I'm On A Blog!

I told myself going into this study abroad experience that I would create a blog so that I might better remember some of my adventures, thoughts and friends but also gain extra practice in writing. Its the most therapeutic activity I have here without a guitar and dog who likes to fetch. How I've survived five months without writing daily is a mini-miracle.

Ten reasons for starting a blog, right now:
1. I'm done with school
2. It's spring in Manchester, which means it rains 90 percent of the day, translating into lots of time spent in my prison cell of a room.
3. Within the past week I've discovered the Deerhunter/Atlas Sound blog and consequently opened my world to a ton of music blogs. I want in.
4. Within the past week my GF/BFF made a blog, so I should too.
5. I'm spending the last two months in Manchester watching a lot of TV shows online, reading books, jumping on the bandwagon of the NBA and NHL playoffs and seeing some good live music. All of this translates into good blog material (I should hope).
6. I will also be traveling a little more, which is always good to write about.
7. At UNCG I DJ at WUAG and write for the Carolinian, two forms of media that result in no true measurement or demographic of audience. I feel like blogging is a similar media tool.
8. I can be a little more uncensored and candid here than with university-related media.
9. I would eventually like to use this as a space to share MP3s if I can figure that out.
10. Blog-style writing is the future of journalism. Writers like Bill Simmons, Chuck Klosterman and Dr. Z make a living combining proper journalistic technique with humor and pop-culture allusions. Journalism has evolved with the cell phone, which used to be single-function. Because the internet has made information more accessible, journalism's main goal is no longer to provide information, but to entertain.

The name Gathering Wool comes from my awkward days in middle school. Even though I had no interest in communicating with friends on dial-up internet, my sister insisted I get AIM instant messanger. I scanned through the dictionary looking for a clever screen name (the great thing about looking like Minkus from Boy Meets World is all the free time!). At 'W' I found "Wool Gathering" which means to daydream. I've since used in it my Life column in the Carolinian and sometimes when I make speeches after I drink too much.

My second choice for the title of this blog was "Bloggy Moutaintop" and yes, that does sound rediculous. I came up with that name as I was singing "Foggy Mountaintop" in the shower this morning. It's an old Carter Family tune but the version I really like is by the Three Pickers (Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs) which is about as North Carolina as you can get. Enjoy for yourself:



I hope to be consistant with this blog and as always, I'd love to hear from you.

Oh shit, get your towels ready.