Posted by Ellie Mirman on Wed, Apr 30, 2008 @ 08:15 AM
It has been much too long since my last post, and I blame my new found social media love: twitter. In classic twitter style (limited to 140 characters), here's why I've been neglecting my blog and spending my time on twitter:
- It's a lot faster and easier to post an update on twitter compared to writing a full blog article
- I find it a lot easier to have a conversation and keep in touch with people over twitter as compared to doing so via blog comments
- I've gotten a lot of great tips/links to interesting and useful content on twitter
- Commitment on twitter is low so that I personally feel less obligated to read every little update and more able to scan
- Finally, I see a smoother transition from student/personal use of social media to professional use of social media
To elaborate on my last point: what I've realized is that I just feel more comfortable on twitter. I've been struggling somewhat with how to approach my engagement in social media because, while I am accustomed to using social media as an outlet to express my personal thoughts, I recognize that I also engage with people on a professional level via social media, especially in my particular job. What I love about twitter in particular is that the level of informality and the culture seems to align/allow for these two sides - the more personal and the more professional. Perhaps it's also because I'm mostly following/being followed by my professional connections rather than university friends, for example. But I still find it a lot easier to feel open yet professional on twitter than to alter my behavior on facebook to maintain appropriate connections with different groups of friends there.
I will try not to neglect my blog as much as I have, but I encourage you readers to get on twitter and follow me and "@ellieeille" me if you want me to follow you back.
Posted by Ellie Mirman on Mon, Apr 14, 2008 @ 05:29 PM
This is what I want for my birthday (you can take that to mean the painting, or the elephant...)
Posted by Ellie Mirman on Mon, Apr 07, 2008 @ 08:22 AM
One of the big turning points in my life was in 10th grade when I went on a 6-week trip to Israel on an amazing youth Israel trip with an organization called Nesiya ("Journey" in Hebrew). For now I won't go into my experience on the trip or how it changed me, but I was just reminded of the essay I wrote to get into the program: I was supposed to write about a song or book that really spoke to me in some way. I chose the song "The World Ain't Slowin' Down" by Ellis Paul.
I was really into self-reflection and great, meaningful experiences, doing something with my life, and amazingly beautiful music (all this stands true today of course) and so this song was a perfect fit for me.
It's funny to hear this song again now, 8 years later (woo! I feel young), and reassess my reaction to the song in relation to my current stage in life. I am happy to say that I feel like I did get in on the carnival of life (oh dear could I be any mushier?)
The World Ain't Slowin' Down - Ellis Paul
I found you sitting on a suitcase crying
Beneath my feet I feel the rumble of a subway train
And I laugh out loud
'Cause it's the one thing I hadn't been trying
The train came in breathless
The passenger's restless
You say, "Baby, you'll never change"
You gotta get gone
You gotta get going
Hey, the world ain't slowin' down
For no one
It's a carnival calling out to you
And it sounds like a song
It hits you like scripture
You paint the picture
With colors squeezed from your hand
Weren't you the kid
Who just climbed on a merry-go-round
Hey, look, the world ain't slowin' down
Out on the sidewalk
The pigeons do the moonwalk
I'll be dancing like Fred Astaire
The lampposts are rockin'
The whole town is talking
Like a fool in a barber's chair
And I get the sensation
It's joy and frustration
Like getting caught by a drop of cold rain
Freedom can numb you
When there's no place to run to
It feels just like Novocain
You gotta get gone...
You packed up all your handbags
You're throwing off the sandbags
I let go when you stepped free
I didn't want to lose you
You said, "You didn't choose to --
It's just how your karma came"
But thanks for the vision,
And the twenty-twenty wisdom
It hit me like a south-bound train
You gotta get gone...
Posted by Ellie Mirman on Sun, Apr 06, 2008 @ 06:11 PM
First step: claim my blog on
Technorati.