Trying times

Apologies (to the two or three of you that actually visit this blog) for being silent for a few days. It's been a particularly trying week at work - without getting into specifics, it basically revolves around issues of feeling under appreciated and being powerless (not to mention continuing fears about the economy and whether that's going to mean my contract won't be renewed) - and it's made me a mite dispirited. (For those that know me, it usually takes quite a bit to make me feel down and depressed. I seem to have largely conquered the crazy mood swings I used to suffer from.) I'm also falling behind on some of the extra-curricular stuff I've committed to (including a freelance magazine piece, which pays me some real money), so that's been preying on my mind.

Needless to say, three cheers for the upcoming weekend! Although part of is going to be spent working on various writing projects. I'm also planning on attending the Guernica Editions book launch on Sunday aft. at Bar Italia.

I'm also trying to figure out my relationship with this blog. I promised myself that I wouldn't be too upset if it didn't find a lot of readers since I was using it primarily as a writing-exercise tool. Still, it's not always easy to come to grips that one is mainly writing only to oneself! Yet I'm also not being overly proactive in terms of "marketing" the blog. I've told a couple of friends, but not many. I suppose what I really need to do is begin commenting on other's blogs, and perhaps they'll come visit me.

But it did get me thinking about the "types" of blogs that I enjoy reading. I've long been a fan of reading artists' blogs, particularly those that take the time and energy to craft thoughtful, intelligent posts. It's a great way for admirers to feel a little closer to the artist. For example, Pete Townshend used to have a kick-ass blog years ago. It was classic Townshend: intelligent, witty, confessional (maybe sometimes too confessional), and it provided a handy update on his musical projects. He'd even post the occasional video of him playing guitar, which was always a treat. I think he still posts a blog, but it's now under the auspices of the authorized The Who web site. The last time I checked, one to had to subscribe (and pony up some ducats) to access it, so I haven't read him in awhile. (I just went to check out his blog: it costs $50 to become a member! I love your music, Pete, but no thanks.)

The violinist Hilary Hahn has one of the best online journals of a musician. She's a good writer, which of course is a bonus, but the blog is a great window into the life of a working professional musician. She usually has some great travel stories - she used to post photos of the cities she's visiting, but she seems to have dropped that feature - and gives us insight into the pieces she's playing and/or preparing to play. I've read interviews with her on the importance of this type of outreach - she recognizes that the web is a good venue for her to promote both herself and classical music in general.

Another blog I've been reading of late is that of Toronto writer Rebecca Rosenblum. I stumbled upon it via work one day, and have since become a devoted reader. Again, it helps that she's a terrific, intelligent (and fun!) writer. It also reminds me a lot of Hilary Hahn's journal - providing a glimpse into the brain and life of an artist - but with a twist: namely that Rebecca (not that I'm on a first-name basis with her...) is an emerging talent, and that her first recently launched book is getting great buzz. It's been great fun reading her thoughts on her reviews, her readings, and her (sort of) celebrity, even the role of her blog. It's served a useful PR function too: I'm planning on buying the book. (I actually went to my local Book City the other day to pick it up but couldn't find it. Blah.)

Listening to: too many tunes to mention on my new 120GB iPod - nothing like a new toy to play with!
Watching: Hopefully two DVDs this weekend - Enchanted (the Disney film) and the new Criterion release of Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express
Reading: continuing the V.S. Naipaul, but also the new issue of the New Yorker (which carries a profile of Naomi Klein, who I once chatted with very briefly before a Don Ross show in Toronto)