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This photo interests nobody, I do apologize. However, it was taken on my fabulous new camera that I don't know how to use but will quickly learn. I've been reading through the little instruction manual so I've got the basics (otherwise known as the automatic setting) figured out. ??

On another note, I think this is the longest gap my blog has had ever. That was due to a day spent in Moûtiers doing nothing but packing and cleaning, then an exhausting day of traveling (and I do have an uninteresting photo from the Madrid airport I could put up), then yesterday which is rainy and gray but that's no excuse, and then there is my bad photo today. I promise to get back into my normal routine though.

That being said, I've been thinking a lot about my Blipfoto and why I do it and who I do it for, et cetera. It occurred to me that the purpose has morphed since I started it to what it is today. I started it to document my year abroad, to help stay in touch with friends and family who I couldn't easily talk to, to preserve memories that will undoubtedly fade away. Ultimately, Blip has served that purpose enormously well. However, apart from the fact that it's incredibly addicting, it has become very therapeutic and ritualistic to take the photos, edit, and write about each day. Now that I'm home, and really I started to ask myself before I got home, I'm asking myself how this will change now that I am back in normal American life. I think I will still try to post a photo everyday, if not for the sake of artistic expression, for the sake of learning to use my new camera! But after this I will stop publishing my entries to Facebook, I am not going to feel obligated to write everyday single day about what I'm doing. I'll still write, but it will be when I want to and what ever I want to talk about. I think I started off with the best intentions, with a specific audience in mind, and I think Blip served that purpose. But in the end, it's become about me and something that I do for myself. To be honest though, I thought blogs were a bit narcissistic and I couldn't understand why people did them... but now I do. It isn't necessarily about other people hearing your voice, although maybe it serves that purpose for some people, but it's about the ritual and the outlet and taking time for yourself everyday and requiring yourself to be introspective and reflective. So I am going to continue to let it serve that purpose.??

Thank you to everyone outside of the Blip community that has followed and read and looked at my photos and given me feed back. For those of you who followed via Facebook you can all continue to follow; going to www.blipfoto.com/caitielou will bring you to my most recent entry. To everyone on Blipfoto, thank you for being so wonderful and making this such wonderful community to be a part of and for being supportive and helpful and interested, and I'll see you all tomorrow.