Thistles don't taste good
I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m already writing about the environment every week at the National Post; maybe it’s because I’m busy with the book, the house, the boy, and life in general; or maybe it’s just that I keep reading all these great posts over at Crunchy Chicken, Treehugger, Re-Nest and so on, and it leaves me feeling as though I have nothing else to add. Whatever the case: I’ve got a case of blogger’s block, and for that I apologize. There I went, claiming I was back online, out of fake-retirement, ready to offer you some stimulating green dialogue and debate — and then, not so much.
The answer to this, I think, will have something to do with finding my niche in this over-saturated blogosphere. Before, that was easy: No one else was making 366 changes to their lifestyle all at once. But now, I’m not sure what to do with this here Thistle (see photo, courtesy of Jacob) — I can’t simply focus on random subjects at random times and prattle on as if I know what I’m talking about; that’s boring. And besides, I do that every day, both in the real world and in print.
It’s time for something different.
Maybe I should leave it up to you readers to decide. What do you wish there was more of when it comes to this stuff? Do you want something practical? Funny? Informative? Cynical? Earnest? All of the above? Do you want more food and less science? Lots of images and links? You just want to look at puppies sitting in pumpkin patches, don’t you? I knew it.
Well, anyway — I’ll try to give it some thought, but if you’ve got any ideas, please don’t be shy; let me know what you think.
In the mean time, I’m going to use Green as a Thistle today for the sole purpose of requesting interview subjects. See, I’m writing a story for my Sense & Sustainability column about green dating sites, but it’s been hard finding people who will talk to me about this topic — I tried using my Facebook status update to ask all my “friends” for their thoughts, then I tried using this service called Help a Reporter, but it didn’t really produce any good sources. So here goes nothing:
I’ll be writing about such websites as GreenSingles.com and EthicalSingles.com, as well as the people who frequent them. If you’ve ever used a dating service that focused on environmental issues, or even just considered using one, let me know. In fact, even if you’re not sure, but you’re currently single and you think it’s important that you end up with someone who shares your beliefs about taking care of the planet, comment below or email me at greenasathistle@gmail.com and we’ll chat! Here’s the only catch: I really need to talk to people who live in Canada (yes, I realize that probably rules out most of my readers, but what can I say… it’s for a story in a Canadian newspaper and my editors in Toronto aren’t particularly interested in what random people in Des Moines have to say about green dating. Sigh.).
In the mean time, be healthy and happy — and not too smug about it!
Posted by Vanessa 
Green as a Thistle 