Queen B

Posts Tagged ‘blogging’

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I try

In Big time stuff on January 24, 2011 at 12:12 am

Here is something to know about me.

If I say that I will help you, please know that I will do everything that I can to keep my promise and help you.  I will recommend you for a job, I will send emails on your behalf, I will make phone calls, I will cook you a meal, I will give you a ride, I will throw you a party, I will give you a recommendation, I will throw you some business, I will hold your hand, I will write you a letter, I will carry you on my back if I am having a good back pain day.  You name it.  BUT, I can’t compromise one person’s needs for another, so sometimes there’s only so much that can be done.

Regrettably, I have heard the saying ‘No good deed goes unpunished.’ Many times.  I’ve lived it.

Some days my back hurts too much to carry people around, anyhow, but I’ll still try.

Today there is something that I can do.  Something so small.

I have a very nice friend that could use a hand.  She is involved in a link up competition for the best home cooking blog on Apartment Therapy.   It would be great if you could help a girl out, and click on the link and throw her a nomination.  Please?!  For me?!  Need to check her out first just to be sure (because you don’t want to take my word on it? dang…)?  You can check her out her Seaweed Snacks food blog if you doubt me.

Please go to the Apartment Therapy website, register, and then comment in the following format (you can copy and paste if it’s easier!):

Name:  Seaweed Snacks

URL:  http://seaweedsnacks.blogspot.com

That’s it!  So super easy, right?  You will feel so good about yourself when you’re done, of course.  Who doesn’t feel good helping someone out just because you can?

Someday I’ll throw you a party in return, to show my appreciation!

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V is for Victory

In Nothing to it but to do it on November 13, 2010 at 6:45 pm

First of all, I have to announce that my dear darling daughter is now officially a blogger.  She has been researching running and fitness in school for her independent research project, and has selected blogging as her platform for the project.  She is really excited about it, and we are currently sitting across from each other blogging on dueling Macs.  It’s humorous.  You can find her blog in my blogroll or independently under http://KidsRunToo.wordpress.com.  She is excited for readers and comments, so please pay her a visit if you have the chance, and leave a comment if you’re so inclined.  She’s not publishing a feed, so if you want to subscribe it will have to be via email.  Sorry that it is so decidedly LOW tech.

Second, if you do visit her little piece of the web, you will see that we have both used the same post title today.  She wrote her post V for Victory because that is how she’s feeling.  I did the same because that was what she said to me immediately after we finished running today.  Considering we had just finished a 2 mile run, I think it might be the cutest thing I have ever heard.  Girl is PROUD.

Mama, too.

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I’m always running, literally

In Nothing to it but to do it, Who comes up with this stuff? on October 13, 2010 at 5:16 pm

I used to have just scads of time to both write many blog posts and to read other people’s many blog posts.  I am amazed at how many blogs I have amassed in my reader.  By the way, what a pain it was when Bloglines discontinued their reader service!  I was able to move all of my subscriptions to a different reader (Google), but I lost many great posts that I had flagged to go back to for one reason or another.  That fact really bothered me at first.  I felt like I had lost something, although I couldn’t put my finger on what it was that I had lost.  I’ve since chalked it up to baggage that I didn’t need, and I actually feel pretty good about it.  Sometimes things, even virtual things, can really weigh you down.

WEIRD!!  Or… weirdo?

I’m gonna go with the first one.

My point?

My husband called me out on my “computer addiction” problem at some point recently.  I tried to ignore him.  I may have sworn at him under my breath.  He said he could relate to some PSA about being “over connected” as it related to his wife.  To our kids.  At the time I wanted to smack him, but I’m realizing it’s probably a valid point.

I love my little blog.  Unfortunately for me, I also really love other people’s blogs, big or little.  When I spent all of my spare time online while eating Hot Fries, I had more than enough time to read them all.  Now, I’m not online as much, because I’m doing new stuff.  Different stuff.  Real life stuff.  BETTER STUFF.  I have stepped AWAY from the computer!  OK, I will admit that some of it is still just mundane stuff like running the kids here or there, but I’ve also been running with the kids (literally), taking bike rides, taking the dog for walks, and cooking dinner every cotton pickin’ night!!  There are literally not enough hours in the day, but everyone already knows that.

In the interest of full disclosure, I  have a confession I need to make.  I did find a rogue bag of Hot Fries in the cabinet the other day.  Trust that they are no longer in the cabinet.

Soooooo… anyway.  I have  had to reassess what I’m spending my time doing when I am online.  I promise, I am still online plenty, I am not going to lie.  I have made a commitment (to myself) to pare down the number of feeds I receive in my reader, and I have already started.  I deleted some (sadly) to save time, to more finely focus my efforts and my interests (if you don’t know me, I can be all over the place…I have LOTS of categories in my reader), and to free up time to write more of my own blog posts.  Refocusing my efforts, if you will.  While this has been really hard, it also feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.  It was starting to become a real burden to log on and see hundreds of posts that I felt obligated to read.

We don’t really need to get into why I feel obligated to other people more than to my own sanity today, do we?

So there you have it!  Now you know how I’m managing some of my virtual business these days!  Yeah, yeah, you were waiting on the edge of your seat for this, right?  Prepare, because this is just one of many gripping posts to come about my own personal brand of self-improvement.

I’m trying, people, but it’s a process.  Teeny tiny little baby steps.  Running.  Baby steps.

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Spam magnet

In Random nonsense on October 2, 2010 at 8:35 am

Here’s something.

If you want crawlers to find your blog and send you lots of spam comments, use the word whore in your post title.  Seriously.  Either that, or spammers are really interested in the Cadillac Ranch.  It could happen.

Just sayin’.

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Good times

In Serious Fun on April 7, 2010 at 8:21 am

So, aside from some issues with a couple of the photographs from my old posts showing up as boxes of question marks instead of the intended images, this transition has been quite pleasant!  You know, I’ve been working on it a bit, and learning, and of course it will be a work in progress for a period of time, but I am exceptionally happy with how things are going.

I didn’t put a whole heap-load of time into things over the past Easter weekend, of course.  Instead, I went down to my girlfriend’s farm in downstate IL for a little visit.  It helped me with the waiting I had to do with some of the transitioning that was out of my control in relation to the blog.  Changes may take up to 72 hours to take effect?  Really… in the information age??  The words you are speaking do not make sense to me!!  Did I mention how poorly I do with waiting?  NOT GOOD.  It definitely took my mind off of it.  The wine didn’t hurt, either.

In case you haven’t heard me talk incessantly about it in person, my friend lives on a farmstead near Champaign, IL.  Would you call it a hobby farm, Maureen?  Unfortunately, Maureen isn’t here right now, but if she were, she would give me a strange look and answer yes with a question mark at the end and give me a look.  That’s right, that look.  They have a big ol’ but cute farm house, barn full of chickens (and maybe a bunny?  I didn’t check), a few acres, barn cats, no neighbors, lots of kids.  I guess that sounds more like a JOB than a HOBBY.  Either way, it’s quiet (aside from the wind which sounded like a freight train) and secluded, and oh-so-fun when we visit.  I don’t know if I laugh quite so hard EVER as I do when I’m down there with my friends.  Envision a little bit of strep throat, at least a dozen temper tantrums, heavy winds enough to blow you over, bicycle rides, hangovers requiring naps that were never realized, a little sap removal, serious and heavy-duty gossiping, wine swilling, warm brownies, severe thunderstorms, hilarious impersonations, a farm sale, screaming like a juvenile out the car window at people walking down the street, laughing until it hurt, egg dying, singing, resale shopping, and suddenly you feel like I’ve brought you along!  Right?

In all seriousness, though, I think it’s important to have girlfriends, and I find it remarkable that I’ve known some of my best friends for double digits now.  It says a lot about you if people want to hang around for such a period of time, and it says even more if people don’t.  It really means a lot to me that I have so many people in my life willing to stick it out for the long haul, ups and downs alike.  I’m so lucky that my OLD friends haven’t given up on me, even if I do act like a juvie sometimes.  Sorry, Tonya.

Er, I mean SORRY TONYA!!!!!

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Stuff is happening

In Nothing to it but to do it on February 25, 2010 at 5:24 pm

I just couldn’t wait any longer to post.  Yes, technically the Olympics are still in full swing, but it’s been kinda slow, what with the ice dancing and the ski jumping taking up most of the screen time with an occasional bobsled run thrown in for good measure.  In addition, I have some guilt issues.  I know that I haven’t posted, and I didn’t plan to post until after the Olympics, because I truly planned on obsessively watching the Olympics and not doing much else.  What’s interesting about that?  Then every day I think about posting, and how I didn’t.  And then I feel like maybe I should…. but I don’t, which makes me have anxiety, which in turn makes me think about it even more, and worry, and, well…. you know.  It’s a vicious cycle of guilt and worry that I just couldn’t take any more.  And here I am!  You realize that I truly AM my own worst enemy, don’t you?  Thanks for letting me put my crazy on you all for a minute.  Because, like, so many people are out there on pins and needles thinking that their lives just aren’t complete unless I ramble excessively about the Olympics some more!  I know.

On that note, I have completely missed all curling events to date, which kind of ticks me off.  One of my little people told me it was on yesterday but by the time I ran into the room it was already back to Costas yammering on about I-don’t-know-what.  Nothing that I was interested in listening to, that’s what.  OH, and get this!!  I’m not naming any names, but another one of my little people turned off the ACTUAL OLYMPICS to watch that MOVIE about the hockey team who won the gold medal in the OLYMPICS in 1980 at Lake Placid!!  Does that make any sense?  Movies are made to be watched ANY OTHER TIME THAN WHEN THE OLYMPICS ARE AVAILABLE TO BE WATCHED LIVE.  The same rule applies to the Disney channel.  Are you listening, small people?!

Although I love and am obsessively watching the Olympics, I did not want anyone to worry that I was doing absolutely nothing else for the entire two weeks the Olympics are running.  I’m doing stuff.  Like catching pink-eye, for one.  That’s definitely something.  I have also made it to work almost every day.  Not my fault if the school has days off during the Olympics, and I’m forced to stay home.  I’m just sayin’.  I’ve had two MAJOR trees removed from my yard by what turned out to be monkey-men who don’t believe in ladders.  I baked cookies, er, cookie bars.  We got fish, and we named them.  And then there was that one day that I read that you could make regular old popcorn in a plain brown paper lunch bag in the microwave instead of buying microwave popcorn!!!  Yes, it’s true.  I spent a lot of time testing that one out.  A LOT OF TIME.  You know, because we love popcorn with our Olympics.  I almost went ballistic when we missed some of the speed skating because we attended the car show at McCormick Place and got home later than planned.  How many of you were there on the final Saturday of the car show in Chicago?  Did you by chance catch pink eye while you were there?  Sorry, but I touched everything.  You should have kept your fingers out of your eyes, what can I tell you?!

Oh, and I turned this….

And this….

Into this (!!!) …

And went on to make the rest of the space around it look like this….

Alright, and I admit that I watched Survivor.  Because, you know, BOSTON ROB!!  Oh my gosh, I feel so much better.

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Boo

In Random nonsense, Who comes up with this stuff? on January 6, 2010 at 5:45 pm

Miss me?  Things have been strange here lately.  The holidays, working full time days during the short weeks, Uncle passing.  Other things. I literally haven’t sat down in days.  Well, I take that back… sometimes I sit at work when I’m using the computer.  Driving home today, I realized that work is really my down time for the day lately.  Oh, and my commute, which is when I usually think of ridiculous things like:  Why didn’t I live in the Little House on the Prairie days when your work was also your home?  Like the blacksmith lived right there in back of the shop.  And the school teacher lived next door to the school house, right? And the medicine man lived in the back of his wagon and traveled the country with his trusty rusty doggie companion.  Oh yeah right, the pioneer days sucked.  Never mind that, I have no desire to get my workout churning butter, farming with animal powered equipment, or cooking over an open flame unless I’m camping.  Have you heard that leeches are making a come back in medicine?  My commute is far too long.

Moving on.

Not to be a negative Nancy, but maybe I haven’t wanted to write much because it’s this big time of reflection, resolutions and all of that, and I’m not feeling it.  I’ve been reading a lot of people writing either sappy love fest type I-don’t-do-resolutions-but-I-am-gonna-be-a-better-person this year posts, or serious I’m-gonna-do-it-this-time resolution posts, or this-is-my-year type posts.  I don’t like any of it, to be perfectly honest.

First off, I just don’t think that things like hugging more, or loving my spouse better, or not poisoning the neighbor’s dog are really resolutions; that’s kinda how I think I should be living every day.  Maybe you’re different, and by November you’re seriously considering cyanide in the doggie treats you’re throwing over the fence so you have to resolve every year not to do it.  Maybe you really don’t hug enough.  Is that going to change because it’s the first of January?  All I know is that there’s someone in my life that I don’t really care for that much, and all of a sudden I’m getting all kind of hugs off of her.  Nobody wants that, least of all me, and I’m a hugger.  I swear to God, if I find out that that was her New Year Resolution, I’m going to be seriously pissed that I’ve been made to suffer in the name of a resolution.  I’m not going to get into the fact that I’m not protecting my personal boundaries by letting someone I don’t really like hug on me at the moment.  I never said I didn’t have issues or problems of my own.   ANYHOW, I know lots of people that I think should change in big and small ways, but the changing of the calendar hasn’t changed them up until this point, so I really don’t care to hear how “different” everything is going to be THIS YEAR.  And my poor husband?  Well, he knew what he was getting.

Second, if resolutions stuck, wouldn’t everyone have run out of things to resolve by now?  The same 50 pounds, AGAIN?!  Really?  Sheesh!  Resolve to lose weight in October, July, on Tuesday of next week.  I’m just sayin’.  Stop beating your kids, ummmmm….. like immediately.  Why in the heck would you wait until a new year starts to be better?  Be better tomorrow, or better yet how about right now?  You only quit resolutions, not life.

And third, this better be EVERYBODY’s year, because 2009 pretty much sucked across the board.  So quit trying to hog all the good vibes, or mojo, or luck, or happy thoughts, or winning lottery tickets just because it’s now 2010.  Mkay??

Thanks!

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A way back machine

In Who comes up with this stuff? on November 7, 2009 at 6:24 pm

When this whole blogging thing started, I can’t even say why I was doing it.  My little designer friend talked me into it, really.  I had no idea what I was getting into or how it would do anything for me.  Some days I’m still not sure that MY blog actually does do anything for me.  Maybe it has and I just don’t know it yet, or maybe it never will.  Hopefully other people are moderately entertained by it.  All 6 of you.  I know that my mother likes it, because she said that now she knows what we’ve been doing between phone calls.  I find that funny, of course.  

Blogging overall though, now that has done something for me.  It has helped me and changed me in so many ways I never would have guessed.  Somehow, reading the blogs of other people has reminded me and opened my eyes to things I’d forgotten in myself.  I don’t know how (kids) or why (kids, husband, life, responsibilities… not in that order) I had gotten so far removed from the things I wanted for myself when I was younger, but when I read, it’s like my mind is coming back to me from a fog.  A deep, dense, multi-year long fog the likes of which horror movies could be based upon.  Because for one, I used to LOVE to read.  I mean LOVE, like as in “if you love that book so much why don’t you marry it?” type of love.  And at some point I really loved to write as well.  Like, creatively.  I think that was before I failed that college English class.  Who makes an entire class about diagraming sentences, anyways?  It was a deceptive course description, in my opinion, and I was ill prepared.  That is one thing I absolutely cannot will not have no interest in master(ing).  And let me remind one college level English professor that “Forget everything you learned about sentence structure in the twelve years prior to today.” is not a teaching method, thankyouverymuch.  Photography?  Uh, yea… I applied to an art school prior to my acceptance to the highly prestigious EIU to be with the boyfriend whose name I need not mention.  Stupid girl.  Food and cooking?  Sure thing.  Did I mention I was a Home Ec major?  I used to cook masterpieces in college, but didn’t have the vision (duh, alcohol) to see where it could take me.  I actually used to tweak recipes!!  Me!!  I know, it’s crazy!  

What’s even crazier is the fact that I FORGOT that I loved these things.  It’s like I literally untrained myself in how to be Becky Babe.  So when I get EXCITED that I’m enjoying cooking, it’s just as geeky as you think it is.  And when writing stupid blog posts about random bullshit that happens in my day causes me to have an actual DREAM… well that’s just like a freaking rainbow breaking through the clouds.  Literally.


A peek inside

In Random nonsense, Who comes up with this stuff? on September 21, 2009 at 6:25 pm

By far the most fascinating part of blogging for me is reading other people’s blogs.  Seeing the fantastic photography and reading all the exciting and wonderful things that other people are doing…  I can’t get enough.  Sometimes it makes me feel my life is very mundane and boring.  However, other times it makes me feel grateful for the gifts I have in my life.  There are some blogs that I find engaging and wonderful that have a somber purpose, like chronicling a battle with cancer or blogging in the midst of a traumatic life event.  It’s strange to read about the most intimate details of someone’s trials when you don’t know them.  At times it can feel voyeuristic and invasive, but at the same time it’s comforting and uplifting to see how people handle themselves in extreme situations.  I know that my husband doesn’t quite get it when I’m so engrossed in a blog about someone I don’t know.  Especially when I’m moved to tears by what I’m reading.  Of course, I don’t get his borderline obsession with all things Nazi, either (no, he doesn’t LIKE Nazi’s, he’s just fascinated with the history channel).  The bottom line is that I learn things from these blogs, whether it’s how to bake a really awesome cookie, what to feed my babies when they come down with the flu, how to ease nausea during pregnancy (God forbid!!), what not to say to someone who is grieving, or that I need to find ways to show that I appreciate my husband more often.  They all have value to me and have opened my eyes to things I never would have thought about otherwise.  I’m thinking that some things he just doesn’t need to understand to appreciate.

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We’re live people

In Badass Ideas, Big time stuff, Nothing to it but to do it on August 27, 2009 at 1:56 pm

It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that I am now posting on my freshly minted blog design site for the first time! It went live this morning while I was actually still sleeping, because my designer and friend Leanne is an early bird whereas I am of course a night owl.  Way to wake up much too early, Leanne!  And thanks for answering my million emails so quickly this morning (well, morning to me, anyhow) when I’m pretty much certain I was totally a distraction to you.

I also wanted to say thank you **so much** and send love to the THREE of you who were checking me out while I was still using that free Word Press theme that was completely adequate and enabled me to think aloud online while I pondered the idea of blogging, and while Leanne worked tirelessly to make everything turn out just right on the final pie-in-the-eye design I had poorly described to her.  Heh.  Again, sorry about that Leanne, but you can’t hit a baby.

Maybe someday a fourth person will read this and wonder how they have ever gotten through life without checking which color mug comes next.  I say to you, fourth person (and you first three too, actually) to go directly to Leanne’s site and get yourself one!  It’s good.  It’s really, really good.

***Update… this post now makes no sense at all, because I have moved my blog to the hosted version of wordpress and did not take the design with me.  Don’t ask.***

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