Upon further reflection...

In the past couple of days since I set up this site on a whim, I've been wondering why I did it. Why follow up this particular impulse? I've never been particularly tempted to blog (oh, odious-word-that-is-now-a-verb) before now. I didn't have a problem with it, I just didn't really see the point - I'm not reporting from within a totalitarian regime/humanitarian disaster, don't live a particularly exotic life, am only moderately well-informed and have never managed to keep a diary for longer than a few months. I figured that others just had more to say than I, or were more willing to subject their daily tediums to scrutiny, even with the fig leaf of internet anonymity.

There are millions of blogs on the ol' internet these days, and the musings of middle-class, 30-something American gals are not exactly in short supply. But perhaps the ubiquity is part of the answer to "why now?". The fact that there are so many people talking somehow makes it easier to create this little drop in the bucket. After all, what's the likelihood that it will get noticed? So, I can legitimately assume that no one's paying much attention, and use this little space for my own cogitations, even if they aren't particularly original or exciting ones.

Upon further reflection, I envision the Vroom Vroom Room as an occasional series of messages in a bottle, sent out from my isolated Thesis Island. They are really written for me, to remember that I have a voice, and any audience they find is entirely up to the winds and currents of Google. I spend a lot of time alone these days, struggling with the twin demons of procrastination and perfectionism, which together make a lovely recipe for writers' block. I need writing to be enjoyable again. With any luck, it will be enjoyable for readers as well - all three of you.

Welcome to the Vroom Vroom Room

Welcome to my very first blog post. I should state at the outset that this blog will have very little to do with cars - Vroom is a reference to my initials - although I did grow up around cars and auto racing. Alas, I have no mechanical skill to speak of, or really any interest in how cars work - the only remnants of my automotive childhood are a liking for offbeat vintage cars and a tendency to fall asleep at the sound of continuous roaring engines. So if you are hoping for ongoing conversations about cam shafts and carburetors, move right along!

I'm not really sure why I've decided to start a blog - god knows I'm late to this particular game. I spend most of my time "working" from home on my PhD thesis, so perhaps it is a plea for connection to the outside world. Or perhaps this will spur me to do a bit more writing of the observational/creative/political kind. We'll just see how it goes.