Whew, deep breath.

Oh yes, it's been some time since I've written here.

I'm sure most of you that know me assume that the abandonment hiatus was brought about by my inability to stick to anything. Normally you would be right but this time that was not the case.

I don't want to go into all the details, because overexposure was the problem in the first place, but in a nutshell:

I became afraid of my blog.

One night out after a few too many I posted a video on YouTube exposing a little bit too much of my feelings/life/circumstances. The point was to use it anonymously as part of a project, with no intention of it being seen by anybody who actually knows me. An incredibly flawed plan if you're not half in the bag/feeling hopeless at 3 am.

The problem was, my YouTube account is connected to my Facebook.

So, the next morning afternoon when I awoke I saw that said video was linked to on my Facebook account, and also reposted by well meaning friends. I instantly deleted it from my wall and later made toe video unviewable, before deleting it completely.

Now, I'm a relatively open person, but this was exposing not only my life but the lives of others. The exposure of those I care about because of my carelessness is what resonated within me so much.

I felt a sense of betrayal, but the only thing at fault was my own carelessness. Then the social anxiety set in. And even though my blog was in no way related to my mishap, I needed to hide from any sort of internet exposure for awhile which included my blog. I went back to posting on Facebook, etc, but the blog took a little bit longer. Looming in the back of my mind, me longing to write again but hesitant to take the first steps. The heartbeat thud-thud-thud of small panic whenever I'd try to push myself to write the words I'm writing now.

Sometimes, I get afraid of the world. I've lost jobs because of it. Panic strikes and I can't will my body to move from its hiding place under my bedcovers. I cringe if I hear a roommate walking about because that means I can't eat, use the restroom, without them seeing me.

Due to my carelessness, I've now learned that same feeling of anxiety can happen for me online. But, I've gotten over it.


And I'm back.

How to Celebrate Paddy's like the Man Himself

Are you bored with the way Americans (or, Insert-Your-Country-Here. I have a limited world view due to my lack of omniscience!) celebrate St. Patricks Day? Do you think celebrating like the Irish still isn't "authentic enough?" Well here is a list of ways you can spend March 17th just like the holiday's namesake- St. Patrick . 

- Go to an English pub, and drink English beer. Not to be a hipster or "ironic." St. Patrick wasn't Irish. That's right. He was English.

-Become a slave. Apparently the young Paddy found his way to Ireland via kidnapping from his wealthy English family's estate, and was sold into slavery tending sheep.

-Own slaves. See "wealthy English family's estate" above.

-Take hallucinogenics and/or develop schizophrenia. After all, it was the voices that prompted St. Patrick to escape from Ireland. And also, to return to Ireland.

-Persecute anybody with religious views that are different from yours. After all, there are no snakes in Ireland, and there never have been. Snakes were used to symbolize the evil, and what war really driven out was pagan beliefs. So, have all of differentially-religious neighbors evicted, then spread the word that ridded the building of cockroaches. It's the modern day, apartment version of the banishing of the snakes. Well, it would be if you made sure to kill a bunch of 'em in the process.

-Die, but leave everyone around you confused as to when March 17th is the accepted date of St. Patrick's death, but there are 4 possible stated years of death on his Wikipedia page: 420, 460, 461, and 493. It's possible they clear up which date is the real one, I didn't pay that close attention.

Of course, you could always cut to the root of the United State's version of Paddy's Day. Have a slice of apple pie while playing baseball. After all, the modern idea of how to celebrate St. Patrick's day has "almost nothing to do with the real man" and "was basically invented in America by Irish-Americans." (Luther College Professor Phillip Freeman).

Click on this National Geographic Article to find out where I got all of my information