience-of-americas-got-talent/
August 22, 2015 at 3:41 am
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for the shoutout! I just discovered your blog and I truly appreciate the B-Love. :)
August 23, 2015 at 3:37 am
Thanks Tracy! :)