Why blog?

A good question, especially when there are about a bajillion other blogs out there, a million of which are about someone’s trip to somewhere. I worry that this addition will be like the 2006 version of being forced to watch next-door neighbor’s slide show of their trip to Disneyland. I’ll try to make it more stimulating than that.

So why blog?

For me there are 2 reasons:

1) Chances are I’ll be writing about my travels anyway. In a journal, in e-mails. I won’t have much time to write while on the road and this will be my way of telling friends and family that I haven’t been kidnapped by a secret band of Khmer rebels.

2) Hone my travel writing ability. Be discovered by publishers. Get famous. The usual reason people write blogs, I guess.

Now that we’ve established that, I’m stuck. How does this blogging thing work? Will people want to constantly read my observations on ice in Vietnam vs. Japan, or will they think I’m just navel-gazing? And, am I supposed to sign off with something catchy everytime like Walter Cronkite? (i.e. And that’s the way I see it, folks, JL.)

Gah! Too much pressure. I’m already freaking out about this.

*Insert catchy sign-off here*