Category Archives: blogging

blogging

What a fool believes.

This is a random picture of Emma Peel I found on my hard drive.

For the past few months, I’ve been thinking about getting back into blogging. No, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke. That would be a lame joke. But I have been thinking about it, mostly because I miss the writing. And something about Spring just makes you want to start something. Blogs aren’t what they used to be, but I’m old, I don’t have to worry about what the kids are using these days.

In my mind, I was thinking about the necessity of a redesign, I barely remember how to use WordPress. But then I thought, no… a redesign is just a procrastination. I don’t have to have a fancy new look to start blogging again. It’s similar to a policy I’ve decided, just today, to adopt regarding the apartment. I’m always putting things off due to lack of organization. When the kitchens is better organized, I can cook healthy food, for example. Today I have decided to just proceed as if my apartment was already tidy and organized. Same with blogging.

So I am giving April a shot. How many days, in April, do I need to post to consider it a success? 15? 20? I’ve got a lot of stuff going on this month, so let’s say 15.

Last summer I became a big fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, so expect to see stuff about drag queens. I went to a show last week, and I have another this Thursday. I’m getting back into making Sims Let’s Plays on YouTube. I’ve also renewed my interest in tarot, participating in an Instagram challenge in March resulted in the purchase of six new decks. eeek! I bullet journal now, and my collection of pens is becoming a space issue. I’ve signed up for an online handwriting course, to improve my penmanship. I’m starting an online tech writing certificate intensive on the 5th, through Bellevue College. It lasts until July 21st. So there is that. I have 4 cats now, they are my children. And I’ve developed a huge nerd crush on a woman named Benebell Wen, so I am going to be taking her online astrology course. Because I’ve adopted a new policy in life: if it interests me, I’m going for it.

All this and more IF I continue blogging after today!

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blogging

November shall be… 29 Days of Blog!

So, I just finished 31 Days of Spooky, watching a scary or spooky movie everyday in October. I kind of liked it. I’m planning 31 Days of Merry in December. But what about November?

I could do a load of laundry everyday, try to get through that giant backload. But I don’t think there are 30 days worth. Perhaps I could floss everyday. But that’s for babies. I decided against NaNoWriMo as well, because I am pursuing other artistic endeavors currently. 

So…. 29 Days of Blog!!! It would be 30, but I just came up with the idea today, the 2nd of November. I can’t guarantee they will be long. Or interesting, I’m a bit rusty. But I kind of miss blogs, the reading and the writing. I guess the heyday of blog communities is over, but I just can’t give up. 

The best part is, announcing this counts as a blog post. Done and done. 

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blogging, shopping

Under Where

The other day, while I was Christmas shopping, something awkward and uncomfortable happened to me. And it occurred that this is just the type of awkward and uncomfortable thing that I used to blog about. And somehow made it funnier than it really was.

I’m not sure if I can do that this time, I’m rusty. Basically you can blame my attempted return to blogging on my underpants. Which slid down off my butt and down my thighs while I was shopping, hanging on only by the juncture of the two legs of my yoga pants. (I hate the word crotch. It’s ugly. Someone give me a better word, please.) Sure, yes, I tried backing up to a wall and hiking them up, but only a somewhat waddled trip to the washroom would return them to their original position. It was there that I thought about blogging again.

Message received, underpants.

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blogging

WordPress

So I’ve moved my blog to WordPress. I did not do it willingly. However, when I was trying to upgrade my MovableType to 5.whatever, I begrudgingly admitted I was no longer technical enough for MT. And nor was I interested in being so.

I did this quietly a couple of months ago. I really did not want to hear I told you so’s from WP users. They are a rabid bunch. I screwed up all my permalinks at the time, so I sort of walked away for a while. Tonight I have fixed them. I’m using a generic theme until I can either recreate my old one, or perhaps design a new one.

I will admit that WordPress has been an  absolute joy to use and explore. While my geek cred took a hit, in my opinion, I’m pleased to have something so simple and beloved by developers.

Wheeeeee!

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blogging

Blogaversary: The Seven Year Itch

So today we are seven. Seven years of blogging. I think it is accurate to say that we, my blog and I, are currently undergoing a bit of a seven year itch. It’s a hot summer in the city and I’ve sent my blog to the coast with the kids. Everything seems so dull and routine now, the shine has worn off. And, yes, while it’s been enjoying cooler climes, I have flirted with attractive neighbors. Twitter. Facebook. I admit it!

But I didn’t sleep with them. Facebook, well pretty much all my IRL friends and family are on it. I only use it to keep in touch with them. Facebook and I are just friends. It’s complicated.

Twitter, well sure I had a pretty big crush on it for a while. Now I find it to be a bit … noisy and vacuous. That’s the only way I can describe it. I stopped tweeting several months ago when I realized what a colossal time suck it was, not to mention my compulsive need to read each and every tweet was overwhelming. I’ve met and socialized with people from Twitter. It is great for that. And I don’t mean to insult my friends on twitter. Twitter is great for Social Media. I’m just not sure I care about Social Media. It feels over marketed. Once they started calling it that, it lost it’s appeal. I jump on now and then. I use it when I change my facebook status and I know it’s going to be less than 140 characters. When I spend a lot of time on twitter and facebook, I know I am bored.

There has been a lot of talk about Twitter killing the blog lately. But I disagree. They are two different animals. There are times when I have something short and pithy to say, for which Twitter or Facebook works great. There are people who use the medium PERFECTLY. I have to think they put great time and effort into constructing something so entertaining or meaningful in 140 characters. It can be a fun challenge. But that’s the exception more than the rule. Twitter is an amuse bouche. Tasty, but it’s not going to fill you up. It’s probably high in fat and empty calories as well. Blogging is the main course. It contains a full daily requirement of vitamins and minerals. Blogging is A NICE BIG STEAK.

But, back to the seven year itch analogy. There have been times I have thought about just stopping. But that’s a cop out. Better to ride the wave and work on our relationship. Take it to new depths. Discover new things about each we didn’t know. Get the PASSION back. Don’t you think?

As always, I am deeply grateful for all of you who read my blog, past and present. I am especially thankful for those who have become my friends. And occasionally husbands.

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blogging, evildeb

what am i doing?

I’m coming up on my 7th blog anniversary at the end of this month. Although, I have not been a very good blogger these last couple of years. I feel like my blog had a heyday and it was a few years ago, that’s for sure. The last few posts were either about the weather, the sims or WoW, and that made me kind of sad.

Maybe I’m tired of blogging. Maybe I’m tired of blogging the same old way I used to. I don’t know. My blog has always been about my life and what I am doing. The fact is, I’m not doing anything. Somehow the the hours pass, the days go by and most days are exactly like the ones before it.

That might be the crux of it. Maybe I don’t want documented my failing to make something more significant out of my forced early temporary retirement. I suppose I’m a bit embarrassed that I have not written a book, become fluent in French and learned all the nooks and crannies and secrets Vancouver has to offer. Nobody really wants to broadcast the fact that they are not living up to their potential.

I don’t know. I’m just thinking out loud. Maybe the way I blog has to change. I’ve thought about stopping entirely. But that is not what I want. I want to love it again. I want it to be fresh. My blog and I are just not as intimate as we used to be. I want to fall in love all over again. And other clichés.

I believe I am going to blame all this on Evildeb, for not moving to Canada with me.

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blogging

Well, it’s a start.

In case you are reading this in an RSS feed… I put up a new blog design. It still needs lots of tweaking. But I’m pleased not to have a generic, non-jodiferous, template up. I basically stole the banner from my old booklist page and changed it up a bit. Added Momo. It’s not the only banner I designed over the last few months, but oddly, it was the first. I was completely sold on another idea, but then I took a good look at both of them together, and I just decided this on was more me.

Couple of things, I created tabs along the top. And pages for the blogroll and Monthly Archives and Category Archives. After nearly 7 years of blogging, a list of monthly archives can get quite cumbersome. Trying to clean up the sidebar a bit. I’ve also added my Goodreads book list info, but I’ve been pretty negligent about adding my books to it. I resolve to do better.

So… yeah. There you go.

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blogging

Mess

Hey, I’m messing around with the blog design and layout today. Don’t be surprised if you see weirdness come and go.

Well… at least I am not playing the sims nonstop.

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blogging, Sims 3, William, WoW

Ugh… Butters, go buy World of Warcraft, install it on your computer, and join the online sensation before we all murder you!

I have been playing too much World of Warcraft. Way way way too much. Like, all day sometimes. I’m not the only one in this house. 

So we have a new rule. For three hours, after we are up AND dressed (it’s not always necessary to get dressed when one is playing WoW all day.) we have to do all the things we need to do, that WoW is keeping is us from doing. Now, for the most part, I have been doing pretty well on keeping the house neat. Until the last couple of days, dishes were done at least once a day. Bed has been made every day, except the day before yesterday. Floors and couch vacuumed of kitten hair, bathroom clean and littler box scooped. But it’s starting to slip.
Today is the first day of the new rule, which is in effect Monday thru Friday. The goals are different for each of us. I do not, yet, need to look for a job. However, I have lost touch with almost all my friends. That makes me lonely. So while chatting and emailing and such are on my list of things to work on, they really are not on Wil’s. He doesn’t have this problem. 
These are the things I plan to work on, in my 3 hours:
  • Housework
  • Blogging
  • Blog redesign
  • Reading and commenting on other bolgs
  • Facebook, chatting and email to stay in touch with friends and family
  • Writing in general
  • Meal planning

Anything that is not WoW. Watching tv and playing with iPhone are not allowed either. I’ve been chatting with Fee for a while. My fingers are tired. 

Of course, when the Sims 3 comes out in 3 weeks, the Rule might have to go to hell. 
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