Rememorandom

Portmanteau is one of my favorite words.  I mean, juxtaposition is pretty exciting and all, but it's just temporary.  Now making a portmanteau, that's a completely different beast.  Takes courage.  Effort.  Mayhap an Elven forge and someone with wit.

It's been a long while, so a history lesson is in order.  The term "Rememorandom" originated in high school.  I've always considered myself artistic, and I've always enjoyed dabbling with the many different muses.  In high school I wrote a lot of poems.  They were awful and angst-filled, and I tried to capture emotions that I didn't necessarily have.  (I was lucky, I suppose.)  I wrote all kinds of these things, filling up a 5 Star notebook*.  In my young mind, they were brilliant.  They were things T.S. Eliot would be proud of, or maybe Adam Duritz.  I even created a GeoCities website and posted them on there, putting them out there for all the world to see, cause I knew they were powerful.

Then I grew up.  I went to college.  I matured.  I lost some of my artistic side as I entered Engineering School.  Rather, I drifted from poetry into something else.  In 2005 I decided, on a whim, to start a blog. I don't know why.  For some reason the word "Rememorandom" came to mind, and I felt that it was a good choice to fit my personality and what I wanted to do with my blog.

Remember:  I've kept a journal for so long I can't remember when I started.  I decided to switch to a digital format, using the blog as the source.

Memorandum:  According to Wikipedia, a memorandum is "a note, document or other communication that helps the memory by recording events or observations on a topic, such as may be used in a business office."

Random:  Sometimes a tiger will eat an elephant.  Sometimes a basketball will sink.  Once, I found a quarter with my name on it and there was no room for me in the Days Inn.

In addition to these things, a more focused blog emerged.  I began writing book reviews for myself, just because I enjoyed it.  I loved to read, I loved to write, and I loved to recommend good books, so it soon turned into something more public.  Now I receive free books from a few publishing houses (though I'd love to get in with the Big Boys), and I occasionally accept them from indie authors.

In addition to reviewing, I began adding original fiction to the site.  No real goals other than simply sharing output and craving critiques.  Maybe one of these days I'll be good enough to get a book written or something, but until then, this is my method of choice.

I enjoy the blogging community.  Online relationships are stronger here than on Facebook or Twitter.  This is why I continue with Rememorandom.

Lastly, I always get a chuckle when other bloggers mention my blog.  Most people tend to misspell my blog's name, usually putting REMEMORANDUM as opposed to REMEMORANDOM.  That O is important.  Without it, the portmanteau is reduced to two words squashed together and the randomness of my blog disappears.  When it's included, though, that makes a world of a difference.  Never underestimate a good portmanteau.