Life, the Universe and Everything: Blog Style

Blog Life
It feels like a long time since I've posted, but it was only Tuesday. Thanks to those who commented on my "cuteness" in electrodes instead of laughing at me! We'll see how generous they can, with any true integrity, be when I post pictures of me wearing the CPAP shrapnel next week.

Instead of thinking about writing, I've been investing most of my blogging energy in cruising around finding new sites to read. I've noticed that I'm not as interested in some of the blogs I've been reading the last few months. There are a few, tried and true, that still having me coming back for more but like a husband with a wandering eye, I'm looking around. Also, for a long time I've done a particular booking meme but my interest in it has waned and I don't know when I will go back.

I am excited about my Sleeping with Bread meme that I started a couple of weeks ago. BubandPie joined in this week and I was very honored. She even used my new Sleeping with Bread button! Although I don't have high aspirations for major blog traffic and recognition, I would love for this meme to catch on. It has been such a wonderful spiritual exercise for me. I would love to share in it with others.

In my quest for new bloggage, I've come across some very well written posts and had some comment dialogue with the authors. A lot of them are readers and have me quaking in my reading boots just a little bit. I once had someone tell me I was the best reader he knew but I think these women put me to shame. We have, however, a lot of books in common from The Boxcar Children to Charles' Williams' Descent into Hell. How fun is that? Throw in a little Myers-Briggs interest and my plate is full.

My blog life hasn't been confined to the blogosphere, though. Last week I had lunch with my sister-in-law. She has a blog and so we spent time discussing our writing. We are very different. I am writing extemporaneously. It makes sense. I'm an extrovert and usually don't even know what I'm thinking until I've said it out loud or written it down. I may get more "disciplined" later but I'm happy for now with this approach. She is an introvert, and a very good one at that, and so she is more methodical. Posts are agonized over before that publish button ever gets hit. Differences aside, we are both being challenged by our blog posts. Muscles are being worked out; we are getting in shape. For what? Who knows but we are loving it.

A few years ago, we bought a large entertainment center. Until then, I was a seasonal furniture arranger. Twice a year (the closest thing to seasons here in So-So Cal: warm and cool) I would get the bug and move the living room and dining room furniture around. Well, the entertainment center is too big to move around so I have no good options for a furniture change up. I'm not too different with my blogs. I've gotten a little tired of the same old look. I've changed them around a little bit but HTML is like my entertainment center and my blog look options are limited. So, I've done something I will never do in real life. I've hired a designer. Actually, I've hired two! Oh, the extravagance! Izzy of Izzy Design will be working on this blog sometime in the next few weeks and Kelly at Nello Design will make over Tales from the edge in late September. I'm so excited I can hardly wait.

the Blog'verse
As I said above, in my looking for some new blog crack to get high on, I connected briefly with some other bloggers. In some cases, visits to blogs were responded to with personal emails. I emailed a couple of bloggers to comment on something in particular I liked about their blog or an unusual interest we both shared. I received responses from both of them. Chantal of Bread Crumbs in the Butter was kind enough to look over my blog and offer some asked for constructive criticisms. Veronica of Toddled Dredge took time to recommend some books she thought I might like. This is the great thing about blogging. It's not like a wedding I have to drag my introverted husband to. People are there because they want to be and they are usually friendly, interested and willing to converse.

Typically, I stay within a very narrow circle in the blog'verse. Moms, books, individual blogs. In other words, personal blogs about life and the stuff of life. I avoid political blogs. Other than book blogs, I don't peruse any hobby sites. Every once in awhile I stumble across some comment war in a blog and my chest closes up and my stomach knots up. I can't deal with the conflict so I just stick my fingers in my ears singing LA LA LA at the top of my lungs trying to avoid it altogther. I like my quiet little neighborhood. There are some tussles once in awhile but I just side step them and come back when everyone has cooled off.

Anyhoo, in the blogging cul-de-sac I've been hanging out in, there has been a lot of reflection happening about the quantity of time spent blogging. Time is finite. Hours of blogging take away from other parts of life and people are feeling the pinch. They are talking about taking time off or setting better boundaries to leave time for silly things like paying the bills, sleep and spending time with family. Mommy off the Record wrote about this blogging crossroads and the response was strong. She struck a nerve. She has since posted her Ten Commandments of Sane Blogging which I think any serious blogger should consider taking to heart.

and Blog Everything
Along with the general discussion of blogging boundaries, Mommy off the Record also found a site called Bloggers Anonymous. I really was laughing so hard I almost cried and I don't usually use do that when I'm reading. If you spend any quantity of time blogging at all, you need to go and check it out. Especially the 10 Mock Signs and Blog Intervention posts.

If you are familiar with Douglas Adams you know that I am a fan, hence the name of this blog, the description under the heading of this blog, the quote at the footer of this blog and approximately seven books in my library. A few months ago, I published a post which used his Hitchhiker's Guide entry format to make fun of blogging. It is transcribed from the soundtrack to the movie. I posted it because it is funny and because I think we bloggers need to be able to make fun of ourselves so it doesn't hurt so much when we realize others are making fun of us! I send you to Bloggers Anonymous with the same purpose. As wonderful as blogging is, we need to keep our sense of humor about it and our heads in the "real" world, too.