Robert Birming

It was less than a month ago that I blogged about having listened to a documentary about Dolly Parton, writing “What an icon!”. Now she’s gone. So sad, so strange. This Friday it’s three years since my dear dad passed away. It feels like I will never grasp this to be true. He’s always with me in one way or another, he can’t be gone. Maybe the...

In the post I always come back to blogging, the writer mentions the ups and downs of blogging. The challenges life throws at you, forcing you to prioritize one thing over another. And just like the title says, it's always possible to get back to blogging when the time is right. It's been the same for me during tough periods in life, and I've...

What if you knew that no one will read your blog post? No thoughts about how it looks and sounds. What would you write? Publish that. It’s good. It’s you.

Are you trying to find your voice? Searching but never finding it. Like it’s always a step ahead of you, impossible to catch. Here’s the good news. You can’t find it. You already have it. Finding your voice ain’t like finding lost keys. It’s not like solving the mystery of why your keys are always in the last place you look. Because when you find...

When the Swedish dance band Arvingarna got together, the founder told one of his friends to play the drums. When he explained that he didn’t know how to play the drums, his friend replied: “How do you know that?” It’s a funny story, but I also think there’s something to be learned from it. Who says he can’t play the drums? He does, since he’s...

I feel empty. No blog post ideas, no add-ons begging to be made, nothing on the watchlist screaming for attention. Emptiness. But also fullness. Sometimes, nothing is all you need.

No matter how much I test the themes I create locally, there are always new insights as soon as they go live. A change of color, some tweaking when it comes to spacing or sizes, another detail added or one removed. It doesn’t matter how “real” the test environment is, going live brings new realizations. It’s like it’s too safe to elaborate behind...

I kindly turned down the offer when a client today asked if I wanted a cup of coffee. We sat down and he poured himself a cup. Then, of course, I couldn’t resist having one as well. If he hadn’t mentioned coffee, I wouldn’t have missed it. I had no thoughts of coffee whatsoever when I entered the house. But when it was right in front of me, the...

Today a new guy at work tagged along on my home inspections. He’s where I was when I started doing this job eight years ago. To him, I’m an expert, just like I considered everyone to be when I got employed back in 2017. That’s not something you think about yourself, no matter what line of work you’re in. You just do what you do, and you’ve done...

What should you blog about when nothing feels interesting enough, too shallow, or already covered way better by others? Answer: you should blog about that shallow, uninteresting stuff anyway. Write your point of view on whatever. It's your blog, do what you feel like. Post photos of your cute cat, write 1,700 words about wasps, or share your...

I'm sitting at my favorite coffee and coding spot in the part of Stockholm where I live. One of the guys on the staff told me that it's his last full-time shift today. When I asked him why, he told me he wants to commit full-time to making music. Even if it's not enough to make a living off yet, and maybe never will be, he wants to give it a...

It’s Hedgehog Week here in Sweden. The number of hedgehogs is almost down to half of what it was 12 years ago. To get a clearer picture of where they live and where they don’t, WWF launched the Hedgehog Week project back in 2024. Anyone can report a sighting, or the lack of one, and the data goes to a species database for researchers to work...

"I have a bad experience with the company you work for." That's one of the first things a client told me today. I sat down and asked what had happened. Early on, it was clear that it all came down to one thing: Bad communication. After having straightened out all questions, I did my job. Nothing special, the same thing others had done in the...

A reminder that blogging for joy, not stats, means you already have a reader who matters most: yourself.

Last client today was a photographer. Since I myself love taking photos, even if I wouldn't consider myself a photographer, we started talking about the joy of taking pictures. How the world around us is filled with opportunities waiting to get put in a time capsule. The discussion also led us into the fact that it's not so much about the skill...

When the Swedish movie director Karin af Klintberg, known for her documentaries, was asked about the secret to her success, she replied: "I don't measure my work in quantity, but..." Here we go again, I thought. The usual talk about quality before quantity. But it never came. Instead, she explained that it's all about time. She puts a lot of time...

Quite a lot has happened with the Bear Blog library since the last bulletin post a couple of weeks ago. There's now a total of 166 styles to choose from, 21 add-ons, 13 themes, and 7 palettes. Soon I will add plugins too, but first out are a few more add-ons. I also want to fine-tune the palettes, checking contrasts etc, and also add some more....

A song I'd never heard, by a band I'd never heard of, popped up in my earbuds. The title was "Overture" and the band's name, Show Me the Body. Can't say the music got me hooked, but the lyrics kept me from skipping to the next song. So I continued listening. Halfway in, I hear these words: Train one day, gain one day Skip one day, lose three days...

When I was about to park my car for a house inspection, all the spots were taken. I asked the homeowner if it was ok to park on the lawn. She didn't mind, and then added: "We need to be a little flexible in life." Imagine how many of our so-called problems would vanish with a little flexibility. Simply adapting to the current situation instead of...

One of today’s clients had to cancel the house inspection at the last minute. With about six visits a day, this happens every now and then. Sometimes it’s possible to do the next job earlier, sometimes it’s not. Today it was the latter. Being in the middle of nowhere, I couldn’t wash my car or tend to any of the other duties outside of inspecting...

One of today's clients was a person whose house I've inspected in the past. It happens every now and then, and I'm appreciating those meetings more and more with each passing year. It's not so much about the actual person. It's more about getting a sense of progression. A story unfolding instead of just a snapshot. It didn't use to be like that....

Today I visited Biltema, one of Sweden's biggest hardware and home improvement stores. Everywhere there were people, mostly men, looking at tools. Holding them with a look on their face that said, "Hmm, maybe this could be useful." I have a feeling that quite a few of those tools will never be used, and the projects they were meant for will never...

Three new photo gallery add-ons for Bear: updated lightbox and lightweight versions, plus a new auto-updating gallery built from tagged posts.

A new blogging event for August. No template, no fixed questions, just write the story of your blog and how you got here.

I often recommend starting to write even though you don't know what to write about. It usually helps. A few words, a sentence, and then you're off. But sometimes it's just a complete blank. Not a single word wants to get written. There's one thing I find helpful in those situations: thinking through the day (or the day before, if writing in the...

You might have seen some posts lately where my name has popped up. It started with Scholarch replying to my Blank blogging counts too post, and then a reply by me. End of story in my book. Let's move on. But the story continued... Even though the continuation has been more about moderation and "meta blogging" in general, rather than me...

During a house inspection yesterday, I spotted a collection of old slides: Bali, the Seychelles, Tahiti... all labeled by hand with the year. The lovely old homeowners told me the photos were from many years of traveling around the world together. They started talking about how digital media will never be quite the same as physical media. Even...

I just listened to a documentary about Dolly Parton. What an icon! Growing up in a religious home, there were strict rules about what to wear and how to look. One day, while she's in town with her mother, she sees a woman who's broken all those rules. She asks her mother about the woman, who replies that she's trash. Dolly doesn't understand what...

Another day of work out in the beautiful Swedish archipelago. Days like these always make me kind of dizzy. Not because of the sea, but because it's almost "too beautiful". It's impossible to take it all in. You want to preserve it, but you can't. The irony of it all is that those fruitless attempts also diminish the actual experience. You're so...

If I only watched movies based on others' reviews, I would have missed out on a lot of stuff I ended up liking. If I lost points whenever I recommended movies that my friends ended up not liking, I would have lost quite a few friends. If movie directors only stayed in business as long as they got great reviews, we would have lost a lot of good...

A Birming bulletin catching up on new add-ons, plugins, the Robeart theme, the growing Bear Blog library, and how Junited and JulyReply have been going.

I read piimyon's post about why we write in public, and it made me reflect on why journaling alone has never worked for me.

I listened to an interview with Laleh, one of the biggest artists in Sweden. When she was 19, all the major record labels wanted to sign her. After the contract was signed, Laleh was offered to work with some of the greatest producers in Sweden. She replied: "I will do everything on my own." And she did, and won three Grammy awards. New Artist of...

I just browsed through a streaming app to find something to watch. So much to choose from... After ten minutes or so, I closed the app and decided not to watch anything. This happens all the time, and not just with movies. There are so many options that the boundless becomes a boundary, the freedom becomes a prison, the possibilities cause...

Robeart is my personal take on Bear Blog's default theme, with softer colors, tighter spacing, and small typographic refinements.

I heard an interview with the Swedish artist, Familjen (The Family). His breakthrough came quite late in life. When asked if he ever doubted making it, he answered that there had never been any such doubts. Then he added: "I also never felt that I needed to become successful." What a great mindset. Being confident that you will succeed, without...

In a reply to my post Blank blogging counts too, Scholarch describes my writing as banal, repetitive, redundant, and a bunch of other words. I get it, and I'm honestly a bit surprised no one's brought it up before now (or maybe some have, but I just haven't seen it). There's one word that's not included in the list of adjectives used to describe...

You have made a fool out of yourself. You've done something you regret. You feel embarrassed because of something you said. Guess what? People have already forgotten about it. No one remembers what you did or didn't do as hard as you do. People move on, and so should you. Take lessons and keep going. People don't scrutinize every little detail...

A new approach to building my Bear Blog library, publishing small bits and pieces instead of waiting for a complete project.

We all blog for different reasons. But there's a sneaky fourth category hiding behind the second one, and it doesn't feel good once you notice it.

The Swedish word lagom means "just the right amount". Not too much, not too little. It may sound a bit boring, but I think it's a great life motto. I also feel it's one of the most difficult things to master. Finding that magic middle way. When we do, when our head and heart are in harmony, life becomes effortless. From that state of ease and...

Don't feel like blogging today? Do it anyway. If we only do things when we feel like it, nothing much will be done. I'm not saying you should force yourself, but at least give it a go and see what happens. If you don't know what to blog about, blog about that. Write about how much you don't feel like writing. More often than not, the mental...

In the first and only blog post so far, At last, satisfaction, the fresh Bear blogger Ti writes: All of that to say, i'm quite fond of bear blog and the little community here. It strikes a very nice balance of not being too isolated, yet also not being the loud online mess that is modern social media. That's so true and one of the reasons so many...

I saw I Swear yesterday. Great movie! I've tried different apps for tracking, reviewing, and rating movies. Some with a public profile, some private. But it's the same story every time: I end up deleting them. I can't handle them. Long before the movie ends, I start thinking about how to rate it. And it gets even worse if I'm planning to write a...

I love cats! I used to have two, Pixie and Prosit (the Swedish equivalent to saying "bless you" when someone sneezes), a long time ago. It was before mobile photography had become a thing. These days I'm taking pictures of others' cats instead, as soon as I get a chance. I searched my camera roll for 'cats' and the result showed 209 photos. Since...

Yesterday I visited a client who wasn't happy at all. The guys at the office, who book my jobs, told me about it beforehand. They explained that her house inspection had been rescheduled twice because colleagues of mine had called in sick. Now I was there to clean up the mess. It all started out tense, to say the least, which I totally get. I...

I love science fiction movies, so I was quite excited when I went to see Disclosure Day. That excitement quickly faded. It wasn't a bad movie, but not what I'd hoped for. I'm sure you've felt the same several times, and not just with movies. Books, restaurants, music, places, parties... The reality not living up to our expectations. How about...

With my current job as a house inspector, I always work during the summer months. It's my own choice. One reason is that I want to escape Sweden during winter and spend my vacation someplace warm (I also get five extra vacation days because I'm willing to work during summer, which is a nice bonus). Another reason is that I get to do work in the...

A few questions have come up about JulyReply, so here are quick answers on joining, posting, and what counts.

In his post Wanting to Write More, Joshua Maynard explains that he has a hard time writing more. He says: The site is just about where I realistically want it to be, so it's time to start posting and I feel like I have nothing - I do have nothing. I totally understand that feeling of not having anything to write. I have it too, very often, and...

Junited 2026 by the numbers: 59 bloggers, about 1,000 links shared, and some interesting observations around this blogging event.

I feel proud of myself today. Not because I've been working out, cleaned my apartment, or done the dishes and laundry. I haven't. I feel proud because of what I said. I was going to have dinner with a friend. We've known each other for ages, and it's always a pleasure when we see each other. One thing that wasn't very pleasurable, though, was my...

I got an email from a blogger taking part in JulyReply, explaining that he's new to blogging. He wrote that this event might just be the inspiration needed for what's been postponed for ages: to actually start blogging. It made me so happy to read! It's exactly this I'm hoping for with the gentle challenges I'm running. A friendly little nudge to...

June is done and Junited 2026 wrapped up. Now it's time for JulyReply, the third edition of this blog connecting event where bloggers reply to each other's posts throughout July.

We've gotten an electric scooter at work to use when we're doing jobs in the archipelago. It's quite a joyride and very useful when going from house to house on the islands. Today a colleague called and asked me how to use it. I explained that he needs an app to unlock it. He was not happy about it. He's the opposite of geeky me when it comes to...

A simple Bear Blog dashboard plugin that adds a "Copy MD" button to the media library, letting you copy images as ready-to-paste markdown image tags instead of just the URL.

If you've visited my blog on more than one occasion this last week or so, you might have noticed a slightly different look — or even a huge change. It's me playing around. Trying different styles and ways to piece things together. Trial and error. I've tried both using mockups and a "fake blog" for this purpose, but it's never felt quite right...

Natalie writes about being grateful to have many Little Free Library book-exchange boxes in her neighborhood. I am happy to be surrounded by such literary neighbors and I hope that this movement continues to spread. We have a few here in Sweden as well and it always makes me happy when I see them. More common here, though, are the ones put up by...

I heard an interview with Ivan Novak from the Slovenian band Laibach. When they talked about creation, Ivan explained that they didn’t really believe in the concept of originality. He said that it’s not like we’re taking something from an empty space but rather, as he put it: “The vast universe of ideas that happened before us.” I think that’s...

Junited 2026 has gotten such a fantastic response. Much more than both 2024 and 2025 combined. So wonderful to see! I’ve discovered a lot of great posts, amazing bloggers, and cool designs that probably wouldn’t have crossed my path if it wasn’t for this event. I’m planning to put together a “Junited 2026 in numbers” post when it’s over. Everyone...

I get to do house inspections out in the Swedish archipelago. It’s like entering a fairytale - no cars, no city noise, just nature. Here are some photos.

One thing people won't accuse me of is talking too fast. I think "too long" and talk "too slow". I get interrupted all the time, and I always feel that there's not enough time to finish my thoughts and sentences. No one has ever told me that I think too long or talk too slow, but I can see it in their eyes and body language. They've got one foot...

I took James' cool little Blogger Archetype Quiz. I expected to get some cheeky reply like: "Your dreams are made of markdown and your laptop has enough stickers that it now appears on several regional maps." That would've been good enough, but I was surprised how accurate the result was. At least that's what I think. You be the judge: You are a...

Yesterday was Midsummer Eve here in Sweden, one of the biggest celebrations of the year. People gather outdoors, dance around midsommarstången (a flower-decorated maypole), wear flowers in their hair, and eat pickled herring, new potatoes, and strawberries, often with one (too many) snaps. I celebrated with friends and family in Åkersberga, a...

I heard on the news today that monasteries here in Sweden are seeing increased interest from young people. They are curious about the monastery life and seeking answers to whether there's more to their own lives than what they currently experience. Why this trend? Who knows, but it wouldn't be too far-fetched a guess to say it's at least to some...

I've said it before and I'll say it again: blogging for me is the ultimate creative outlet. You get to share your thoughts, stumble upon likeminded people, play around with themes, and create little add-ons and other fun stuff. I love it! Maybe a bit too much. I tinker, fiddle, and create so many things that I get lost, hardly remembering what...

A lightweight markdown toolbar for the Bear Blog editor. Hides by default, shows up when you need it, and works the way Bear does.

A collection of 88×31 pixel web buttons for Junited participants — yearly editions for 2024, 2025, and 2026, plus a bunch of evergreen ones.

A collection of 88×31 pixel web buttons for Junited participants — yearly editions for 2024, 2025, and 2026, plus a bunch of evergreen ones.

I was at a graduation lunch party today. It was great. Good food and nice people, some that I hadn't seen in a long time. When I got the invitation, I immediately made sure to book tickets for the movies the same day. Not because I expected the party to be boring, but because I wanted an excuse to leave early. That's what I always do, no matter...

Customize, generate and download OG (Open Graph) images for your Bear Blog posts, styled to match your theme.

Writing every day sounds like more work, but I find that blogging daily is easier than writing every now and then.

meta_description: Flow is a funny thing. One day it's there, nowhere to be seen the next. Do we really need it to be able to create?

Most blog posts I stumble on have one thing in common: personality. Don't sit on drafts. The only bad posts are the ones that never get published.

meta_description: Blogs disappear all the time, taking years of content with them. Before you hit delete, here's why you might want to think twice.

A celebration of the blogosphere, where people from around the world come together to create, share, and connect.

Your blog might be unreadable for dark mode users, and the simple fix is just a quick CSS removal.

The Bearming styles page got a full upgrade with live previews and copy buttons for every style option, including new ones like accent header and tag pills.

Launching a blog is the easy part. Coming up with content? Less so. Here's a trick that sounds like a paradox but actually works.

I’ve received a few emails from people wondering if it’s too late to join Junited 2026. It isn’t. You can join today or in a week, whatever suits your schedule. Same thing with the other annual “challenges” I’ve been running for the last couple of years, like JulyReply and SeptemBest. No “You should post at least...” rules. I want it to feel...

A Pride-themed Bear Blog stylesheet built on Bearming. Rainbow borders, colorful upvotes, lively typography, and joyful link hovers. Copy and go.

A fellow blogger got me thinking about the everyday luxuries we take for granted, from clean tap water to a life without war.

Junited 2026 is here. Share the blog posts and bloggers you love throughout June — no rules, no pressure, just good old-fashioned blog appreciation.

This sentence took a couple of seconds to write. This one has more words in it, partly because of this unnecessary filler in the middle, so it took a bit longer to write. Maybe a minute in total now. A minute. In today's hectic society that can feel like an eternity. There's work to do, things to look after, errands to run... With that second...

A Bear Blog dashboard plugin for uploading, arranging, and captioning photos as a gallery — straight from the post editor.

On the pattern of the posts going viral on Bear and why it doesn't really matter. Just keep posting. Keep on blogging. Keep being you.

The Bearming palettes page has a new look — split preview cards showing light and dark mode, a one-click copy button, and three new Swedish-named palettes.

Quitting my microblog to go all in on my main blog, and doubling down on Bearming and everything around it.

Clint Eastwood once said he doesn't let the old man in. Staying curious, having projects, keeping an open door to life — that's the recipe.

Most blogs are missing something simple: a photo or two. Not for every post, just a shot on your about page or now page. Easy to add, and it makes your blog feel more alive.

A tennis video about Roger Federer's sportsmanship got me thinking about something much bigger: courtesy, humility, and what it means to just be human.

Just got back home from a birthday party. My nephew turned 10. It always makes me so happy to see him happy. Not just on his birthday. He always has this aura of joy and contentment. Excited about his visit to Stockholm tomorrow, he told me about the new football shoes he's going to buy with the money he's been saving up. He's also kept all his...

My brother's smart home project and my blog lab have more in common than I thought. A case for having a project that never really ends.

A client complained about my knocking before I even got through the door. Got me thinking about why some people always need something to pick at.

I listened to an interview with the Swedish journalist and writer Cecilia Hagen. One of the things that came up was the weekly column she's writing for a big newspaper. Personal everyday observations. The interviewer compared it with a quote by American writer Nora Ephron: Everything is copy. True. Even more so when it comes to blogging. A blog...

Today I taught a colleague a new and not super exciting task: compiling a huge pile of reports. I told him that the preparatory work is key. Explaining that the more meticulous we are now, the easier things will get later. By lunch, we still hadn’t put together a single report. He was getting more and more frustrated, but I told him to trust the...

Who knows that you blog? David recently asked this question on his blog. Most people who know me are also aware that I have a blog. It's not like I shout it out every time I meet someone, but it tends to come up naturally since it's one of my dearest hobbies. I understand that some people have their reasons for not letting others know about it....

A complete stranger stopped me in the street. He wanted to show me a painting he had made. To be honest, it didn't look very good. But he wasn't trying to sell it. He was just so happy and proud that he had created it. I smiled, agreed, and moved on. Who does something like that? There didn't seem to be anything wrong with him. On the contrary,...

An add-on for the Bearming theme that displays Micro.blog replies on your Bear blog posts as styled cards below the upvote button.

For my last house inspection today, I didn’t really need to visit the place. I could’ve done it over the phone. But when I learned that she was going to pick me up in a rowing boat, I said: “I’m on my way.” Some might have done it over the phone anyway, just to get home a bit earlier. Personally, I always take the opportunity when these...

I’ve always had a hard time combining interests. If I’m into weightlifting, I hardly do any yoga. When I read a lot, I rarely watch movies. During periods with lots of blog tinkering, other interests fall behind. It’s always all in. Like there’s no middle way, just all or nothing. It’s been like that for as long as I can remember. I don’t know...

We all go through hard times. Why me? What if you asked instead: Why not? Maybe you’re strong enough to handle it. Maybe that strength in you reaches others. Maybe that’s why.

I don't check my Bear stats very often. When I do, it's always the same: ups and downs, ups and downs... The spikes occur when a post is trending. When it's gone, the numbers go back down into the peaceful valley. I say peaceful because that's how I feel. I like that it goes up and down. It shows that it's not so much about my blog as a whole,...

Since the last bulletin post at the beginning of April, much of the work has been about organizing content. But I've also managed to release a couple of new things. Here's a summary of what's new and updated: Add-ons Testimonials - display testimonials in a card grid. Bearlytics - show a snapshot of your recent writing. Polaroid styles - give any...

You see them in the Bear discovery feed regularly. Titles like “My first blog post” or “My new Bear blog”. The posts may only contain a couple of sentences, yet they quickly get upvoted. Some even end up on the trending page. I love it! I can’t think of any other place where this loving support is so strong. It’s not about how long or unique the...

People like talking about their jobs. One common theme is that they like to talk about how much they dislike it. "It used to be so much better..." People love talking about past events. Many love to talk about how much they hate what happened. "If it wouldn't have been for..." If they focused on the present more than the past, maybe things would...

What’s a good way to start a blog post? Maybe by asking a question, like I just did. Or perhaps with a thought-provoking quote. Or why not share a personal story as an analogy. Classic safe bets. They all work fine, but not always. They all have one thing in common: there needs to be an idea about the rest of the content. If you don’t know what...

The last couple of days I've felt less inspired to write. It happens from time to time. Why is that? I really don't know, but I often think about it. It's fascinating how that flow comes and goes. There are of course certain things that can cause us to feel less inspired, like health issues or going through tough times in other ways. But that...

This is the third post I start writing today. The first was about mixing different kinds of content on your blog. The second was about trending posts and statistics. I couldn't finish any of them. It felt so boring to write about. So uninteresting and unimportant. I've had that feeling often lately. Not in a depressing way, on the contrary. More...

I recently removed a couple of furniture pieces in my tiny apartment. I also moved some of the other stuff around. The reason is that I wanted to make a permanent space for my yoga mat. That way, I can easily get going right away. No excuses not to do it. Before, I had to move stuff around and then bring out the yoga mat before I could start the...

Guestbooks, what a wonderful thing! A simple way for readers to show appreciation and, since many readers are bloggers too, a great way for guestbook owners to get inspired. Many of my posts have been born that way, and it has happened again. In my guestbook, Desi recently commented on the benefits of writing regularly, adding that it applies to...

The company I work for uses, like many other companies, NPS (net promoter score) to measure customer satisfaction. The results are to be taken with a grain of salt, to say the least. On top of that, many customers don't take the survey or just reply: "I never recommend companies." Every now and then, my boss forwards me lovely replies from happy...

Having a hard time coming up with ideas for what to blog about? Maybe you just need a little push in the right direction. Something to get you past that writer's block. Here are three great topics to get you going: Anything Whatever Whatnot Don't overthink your blogging. It's your blog, write about whatever you feel like. Your blog is not a...

A photo calendar add-on for Bear Blog. Display your photos as a monthly grid calendar — with a theme-matched image filter, lightbox, and month navigation.

I just read Sophia's wonderful post Ripping off the Blogging Band-Aid. I recognize myself a lot in it. Apart from being on the same kind of medication for my blog-quitting GAD, this part really resonated with me: I could write about the same thing every single week, and still learn a lot about myself by how my answers have changed. So true. As...

It's been over thirty years since Bruce Springsteen released "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)". Nowadays we have like 57 streaming services, each offering almost unlimited access to entertainment. Prime Video alone is estimated to have over 20,000 movies and 2,000 shows. Does that make us happier? Does that make our lives richer? Of course not....

Lord of the Flies: 21 Dune: 23 Carrie: 30 Great books. The numbers aren't how many awards they've won. And it's not how many million copies they've sold. It's how many times they got rejected before being published. "Too pessimistic, too complex, too strange." And so on. Turns out quite a few people begged to differ. You may be a publisher too,...

Have you ever felt like killing your blog? You're not alone. There are so many corpses out there that bare-bones blogging might as well refer to skeletons. Do you want to avoid ending up at the blog cemetery? Great! Blogging is such a beautiful and rewarding thing. It can be a lifesaver, really, so please don't kill it. What can you do to prolong...

An intern joined me during the house inspections today. It's always interesting. A different experience every time. This person was very alert and interested, asking a lot of good questions, eager to learn more. At other times it's the opposite. Someone who's clearly not interested at all, always with an excuse to leave early. And sometimes, that...

I recently heard one of the saddest things ever. It was in a Swedish television series. A couple is in therapy and the woman turns to her husband and says: "I miss feeling that I miss you." So sad. And honest. Honesty can be hard both to deliver and to face. And sometimes, nothing's really gained by being completely honest. A white lie can be the...

When I was prescribed the “don't quit blogging” medicine, my first question wasn’t how long I needed to take it or whether it was safe to have a glass of wine. My first question was whether it could have any negative effects on creativity. Maybe a stupid question, but that’s how important creativity is to me. It feels like I’d implode if that...

If you haven't noticed already, I really love creating things that encourage creativity in general, and blogging in particular. A challenge like JulyReply, inspiring blogger stories, or a blogger's toolbox collection. I think they're great blogging boosters. A push without being pushy. Made just as much for others as for myself. I'm also a firm...

It’s been about three weeks since my last bulletin post. Time sure does fly, and a lot has happened. Here’s what’s new. Add-onsThe add-ons page now lives as part of the Bearming theme “system”. If you’re using another theme, it’s easy to get the styles right by simply adding the Bearming tokens to your theme. Here’s what’s been added: Tree-style...

Today I got a notification that my "year in music" playlist had been updated. I scrolled down and saw all the years lined up. It was a joyful walk down memory lane, looking back at my music history. Yesterday I released the CalenBear add-on. When I look at my own blog calendar, even though many posts are still missing, I can hardly believe it's...

Some of you might remember the bear sticker I found in Thailand. It stuck with me. Why stop at stickers? On the flight home, it hit me. Clothes. But not just clothes. I wanted it to reflect my love for designing blog themes. Back home in Sweden, I talked to a few developer friends and explained the idea. They got to work, and today it’s launch...

CalenBear brings the classic blog calendar back to life. Display your full posting history as a year-by-year grid, with clickable days and optional blogging stats.

I saw a funny clip with a Swedish stand-up comedian. He was saying there's no use working your ass off for someone else. No one cares. No matter how hard you work, in the end, there will be someone else taking credit for it. He finished by saying that your goal should be to put in the least possible effort to get the work done and get your...

You know that feeling when you’re faced with a task that seems impossible to go through with. Your whole system is yelling no, but you give it a go anyway. Most of the time, it’s so much easier than we imagined. The mind resets almost instantly. The impossible turns out to be very much possible. I often feel that way about writing. My mind tells...

Breader is an Apple Shortcuts "app" that pulls together ten Bear-related features in one handy place. No switching between tabs or bookmarks, just run the shortcut and pick what you need. Here's what's on the menu: Trending posts - the Bear discovery feed trending posts, shown in a readable list. Pick the ones you want and they open in your...

Some things I practice: Yoga Meditation Weight lifting Things I sometimes "forget" practicing: Yoga Meditation Weight lifting Some things I don’t practice: Taking a shower Getting dressed Brushing my teeth Things I never forget: Taking a shower Getting dressed Brushing my teeth Don’t practice writing. Write.

The drainpipe in my kitchen has been clogged for the last couple of weeks. I’ve been there with a wire every other day, messing around in the drain. It works OK for a while, then it’s clogged again. Today I finally decided to do what actually needed to be done. I removed the pipes, cleaned them properly, and put everything back together. Work...

Just got back from the gym. Phew! Not quite the same as twenty years ago. I’m over 50, and trust me, it’s hard to ignore. I can’t lift the same weights, have the same intensity, or get the same body as those half my age. If that were my motivation, I would have given up a long time ago. But it’s not about that, and it’s not really about staying...

I did my first house inspection in three months today. It was with a slight feeling of unease that I knocked at the first client’s door. I almost felt like a rookie during the first two inspections. The third felt a little better, but the usual flow was still missing, which made everything take much longer. It’s always like that when I come back...

How I use Bear and Micro.blog together, plus a roundup of add-ons for pulling your Micro.blog content into a Bear blog.

A look at how I use Bear's posts and pages, and when I toggle between the two.

Time has become something of a luxury. We’re connected 24/7, always available, with an ocean of entertainment within reach at any time. How do we find the time to write? Well, it’s usually not more time that we need. No matter how busy life gets, we can spare a few minutes for writing. What we truly need is focus. No notifications, no...

Button styles for Bear's random blog and post discovery links. Four options to match your theme, powered by Bearming tokens.

Right now I'm in a phase where I want to make my creations small. The theme I'm using is getting tinier and tinier, and so are the scripts and other bits of content on my blog. I like it. The fewer the options, the greater the imagination. Creativity loves boundaries, as I once wrote. I also love the opposite. Creating playful themes and add-ons...

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." It’s said that Ernest Hemingway once described writing like that. Exactly what he meant, or if he even said it, we’ll never know. But I think many of us recognize that feeling. We sit down and pour it all out. Or we try to, but not a single word comes. It’s all just...

I launched my first blog over 20 years ago. It was in Swedish and powered by Movable Type. Since then, I’ve had many different blogs. Both in Swedish and English, covering topics from gadgets to mindfulness, and on a variety of platforms. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Blogs are alive, I’ve been terrible at keeping them alive. I’ve built...

I read the People and Blogs interview with Patrick Rhone. I love how he describes personal blogging: ...that’s exactly what a blog should be - a reflection of one’s interests and attention over time. A reflection of who one is right now and where they’ve been. Blogs are living things that should grow at the same rate we do. I totally agree, and...

Just got back from the gym. I love lifting weights. It’s like meditation to me. Running, on the other hand, I just can’t do it. No matter how many benefits I hear about. I get exhausted, and not in a good way, just by hearing the word. Now I’m sitting at a café writing this, and then I’ll do some coding. Feeling excited about bringing my ideas to...

Quite a lot has happened since the first bulletin post less than two weeks ago. I'm probably forgetting a few things, but here are the main ones. ThemesVersion 5.0 of the Bearming theme has been released. There aren't many notable changes on the surface, but plenty of improvements under the hood. I also released the Pixel Bear theme, which got a...

Not knowing what to write about is probably one of the most common blogging struggles. Believing you have nothing interesting to say. The reality, though, is that you most likely have quite a lot to share. There’s a forest of stories hiding behind the trees. I think interesting is one of the biggest misconceptions. What actually makes something...

As bloggers, we share a lot. The community, the creativity, the joy of writing, tinkering, and sharing our creations with the rest of the world. Another thing many of us share is the struggle we go through every now and then. The doubts, the lack of ideas, the feeling that what we create isn’t good enough. Personally, even if my mind tries to...

I liked school when I was a kid. I did well, and I even enjoyed some of the homework. Learning new stuff. That changed during the last couple of years. I didn’t like it the way I used to, and it showed in my exam results. Why? Grades. It all became too serious. Instead of learning out of curiosity, it turned into a means to an end. The joy was...

An earlier version of the Blogger's toolbox page featured a section called “Blog voices”, a collection of inspirational stories about blogging and writing. Even though it was my favorite part of that page, it always felt a bit out of place. So I removed it while thinking about a better home for those links. Today that new section is live: Blog...

Embed your latest watched movies from Letterboxd on a Bear blog. Two simple styles included, a clean list and a small widget for your most recent film.

A reader emailed me about the struggle of hitting the Publish button. Thinking the post isn’t good enough, imagining the readers thinking it’s worthless. I mentioned my own ongoing struggles and doubts. I don’t think they’ll ever go away. I’m just trying to accept that this is the way it is, and probably always will be. I wrote: “Maybe that’s the...

How to create yearly blog archives on Bear using the new date range template variable

March 5, 5:55 AM 55 years lived. Last 5: 5/5 Next 5: excited. Life summary in 5 words: Grateful, happy, and still curious.

I read this great quote shared by Prasatt: Be more generous than necessary. No one on their deathbed has ever regretted giving too much away. There is no point to being the richest person in the cemetery. Kevin Kelly I love it. It’s so true, just like the saying, “always be a little kinder than necessary.” Costs nothing, means everything. A...

A retro, pixel-inspired Bear Blog theme celebrating Sylvia’s pixel bears. Includes geeky details, custom upvote button, guestbook, status log, and more.

Sitting at the airport in Bangkok, waiting for my flight back home to Sweden. Three hours until takeoff. Passing time at airports, I don’t mind it. There are limits, of course. But most of the time, I find it quite relaxing. Nowhere to go, nothing interesting to check out. Just the regular souvenir shops and overpriced coffee, no matter where in...

I did a couple of "bulletin" posts for the Bearming theme. Since I now have so many Bear projects going on, I thought I might as well call it by my name. An update every now and then about new things I've created in the name of Bear blog. First up is the Bearful theme I released yesterday. I suspect many think this is one of my most boring themes...

A clean and thoughtful Bear theme focused on accessibility, readability, and personalization, with careful design choices that make writing and reading easy.

Want to make more friends? Looking for a new partner? Wish you were more popular at work? Here’s a pro tip. Be more interested and spend less time trying to be interesting. People are so obsessed with talking about themselves. Even when they’re not talking, you can see it in their eyes. They don’t really listen, they just wait for the next moment...

I only have a few more days here in Chiang Mai. Then it’s back to Sweden to start working again. It’s been great, as always, apart from the dog bite. Great weather, many new places, and a lot of writing and coding. I have friends who are also in Thailand right now, but on the islands. When we talk and I ask what they’ve been doing, the answer is...

My Bear blog recently turned three years old. Back then, it had another domain name, and I’m still in the process of restoring things, but the original “robert” bearblog.dev subdomain has always stayed the same. With the ongoing Bearblog Creation Festival and my recent Bear birthday in mind, I thought it would be fun to make a widget for...

In my original draft for the It’s okay to quit blogging post, I had a sentence that went like this: “You might lose readers along the way by going back and forth, but in the end, it’s your blog”. I removed it before publishing. Not because it isn’t true, but because I wanted to focus on feeling okay without guilt. But it is true, of course. Every...

Here’s my contribution to the ongoing Bearblog Creation Festival run by the Grizzly Gazette. I really love this initiative. I had many ideas, but in the end I settled on a theme. Maybe a slightly boring pick since there’s already one submitted. But hey, I love creating themes. I named it Grizzly. It’s a mix of my themes in general, and the...

I got bitten in the hand by a dog yesterday. Nothing too bad, but since rabies exists here in Thailand, I had to visit a hospital. Three shots, one tetanus and two rabies, with four more to come. While sitting in the waiting room, I got some company. Someone close to me, someone who’s been by my side for as long as I can remember. The inner...

I have quit blogging and changed blogging platforms so many times that I’ve lost count. Yet, here I am, blogging. I used to think it was a bit embarrassing. These days, I don’t. I have no plans to quit, but if I ever do, I’ll feel fine about it. It seems to me that it has become more common these days for blogs to be born, die, and then resurrect...

This is a new and updated version of a post I wrote back in 2024 after reading Juha-Matti Santala’s post, Short History of My Blogging Journey. My journey has been a bit bumpy, to say the least. And to be honest, it still is. I started blogging around 2002 using Movable Type, which was pretty much the only tool available at the time. After about...

Today I wrote a list of core principles for my Bear creations. Things like: Simplicity Unity Lightness If you also take into account that all add-ons are made to work both together and as standalone pieces, with or without the Bear Hug companion, it actually makes things quite difficult in all their simplicity. It creates boundaries, limits the...

A simple status log add-on for Bear Blog. Share a current update with an emoji, styled to blend naturally with your theme and colors.

I published my first post on Bear on February 16, 2023. Since then, there have been close to 500 more. I’ve never had a specific theme or direction for my blog. I’ve just written about things that interest me or thoughts I wanted to get out of my mind. Many of the posts circle around blogging and writing, since it’s something I truly enjoy. But...

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Bear really is something quite unique. It’s a community like no other. Even though there’s no “follow” button (thank God), there’s still a strong bond, a feeling of being part of something bigger. It’s beautiful. It’s also a great way to discover new and interesting blogs. I visit the discover page...

Today I decided to have breakfast at a great place I visited here in Chiang Mai last year. To my surprise, there weren’t as many people as I expected. I sat down and they took my order right away. Same staff, same meal as last year. Shortly after, my smoothie bowl arrived. Aroi mak mak (delicious), I thought, looking forward to digging in. It...

I’ve written many times about my blogging doubts. Somehow, hitting the publish button anyway has still felt quite alright. Not always great, but good enough to go through with it. I totally understand that fear, though. Creating something on your own and showing it to the whole world. What will people think? The answer is, nowhere near as much as...

I recently updated all of my Bear themes so they play nicely on their own. Since it’s Valentine’s Day today, I thought I’d give ValenTheme a little extra 2026 polish. As always, I couldn’t stop myself and went all in 😅 The basic look is still the same, but there are new styles for the header, upvote button, quotes, and a lot more. There’s even a...

I got an email from a reader describing the feeling of blogging as having “the itch, whether or not others read it”. The itch. I think that’s such a great way to put it. Like not blogging isn’t really an option, unless you’re okay with constantly feeling itchy. I have quit blogging more than once, but I’ve always ended up coming back to it. Even...

Chaos. That’s what I’m greeted by every time I log in to the Bear dashboard. After changing domain names and jumping between platforms, I’m now trying to bring everything together on this blog. There’s still a lot of work to be done. Missing content, broken URLs, and more than 300 blog entries archived as pages instead of posts. And the list goes...

As you may know, the Bear dashboard includes a neat feature that lets you select text and paste a link into the editor, and it automatically turns into Markdown. I love it. It’s simple and very handy. I often found myself about to do the same with italic and bold, only to stop and realize it's not possible. That’s where this little Bear dashboard...

“It will take about 20 minutes. Ok?” I got the question when ordering breakfast this morning. I started weighing my options. Maybe going to the place further down the street would save a few minutes. Then it struck me how crazy that reasoning was. I’m on vacation and I still have three more weeks to go. I have nothing planned, not for today or...

Bear Hug is my latest creation for Bear Blog. Unlike my other projects, this is not a theme in itself. It’s an add-on for the default theme. It doesn’t try to replace what’s already there. The idea is simply to embrace the original design and add a layer of consistency, spacing, and a few extra touches. You can use the whole thing, or just pick...

There’s never been a shortage of posts about quitting blogging in the blogging community. I’ve contributed a few myself over the years. It’s been a while since I last did it, so it’s hard to remember what the explanation was. Probably something that sounded wise and understandable at the time. But was it the right reason? Was it really true? I...

I’m checking out tomorrow, going back to the old town part of Chiang Mai, where I usually stay when I’m here. It feels like a relief. Not that there’s anything wrong with the current location. The hotel is great, and there are plenty of fantastic cafés, bars, and restaurants. It’s actually that last part that’s the “problem”. It becomes too much...

I’m staying a couple of nights in a part of Chiang Mai I’ve never been to before. When walking the streets, I find myself more alert. Partly because I want to understand where I am, and partly because I don’t want to miss any interesting places hiding in the alleys. Small cafés you won’t find in map apps, a tiny temple, some cool street art. It...

I’m staying a couple of nights in a part of Chiang Mai I’ve never been to before. When walking the streets, I find myself more alert. Partly because I want to understand where I am, and partly because I don’t want to miss any interesting places hiding in the alleys. It sounds a bit exhausting, being alert and awake. As if you have to turn up your...

Well, guestbooks never really left. Many bloggers use them, and I love it. Such a simple and lovely way to leave a small note. What I’m referring to in the title is the Guestbooks service by Mire. It was down for quite some time due to an issue with the hosting provider, but now it’s up and running again. Unfortunately, a lot of data was lost...

“I think many of my posts mainly are reminders to myself.” I’ve included that sentence in two of the emails I replied to today. And it’s true. I constantly need to remind myself why I’m blogging, and why not to hit the delete button. Doubt has followed my blogging journey ever since I started over twenty years ago. It’s always there in the...

Just a silly and, in my humble opinion, cute follow-up to my I found a Bear sticker in Thailand post. Even though I go to Chiang Mai almost every year, I always discover new places. Some that weren’t there on my last visit, but also hidden gems I’d never seen before. This one I spotted by coincidence on my way to try a new cafe. “Little Bear’s...

I wanted to write my thoughts on the subject of boredom for the Bear Blog Carnival February. I think it’s a great topic, and something I’ve been thinking about quite a lot. So I started writing, and then wrote some more. Still intrigued, I kept trying to shape my personal view on the subject. Putting it in the context of my own life. And then I...

My backpack since 2014. “Where’s your luggage?” I often get that question when traveling. The answer is that it’s on my back, in my small, lightweight backpack. I like to travel light. Not as a statement or some minimalist trend. Simply because it’s easier, and I don’t need more stuff. For the last twelve years, I’ve used the same backpack and...

There’s been some discussions about the Bear upvote button lately. In short, it’s about hiding the upvote button to free your mind from count concerns. I can fully understand that, and I sometimes do it myself for shorter periods when things start to feel a bit too much. I’m sure most Bear users know that it’s possible to disable the button by...

One of my duties as a home inspector is to investigate water damage. I arrive, the homeowner points to an area and says: "That’s the problem." Most of the time, it’s not. It’s where the problem shows itself, but the root cause might be a broken pipe behind the wall in the next room. Right now, I don’t have to deal with those tasks since I’m on...

When was the last time you thought, “not what I’d hoped”? It happens all the time, right? A book, movie, restaurant, cafe, party, spa, trip, hairdresser… We have expectations, and the experience doesn’t live up to what we imagined it would be. The same is true for things we fear. The speech, meeting, verdict, phone call, interview, confrontation,...

I fell off my bike and sprained my wrist. It happened at the end of last year, and it still hurts when I put pressure on it. Every time it happens, I’m reminded of the incident. And when that happens, the inner voice enters the stage: “So stupid of me. I should’ve been more careful. The street was covered in snow, of course it was slippery. And I...

It’s only recently that I’ve started writing my posts in English. I used to write them in Swedish and then translate them. With these changes in mind, and with me being back on Bear, I thought it was time to update my blogging workflow post. If you’re curious, there’s also a page with workflows from other bloggers. Maybe you want to share yours...

Our reasons for personal blogging vary. Some do it because they need to get things off their mind. Others do it because they love to tinker. And many do it for both of those reasons. But we don’t actually need a blog to do those things. We could write our thoughts down in a journal. We could download some blogging software and play with it...

The main focus for the latest version of the Bearming theme has been optimization. Both when it comes to readability and how things are coded. But there have been quite a few additions and tweaks as well. If you’re interested, here are some of the most recent updates. ExtrasAt the very end, you’ll find a few options to further personalize the...

Lately I’ve been experimenting with making a new ultra-minimal theme for my blog. I’ve also been doing some writing in Swedish, and played with the idea of starting a blog in Swedish. All this seems familiar somehow. Like I’ve seen it somewhere before. Ah, right, it’s the pattern that comes right before I delete my blog. I’ve lost track of how...

I visited the Chiang Mai Saturday night market yesterday. I’d only been to the Sunday one before. This one was pretty much the same, just in another part of town. It’s quite an experience. An enormous variety of food, drinks, and beautiful crafts. And a lot of people, of course. As I’d expected, my visit didn’t last long. It gets too much for me....

It’s no surprise that both tourists and Thai people here in Chiang Mai do it. But when you see the monks doing it as well, you kinda start questioning what the world has come to. On the other hand, why shouldn’t monks be allowed to do it? It’s 2026, and this is how society works, monk or not. Still, I can’t help feeling a bit baffled every time I...

There’s a smoothie place I always visit when I’m in Chiang Mai. It doesn’t look like much when you pass by, but it’s one of the best in town. Always fresh fruit and never any added sugar. There’s a wide variety to choose from. So many that instead of picking one myself, I just tell the owner to surprise me. I like it that way, not having to spend...

A few years ago I hit rock bottom. Like total darkness, ground zero, no way out, bottom. Luckily, I reached out and got the professional help I needed. Prior to seeking help, I’d started meditating. Even if that in itself wasn’t the answer to everything in my case, it sure did help a lot. I don’t think I would’ve had the guts to speak up about my...

I don’t have any specific routine for when to write. I usually do it when it feels right, when there’s less risk of being interrupted. When I’m working, that means in the evening. The job phone is off, grocery shopping is done, and preparations for the next day are finished. When I’m on vacation, like now, I have the luxury of doing it whenever I...

Some of the streets can be quite busy here in Chiang Mai. But it’s almost always possible to swiftly move away from them. The city is filled with cozy backyard cafés and restaurants. I discovered such a place today by coincidence, which is usually how I find those gems. Stepping away from the traffic chaos and into that garden, as seen in the...

Happily making coffee. I found a cool little coffee shed today. You hardly noticed it when passing by. It melted into the vegetation. A few plastic stools and a handwritten piece of cloth, probably cut from an old bed sheet, were all that hinted there might be a business here. The owner explained that she didn’t have electricity. She didn’t seem...

When moving all my old content over to this new blog, I thought about leaving some posts behind. Partly because some of them no longer feel true to where I am today. And partly because I simply felt they weren’t very good anymore. It’s a tempting feeling, right? Starting over, a clean slate. It sounds so nice, but is there any real truth to it?...

One lovely looking laptop. I picked up a few more stickers for my laptop from a lovely little shop here in Chiang Mai today. They had baskets full of them, and me being me, I of course had to check every single one. And there it was. One lone Bear sticker among hundreds of other designs. Did the person who made it have the Bear blogging platform...

I visited my favorite barber here in Chiang Mai today. The guy’s an artist, he really is. Meticulous to the core, fully present with every detail, never rushing. The whole experience feels almost meditative. Before starting, he hung a Closed sign on the door. Not because of opening hours, there are none, and you can’t book in advance. He did it...

I’m done moving posts from other platforms into this blog. When this text is published, the archive will contain 443 blog posts. I don’t know what I thought I would feel after going through this time-consuming and boring task. Relief? Satisfaction? I don’t feel any of that. Mostly, I feel drained and empty. I’ve even thought about unpublishing...

I saw a quote the other day. One of those you usually see on fridge magnets and in random corners of the internet. Except, I had never seen this one before: It’s very simple to be happy. But it’s very difficult to be simple. There’s so much truth in those words, fridge magnet or not. It’s like being still and happy feels too easy to be true. Like...

What I imagined would take days turned into weeks, and now into months. It’s about moving blog posts and other content into this “new” blog of mine. Once again, I’m sorry if this messes up your feed reader. I hope to be done tomorrow, at least with the major part of it all. I don’t know how many times I’ve felt like giving up. In fact, I have...

I love that Bear allows you to extend both your blog and the dashboard with plugin scripts. There are several cool ones available already, and I’m sure many more will come. This one draws inspiration from the search and pagination plugins, and the monthly sorting script. It bakes those into one toolkit and also adds a dropdown for filtering...

“Oooh, nooo!!” And then, a loud noise. This happened yesterday. I was sitting at a quiet café, working on the Bearming theme. All of a sudden, the calm was replaced by a yell and pure chaos. It turned out an old man had fainted. The scream came from the woman he pulled down with him when he fell. Moments later, ambulances and paramedics arrived....

Seamstress in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I first saw this lovely lady when I visited Chiang Mai back in 2014. Yesterday, I saw her again and asked if I could take a photo. She was still sitting in the very same spot. A small street-side shelter made of bamboo and tarps, where she runs her sewing business. I have no idea how old she is, but I wouldn’t...

I often write my posts in the Bear editor, and I always do my coding in the CSS editor when working on the Bearming theme. When I’m writing, I often get ideas for other blog posts. And when I’m tweaking styles, I always notice things I want to take another look at later. Usually, I save these thoughts in a text document somewhere. But since I...

I overheard a discussion during breakfast. Actually, a monologue would be a better way to describe it. It just went on and on. It started with “I’m not judging anyone, but...”. Then he went on non-stop about how terrible people were. His boss was a psychopath, the ex-wife was a narcissist, his friend was a liar, and so on. Sometimes it feels like...

I emailed the owner of one of the places I’ll be staying at during my time here in Chiang Mai. He had told me to get back in January to confirm my reservation. I emailed in December instead, taking the opportunity to wish him a happy new year. I got a reply saying there were no rooms available for those dates. I would’ve been upset if this were a...

I’m finally in the air, on my way to Bangkok. The plane was delayed about an hour because of the weather. They had to de-ice the wings before we could take off. The treatment made the windows so smudged that it was impossible to see outside. But all of a sudden, I could feel the plane moving. Soon I felt my body press against the seat, and...

The first snow has started falling here in Stockholm. A lot of it. It’s like winter is making up for lost time. Like it’s been breathing in, and now it’s breathing it all out. I feel it’s very much the same with creativity. It’s not a continuous exhalation. It comes in waves. Breathing in, breathing out... I find myself forgetting this time and...

Another year is passing. It’s crazy how fast they vanish, and somehow each one feels quicker than the last. I’ve had a good 2025, and I’m really looking forward to what 2026 has in store. I don’t have any new year’s resolutions, never have, but I do have plenty of ideas I want to explore. A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog in...

When does passion become obsession? And could an “obsession” simply be a genuine interest? I don’t know, but I’ve been thinking about it. I find great joy in tinkering with my blog. Working on the Bearming theme, adding new content, experimenting with features. I love it. From the outside, it might look like I’m obsessed with what I’m doing, but...

I’ve been reading a few posts lately about AI on Bear, including Becky’s My Two Pennies on AI & Bear Blog, How does Bear Blog view AI? by Suliman, and now Discovery and AI by Herman. That got me thinking. Maybe it’s time to introduce one more way to filter the discovery feed. We already have options to sort by language and to exclude specific...

I’ve received more emails lately. Maybe because the guestbook I’m using is down. Reading those emails makes me happy, grateful, and motivated. It really means a lot. Thank you! I fell off my bike a couple of days ago. Nothing serious, just some bruises and a sprained wrist. It made me think about how quickly life can change, and how lucky I was...

Reading Carlos’ reply to my post from yesterday made me realize something. Or rather, remember something. I can’t mix blog. Whenever I try mixing my blog posts with other types of content, like a photo log or status updates, I get lost. I’ve tried it with both Bear and Micro.blog, and it always plays out the same way. It’s fun for a while, then...

I got an email with a question about my choice of blogging platforms. The reader asks: I saw you’re on Bear Blog now. Do I remember correctly that you were on Micro.blog before? Can you tell me a little bit about where you see the pros and cons, and why you chose Bear now? The short answer: I’m on both. This blog, robertbirming.com, is hosted on...

If you visit Sweden this time of year, it’s almost impossible not to see the word semla here and there. It’s a seasonal thing that’s way too good to be limited to a season. But it’s probably best to keep it that way, because it’s super tasty, but not exactly super healthy. A semla is made from a soft cardamom bun, cut open and filled with almond...

I released the updated Bearming theme for Bear on December 14, and a lot of things have happened since then. Here’s a small summary of what’s been going on behind the scenes. The latest theme version, which was just released, is Bearming 3.3. The biggest change is that you now have several new “knobs” to easily personalize the theme to your...

I’m using ChatGPT as a double-check and a source of inspiration when working on the Bearming theme. Today something new happened. Out of nowhere, ChatGPT decided to throw in a little joke. As a CSS geek, I absolutely loved it. I’m currently working on adding some root “knobs” to make it easier for novice users to customize the theme. I wanted a...

My nephew still believes in Santa, and he thinks this mysterious figure is one of the most awesome dudes around. My sister is doing everything she can to keep that dream alive. She sneaks into his room and rearranges things, pours flour outside his door to make tiny footsteps, puts out a bowl of porridge and makes sure Santa has suddenly eaten...

Here in Sweden, we celebrate Christmas tomorrow. I’ve been busy preparing for that. Not with cooking or buying gifts, but by creating a Christmas theme for anyone who wants to spice up their blog for a day or two. I made it as an all-in-one, extra-everything add-on for the Bearming theme. A lot of it works nicely with other themes too. It...

During one of the house inspections today, the homeowner asked some quite difficult questions. I remember how unsure and nervous situations like that made me feel when I was new at the job. Trying to come up with good advice, doing my best to sound like a pro. Nowadays, with seven years of experience, it’s easier. I don’t have to try anymore. I...

I listened to an interview with Anders Petersen, often described as one of Sweden’s most important and internationally acclaimed photographers. One of his most well-known works comes from Café Lehmitz, a bar in Hamburg. He spent almost three years there, photographing people. The portraits are incredible, so alive that it almost feels like you...

I received an email about my post How winners get lucky. It was a question about the “fear of missing out on the secret sauce”. The reader writes: I always have this itch to check another person doing the thing that I’m about to do, even multiple people doing it, before I can get myself to work on something. I think a lot of people can recognize...

When writing this, I have five links on the Bear discovery home page. Thank you to everyone who thinks some of my posts are worth an upvote. I’m truly grateful. But to be honest, I also feel a bit embarrassed. I’m currently taking up about 25 percent of that page. That doesn’t really feel fair. Maybe it’s just the Scandinavian jantelagen (Law of...

When it comes to eating lunch in Sweden, we don’t only have the pea soup and pancakes Thursday ritual. We have something for Tuesdays as well. If you walk past a lunch restaurant on a Tuesday, chances are you’ll see it on the menu. It’s been a thing for as long as I can remember: raggmunk med stekt fläsk och lingon (potato pancakes with fried...

When I was a kid, one of the most famous Swedes in sports was alpine ski racer Ingemar Stenmark. They even paused class at school and rolled in a TV whenever he competed in a big race. It’s true. If you were born in Sweden in the 70s, like I was, you’re probably familiar with some of his quotes. One of them was “De ä bar å åk” (“Just race” in his...

If you’re a Bear user, chances are you’ve come across my theme Bearming at some point. You may even have used it. Or maybe you’re still using it. I had a look at the changelog the other day. It showed that the theme was first released on August 17, 2024. The last update was February 20, 2025... until today. Because now Bearming 3.0 is finally...

My last two posts, Try more, think less and The invisible audience, kind of sound like opposites. One says, “If you have an idea, don’t waste your time trying to perfect it,” and the other, “Since it’s meant for an audience, I’m paying extra attention to details”. This is where the third, and most difficult, part comes in. And I’m far from an...

I’m still working on my new public theme for Bear blog. It takes time. A lot of time. Probably three times longer than if I were doing it just for myself. Since it’s meant for an audience, I’m paying extra attention to details. I want to ship good quality, not something that’s merely “good enough”, like when it’s only for me. For the same reason,...

If you dropped by my blog yesterday, or subscribe via RSS, you might have seen a post appear and then quietly disappear. It was a post about an idea I had for creating a Bear theme “live”, documenting every part of the process. It lasted about three hours, then I realized it was a bit too much work for me to handle. Hasty idea? Should I have...

I’ve done it again. Started designing a new theme, got carried away, and somehow got lost along the way. So I told myself I’m gonna take a step back, start over, and move slowly this time. One step at a time, carefully thinking through each part. I opened the theme settings in Bear and switched to the Plain HTML theme. It leaves you with pretty...

A rainy week, a worried client, and an attic without leaks. Sometimes the real problem isn’t in the house but in the mind. A small reflection on worry and awareness.

Moving old posts is dull, but a break to write reminds me how words can appear from nowhere and turn into something alive.

I was out with two former colleagues yesterday. Same thing a couple of months ago, but from another workplace. And last month with three friends from my childhood. All these people have one thing in common. They make up about ten percent of the total group of people I spent time with during each of those periods. Is it because of common...

A nice thing we have in Sweden is dagens lunch (today’s lunch). It’s basically a good weekday deal most restaurants offer. You pick from a couple of dishes, usually meat, fish or vegetarian, and you get a beverage, salad buffet, bread, coffee and sometimes even dessert. I’m at such a place right now. They have ten dishes to choose from, a handful...

I’ve already said everything there is to say. I have nothing new to bring to the table. Ever felt that way when you’re staring at a blank editor? I have, many times. Today for example. It’s true in a way. I’m sure I’ve written this post ten times before. Just with a different framing, new experiences, another perspective. But isn’t that what life...

Today I did my last jobs for the season out in the Swedish archipelago. This time it was on a beautiful island called Runmarö, about an hour away from Stockholm. There’s one thing that always strikes me when I step onto places like this. The quietness. It’s almost hard to believe that this absence of noise even exists in the world today. So...

I recently learned that Swedish theaters rarely use smoke on stage these days. The formula is water based, so it doesn’t smell and it won’t cause you to start coughing. So what’s the problem? The audience starts coughing. It’s so ingrained to react that way when seeing smoke that people do it even when there’s no need for it. It’s fascinating how...

Are you also tired of the Black Friday shopping mania? Let’s make it fun in a free way instead of stressful in a “don’t really need it, but my gosh it’s cheap” way. Simply copy the theme styles below, head over to your Bear theme settings, paste them in, and let the party begin. 🥳 If you’re using the wonderful Guestbooks by Meadow, the theme...

I did six house inspections yesterday. The smallest was a shabby little 40-square-meter cabin from the 70’s. The biggest was a fancy 245-square-meter villa built this year. All the clients had one thing in common. They all excused themselves for the mess. Not because of some strange cosmic joke that made every house I visited yesterday messy. And...

Something’s happened with the phone settings in my car. When someone calls, they still hear the signal for a second even after I’ve answered. No big deal, no one’s even mentioned it, except one colleague. And for the last couple of days, he’s been calling me more often than ever. Every time I pick up, he opens with: “I hear you still haven’t...

I listened to an interview with the Swedish author Gun-Britt Sundström. When she was asked how she feels about people still discovering her 50-year-old book, Engagement, she answered: “It’s not written by me.” She went on to explain that she isn’t the same person she was half a century ago. Not in a nostalgic or regretful way, just a simple...

I just read the post A summary of things I learned from my time on Bear [OC] by Perfect, a funny look at common themes that pop up in the Bear discovery feed. It’s funny because it’s true. Trending posts often circle around tech, blogging, and Bear itself. Maybe you’ve had some of your posts show up there, I’ve had a few as well. It’s nice to see...

I felt I needed a break from working on the new version of the Bearly theme for Bear. So I went in the opposite direction and tried something bare-bones. The BearBone theme is about as simple as it gets while still delivering a decent reading experience. It doesn’t even have a header, although you can always add it back if you want to. The theme...

Alexandra Wolfe was interviewed in the latest issue of People & Blogs. When asked “Financial question since the Web is obsessed with money: how much does it cost to run your blog?” she replies: The web might be obsessed with money, but I’d say most bloggers are not. That’s so true. It’s one of the things that makes blogging such a wonderful...

I listened to an interview with the Swedish artist Jakob Hellman. His debut album from 1989 is guaranteed to pop up if you read about Swedish music. After its huge success, Jakob decided to take a little break… for 32 years. When asked why it took so long, he said: It wasn't fun anymore. It didn’t feel playful, and then I couldn't find the energy...

Today I had my lunch break at a cozy cafe. Their selection of sandwiches was so huge that I couldn’t decide. In the end, I just said: ”You pick.” It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the options we have today, whether it’s choosing a sandwich, picking a notes app or deciding on a topping for your ice cream. The possibilities feel endless. And when...

I recently launched a new theme for Bear. After that, I created scripts for photo galleries and a few other things. Somewhere in between, I also started moving old posts to my new blog. Shortly after, I hit the brakes. That happens to me a lot. I want too much, too soon. I love what I’m doing, and that gives me extra energy, which makes me want...

I’m still in the process of moving my old blog posts over here. I wouldn’t say it’s boring — it’s suuuper booooring. So I decided to take a break and do something more fun. From my never-ending “ideas for the future” list, I picked Bear photo gallery. It’s made with my Bearly theme in mind, but it should work well with plenty of other themes too....

Since I launched this “new” blog, I’ve been going back and forth about whether to move my old posts here or not (they’re scattered across different platforms). On one hand, it feels kinda nice to have a fresh start. On the other hand, those old posts are part of my blogging history, which in the end is my life history. Today I decided that they...

A small moment from a house inspection turns into a reminder that blogs grow the same way homes do, one small choice at a time.

The idea that you need something to write about often creates writer’s block. You’re enough, and so is your writing.

Bearly is a new theme for Bear Blog — a flexible, creative toolbox for bloggers who want to personalize their Bear site with palettes, add-ons, and thoughtful design touches.

A reflection on the struggle of creating a theme while learning to step aside and let the process unfold.

Every Wednesday, I meet someone. It’s not planned, our paths just cross. Same thing a moment ago. He’s from Nigeria and his name is Livinus. He’s the guy who cleans the stairwell and the other shared spaces where I live. We always have a chat in our slightly broken English. It might be about the weather or traditional dishes from his home...

Yesterday I experienced how helpful and powerful writing can be. As soon as I had written and published the post A bear-sized dilemma, something shifted. The fog cleared and I could suddenly see a new road ahead. The same thing happened with the Getting it out of my head post a couple of days ago. Simply turning those repetitive thoughts into...

It only took a couple of hours to create the Bear Halloween theme. Knowing it’s just going to be used for a short period of time, it didn’t have to be perfect. Just something quick, easy, and fun. Now I’ve started tinkering with a new Bear theme. Maybe as a new release of my Bearming theme, or a whole new creation altogether. Or maybe it won’t...

A blog post succeeds the moment it’s written. Stop overthinking, just publish.

Trying to renew a Swedish truck license turned into a comedy of rules, wrong forms, and rejected photos — but patience wins over shouting.

A bad day turned into a small act of relief. Writing didn’t fix it, but it helped me move on.

Looking back at old posts, I realized my blogging doubts never went away — and that’s fine. Accepting them makes them lose their power.

Creativity can’t be forced. It comes and goes like a fog — the best we can do is stay open, patient, and ready when inspiration decides to arrive.

A hidden courtyard and a burst of autumn colors reminded me that magic is often just around the corner — discovered not by planning, but by staying open.

An interview with Veronica Maggio sparked a reflection on what it means to stay curious — to keep broadcasting and receiving on a young frequency.