For some time now, I’ve been quietly pondering the death of this blog. In the past 3 1/2 years I’ve written nearly 5,000 entries and, to put it quite plainly, I’ve said all I have to say on most things I once cared to write about.
Which is not to say that my mental well has run dry.
On the contrary: my life has changed drastically in the time that I’ve been blogging. (For the better, I might add.) I began this blog when my husband was stationed in Hawaii and we lived in a tiny, xenophobic rural area in which I had little to nothing in common with people living nearby. I blogged then as a way to alleviate the social isolation that was crushing my soul. Now I live in a different tiny, xenophic rural area. I have much more in common with those living nearby, however, and rather than feeling as if my soul has been crushed I feel as if it’s grown more substantial, more solid. I am content.
During my earliest period of blogging, I was staying home to raise my then 2-year-old son, all but bereft of adult conversation until my husband came home after work. I worried my mind was growing numb, my wits dull. I felt as if my life was slipping through my fingers and I had neither the time nor the energy to take it in hand. Here, over three years later, I am staying home with my son still — homeschooling him — and glad that my days remain mostly uninterrupted until my husband comes home from work so I can focus my time and energy on the fun that my son and I have. I have gladly surrendered to living my life for my family, and never before has my life felt so blessed and enriched.
I suppose, in a way, these last three-plus years exemplify that old saying: “No matter where you go, there you are.” For I can truly say that all the aspects of my life which once caused me such great dissatisfaction are now, miraculously enough, the very parts of my life that I most treasure.
The strange thing about finding unexpected treasures is this: what one once believed important quite often pales in comparison to the joy of what one has just now discovered. That, at least, has proven true in my life of late. So many of the topics that once fascinated me — political debate, military developments, terrorism and other global matters — hold little to no interest for me anymore. God has worked a great change in my life, at my request, and I am so much happier for it.
That’s not to say that I don’t still watch or read the news and think on it. I most assuredly do. But as for blogging about it, well, most of the time I could not possibly be less interested. I don’t care about changing other people’s opinions. I don’t care about so adamantly expressing my own that it affects yours. I’m not in the market to have others sway mine, either, and so I find little reasons these days to set forth my opinions in electrons. Not when I could be playing with my son or enjoying time with my husband instead.
Perhaps some long-time EV readers — those who first came to EV when I largely wrote about terrorism, Republican politics or war — will feel betrayed by this. I wish I could say that I’m sorry, but the fact is that the less time I’ve spent writing on those topics the better mother and wife I’ve become. I am a woman who chose to leave a career based largely on discord, disagreement and acrimony to raise babies and make a house into a home. The thing is, I am only now realizing how hard I’ve fought these past few years to be someone other than that, and how grave a disservice I’ve done to myself and my family as a result.
So please consider this Electric Venom’s death and rebirth. This is no longer a blog about what’s going wrong in the world out there, and both the content and my blogroll will shortly reflect that. This is a blog about what’s going right in my corner of the world, as little and domestic and personal as it may be.
Signed,
The Blogger Formerly Known as Venomous Kate
Wednesday, September 13th, 2006, 5:02 pm | 
My Venomous Life | 
RSS feed
Comments and pings are currently closed.
September 13, 2006 at 6:28 pm
I’ve only been reading this blog for a couple of months, and it’s the very story you just related that has kept me coming back. Kudos to you and I can’t wait to continue reading.
September 13, 2006 at 9:26 pm
Good for you, Kate. As much as I enjoyed many of the older posts about what was going wrong in the world out there, I, for one, am anxious to read about what’s going right in your world.
September 13, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Wonderful! If this longtime lurker may be so bold, I hope that the new and improved EV will have more homeschooling content.
Best wishes,
Another homeschooling mom
September 13, 2006 at 9:59 pm
Go for it.
September 13, 2006 at 10:26 pm
Blog on, Kate! Blog on!
September 13, 2006 at 10:36 pm
*smiles* It’s your blog. Your place to write about Really Cool Stuff… YOUR Really Cool Stuff.
Write about your delights. We’ll delight, right along, with you.
September 13, 2006 at 10:58 pm
You never need apologize about what is going right in your world. Carry on!
September 14, 2006 at 12:18 am
bah. betrayed my lily white arse. Be yourself. to the hellfires with the rest of ‘em. I’ve been reading for 3+ years and while you’ve added a great deal of very welcome and refreshing color to the “Actual People” folder of my aggregator, I’d never have you do so at the expense of yourself.
If y’all’re (?) ever in NYC, look me up. I’ll take ya to one of my secret favorite haunts.
September 14, 2006 at 7:38 am
As a blogger who’s recently struggled to figure out what path to take I envy you.
’tis great news and we’ll look forward to more postings, venomous or not. At least you’re not closing the doors, which is what the knot in my stomach said you might be doing as I read the first several paragraphs.
Long Live EV!
September 14, 2006 at 8:23 am
Congrats on deciding where you’d like to take your blog in the future. I’m a firm believer in the idea that the best blogs are the ones where the blogger writes what he or she would want to read — not what he or she thinks other people want to read.
If discussing politics isn’t your bag anymore, I say kudos for leaving it behind. That’s what I did on my blog a couple of years ago, and I’ve been much happier since.
September 14, 2006 at 9:25 am
Ah Death, where is thy sting? The metamorphosis has matured, the butterfly emerges.
September 14, 2006 at 11:34 am
The only constant is change, Kate.
I’m certainly not in the same place I was 3 years ago. Your family and mine are on somewhat similar paths, so I’ll still be lurking around.
September 14, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Am looking forward to reading you anew.
September 14, 2006 at 4:00 pm
For the help and support you have given me in the past few weeks Kate you have a reader for life – whatever the conversation, I’ll be here.
September 14, 2006 at 10:00 pm
Kate, been with you a long time, and you know that. You also know I always tell people, “It’s your site. Do what you want.” And I still say that.
I look forward to the changes that come. Let’s see what you got up your sleeve. And, surprise us. Okay?
September 15, 2006 at 3:39 am
Hmmmm. Great! I’m looking forward to the change in course. We make choices everyday that point us to a new life. Glad to see you are making your with your eyes open wide. I’m hanging on for the ride. Your Boy Toy in Oman…until I get back to Wonderwoman.
September 15, 2006 at 2:08 pm
I’ve been quietly reading your site for a long time… back when you were venomous and talked about things I would not have dared to comment on. So it is with a teensy twinge of pleased surprise that I came back today (as I have done maybe once a month to see what’s new here) and found you a changed woman. I look forward to the new iteration!
September 15, 2006 at 4:22 pm
Have you seen this? (http://www.wikihow.com/Dissuad.....-a-Blogger)
I laughed myself silly.
Becuase you know what? There are some real FRIENDS I’ve made because of this silly pastime — and I’m glad of it.
I’m sure I’ve told you before but it bears repeating: post your grocery list. I’ll read it (and probably comment, too)! Heh.
Blog awn, sistah!
xoxo
September 15, 2006 at 7:10 pm
Damn, another ranter bites the dust for brighter things.
Sigh.
Long live Happier Kate.
September 15, 2006 at 9:57 pm
God bless Kate! Go for it, woman!
September 16, 2006 at 11:12 am
That’s great! I’m glad you’re not so angry anymore. Even though I have no kids myself, I enjoy reading about your homeschooling adventures and other things. I really enjoyed the vacation from hell (and not just because I *wasn’t* there!) Your writing is good and conveys the humor of many situations quite well. I’ll keep reading.
September 17, 2006 at 10:22 am
ok, whew. I thought you were leaving for a minute there. I can totally deal with you not being a political blogger, as I generally avoid politics at all costs anyway. as long as you aren’t kissing the blogosphere goodbye, I’m a happy gal.
September 17, 2006 at 11:42 pm
Life rolls on. Looking forward to the new blog…because, you always have something to say, angry or not.
September 18, 2006 at 3:32 pm
Kate – to a large extent I’ve had similar feelings as you. I’ve been doing this for just over 2 years and in that time my politics have changed (or have the politicians moved from my politics?) and like you I find it has become tiring. I had hoped to provide some degree of rational opinion on current events but find that many net.readers instead prefer echo chambers. I was never in this for money or fame, if anything it was a way for me to clarify my own ideas or knowledge of a subject. Perhaps it is time for some deep thought under the fall foliage in VT next month.
I look forward to reading whatever it is you chose to share.
Best
September 18, 2006 at 4:38 pm
So, Lileks is gonna have competition for the “slice of Midwestern life blogging” category
50 quatloos on the newcomer!
September 18, 2006 at 5:59 pm
thanks for the note… I appreciate it!
September 19, 2006 at 9:22 pm
So I guess that means I get to move your bookmark from “League of Bellicose Women” to “personal pages,” huh? Well, good on ya!
September 20, 2006 at 11:02 am
Write about what you want to write about. You are not the prisoner of your audience, required to work variations on the same themes forever. It’s rather sad to see someone who had a big success in some style or mode, and then spends the rest of his life doing it over. (E.g. “Joe Bob Briggs”.)
I’d further add that while the world needs muckrakers and crusaders and reformers, too much continual focus on the Bad Things is debilitating. Historian Iris Chang wrote an acclaimed bestseller about the 1937 Nanking Massacre; but she could never get away from it afterwards, and it drove her to suicide.
Embrace the good things in your life, let the battles go. You’ve more than done your hitch.
September 21, 2006 at 8:58 pm
Thanks for the memories. I am looking forward to the new ones.
Trackbacks
September 17, 2006 at 11:48 pm
October 6, 2006 at 9:02 am