OK, I'm back but I don't know for how long.

I've tried to convince my wife to start a blog, but she's not interested. She says she wouldn't know what to write and that nobody would be interested anyway. I've been here for about a month and half and have learned some "truths" about blogging, although they're rather rudimentary.

The first rule is that virtually every person, on their first entry, states that they have no idea what to write, that they have nothing interesting to say, or both. And, for some, that's all they ever say.

Second rule - many people never post past the first entry. I guess they were really being truthful about not having anything to say. Or maybe it's because they hadn't really thought out well WHY they were posting. I know I'm still trying to figure that one out.

The third thing I've found about blogging is that most of the bloggers are teenagers and female. Occasionally I'll investigate one of these (usually at random), but I have to say that our lives are so different I can find almost no points of common interest.

I also find that so many of the teenage blogs are soulfully sad. So many troubles for such young lives, lives not yet ready for them. And so many on meds of one type or another just to get through the day.

It's refreshing to find one of these who I can connect with a bit, such as fairychild. We're still worlds away from each other as far as interests, but she does sometimes have something to say, something worth listening to, not just a rant or diary of daily happenings.

I've figured out that for most teenagers that's the purpose of their blogs. They just need a place to illustrate their lives, to express their feelings about those daily trials they encounter.

I suppose some of what they write might have interest to their friends, but mostly I think they write for the anonymity, to be able to say what they want without a parent looking over their shoulder. And if some stranger sees it, so what, they don't know them.

The fourth item about blogs isn't so much an observation as a question. What prompts people to start places like mindsay? Some of the other sites (much older and larger) have two levels of service, free and for charge. Most people take the free service (good thing, too, or there wouldn't ever be enough people there to make it worthwhile for those willing to pay to do so).

I suppose mindsay will eventually, too. People may do stuff for free sometimes, but they don't continue to do so when they're having to put out money every month for bandwidth.

When I started blogging, I tried to come up with some "gimmick," some thing where I could have lots to write about and not have to wonder what my writing should cover. Like littlegreenfootballs.com which specializes about the Middle East, and particularly Israel and Palestine. Constant new stuff there.

And I've tried this and that, a little of everything. And gradually I've discovered my WHY of blogging, meandering though it is.

I use it to chronicle my life, the interesting and the boring. I find that as I get older, there are fewer things I remember from any given time, but the ones I do are vivid. And I want others to know about them.

I use it to expound some "truths". These may not be truths for everyone and they may not be truths for some people NOW. But they're truths for me and they may be for you. So I'll throw them out, pick what you want from them.

I use it to communicate with my son. I find myself talking to him through the blog instead of regular e-mail for some reason. I think it neat that he and I can express our emotions for each other in front of other people, sort of a warmth-of-heart thing for me.

I use it to try and expose my humor. My wife says I'm a very funny person, my children told me they thought of me as a combination of Bill Cosby and Bob Newhart. So, maybe I do have some humor in me. I find it comes out more discussing everyday things, things I've done and my way of relating them.

Occasionally I've used it in a rant, but I find that less than satisfying. Railing to the empty air scarcely has the emotional release as doing it with a real person has. There are plenty of things in life I don't like and would like to complain about, but I'll try and keep it to a minimum here.

I've even tried putting some of my old writings here and, although there might be some interest to a very few people, it's not the right kind of media-exchange for that to work well.

I see that I've lost the thread of listing things about blogs, but that's OK. It's my blog, I can do that. :) And that is perhaps the greatest aspect of blogs. Whatever you want, that you can do. If people don't like it, they don't have to read it. If they're nasty you don't have to answer and it's easy to delete their comments.

I am glad for the kind words that I receive occasionally on my writing. I see some names coming back over and over and I count those as friends. Other names come only once, drifting through, looking for words of wisdom or maybe just gossip.

I have come to look upon blogs like rooms in a vast art gallery. Each of us is given a room, totally open to the public, to decorate as we wish.

Some people never get around to furnishing their room, leaving it dust-covered, an empty tomb of a possible life. Others do a minimal job, having other interests in which to invest most of their time. And then there are the others of us, those for whom blogging is more than a weekly or monthly remembrance.

People will drift through our rooms, bypassing some, walking quietly without a trace through others, finding some with comfortable benches to sit but for a while.

And there are other rooms with art that brings people back time after time, to enjoy and comment upon. Hopefully mine is one of these and will continue to be. As usher in my small room, I count these people as my success in the establishment of my room and I look upon them with smiles.

My wife is a good writer, she's an interesting writer, she has a lot to say, she's a teacher, and I've seen her spend hours e-mailing people, e-mails composed of a lot more than just "Hi, how are you. We went to the mall today..."

Anyway, honey, just a little blog to perhaps answer your questions about why you should have a blog. I can't come up with a single reason for you, that's up to you. And if you never do, well, you'll have more free time and I'll love you just the same. :)