Tomorrow is the third anniversary of this blog. When I started it, I had no idea that so many other people were doing it as well. Jen just got back from the blogher conference, and reports that there is apparently a blog pecking order, the bottom of which includes "mommy blogs." So what the hell are the other people blogging about? Sure, there are political blogs, music blogs. corporate blogs, PTA blogs, and shoe blogs... but what else? A random stroll through other blogs doesn't reward me with much, except possibly some insight into how the english language is mutating before our eyes. Maybe I'm just getting old. Anyway, despite all of this, Jen had a fun time. She'll write about it soon. A lot of people who attended the conference were writing about it right then and there on their laptops. I'm still to much of a luddite at this to be able to keep up with all of the technological advances and what they have to offer me, but I'm content for the time being...

It would seem that people who are so ready to discount a whole group of blogs based the fact that the writers are mothers are missing the point entirely. Mothers don't get paid, work long hours, and are already almost completely discounted by society at large. But the job is much more important than any corporate or political job out there. Much more real too. Remember, personal is political. If you want to change the world start at home. How better to do this than parenting? How better to spread the word than blogging about it? How better to connect with fellow parents than sharing the day to day frustrations of an oftentimes seemingly thankless task? Mothers who blog are very punk rock- discounted by the mainstream but very full of insight and content, with strong community ties. I seem to remember from a sociology class that this can be explained by "conflict theory", which states that people will band together and form stronger ties when they are attacked from outside their borders. Okay, now I'm rambling...

Also, until relatively recently history has been interpreted for us by "authors", "documentarians", and "official biographers". Because of this, world events have been filtered through the minds (political leanings, agendas, and personal opinions) of a relatively small number of people. This is no longer the case. The well-connected and the wealthy no longer have a monopoly on things. Just about anybody can enter the fray. Sure, a lot of it is still crap, but at least we'll be left with a broader perspective. Crap can be used as compost, after all. People everywhere can now publish their journals on the internet and leave records of their personal struggles (or lack thereof) for all to see. The distinguished elite no longer have a stranglehold on fame. The guy who delivers your newspaper or pizza probably has a blog. Centuries from now (unless things change drastically) there will still be a record of this. Imagine feudal Europe as seen through the eyes of a serf. There you have it.

That's why I do this. Hell, I would probably forget a lot of life's little details if I couldn't rummage through my archives now and then. My brain is full. May I be excused?