Daily news, journals, blogs and lists

What’s a blog?
Many people have asked me this, and my simplest answer is “It’s a log (journal) you read and write on the Internet.”
If you have Internet access (and you do if you’re reading this) you can blog. Not to be self-deprecating, but think of it as “blah blah blah….”
As a lifelong journalist (both personal and professional) I find blogging, or “journalling” an excellent way of staying connected to my own thoughts, and through blogs, the experience and attitudes of others.
I hope that as this blog, Orcas Issues, continues, people will contribute comments so that we can have conversations about the things on Orcas that matter to us – the schools, our Seniors, business and the economy, ferries and border “checks” at Anacortes, affordable housing, growth and government, our beautiful and endangered environment, Camp Orkila and Rosario, Turtleback Mt. and Moran State Park, profiles of the work of our neighbors and entertainment and expression through the arts.

Lists and the magic of writing
There’s something magical about writing things down and in these days of year-end recaps (and hazards of driving in the snow), I think it’s fun to make lists – of books read, movies seen, trips taken, parties enjoyed, goals accomplished, lifetime ambitions, performances attended, proud moments, walks taken, miracles experienced and the like. The magic of writing lists down is it focuses our attention, and gives us a “big picture” view of our everyday life that forms our characters and our destinies.
In the next 10 days, I plan to consider the top stories that we talked about on Orcas Island last year, and the personal connections that make those stories so real to us.
Your comments have the ability to enhance this blog, as they expand the conversation and often provide more thoughtful insight into the topic being written about. It makes the blog content more community-driven.
I’ve just experimented with making a comment and it seems to only accept “anonymous” as a profile — I’d really appreciate you identifying yourself in the content of your message until I figure out how to get it to accept other profiles, which it asks for after you write your comment. Thanks for working with me on this!
Feel free to continue the discussion on any topic that is an Orcas Issue. Send your own lists in and let’s play “Letterman” with our Top Ten lists! I’ll start with a list of “Top Time-wasters”
My Top Time-wasters
vegging out in front of CNN news (especially for the second same hour)
driving into Eastsound instead of walking
rushing
gossip
surfing the internet