Many (none) have been asking, “how was the rest of I-Love-Don-Week?” As I hinted at on Day #4, this I-Love-Don-Week ended up being the best …ever. By Day #4, most of the gifts had been received. I still have a few $$$s left-over from my gift card. Oh, and my wife took me out on Sunday for dinner (Zumba Grill in Birmingham, MI) and to a movie (Horrible Bosses …my review here). As anyone with 3 kids knows, if someone arranges for a babysitter and you can actually hit dinner and movie with your spouse, it’s more valuable than gold.
The Grand Finale (and I know how this is going to sound) was my wife leaving me and taking the kids. Pause. Pause. I mean, she took them Up North to visit Grandma and Grandpa and cousins and to swim, and fish. I had the house to myself. So …you can imagine the partyin’ I had planned, right?
I went to a blog club meeting. It’s a new club called Detroit Bloggers, and there were 50 or 60 bloggers from around the Detroit area and each was more fascinating than the next (no offense to the first person I talked to). I’m sayin’, it was inspiring and fun. And educational. Plus, deep inside every blogger is a “writer.” That’s what I want to be. Or maybe that’s what I am.
Last week, I went to an event downtown celebrating “Social Media Day” and there were nearly 1,000 people there. It was well intended, but it seemed to me it was more of a “singles night”. And I ain’t single. Anyone with a Twitter account and Facebook page can say, “hey, I’m a social media kinda guy (or gal).” Anyone with Foursquare can ‘check-in.’ Anyone can Tweet things like, “coffee …ugh …so tired” and double dip that same sentiment on Facebook.
Blogging is bigger. At least, that’s how I see it. Blogging is a written, outward expression of a person’s passion. My passions are (a) me and (b) American Idol and TV and I blog about it at spunkybean. I’m lucky enough some people read what I write. Truly …every time even one person comments or stops me to talk about what I wrote, I am thrilled.
Every blogging book says, “have blog, have money.” These books are filled with techniques for getting a million readers and making a million dollars. They never mention “passion.”
Meeting and hangin’ with Detroit Bloggers, as I said, inspired me. Everyone there liked to write, foremost, and secondarily they liked to write about that one thing that they LOVE. Or possibly it’s reverse – they love ‘their passion’ so much they want to tell the world. It’s a perfect storm …passion, writing, passion for writing, and passion for passion. And there were cocktails.
I met a couple gals who write about their running and exercise. I met a few folks who write about awesome things to do in Detroit. I met two people who write about the Tigers and Red Wings. And this one guy, I didn’t even meet, but we hooked up on Twitter and I dig his blog about being a dude in his 40s and still dreaming and still listening to his “inner rock star”, as he puts it. I dig that. I see too many dudes my age who’ve given up and bought the khaki Dockers and the bargain polo shirt, and they start tucking that polo shirt into their pants. What? Here …Kurt says it best.
Kurt Schwarz is a happily married man with three awesome children, living and working in Oakland County, MI. His mid-life crisis brought weight-loss, sobriety, and the constant pursuit of happiness by pretending to be a rock star. Now in his mid to late forties, he has decided to become a better person by improving every aspect of his life. He strongly believes that real men can be great husbands and fathers, yet retain their “coolness,” although his kids may not always agree.
I blog. I Tweet. I Facebook. I’m going to write multiple books. These don’t make me a rock-star and Pam Anderson won’t be texting me anytime soon, but inside it makes me feel alive.
Ahem. Did this blog entry have a point? I don’t remember. But the Grand Finale of my I-Love-Don-Week brought me face to face with passionate writers just like me and I feel shot out of a cannon again. I look forward to many more meetings.
Oh, and here’s the latest #dogsitting vid. See you this weekend or Monday back here on Don’s Ego.
Follow @donkowalewski and @spunkybean on Twitter for all the Don you can handle between blog entries.
OK, anyway. Here’s “my” birthday wishlist. Buy stuff for “me.” Thanks. (and for your convenience, I’ve listed it out so you can print and take with you).
It’s fun for everyone – especially Don. But I think we all learned early in life that it is better to give than to receive, so the real “winner” in all this is you..gif)
Don's Ego 