About Jen
I’m Jen Raffensperger, and I’m here to write about myself.
Hey, at least I’m honest, right?
When I was eleven years old my father was going to cast aside his old Smith-Corona typewriter, and I begged him not to. He let me have it, and I carried it triumphantly to my room where I proceeded to bang out such deathless prose as “The Three Pygmies Go to Rhode Island.” (There was a whole series of Three Pygmies books. There are no extant copies. We’re all better off, really.) Around the same time I started keeping a journal, never a diary. A diary, to me, was one of those little books with a locking clasp that only gave you a page per day, and what good was that? My first journal was one of those black-and-white speckled composition books, and I wrote in pencil.
That started a bit of a trend. I’ve been writing things down – bad poetry, deep thoughts, secret and not-so-secret crushes – ever since. And it seems to be a part of that trend to leave a certain amount of impermanence in place. Why write in pencil if you don’t want to go back and erase? A blog isn’t any great bastion of permanence, but I’ve had one (in differing iterations) for about eight years now, and it seems to be habit-forming.
The basics are I am a 39-year-old project manager who lives alone with two cats. The basics make me sound a little like someone you wouldn’t want to trust around a hatchet. My life is rich and full, with many friends, functional family relationships, hobbies and interests, and a growing community involvement. Yet still I persist in writing about myself.
You will find, though, that I might not always write about myself. Or I may try to apply things I am figuring out for myself to the world around me. I may have an insight or an observation or just a funny story. On this blog, unlike some in the past, I will try to write mindfully, conscientiously, engagingly, and clearly. If I don’t, I owe you a cookie.
3 Responses
Your blog is really good! Thank you for posting all this. It has been great reading. Digex seems like such a long time ago and its interesting to see how people have come along since then. I think you have become a very impressive person.
I found you on hocoblogs as I am project manager for the Well & Wise blog and like to check in on other local bloggers. The word “grief” popped out and dragged me in to your blog. (I always compare it to the tide- it comes and goes and there’s nothing you can do to control it). I read a few random posts and look forward to coming back and reading more. You’ve got a great writing style- infused with articulate observations and gentle humor. I enjoyed it very much. I’ll add you to my ‘bedtime story’ list of things to read with other blogs like onamorningwalk. Blogs that thoughtfully inform the journey.
Thank you for checking in! You’re very kind. I read and enjoy the Well & Wise blog!
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