Tag Archive | the blog itself

changing habits

May12

When I lived alone in my apartment, I almost always had the tv on. Even if I wasn’t watching it, I enjoyed just having the noise in the background. But I did spend a lot of time watching “my shows.” In particular, I had a weakness for the  Real Housewives (some, not all), Top Chef,  and House Hunters. My schedule in the evenings was built around what shows were on. I even had a second tv in my bedroom, so I could watch in bed. So, yes, one person, two tvs.

Once I moved in with mr. strivingcynic, my tv watching declined. We still put it on most evenings, but it’s not a constant.  When I turn it on, I often feel restless. I would never have believed I could reach this point considering where I was before. I think it’s a combo of living with another person (we only have one tv) and finding I’m just not that interested in keeping up with tv shows.

It’s always interesting to realize how something that seemed central to life at one point, can lose its place in the spotlight. I know when I started this blog, it took a central place, and now it’s been more than a month since I posted something (or really read other blogs). I just started to look at it  as another obligation and since my tendency is to all or nothing, I either had to be heavily involved or not at all. Not to mention my rule setting ways (I must post 3 times a week and comment on other blogs all the time). But, if someone were to ask if I’m done with this blog, the answer is no. I just have to come up with a way to ensure I enjoy it. I suspect that means more random posting than scheduling them.

Anyway, I’m happy to be typing again. Today is Mother’s Day (Happy Mother’s Day) and it’s a beautiful day . I’m going to visit my grandmother (my mom’s in California, so I’ll give her a call).  And strivingcynic cat greeted me a little crazily this morning. He got up on the bed and started jumping around…at one point he was by my feet and did a springy jump and landed by my head. Then he jumped off the bed and meowing started. Being a good (and tired) cat mom, I decided to give him his morning Whiskas treat. At 5:40 am! But, I went back to bed and he came up again half an hour later, walked around a bit and then settled in…and I didn’t wake up again till almost 8!

nothing like waking up early to feed your cat and knowing he'll spend the rest of the morning looking like this.

nothing like waking up early to feed your cat and knowing he’ll spend the rest of the morning looking like this

if there were a 25th hour for blogging…I’d probably (mostly) use it for something else

Sep3

Hard to believe another summer is coming to a close. In fact, I’m a little stunned at the pace of 2012…it seems like I was listing resolutions yesterday, and now, bam…less than four months till the end of the year (and after spending the first year of this blog going on about turning 40, soon I’ll be hitting 41).

I think like a lot of bloggers (although I don’t think of myself as a “blogger” so much as a “person who has a blog”), my attitude has changed towards my blog as time has gone on. As I’ve said before, I enjoy the interactions, have fun with a lot of the posts, and am blown away by all the smart, fun writing I see out there.

When I ended 2011, I had managed to reach my goal of 5,000 views. Looking at 2012, I secretly hoped I’d get another 5,000+…and initially set a goal of 200 posts a year.  I pretty quickly felt locked in at 4 posts a week and revised it to 175-200 in 2012. Over the last few weeks, I’ve hit my 10,000th view (w-hoo) and realized that to hit the 175-200 mark, I could now do three posts a week. Between this realization and, y’know, life, I’ve slowed down a little bit.

One thing I had thought in the past is that I *had* to stick to a schedule so that my audience would “know” when to expect a post from me. What I’ve realized is that most people either visit because that’s what they do, or they come after being notified by e-mail or the posts are in their reader. Another realization, disappearing for a few days or a week does not make everyone forget you…

These have all been good lessons for me. There have been days where I’ve done the “have to post!” dance when I had other things to do, because I *had* to stick to my schedule. I’ve realized now that this is silly; when blogging is a hobby/outlet it shouldn’t feel like an obligation or chore.

The other day, I got my first notice about renewing this blog and there’s no question in my mind that I want to continue (although I’m going to have to purchase more space soon for my photos!). But I know that as the end of another year (and another strivingcynic year) is in sight, that I might just lay off the blog resolutions in the future (or at least the scheduling ones).

I know I’ve written about these types of thoughts/realizations before, but I they’re worth revisiting as time has marched on!

How has your attitude towards blogging or blog scheduling changed? Do you consider yourself a blogger or a person who has a blog?

grrr[oan] grrr[ipe]

Jun18

Time for a little venting about WordPress.

I have posted before about how there have been some changes to the way commenting works…not so much when people comment on my blog, but when I try to comment on other people’s blogs. I am fortunate enough to have 3 ways of looking at and attempting to comment on blogs…on my computer, on my iPhone, and on my iPad. The problem is that the system is not the same on all three (at least trying to do it using the app..I could probably try just logging on through the Internets…).

I have always preferred to leave comments on other blogs with my [okay, fake] name rather than the blog name…but I can only manage it using the computer. This is why my comments sometimes show up as “Zo” and sometimes as “strivingcynic.”

The phone WordPress app has a function for reading blogs you follow, which allows you to comment. The iPad app (as far as I can tell) does not. Now, when I try to comment on Cathy’s blog on my computer…all is well. When I do it on my  phone, it comments as strivingcynic…on the iPad, I’ll comment as sc, and when I go to post the comment, it will tell me I’m not logged in (but yet, I’m always logged into my app)…I log in and get a message telling me that I’ve already posted that comment! But at least it posts! With Stacie, I try posting the comment and get told that I’m part of a “known spam network” (???)–so, no–even though I use the same info I use when commenting successfully from my computer!  It’s frustrating to craft and lose a response…

I’m trying to look at this as a challenge…one day I will understand and be able to navigate through all these differences between blogs/devices/etc. Of course, once I do, it will all change again. One reason I got the iDevices was so that I would be able to communicate without sitting at a computer.

I will triumph one of these days! I must!

Do you have a particular blog technology frustration?

roam

May10

So, it’s on the road again time! Off for a family visit for the next week and a half.

No worries: I’ve scheduled a few posts to appear while I’m away. But, I won’t have much internet access, so I probably won’t be reading or commenting on other blogs…or even replying to comments on my own!

It’s probably a good thing I’m getting away, as I’ve noticed that I’m getting crabby in the way I get crabby when I need a break! But, I’ll miss my bloggy routine.

And I’ll definitely miss this guy!

What?

 [Couldn't resist using that picture again]!

Don’t worry about him either. He will be looked after…

revisitation time

Apr2

How did this happen? We’re one quarter of the way through 2012! When I planned out my “countdown” goals for 2012, I wasn’t entirely sure how often I wanted to go back and examine how it’s going. I did check in at the beginning of February, but felt once a month was too often. At the moment, I feel like a check in every quarter could be a good thing to do!

So, how am I doing? Right on target with some things and not so much with others. I figure this check in gives me a chance to decide if I want to change or modify in some way.

My goals from the original post (in green), followed by my current status.

“In 2012, I’d like to be able to run 10 miles (or 2 times 5 miles). I started 2011 at 2.5 to 3 miles and am now up to 7.5, so I think this is doable if I’m able to keep my schedule.”

I hit the 9 mile mark on March 31, 2011. I’m still ahead of my schedule (I figured on bumping up a quarter a month, but I’ve gone up by a mile and a half)

“In 2012, I’d like to write 200 posts (which would average out to almost 4 a week–giving myself a little break with travel or things that happen that might pull me away)…”

I think I modified this one by the end of January to say 3 to 4 posts a week, aiming for 175 to 200 this year. I just felt too locked in…too pressured to just post any old thing to meet a number. I think there have only been two weeks so far that had 3 posts instead of 4, so I’d say I’m doing pretty well. I just needed some breathing room!

“I did indeed get…Organize Now! … The book is broken down into 56 chapters with the idea that you’ll do one a week. Not every chapter applies to me, so I’ve decided that in 2012 I’d like to get through 3 chapters a month in my quest to be more organized.”

Well…not so much. I haven’t really spent time with that book since January, when I did really well. But, I have managed to accomplish/implement some organization and tidying. I’m not where I want to be, but I’m better than I was. So, to revisit this goal, I’m going to modify it from 3 chapters a month to looking it over and acting on 3 suggestions/recommendations it makes a month. I think that will help me keep up what I’m doing and it won’t feel like a chore.

“..In 2012 I’d like to read at least 25 books again (so mostly 2 books a month).”

I’m pretty much on target with this one. I’ve read 6 books so far in 2012, which is 2 a month. I suspect a vacation will help with getting a three book month in. The last book I read was This Body of Death by Elizabeth George, which was more than 700 pages! (like reading two books, but I won’t “cheat” and say it was when it wasn’t).

“One thing that I’ve put in monthly goals and failed on is taking better care of my hands (they get chapped/cracked in the winter and I wash/sanitize them to death) and they start to hurt/flake/peel. So in 2012, I want to use hand cream on them at least 1 time each day and will do “higher” maintenance (nail clipping/filing/buffing…maybe even a manicure one of these days) twice a month (so 1 time every other week)….”

This is another instance where I haven’t been 100% perfect, but I’m doing better than I used to. For some reason, I am just bad about using my dishwashing gloves. And I’m not great about applying cream every day. I would say I do manage it more days than not…and although the nails have gotten too long/jagged a few times…I have been better about maintenance. So, I’m going to keep this goal and put more effort into it.

So, my verdict so far is that I’m doing pretty well. I’d like to be doing better, but I’m happy to see that I think I made good choices in my goal setting. I also think the quarterly check in will be useful for seeing what my thoughts are about my goals and progress.

What are your thoughts on where you are now that 2012 is one quarter over?

random blog stuff

Mar19

Last week, when I posted about posts I haven’t written, I had one possibility on my list to talk about commenting. I had more of an etiquette and observations angle in mind when I added the idea to my list, but have a new angle to consider at the moment.

I use my phone to comment a lot (I often don’t have time to or don’t feel like turning on my computer). WordPress has made some changes with commenting that are causing some problems and for me, this results in my getting an error message when I try to comment on a WP blog using my phone. The message tells me that the e-mail address I’m using to leave comments is already associated with a blog, so to please log in. The problem of course, is that it’s associated with my blog…and since I am always signed in to the WordPress app on my phone…I’m pretty sure I’m logged in.

Anyway, if I seem to be a little less chatty on your blogs, this is the issue…I have no problem responding to comments on my blog using my phone, but can’t get out of the “error loop” to leave them on yours. Hope this gets resolved soon.

So, on another note…I guess this is a blog house keeping post (blog keeping?), I’ve realized the last few Top Ten Tuesdays, that I’ve often been writing about the same books. So, I think I’ll probably stop doing the Top Ten every week and just join in for some challenges (I’ll probably keep posting on Tuesdays, just not always about books). The one for this week is Top Ten Books I want to read this spring…and since I know there’s no way I’m getting through 10 books this spring, and that this will just lead to another discussion of my book pile, I decided not to participate. They don’t have anything listed beyond March 20, so I’ll decide when I see the challenges.

I also realized when I did my borders and boundaries post, that I might like to do more photography posts…at least while the weather is nice! On the other hand, I think I’ve learned the lesson to not make “blog declarations” as something inevitably changes…so we’ll just say *maybe* there will be more photography, and less books, for a little bit…maybe!

All right, and to end on a random note…here are a few more photos!

another borders picture that I didn't include in my last post

strivingcynic cat with one paw on my leg...mugging for the camera!

Have you had any frustrations with your blog host? What changes have you made or has your blog undergone since you started? What are your thoughts on “blog declarations?”

the post of lost posts…(pt 1?)

Mar15

One of the lessons I’ve learned about blogging is that it’s important to take note when a great/fun idea comes along. I often think of things that I am sure would make a great post…but then the idea goes *poof* and I can’t get it back. So, I started trying to write them down, and of course, would never know where I put the paper…so once again, I turned to the gadget love of my life, my iPhone.

One of the basic apps that comes with the iPhone is a “notes,” app, which very cool-ly looks like a sheet of yellow legal paper. Among the many lists I’ve started and failed to keep up with, is the “sc” list, where I type up ideas for posts. I will also think of names for the top ten book posts, because once again, I often think I’ll remember them and don’t (this was an issue with the theme song post where I had to remember the book AND the song). Usually, once I write a post covering a topic, I’ll delete the note. I don’t always remember to do this.

So, I thought I’d take you on a little tour of my list. Now, for some reason, I was not able to get the iPhone screen capture to transfer to my computer (must be me, because it couldn’t be the iPhone’s fault). I’m going to go with the first 5 for this post (there are about 20) for several reasons. First, they’re older, so I suspect I’ll never actually write those  posts…second…this could make a fun series. And I’m going to transcribe them as I wrote them with the exception of adding the numbers to the front.

1. Learning about washing machine/holes in sleeves.

Okay…mr. strivingcynic usually does the laundry in our household…so it took me a while to actually learn how to use the machines, which are different from the ones I had in my apartment. I finally learned when I had a bunch of stuff to wash that needed to dry *not* in the dryer. I told mr. sc I would handle it. And I was upset when I saw that some of these wool items had holes in them which I assumed happened in the wash. It became clear based on other damaged textiles that I had made some moths very happy by leaving my clothes unprotected in a woven hamper for way too long.

2. Comment issues

A post about the etiquette and weirdnesses of commenting on blogs. I was probably also going to complain about commenting on blogger, and how I will get some comment replies through my e-mails.

3. Humane soc. Ribbon

In this day and age, hard to believe, but I do not have any magnetic ribbons on my car. I got one from the Humane Society and considered putting it on my car. I put it aside and planned to take a picture after I put it on my car….and of course it’s now buried in a pile. I was probably going to make some comments about the societal implications of car magnet/ribbons.

and here's the photo I took for this post

4. Books about Books

I wrote this idea long before I found out about Top Ten Tuesdays. I’ve mentioned my love of books about books several times on this blog, but I finally wrote the post on this in my last post.

5. Nonprocrastination of the Day

I’ve written about my procrastinatey ways….so I thought about having an example of ways I didn’t procrastinate in each post…or maybe once a week I’d present 5-7 things I did because I didn’t procrastinate. This would be a commitment, so of course, I’ve put off doing anything with this idea.

Any comments on my non-posts? How do you get your post ideas and how do you keep track of them?

overscheduled?

Mar5

When I started blogging, my post writing almost always concluded with my hitting “publish” and I would see my work go live. I wrote my posts in a “catch as catch can” manner…and I think I mostly managed three posts a week. At some point in November, I decided I wanted to post more often, and I realized that I could just write my posts and schedule them to appear at certain days and times. As more time went on, I came up with a schedule….posting 4 times a week; Monday; Tuesday; Thursday; and Saturday mornings. I even set a goal for 200 posts in 2012….averaging about 4 a week. Within a month I realized that sometimes I couldn’t manage 4 times a week and amended this goal to say 3-4 times a week.

In many ways, I think my scheduling was a good choice. I have the post set and ready to go….I have a list of things I might want to blog about that I can look to for inspiration when I can’t think of what to write. And when I have several lined up to go, I feel really good about myself.

But, I’ve come to see a downside. There’s not too much spontaneity…I don’t generally come home and write about the crazy thing that happened to me today and hit publish. Nope…I might write about the crazy thing and hit schedule. Or by the time I sit down to write about it, I’ve lost the momentum on the topic and don’t write at all. I think I also feel like my topic has to be fully fleshed out (and around 500 words) when really, there have been many fun, interesting posts out in the world written in 200 words (or even less).

I think now that I have my schedule, I see the times I want to post as deadlines. I like deadlines because they give me a stopping point, but I tend to want to not just meet deadlines but beat the heck out of them. Meaning that for a Monday morning post…I’m typing on Saturday or Sunday. I want the Thursday night post done by Monday night…Tuesday at the latest. If I can have Saturday done as well by early in the week, then I’m really happy. It is completely typical of me to want to be three steps ahead of where I need to be!

I’m not writing this to make a new resolution about how I will post in the future…but just observing yet another twist in the process for me. For now, I plan to stick with my schedule, but I might think about “bumping” planned posts if I feel moved to write more spontaneously!

What’s your process? Scheduled or spontaneous? Do you have rules for yourself about topics or word counts? Do you assign deadlines?

I knew that

Mar3

Thanks for everyone’s empathy on my “my gym says it’s being environmentally friendly, but it’s really just being cheap!” rant the other day. Clearly I am not alone in being skeeved by germy exercise equipment!

As part of the exchange in the comments, Cathy suggested that I write a letter expressing my views to the gym in a week or two. A very good idea, but I don’t know if I’ll actually do this (I always say I’m going to write that ranty or complimentary letter…but I never do. [Actually, I have written complimentary e-mails to companies I'm looking to get coupons from...but that letter I was going to write about the great customer service I got...never happens]. I have virtually no follow through on my intentions. That is definitely a major issue for me [another post...]). Cathy noted that writing such a letter might be a “PITA,” but correctly points out that it would be proactive and I could get my concerns across to the management (in a slightly less ranty way).

Now…am I the only one who has those moments of…I should know what that stands for…I’m sure I know what that stands for…yep..nope…well..so ITA is I totally agree…so PITA is..???..I should look this up…oh..I’ll just ask. So I did…and Cathy’s response:

“Pain in the a$$”

Which led me to my…darn it. I knew that. I totally knew that. I know I knew that. Why didn’t I look it up so that I could have known I knew that before telling someone I didn’t know that? Which I guess I really didn’t (even though I think I did).

Another moment of duh for me! At any rate, I’ll be unlikely to forget what PITA stands for again (although perhaps it’s also because Cathy was much more delicate than I would have been. I just would have written it out. Without the dollar signs ;-) )

Have you ever been stuck on an acronym/abbreviation/expression that you know you know but somehow don’t know? Look up or ask? Also, do you actually write letters of compliment/complaint and how has that worked out for you?

what makes me click. . .

Feb9

As I’ve moved further into the blogworld (blogland, blogosphere, whatever), my habits and tendencies as a writer and a reader have changed. I have definitely talked a lot about how things have changed for me as a blog writer, so I wanted to consider one aspect of how I’ve changed as a reader

I used to find bloggers I liked or was interested in, bookmark them, and check back again and again and again….sometimes feeling disappointed when there wasn’t a new post. Sometimes, it was clear that the blogger had decided to not blog for a while…so the again and again got frustrating. I’ve unbookmarked people for not producing (I only have so much bookmark space).

It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that if I clicked the subscribe button…I wouldn’t have to check back exhaustively…I could just get notified that there was a new post! I’ve discovered a slight trick to this though…I think as a WordPress blogger, notifications from other WP blogs come almost instantaneously….Blogger/Blogspot posts don’t generate an e-mail to me for quite a few hours after the post goes up.

I don’t subscribe to a lot of blogs…probably about 10. If you’re a frequent commenter here, then I’m probably a frequent commenter on your blog, and I’m probably a subscriber. If I’m not, it’s only because it hasn’t occurred to me yet to click “subscribe.” I don’t subscribe to any of the “big” blogs because I don’t need messages multiple times a day that they’ve posted something new.

So, what makes me hit “subscribe”? I enjoy the blog, the blogger, the bloggy exchanges and want to make sure I don’t miss a post…and I also want to give that blogger the “vote of confidence” that says, “hey, I want to see your posts in my inbox,” (I was genuinely shocked the first time I got a “so and so is now subscribed to your blog”….of course, I didn’t know there was a way to subscribe to my blog at that point).

strivingcynic cat knows he's the real reason you visit this blog

Are you a bookmarker, subscriber, or both like me? If you do subscribe to blogs, what factors lead you to bookmark or click the subscribe button [and I'll throw out now that this is not a plea for subscriptions, but if you feel like it, I'm not gonna stop you...]?