Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Michelle has something to say...

I've known for awhile that I'll start a blog and today I got brave and decided to jump in. There's millions of blogs out there, so why add my voice? Good question, that I'm not sure I can fully answer just yet, except that I often find I am wanting to write something about lots of random topics. 

I will sometimes be walking the dog or hanging out washing or driving along a boring stretch of road and my brain will be writing something. I can just tell that I should be speaking into a dictophone or something to capture those thoughts because they always sound so awesome during that first 'brain draft'...when I later try to recapture what I was thinking it never quite comes out the same... So, I'll write and if people want to read or comment or counter me then that will be a bonus.

As way of introductions, my name is Michelle. I'm mid 40s. I live in suburbia with my husband, three children and dog. I work part time. I am fairly involved in my kids school and activities. I have a close 'extended family' including my parents and two sisters and their families and also my husbands siblings and their families. I want to stay somewhat anonymous so I wont use my husband or kids names...or school or workplace names... We'll see how that pans out.

I don't know exactly what I'll write about but I imagine it will be random. As an example...do you sometimes hear a conversation on radio and they'll invite callers to phone in with their story? I hear things like that all the time and if I wasn't making kids lunches or driving or too nervous that a bunch of people would recognise my voice on radio I'd be on the phone with my take on their story. These are the sort of things that could lead to a blog post from me.


So, as my first post I did want to comment on my name...Michelle. My Dad named me. He just knew he'd have a 'Michelle' one day and lucky for him my Mum agreed. I grew up imagining that the Beatles were singing their song for me. "Michelle, my belle...lalalalala something in french, my Michelle" I've pretty much always been known as Michelle, a few people call me Chelly or Mish...but for the most part I'm 'Michelle'.

Awhile ago when I reserved this blog name I asked on twitter for people to tell me about well known "Michelle's" they know... Think about it now... When you hear the name Michelle who do you think of? Let's face it, you probably personally know at least one Michelle and you'd have to have your head in the sand to have not heard of some of the more famous names. Some of the names that people suggested to me were: Obama, Pfeiffer, Williams, Grattan, Bridges... A first lady, actresses, a journalist and tv fitness guru. 










But really, there's a good chance you actually know someone named Michelle... A friend, a cousin, a neighbour or acquaintance  I know I constantly had 2 or 3 in every grade at school, plus there are several Mum's at my kids school named Michelle and I once went to a conference and we had a photo taken of all the Michelle's since there were so many of us. I know the "Shirley's" of the world have a little club, maybe us Michelle's need one too :)

So when you see a blog with a title, "Michelle has something to say..." it could just as easily be Tracey has something to say or Paul has something to say... So by attaching my name to my blog I am putting a new 'Michelle' in your head...a new voice that is not famous, nor necessarily known to you...commonly named (at least in Australia and of my generation) but really just little ol' me. I'll have a thought or two, I might get some things wrong but I'm putting it out there. Bear with me. Hopefully something I have to say will interest you...and if I try to be clever and put photos or other things into my posts please forgive my amateur efforts as I learn :)