What can eat through your nerves faster than MS?

The Little Green Monster = aka Jealousy

I have a confession to make. I suffer from a Relapsing-Remitting form of the "green-eyed monster" syndrome. It's a disease which is highly embarrassing and tends to disrupt the natural balance of things - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, socially, and sometimes economically.

Yesterday morning when reading posts of various MS bloggers, I came across one in particular which unexpectedly unlocked the cage of the little green monster. The subject of the post was one which I knew would be coming soon as the author had already discussed it briefly in recent weeks. But somehow the details given and manner of delivery provided nourishment to that withered beast of mine. Before I had finished reading the complete article, my little green monster had grown a foot or two and was running around the room knocking things over in a most spiteful way.

So what was it exactly that unlocked the cage? Why this post?

Maybe it was the self-proclamation of how "popular" this person's blog has become. Maybe it was the author's admission of having lurked through blogs and message boards for inspiration. Maybe it's because this blogger often speaks as with authority, sometimes uses questionable references, and happens to be still quite new to MS.

When it comes to opportunities in Web 2.0 (online social media), each person can create his/her own platform from which to speak. That is one of the cool aspects of blogging - we are each citizen-journalists here in the blogosphere. Some of us intentionally speak only to a few, perhaps just to members of our family, and some aspire to reach many thousands around the globe. Some of us seek to build a better MS community online through collaborative efforts and some of us might use our well-connected media persona to jump start our online reputation.

But what's really bothering you Lisa?

Maybe I desire greater recognition or wider exposure, I don't know. Sure enough, somebody (or multiple somebodies) at Reuters News and the Chicago Tribune have liked individual posts enough to include them on their websites as part of the Blogburst network. Of course, there is no compensation for this, only minimal exposure for Brass and Ivory. I rarely, if ever, obtain new visitors from this extra exposure to my writing as the required link back to my blog is rarely followed. To date Brass and Ivory has yet to receive its 10,000th visitor.

So what are you really feeling Lisa?

Well, since you ask....I think my little green-eyed monster is now turning into a blue-eyed monster after reading those words above. Maybe I'm sad that I haven't knocked on all the doors of possible opportunities. Maybe I'm feeling melancholy since not all of the MS bloggers out there have added Brass and Ivory to their blogrolls, thus helping to spread my reach throughout the blogosphere.

Or maybe, I was just wearing a green shirt yesterday morning, reflecting green in my eyes, and today I'm wearing blue. I've got the type of eyes which can appear to change colors depending on what color I am wearing. Or maybe, I've just chosen blue today to match my mood. I'm not sure yet.

Questions for you dear reader:

What unleashes your "little green monster"?
And what do you do to tame it and lock it back up?