Bye Bye Google Reader

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

As a Google Reader user myself I am pretty bummed out that, starting Monday, it will be out of service. Finding a replacement has been frustrating, cause let's face it, nothing is exactly like it. Google searches will bring up blogs upon blogs of people's recommendations, so no need for redundancy here. I will, however, share which ones I have tried out and which ones you should be able to follow this blog on.

Bloglovin so far has been easy to use. I think it will become my permanent replacement of Google Reader. What makes it different, though, is rather than reading the posts on the Bloglovin site, it will open the post in a new tab, directing you to the actual blog. I guess this is good, as you can see the design of the blog and interact more easily. If you're into that...

I've also tried out Feedly.com which also has its pros and cons. Other than just transferring my subscriptions from Google Reader, I haven't found a way to follow this blog on Feedly.

So those are my rather simple thoughts on the matter. And maybe, just maybe, this whole blog entry was so that I could paste the Bloglovin link. If you're still reading, thanks! If you've come this far with me I'm sure you'll find a way, in spite of Google Reader's failure to us all.

Expelliarmus!

Into the Pensieve

Sliding onto the smooth wooden bench; my back straight, shoulders back, chin up. The wooden cover clapped together as I folded it back, exposing the rows of black and white keys. The hollow vibrations of the strings echoed and hummed in anticipation. The music sheets, browned from wear and age slipped onto my lap as I picked through them. I found what I was looking for and spread the sheets across the music stand in front of me, overlapping each one in order to fit them all. Gently, my fingertips rested on the cool ivory keys. My foot found the pedal and for a moment I wait. The sweetness of the wood mixed with a mustiness that spoke of time and use. A moment is all I needed, before I pressed the keys to produce a beautiful soul-binding sound. In that moment I would wait, my fingers resting, preparing to take the plunge. A deep breath and I’d close my eyes.

At the time I could not have said why. But now I have come to know that moment well. The moment before I create, before I pour my heart into whatever I am doing. The moment before I know a piece of my soul is about to have a physical representation, something that can be seen or heard.

Joy and possibility, nerves and excitement, a moment of peace and turmoil. Then the moment was gone and my fingers laid into those keys, the notes resonating within me.  What it sounded like didn’t matter, what other’s thought was of minor note. Lost in the moment, bound for a moment with the artistry of a true master and creator, I was in another realm.

My first journey on the roads of art and expression, and the beginning of discovering something I would never be able live without. A second language; the language of souls.

Why Blog?

Writing has always been something I’ve loved doing. However, as my biggest critic, I don’t believe that my “hobby” of writing will ever amount to anything. But there is a small, tiny, little spark nestled within me that hopes I can write something that will inspire someone, or at least make them smile.

This is not to say I haven’t dreamed of writing a best selling novel but reality can be harsh [even harsher in my mind]. If you know me at all, you’ll know that I tend to be a little reserved, more than a little awkward, and quite the introvert. For me, writing is my best form of communication. I’m not saying that I am a great writer by any means, but in terms of communicating, it is easiest for me to share my thoughts in written form. Particularly when I can post it on this blog and pretend that no one reads it. [who knows...]

My fear and own self criticism has kept me from pursuing and accomplishing many of my goals and dreams. From a young age it was a dream of mine to study at Stanford [apparently when I dream, I dream big]. When it came time to request applications I, of course, requested one from Stanford. I poured over the brochure and application, meticulously filling out every detail. When it came to the essay portion, I choked. I knew that whatever I wrote would not be good enough, and with one rejection letter all of my hopes and dreams would be finished [I may have a dramatic flare...shhh] Instead of taking a leap and trying, I just didn’t do it. I justified it by saying that I didn’t want to waste money. After all it is an expensive application to submit just to be rejected...

Allowing myself to fall into defeat, I only submitted one college application and that was to Payap University, 20 minutes from my house. Now, I’m not sharing this because I regret that decision. Truly I love my life and where I am at now, and all of the experiences I was able to have because of that decision. What I regret is how easy it was for me to doubt myself and give up so easily on my dream. This will be an ongoing struggle for me, but is one I am choosing to continue fighting. If I do that by sharing my thoughts once a week on the internet, then that’s what I’m going to do.

I want to believe that I am capable of so much more, as well as inspire others, inspire my son, to work hard and fight for what they want.

Or as Rowling would put it:

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live”

Yours Truly,

Kara