I’ve had a blog for 22 hours (and 7.5 of them I slept through) and I don’t think I’m going to be able to take the pressure. I think writing the memoir will be a cake walk in comparison to this thing. I awoke this morning to horrible, dream like thoughts of self doubt and embarrassment. What have I done!? I don’t even know what ‘Blog’ means. Is it an acronym? Better Leave Our Guts? How much do I write? What about my day is worth recording? I heard a piece on This American Life years ago about the phenomenon of ‘scrapbooking.’ One woman was so engulfed by her own project that she ended up quitting her job so she could work on the scrapbook full time. I think about her a lot. Well, I think about what her scrapbook must look like, now that she does nothing else. “Here’s a picture of me at the craft store, buying more paper!” It’s the forever-gazing-inward that sparks my imagination, the descent into madness that surely follows such constant self analysis. “Here’s a self portrait I made out of noodles today in the dayroom with Orderly Bill!”
Enough of that. Yesterday, I managed my first 500 words. I started at 11.25 pm and finished at 12.45 this morning. I won’t bore you with the details of the domestic nonsense that went on around here, making it impossible to start any earlier. But I did it and I have to say, I think I only did it because I told you that I would. So far, this thing is working. I pounded it out. My dear friend Beatrice (the novelist) Colin, told me not to worry if what I wrote was any good. I can figure all that out later. The name of the game here is to get all your ingredients out on the counter, then you cook.
Today will be a challenge. The boys are out on another school holiday and we are all in each other’s hair. I may try just closing my door discreetly and hope for the best.
Thank you all for the outpouring of love and support that you showered on me yesterday. It was a real treat.
Later.
Sara Pinto's Mind 
Please add my love and support to the outpouring. I am on the edge of my seat, watching you and your noodles. I have a book in some stage of ignore-ance, a children’s book about the history of algebra. Ho Ho! A memoir does sound like cake. What if you have to do real research? Where’s the time come from for that?
We love you all. Can’t tell you how wonderful it is to hear your voice, no matter what it’s saying.
J and K
Did you make the picture all by yourself or did orderly bill help you?
Just hang in there! You can do it.
Hi!
I Love it!
Do the words you write here count towards your 500? I think they should.
Miss you…..
Stuart
You made Tin Tin out of pasta, with a curly fro!! I love his face. I think you could illustrate an entire pasta face book. xoxoxo
Sara,
No that’s good, you just throw up some words every day that you find interesting and others might too. Blog stands for Web Log, blog is a horrible word for sure, but it stuck.
Good luck and keep it up!
This is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen, Sara! When I first saw it yesterday, on my way out to pull weeds (because I was writing and wasn’t sure what to do next either) all I could think of was, Won’t she be in competition with herself–shall I write? shall I blog? So that’s what I was going to say to you. But now that I’ve seen the site (because yesterday I was so surprised, I didn’t even figure out that you had a site or how to leave a message) and your next days posting, I think this is YOU. Or, as you say, this is Sara Pinto’s Mind! It’s all quite wonderful! Still, I have the nagging thought, won’t it be easier to blog than write? On the other hand, you don’t have a garden to weed so you might need to talk to yourself via the world. ~ love ya! and love your drawings/pix!