September 1, 2011

ONE YEAR OF PENCIL-AND-BOX

EDITORIAL. In its first year, Pencil-and-Box has published nearly 200 Posts and received more than 900 comments and 10,000 visitors. Thank you.
The aim of Pencil-and-Box when first published was to write about things useful to know and not evident how to find, like special places, fruity wines, good books and movies, and other stuff for the discerning reader, whoever he was, wherever she might be. Boring days and books, bland conversations, unmemorable dinners and wines, were out of the formula.
Then, throughout the year, things have developed on their own under the influence of the brotherhood of blogs that I have discovered. Acidopholous morning, chocolate afternoonFolding FieldsArtful Nuance; Winterludes;  the effervescent Stella’s Roar; the nostalgic Savoir Faire; the extraordinarily delicate Hattat;  Yvonne Osborne’s enlightening Cheated article; and many others. Influenced by their writing, more sections have been added to Pencil-and-Box, like the Liberté-Égalité-Fraternité one, which I intent to develop further. And the Philosophy section - about life itself – and the Memories one too.
didn't want to write about myself, but my mother got ill and then she died. One thing led to another and I felt that I had to tell something about my life and thoughts, if only to make my choice of things better understood. When I write about a €2 chocolate tablet, or a $20 wine-included menu by the sea, or a free swim at a public pier, there is something there that probably needs some explanation.
Pencil-and-Box breaths with its own share of biases too. My favorite is compromise, which in this particular use of the word means not telling more than what it is necessary for a story.  Creating something involves making sacrifices, to be available to some kind of vulnerability. When you find things in life that you value you want to keep them, but with a dignity, that of what you really want to be.
My interest in writing came from my love of the classics, how they stood the pass of time, the awe of immortality, how meaningless was all the rest, how strong can be the mystic of art. It is not the first time that I've fallen in love with words, colors and sounds. Yeah, I’m not Proust, neither Thomas Mann nor Plato, but thanks to Blogger - whoever they are my sincere thanks to them - here I’m writing again.
As for changes, Pencil-and-Box has just undertaken a change in its design to commemorate this Anniversary. The new design shows already in the blog, and the old one gets its farewell here too.
You can see I am not man of big changes, so please help me, what else should I change, improve, correct, or add, to be more useful?  I will most willingly oblige.

Original Header.      Cabecera original.

En su primer año Pencil-and-Box “ha publicado” casi 200 artículos y recibido más de 900 comentarios y 10,000 visitas. Gracias.
La intención, al empezar, era escribir sobre cosas que pudieran ser interesantes de conocer y no tan obvias de encontrar - lugares, vinos ricos, buenos libros, etc. Luego, a lo largo del año, influido sobre todo por los blogs que me he ido encontrando, ha ido evolucionando e incorporando secciones como Liberté-Égalité-Fraternité  y otras de recuerdos más personales.
No quería escribir sobre mí, pero mi madre enfermó y luego se murió, y una cosa llevó a la otra y sentí que tenía que decir algo más acerca de mi vida y mis pensamientos, aunque solo fuera para que se entendieran mejor las cosas de las que escribo.
Pero también con mis propios sesgos. Mi favorito se llama “compromiso” que en mi particular uso de la palabra supone no decir más de lo necesario para cada historia. Crear algo supone sacrificios, estar dispuesto a cierta vulnerabilidad. Cuando encuentras cosas en la vida que valoras no las quieres perder, pero conservando la dignidad de lo que realmente quieres ser.
Mi afición a escribir deriva del amor por los clásicos, cómo aguantan el paso del tiempo, el asombro ante su inmortalidad que hace insignificante todo el resto, la fuerza que puede tener la mística del arte. No es la primera vez que me enamoraba de las palabras, los colores y los sonidos. Vale, no soy Proust ni Thomas Mann ni Platón, pero gracias a Blogger – quien quiera que sean gracias – aquí estoy escribiendo de nuevo.
En cuanto a cambios, con el aniversario, Pencil-and-Box estrena nueva cabecera, que aparece ya en el Blog. Despedimos aquí a la antigua también. 
Como se puede ver no soy hombre de grandes cambios. ¿Qué más puedo hacer para corregir o mejorar? Si me lo pedís, intentaré hacerlo.

18 comments:

  1. ed io mi tolgo il cappello!!! auguri complimenti e vai avanti cosí! é un piacere leggerti!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello:
    As our very first Follower, Pencil and Box will always hold a very special place in our hearts. How very kind of you to make mention here of our blog and how wonderful it is that through that we found you.

    We love the new header. Simple,to the point, stylish with a touch of wit. Perfect and exactly how we see the writing of Pencil and Box that we have come to know and love.

    Congratulations on your Blogaversary and we wish you many, many happy returns!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Muchas felicidades y espero seguir disfrutando de tu blog muchos años más.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Feliz cumple-añito! Blogger quien quiera que seas del todopoderoso Google... alabado sea! hihihi Preciosa editorial!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Many congratulations to you! I always look forward to your posts as they are always simplified elegance. Kayaking to chocolate to the catch of the day, remind me of the simple pleasures of life. I also have to say a big thankyou for following Savoir Faire. Like you I did not know where blogging was going to lead.

    ReplyDelete
  6. change is what we are all about...reinventing ourselves should be a constant....we never know what is around the next bend in the river...love the new look...simply you....

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, me alegro que estés tan contento y de que tu afición a escribir crezca...nos ha pasado a todos lo de hablar de cosas personales y no querer pasar la linea...estoy encantada de leerte y siempre es interesante lo que nos cuentas. Felicidades por el año! que casi somos gemelos! me gusta la nueva cabecera queda muy literaria...que es de lo que se trata! Enhorabuena y hasta mañana!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey from Houston ~ your blog is lovely, full of erudition (i can't believe i'm actually using tht word! lol). The pictures of Spain are beautiful and I LOVE the name of that river - The Mermaid River - how magical. Congratulations on how well your blog is doing; seems you've had an impact on others. And not to get too personal or anything but I'm very sorry for your loss. It just sucks so bad witness the failing health of a parent and then to lose them. (sorry, but I worked for years with middle-schoolers and I happen to concur with them that there just isn't another word that works as well as "sucks" in some cases).

    ReplyDelete
  9. - thank you for this post and for your loyalty.
    - thank you for knowing how to be there when we need it.
    - thank you for writing "Creating something involves making sacrifices, to be available to some kind of vulnerability. When you find things in life that you value you want to keep them, but with a dignity, that of what you really want to be."

    continues to delight us as often as you can.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congratulations on your first year of blogging. I have just called by to say thankyou for calling by and taking the time to comment on the Our Garden in August post. I hope you will visit again, your blog looks interesting so I am your latest follower. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Congratulations on your first year in the blogosphere. Thank you so much for mentioning me. It's me who ought to thank you for your comments and the pleasure of reading your posts.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Gracias por el comentario, espero verte proton otra vez por mi blog.

    Besines!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. The evolution of Pencil and Box over its premier year provides insight into the change and development of your blog. I am glad that I found you, your geographic positions, your stories, your perspective and even the "$20 wine included menu by the sea."

    Congratulations on your first year anniversary!

    Bises,
    Genie

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello there,

    I wanted to stop by and thank you for your lovely words over at my little fledgling Australian blog and congratulate you on your first year of blogging. One of the most enjoyable aspects of blogging for me is that fascinating people from all over this wonderful world find you and then take the time to say hello.

    Kellie

    ReplyDelete
  15. Congratulations on your anniversary!
    I love the pink kayaks on brilliant blue sea in your last post.

    ReplyDelete
  16. David has it right..."simplified elegance"...a perfect descriptor. Thank you so much for your kind comments. I've been in a blogging lull lately. You have helped me find my "mojo".

    ReplyDelete
  17. ...and I joined the party so late, but so glad I came! You are right about change...subtle and slow. Your window views, and Spanish-themed manuals on how to live a good life say much about "you" which is why I read. Looking forward to another year of the good stuff!! Sarah xx

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh! I had missed this post. I'm so glad you directed me to it and am honored with the mention. That's the trouble with the blogroll. If you don't get on for a couple of days you miss much. I'm happy to now have some new links that are recommended by someone whose taste I trust. I like it that you write about things like a free swim at the public pier. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete