Meanbean gets a face-lift!

No, I didn't go get surgery....as much as I'm dying to look like the offspring of a tigress and a Ken doll, that's just not happening.

The blog has had a much needed facelift, with new layout, new colors, all that jazz that you can see for yourself. What you -can't- see, is all the fun new features behind the scenes that I get the priveledge to play with. For instance, I have this nifty little tool that tells me which of my posts is the most popular, in about 3,642,143.45 ways. This will help me to know what YOU, the reader, finds so fascinating about my little corner of the 'net.

So, what do you think? A good look? Did you prefer the darker purple/black look? Are you children running, screaming from your computer? Is it because of me?

I feel like this whole blogging thing is sometimes a popularity contest: Constantly checking rankings, stats, google pagerank to see just how I stack up against the Cool Kids/The In Crew/etc. I know that I'm nowhere near the readership of some of those whose writing I read, such as the Yarn Harlot, or Dooce, but I also know that I"m just as interesting, just as worthy of someone's few minutes each day. I think everyone who takes the time to set up a blog and maintain it deserves that. Whether we get it or not is an entirely different matter, and one that I'm having to learn not to take personally. The Vast Wide World doesn't know who I am, and I have to put myself out there to see if anyone even -wants- to know me.

Image from .ME

I'm realizing this is sounding like a plea for hits and comments, and while it sort of is, it's more self-reflection. The idea of a blog is a journal, or log, kept on the computer. You don't have to put it up for people to read, but it's SO interesting to peek into other people's lives. Some just seem to have a knack for opening that window a little wider than others, and it makes me ponder about the skills I have, those I lack, and those I admire in others.

I have noticed though, regardless of number of hits, readership, comments, etc, I still do this. I blog nearly daily now, and while it's always fun to have feedback and a new friend/reader, it's very cathartic to write each day.

I love the mental exercise, the action of typing, the release of thoughts and emotions, and the creativity that writing allows. Even if no one ever reads this again, I have here a little journal of thoughts, feelings, happenings, etc that I would probably otherwise lose in the black void that is my memory bank!