My Maiden Post

If I had a penny for every time someone in my life has said to me “Andrew, you should have your own chat show/reality show/radio call-in show/column in Hello Magazine” I’d have several, several pounds. It’s a travesty that I’ve never been invited onto the panel of Question Time, too. And lately with all the twittering and vlogging and mirco-commentary that appears in the crannies and nooks of any aspect of life, some have been saying I should blog. This is, in fact, an idea I have toyed around with myself, ever since watching the cinematic masterpiece that is “Julie & Julia”. If you’ve never seen it, nor heard of it, shame on you! Based on true events, it follows Julie Powell as she spends a year cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s culinary tome “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” . This doesn’t seem like such a big deal but there’s stuff in it like boeuf bourguignon which is in fact quite a feat given that it involves a herb bouquet. I was thrilled recently that I cooked a frittata, which is essentially a chunky omelette, so therefore I respect Julie Powell’s efforts.

Julie blogs about it, whilst juggling a social life, a man and a job that involves being empathetic towards victims of 9/11. The blog collects followers and fans and eventually receives recognition by the New York Times. An offer then comes in to turn the blog into a book. Wowza. I would add here that I watched this film on a flight to New York, so it was all very inspiring and Nora Ephron-esque for me. Anything with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams in it is a sure fire winner to me as well, given that Meryl was in “Death Becomes Her” and Amy was in “The Wedding Date” and also an episode of “Charmed”.

So, why would this make me want to blog? Am I planning on going through Delia Smith’s “Recipes from Country Inns and Restaurants” over the course of a year and writing about it online? No. However, I AM a writer, I AM writing a novel and I DO require a creative outlet that not only can be read by others but that also offers the possibility of self-publicity. This blog is a marketing tool for myself. There is something heinously self-involved about blogging, I know, but you’ve got to get yourself out there. This is about helping my career, not my ego. What would the world be like if Justin Beiber hadn’t put himself on YouTube, I ask you? Use the internet to your advantage, that’s what I say! Be your own pimp!

I think the people in my life who have suggested I blog reckon that I would be funny at it. Perhaps it’s an opportunity to see me publically humiliate myself over the internet. But all publicity is good publicity. In life, I often find myself in ridiculous situations, and often I have a lot to say about the world. Am I a ranter? Totally. But this aside, I enjoy commenting on the everyday – be it my experiences, my career, a ridiculous circumstance I might be embroiled in or simply my obsession with the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” franchise. On a serious note, I work in the media, and have stuff to say about it – mostly, to be honest, positive. I suppose this blog will also chart my progression with my written works. As mentioned, I am halfway through a novel and will use this as a tool in charting my aim to be published. It may never happen – in which case I’ll just be a bitter blogger. A blotter, if you will.

Don’t know how often I’ll post, but keep watching as things unfold…

– – A