There are certain patterns I follow when I start writing a blog post every day, including searching through my old posts for my working title.
Just now, when I searched previous posts for “Patterns,” I found these:
Day 658: Missing and Coming Back
Day 423: Teaching an old dog new tricks
Day 325: The Anniversary Connection
Day 192: Random thoughts at 4:17 AM, July 11, 2013
Day 94: What sticks, what doesn’t, and putting things in perspective
If I had to write a ten-page paper today about the patterns I see in those posts above, I would probably include the following points:
- The percentage of posts I’ve written with the word “pattern” in them increased precipitously between days 652 and 725.
- At some point between days 423 and 525, I started using more initial capital letters in my titles.
- Day 325 shows an exception to that Initial Capitalization Trend, but that very well might be The Exception That Proves the Rule.
- Another observable pattern in my posts, over time, is increasingly shortening titles.
- I continue to be amazed that I haven’t used important and obvious words (like “Patterns” or “Pattern”) in the titles of my 740 posts.
Thank goodness, I do NOT have to write a 10-page paper about this or anything else today. Why? Because I’m not in school any more!
Here’s another personal pattern of mine: When I’m happy about something, I smile (which you can’t see right now) and I often say, “Yay!”
Yay! I just broke a pattern there. I’ve never tried to use an animated gif before on WordPress.
Another pattern of mine:
- I decide to try something new.
- I research it, somewhat quickly.
- I get impatient with the research.
- I give the new thing a try.
- It’s not perfect, but it’ll do.
Where was I? Oh, yes! I was celebrating — with Kermit the Frog — how I’m not in school any more and I don’t have to write papers.
However, I do need to write a blog post today, about Patterns.
Here goes!
As human beings, we tend to see and follow patterns.
As a human being, I see and follow patterns, too. In my blog posts, these patterns include:
- lots of lists.
- numbered lists (only if I don’t plan to interrupt that list, since numbered lists here will start re-numbering from 1).
- bulleted lists (like this list) when I plan to interrupt the list with something like, say, a photo that reflects the title and subject of the post.
- Links to previous posts, especially the latest one.
- Digressions.
- A balance of old and new.
- Images of animals, especially our two cats (that’s Oscar, above).
- Photos I’ve taken recently (usually the day before).
- Images I find whimsical and interesting.
- A stand-in for myself like Penny the Pen (a New Year pattern).
- Images and words that form some sort of pattern.
- Different sizes of pictures, to indicate importance or just because I like the way they look on the page.
- An emphasis on people, especially ones who seem kind and helpful, like Gianni, who appeared previously in this here post.
Aren’t there some interesting patterns in that picture?
Another pattern of my posts: music!
But what possible piece of music uses “Patterns”? All music uses patterns, I suppose. So I can choose anything I want!
Yay!
Another personal pattern: I have trouble making decisions, especially about routine matters and when I have a lot of choices.
I know! I’ll see what musical piece the music app on my phone chooses randomly now. (I’ve used that decision-making pattern before, here.) (Hmmm. Do two occurrences of anything create a pattern?)
(Donald Fagen performing “Weather in My Head” found here on YouTube.)
If you’ve observed any patterns remarkable or important to you in this post, please comment below (even if that’s not your usual pattern).
Thanks to Gianni (who works at a great store in Arlington, Massachusetts, USA whose name I can’t remember right now) (another pattern, for me); to Kermit, Oscar, Penny, Donald Fagen and all others who helped me create this patterned post; and to everybody everywhere who sees or creates patterns (including you, of course!).
