It was only supposed to be for a year, a year when I did something just for me for a change, but I kept on going… and going… and going. Although the plan was simply to write an occasional post about a random song from my past, it’s kind of grown arms and legs of late and I’ve being enjoying it all just a little bit too much!
BUT
1.5 years on
150 posts published
500 plus views per week
…… it’s definitely time for a short break as I have become seriously addicted – I’ve mentioned this before and the feedback was that as an addiction it’s one of the least harmful ones, which is true, but when it adversely impacts on the rest of your life it’s definitely time to indulge in a bit of cold turkey. It has now become apparent that I have let too many other things slide over the past year and poor Mr WIAA’s business (which I supposedly manage for him) is being sorely neglected so now it’s time to right that wrong.
I have tried the whole cold turkey thing before but this time I need to be a bit more disciplined, so if I suddenly pop up on your sidebar you have full permission to castigate me for falling off the wagon. My American Odyssey series of posts has led me to New York City which is a fine, if possibly hot and stuffy, place to spend the summer – I can indulge my fantasy of living the life of New York columnist Carrie Bradshaw in her brownstone Manhattan apartment. Failing that, it will simply have to be a summer spent at my castle in the Scottish Highlands (joke).
But which song to include before I have bit of a holiday? – An easy call actually as I have been trying to shoehorn it in for a while now but Summer Breeze by The Isley Brothers is one of my all-time favourite songs and it was included on the playlist I put together for last week’s summer solstice get-together in the garden.
Summer Breeze by The Isley Brothers:
This Seals and Crofts cover was released in 1974 and reached No. 16 in the UK Singles Chart. The Isley Brothers were one of the first black groups to form their own label and managed, with the help of early member Jimi Hendrix, to inject rock influences into their music. I have however just made a wonderful discovery – Jim Seals, one of the writers of this song, is the older brother of Dan Seals otherwise known as England Dan of England Dan and John Ford Coley fame. One of the very first posts in this blog was about the song I’d Really Love To See You Tonight which is also a favourite of mine (link here). Considering that song also references a warm summer breeze, I feel as if I’ve come full circle!
So “What’s It All About?” – Sometimes we need to take some time out in order to redress the balance in our lives. I think I probably spend a good 20 hours a week on the blogosphere and it’s a 20 hours I just don’t have at the moment – I hope to return fully refreshed in August.
Until next time….. enjoy that summer breeze, “blowing through the jasmine in your mind”.
I know I will.
Summer Breeze Lyrics
(Song by Darrell Crofts/Jim Seals)
See the curtains hangin’ in the window, in the evenin’ on a Friday night
A little light a-shinin’ through the window, lets me know everything is alright
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind
See the paper layin’ in the sidewalk, a little music from the house next door
So I walked on up to the doorstep, through the screen and across the floor
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Sweet days of summer, the jasmine’s in bloom
July is dressed up and playing her tune
And I come home from a hard day’s work
And you’re waiting there, not a care in the world
See the smile a-waitin’ in the kitchen, food cookin’ and the plates for two
Feel the arms that reach out to hold me, in the evening when the day is through
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind
What's It All About? 
Enjoy your well earned rest Allyson
Come back when you are ready and don’t be a stranger
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Thanks although I am going to have to be strong as it’s a very compelling little parallel universe!
I will of course drop by your place for the Bruce compare and contrast on a Saturday but will try and keep my comments short – Another reason for this “time-out” is that I do feel a tad foolish at times, not being a muso like the rest of you. I am however, as I keep saying, an enthusiast – It took 50 plus years but I now have a whole new musical world to explore thanks to you guys.
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20 hours a week. Really? Wow! That’s either some serious research for your blogs, or you are very easily distracted! Only you know the answer to that…
Come back when you’re ready. And bring a timer!
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You mean that’s not normal?!
Because I like to both “educate and inform” as well as share the music, I do end up spending far too long on the research when in the end it will all be condensed into a few sentences. Also my Wi-Fi is so slow that trying to convert and upload media is really tough and I need a few attempts – The downside of living in the Highlands. I’m going to just enjoy visiting other blogs for a while without feeling the pressure to come up with anything new – That should bring it down to around 15 hours a week!
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You’ve left us with a classic tune Alyson – enjoy your summer! (Mr WIAA’s work is great)
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Indeed!
Too many plates spinning at the moment and feel as if I am not making a very good job of anything (including the blogging) – Time to return afresh later in the summer with all this new music knowledge I have acquired from you guys. The genie is now out of the bottle so I can’t go back to being the naïve pop music fan of a year and a half ago – A good thing though so thanks.
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Ah Alyson, you know I completely understand! I too am impressed by the number of hours you’ve been putting in but I think that all the facts and background to songs, artists, places, etc. in your posts show how much research you do and I always learn something new when I tune in here. And please don’t ever feel “a tad foolish” (as you describe – no-one else!) – it just doesn’t come into it – I would hate to think you ever feel that way as it is completely unwarranted and I know I speak for others too when I say I always welcome your comments as well as your posts.
I’m finding that this short pause I’m giving myself is really enjoyable, because, as you so rightly say I’m “doing a George” and so I’m hopping about enjoying everyone else’s posts without putting the pressure on myself to produce new stuff at my end. So I’m still getting some much-needed interaction and entertainment online at least, as I would miss both – but I have a different lifestyle and need that outside influence. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the break too but hope not so much that you won’t come back!
Mr WIAA’s work is wonderful – hope that your continued marketing is fruitful, it deserves to be. Hope too that your work situation settles into a nice balanced groove after the recent changes in the office.
Look forward to continued interactions here whenever it works for you. In the meantime, enjoy that jasmine!
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I think quite a few of us are a bit at sixes and sevens with it all just now – Never wanted it to become a chore but of late, with the American Odyssey posts (New York is a killer!), I’m spending far too much time in this world and the real world is falling to bits! The restructuring at work, as well as the hot-desking was a turning point, and believe it or not I had an interview at our local college for a degree course! In the end the reality of the UCAS form which just didn’t have the drop down boxes for my ancient qualifications meant that I’m going to stick with what I know for the moment and get everything back on track. Yes Mr WIAA makes some lovely pieces but of late we’ve been so busy with other things, no-one knows about him! Sadly even here no-one knows about him as he goes by his alias – One day!
“Doing a George” does seem like a good plan for a while and glad you are enjoying it – All of a sudden you’ll get inspiration again however and you’ll be off. Something I’ve noticed recently is that I’ve not had nearly as much time for reading fiction and I think that’s partly why it’s becoming harder to write myself. Got to read a lot in order to get the words to flow.
I’m sure you’ll get back on the horse before me so look forward to visiting your place soon!
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Alyson, I’ll miss you! Have a fun and successful summer. Take care.
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Hi Neil – I’m not going far and your Wednesday posts are definitely on my weekly calendar. Looking forward to the next amble around the streets of Philadelphia already!
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We start writing these things, usually for our amusement, often to get back into the habit of writing, or to polish up long lost writing skills, or even to give something back to the blogging community we’ve visited for years. The problem is that once you build up a nice little following, you feel obliged to write more new things, more often. So, I know what you mean about wanting to stop once it becomes a chore to write.
You’ve asked me in the past for advice on blogger’s etiquette, so before you take your break, allow me to offer some advice:
1. Don’t let the number of visits your blog gets have any impact on how often you write or what you write about. You remember how when you learned to drive, your driving instructor felt you start to accelerate as you approached a set of traffic lights, and told you not to chase the green light? That.
2. If you absolutely must, check your stats every now and then; I’ll wager they won’t alter that much, as people will still drop by just on the off chance you’ve written something new. Those 500 visitors a week aren’t going to disappear just because you’re taking some time out. (I have a list of favourite blogs as long as my arm, and I refuse to give up on them until they’ve not posted anything for at least a year!)
3. And when they do, every now and then one of them will leave you a message, maybe just asking if you’re okay or if you’re going to post again. And you’ll be delighted that they did.
4. Now go put your feet up and have a well deserved break. Come back when you’re ready. We’ll all be here.
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Gosh thanks for this very comprehensive comment – As a fellow WordPress user you know how the stats work here and it is very tempting to chase the numbers once that graph starts rising exponentially (ironically last week was a particularly good week because of The Proclaimers documentary that was on telly and I’ve written a good few posts about them). As you say however I doubt if things will change too much if I have a few weeks off, so it’s a case of being strong – The family are going to have to be strict with me though or else I’ll crack!
Incredible how a seemingly innocuous hobby can take over your life (don’t think there’s ever been anything like it in fact) but it’s because of the interaction with other bloggers – Somehow in this little section of the blogosphere there is a great mix of like-minded individuals who because of music, have stumbled upon each other. I know nothing of some of the music you guys share but there is still enough overlap for me to really enjoy joining in. Like you however, I spend a large chunk of my day on a computer at work so to spend as many hours on a computer out of work is overkill really – Like you found with The Chain, it can at times become a chore and then it becomes difficult to execute, and not as much fun.
Thanks for the advice – I’m not going to be posting for a while but I’m definitely still going to be dropping by the other blogs I follow and I am hoping for a few more deep-voiced country stars in the SMCD slot! Have a good week.
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Sorry to see you go and I hope you don’t stay away too long. Thank you for your wonderful writing and choice of great songs. All the best to you and yours.
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Good to see your avatar pop up as I haven’t seen you around my section of the blogosphere lately and was worried we’d either bored you with our nonsense or something had happened to you! Thanks for the good wishes – I have perhaps made too much of it as I don’t intend to stop for long but when I come back I want to be a bit more disciplined about it and limit the length of my posts which have been getting very long of late. All the best to you too – Have a good summer.
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Enjoy your holiday. I hope we do get a bit of Summer Breeze… rather than the Belinda Carlisle alternative we’re living through at the moment.
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We’re all talking about winding down for the summer but somehow I don’t think any of us are going far. Like C, I will no doubt be dropping by the various blogs I follow.
Yes, but whether it’s a summer breeze or summer rain, I always enjoy drawing a circle in the sand!
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We all seem to get to that point, sooner or later. I can relate to your need for a break and getting other things done. Priorities can be difficult to manage. Blogging is fun, but very time-consuming. I can hardly keep up with various blogs, and at the end of the day our real life is more important.
4-5 of the blogs I follow have been expressing the need for a breather and it’s perfectly understandable. I don’t think the body was built to sit in front of a computer every day. New things pop up which means we have less time to be online. Variation is the spice of life, isn’t that would they say? Hope you get the important things sorted and can enjoy the summer as well. Thanks for your recent visits to my blog. Summer Breeze is a great song for this time of year.
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It is a difficult one isn’t it – Blogging is great fun but many, many hours are spent online which isn’t too good for the body as you say and of course other things don’t get done. There must be a balance that gives us the best of both worlds however so hope I can find it over the summer! Will keep dropping by your blog however as I really enjoy the film posts as well – It was my monthly Film Group meet-up last night and we watched the new Whitney Houston documentary. Another tragic story from the world of pop but a good movie.
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Hope you find the right balance of real world and online world. I tried “liking” your comment, can’t for some reason, probably it’s an issue my end.
The new Whitney Houston doc I’m curious to see, a tragic story and a great voice. These big pop stars often seem to leave us too soon.
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Indeed and I have just finished watching the Karen Carpenter doc on YouTube – I tried the Superstar one with the barbie dolls (very odd) but then went for Close To You which I have seen before, but after the Whitney film, thought of it again.
Yes the interface between WordPress/Blogspot can be quite tricky but thanks for dropping by.
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