July Reply: Answering YOUR Miscellaneous Questions + My Conclusions About Doing This Project [AMA Part 3 Of 3]

/ Ally Bean

PREVIOUSLY…

As promised, this is the last installment of the AMA Extravaganza, a blogging project I dreamed up in June [HERE] as a way to see what y’all were curious about + as a way of focusing attention on other bloggers.

So far I’ve answered YOUR questions about blogging [HERE] and YOUR questions about me [HERE].

Again I’m highlighting who asked each question and adding a link to their blog. This I hope will create and extend a sense of community that is, in my experience, the backbone of personal blogging.

Plus for your entertainment I’ve added 3 memes from the National Park Service, that has the best sense of humor of any government agency.

See what you think.

YOUR QUESTIONS + MY ANSWERS

The following questions are listed alphabetically using the first letter of the first name of the Cool Kid who asked the question. Thanks to everyone who asked a question. My answers immediately follow each question.   

📌 Barbara from Book Club Mom asks: Do you think a person’s opinion of a book can change after discussing it with others? Has this ever happened to you?

MY ANSWER: Yes, a person’s opinion of a book can change after discussing it with other people. Or having it explained to you by someone, like a college prof, who understand the context better or has more life experience than you.

For me a case in point would be The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne that I thought was a pathetic story until I learned more about the era it was set in– and how hypocritical religious folks can be. 🤨

📌 Betsy from Motherhood and Martial Arts asks: Did some punk on here already ask you to explain the meaning of life? 

MY ANSWER: No, Betsy, no one else has asked me to explain the meaning of life. You’re the only one to ask IF someone has asked me that question. And that is my punkish reply. 😜

📌 Catsandcoffee from MIDLIFE CAT LADY asks: If you were reincarnated into an animal, what would it be and why?

MY ANSWER: I’ve wrestled with my answer to this question. On the one hand I’d go with CAT because I adore their indifferent attitude towards pleasing people.  But on the other hand I’m drawn to SLOTH because they make me smile and live life at their own pace.

I dunno for sure so depending on my mood: 😼 or 🦥

📌 Ernie from … no small feet asks: Do you and Zen Den have couples that you meet up with for dinner/drinks. etc. And have you struggled to find couples that you both enjoy? …  How do you handle this issue?

MY ANSWER: Most of our socializing with other couples has been a result of Z-D’s work relationships. This means that unless I really dislike a couple, we continue to see them… because business. I figure it’s only for a few hours and if [almost always] there are adult beverages involved, it’s all good. 🍸

📌 JT Twissell from SAYING NOTHING IN PARTICULAR asks: Have you ever been asked if you were on drugs?

MY ANSWER: Welp, up until this question no one has ever asked me if I was on drugs. I am not, nor ever have been, but thanks for asking. Perhaps I should investigate taking some? Are you suggesting a new goal for me? 😵‍💫

📌 Janis at Retirementally Challenged asks: What kind of bean are you: lima, baked, jelly, or some other type?

MY ANSWER: Oddly enough I have answered this question before in THIS POST wherein I shared my bean personality after taking an online quiz from THE BEAN INSTITUTE that told me: “You’re the Pinto Bean: Humble, Unassuming, Relaxed & Modest.”

Ha! Didn’t see that answer coming, did ‘ya? 😉

📌 LA from Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50 asks: My friend asks me for fashion advice…. Do I tell her what I really think or do I continue to skirt around the issue, realizing it’s just my opinion, but in the back of my head, she already sees the things I see, and wants confirmation? 

MY ANSWER: If an acquaintance asked this I’d be noncommittal, BUT if a friend asked for fashion advice like yours has, I’d be more truthful, in a tactful way.

I’d approach it from the improv point of view wherein you say “yes/and” when it’s your turn to talk.  That is, your friend says something about an outfit then I’d say: “YES you could wear that AND you might be able to enhance it by ________.”  She talks and your reply is: “YES I get what you’re saying AND you could try _______.”

This continues until the conversation has reaches its logical conclusion. Then you never say another word about what she decides to wear. 🤐

📌 Mark Petruska from Mark My Words asks: If we were stranded on a desert island together, what skills do you think I would bring to the table? How about you? Would we be able to put our collective noggins together and figure a way off the damned island ala Tom Hanks in “Castaway,” or would we perish after a few weeks? … Keep in mind we don’t have a Wilson with us (though hopefully I’m more entertaining than a damn volleyball).

MY ANSWER: Dude, we’re doomed. No way are we going to survive being stranded on a desert island for a few weeks.

Sure you have amazing writing skillz and can mow a huge yard on a riding mower, but those abilities, while admirable, are worth zilch when stranded in the way you envision.  Plus the only skill I could bring to the situation is to complain, very well of course, taking into account everything that is wrong, but I know that gift wouldn’t contribute to our survival either.

The only way I can fathom us surviving is IF we had Wilson with us, and you’ve taken that option off the table, so my friend it’s over for us, been great knowing ‘ya. 🏐

📌 Mary from Mary J Melange asks: Is there a question you will never ever answer because of the skeleton in the closet? Where do you hide the bodies? Is there such a thing as watching too much crime drama on TV? Is there such a thing as too many cats or too much chocolate? Where did I leave my car keys? Are you annoyed by stupid questions?

MY ANSWER: First let me congratulate you on asking the most random stream of questions that anyone has asked here.

Well done.

Next let me assure you that I have some skeletons somewhere, but none involve real bodies nor do I keep them in a closet.  Mine are decorative, stored in the basement, used to zhoosh up the house for Halloween.  And yes, I’m sure some of us watch way too many TV crime dramas, but I shall not name names.

I believe, and this might be controversial, that you can have too many cats and too much chocolate. I’ll not elaborate further lest I inflame someone with my opinion.

I suggest you search for your car keys in the kitchen, maybe tossed into the silverware drawer by accident? Or pushed into the trash can by Gibbs? Or Hoshi? And no I’m not annoyed by your inventive questions. In fact I’m giving you a trophy for your cleverness. 🏆

📌 nance from Dept. of Nance asks: Is there anything you’ve ever just plain given up on?

MY ANSWER: I’ve give up on lots of things, from career aspirations to the best recipe for cheesecake– and everything in-between. The thing is I believe there is nothing wrong with giving up.

Yes, you read that right.

You just have to be clear about why you’re giving up and how your life will change because of it. If you’re comfortable with your answers to those two variables, then give up– and move on. 😌

📌 philmouse from Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge asks: You’re cool (of course) so the obvious question is what flavor of ice cream do you prefer? Do you think ice cream choice reveals a lot about a person? …Some people are fans and dedicated to one flavor, some love experiments and variety, some may change as they mature – or move to a new place. Do you think there should be some research money available for a study on this? 

MY ANSWER: Okay, here goes. My favorite flavors of ice cream have changed over the years.  As a child I liked raspberry ripple, then as a teenage moved on to mint chocolate chip, followed by a decade of chocolate almond.  However now, as a confirmed adult, I like vanilla bean vanilla [never French vanilla] or caramel.

Whether I’ve revealed anything important about myself, or if there should be research money available for how a person’s ice cream preferences change, is not for me to decide.

HOWEVER I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that there is a well-funded research project happening on this question. Such is the way of the modern world, no detail of human behavior is too small to explore on someone else’s dime. 🍨

📌 Sadje from Keep it alive asks: Why does it rains when you don’t have an umbrella and it’s sunny when you do have one?

MY ANSWER: This is a brilliant question. My answer to it demonstrates why I’m sometimes described as charmingly cynical. My reply is: because the Universe likes to screw with you, just to see what you’ll do next! ☔️

IN CONCLUSION

While doing this project my stats were booming. In the words of WordPress: “The Spectacled Bean is getting noticed.”

Here is what I learned by doing this AMA Extravaganza, something I’ll probably never do again, but was worth doing once to test my mettle:

  1. When you solicit questions from your readers you open yourself up to a whole lot of randomness.
  2. If you are not prepared to make yourself vulnerable, don’t do this: remember you’re giving up your control over what you’ll be writing about.
  3. Readers asked excellent questions and answering them took more time than I imagined it would, so I spread my answers out over a few weeks which was not my original plan.
  4. This project was worthwhile because by adding a link to the blog of anyone who asked a question I was sharing the limelight with other people, thus this wasn’t all about me. Hallelujah!

182 thoughts on “July Reply: Answering YOUR Miscellaneous Questions + My Conclusions About Doing This Project [AMA Part 3 Of 3]”

  1. Pingback: July Reply: Answering YOUR Questions About Me [AMA Part 2 Of 3] | THE SPECTACLED BEAN

  2. Pingback: July Reply: Answering YOUR Questions About Blogging [AMA Part 1 Of 3] | THE SPECTACLED BEAN

  3. And look at that! I finally finished this AMA project with pingbacks to connect all the posts together. Never will I do any blogging project as complicated or as involved as this one again. 😳

    Liked by 1 person

      • Marie, it was a good challenge for my brain to do this series so I can’t be too down on it. Plus I was able to boost other bloggers, but now I’m returning to my low-key flapdoodle and twaddle posts. No more questions, please.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. And now WP has chosen to not tell the world that I’ve posted this. I’m not showing up in the Reader nor am I seeing any activity/comments on this post. First I’m popular, now I’m not worth noticing. WordPress is a wicked taskmaster.

    Like

    • WP did tell me . . . but I was being a busy bee and unable to swing round until now.

      And now let me just say that your Q&A has included some delightful repartee. Thank You!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Nancy, some people got notifications while other didn’t. I can’t control WP obviously, but it is getting to be more dodgy every month. Yet I stay.

        Anyway, I agree that if nothing else doing something like this leads to some unique conversations. And that’s good, right?

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  6. Oh good golly. I loved every bit of this…and your whole series, Ally, but your comment to Mark, “Dude, we’re doomed” made my morning. Hilarious…and I suspect quite true! Thanks for all of this, Ally. It’s been loads of fun. Are you SURE you won’t do it again? Testing your mettle’s been a delight for your readers. 🥰

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Oooooohhh…a trophy! You like me! You really really like me! Thank you!

    Gibbs says he knows nothing about car keys and Hoshi is more invested in surfing the kitchen counter (naughty girl), looking for random items to play with or crumbs to lick up (naughty girl).

    I found my keys, thank you, right where I left them in my purse. Good thing as I have to leave soon for the chiro and store.

    Thanks for answering my questions and not being annoyed, Ally. You are the coolest kid of all. 🙂❤️

    Like

    • Mary, ha! That’s the perfect acceptance speech. Of course we like you Sally!

      So the cats didn’t hide your keys. It was human error. Who’d of thunk it?

      I loved your questions. Thanks for calling me a Cool Kid, some days I wonder if I’ve slipped back into being a Do Bee, but I try to remain chill.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Ally, I guess I was asleep when you answered this question about “beanery” the first time. Obviously, I’m happy to know the answer: What kind of bean are you: lima, baked, jelly, or some other type?”

    Yup, sometimes WP is a cruel taskmaster. Sometimes. . .

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Much enjoyed Ally Bean! You are indeed a chilli bean. Could use some of that heat here in the southern hemisphere. Chilled to freeze brass balls off the monkey. I absolutely do not know if that’s the ‘correct’ metaphor but it is extremely cold down south-

    Liked by 1 person

    • nance, the National Parks memes crack me up every time. I appreciate knowing some of my tax dollars go to people with a dry sense of humor.

      Yes, I give up. It’s a life skill.

      Like

  11. Great answers! 😊What a huge undertaking! I don’t blame you for never wanting to do it again!

    Out of curiosity, I took the bean quiz and received this score:
    Complex, Curious, Independent & Intellectual
    You’re the Small Red Bean!
    Small Red Beans have a delicate flavor and hold their shape when cooked. They are popular in Cajun, Creole and Mexican cuisine, and are a must have for red beans and rice.

    LA from Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50: I see what you did there with “skirt around the issue” in the discussion of fashion advice. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    • L. Marie, answering all the questions was a labor of love, but NO MAS. It reminded me of working as a paralegal, in truth.

      I’m happy to know which type of bean you are and have a fondness for red beans, so YAY! You sound like a good bean. 😜

      I don’t know if LA intentionally phrased her question like she did or not. She’ll have to clarify if/when she stops by to read & comment. Inquiring minds, and all that.

      Like

  12. I’ve really enjoyed your AMA blogs. They do increase knowledge of you plus spotlighting those who asked questions was nice, they were interesting and thought provoking in unexpected ways and I always enjoy your thoughts. Bonus: the national park service memes.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Zazzy, thanks for reading along. I wanted to find a way to introduce bloggers one to the other so I hit upon this idea. Would that WP had played nicer along the way. 🤨

      I adore the National Parks memes, I’m pleased I stumbled over them and can share them here.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Catsandcoffee, thanks for looking for me. I appreciate that. I don’t know why WP has decided to not send notifications that I’ve posted. Maybe just to keep me in my place: I am, after all, a lowly personal blogger and not a business. 🙄

      Liked by 1 person

  14. I enjoyed these AMA posts so much! It has been fun to check out other blogs, thanks to the links you shared. I enjoyed the National Park humor! Thank you for answering all the questions – I feel like I know you better, and you’re my kind of people!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Michelle, what a sweet thing to say! Thank you. Overall I think this was a good idea to do these AMA posts, but I didn’t realize what I was getting into with them. I adore the National Park service memes. I get laughing so hard when I see them. Sometimes humor just hits, you know?

      Like

  15. Another set of interesting questions and answers. Great job. I can see how you would not like to repeat this experience, but maybe in a few years the feeling will wear off (like the pain of childbirth we forget, hence more children – LOL). I don’t know about this WP platform sometimes, although you were in my inbox as usual so they must have sorted something out. Happy rest of your week Ms. Bean.

    Like

    • Janet, I’m glad I solicited and answered all the questions, BUT I didn’t realize what I was getting into with this. I’m usually more carefree about blogging, but this was work-y. STILL I was able to feature many bloggers so that makes me smile.

      Thanks for letting me know that you received an email that this posted, everything went sideways when I hit publish this morning. Very odd behavior, even for WP, my frenemy.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. I love the National Park Service tweets — always good for a chuckle.

    This was a fun experiment. I’m glad you did it! I love that you are now a vanilla bean ice cream fan, after dabbling in other flavors. My ice cream preferences ebb and flow over the years. Your thoughts on giving up are very wise. And I would choose to come back as a cat. Sloth fingers/claws seem VERY difficult to operate.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Suzanne, I feel good knowing that some of my tax dollars go to fund the National Park Service. They seem like a good lot.

      I didn’t set out to like Vanilla Bean ice cream but it happened so I must ‘fess up to it. I hadn’t thought about a Sloth’s claws, but you raise a good point. At least I’m very familiar with a cat’s claws, on the receiving end the is. Something to ponder.

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Okay, I love this and love you. Your answer to Mark – perfect. But it was the one about the skeletons in the closet that has me searching my brain for what you all finally named that skeleton? -De-Bone-Air? Shank Williams? Oh, I can’t remember…

    Liked by 1 person

  18. I think #3 in the series has to be my favorite with the off the wall questions and your answers are outstanding. I know you have a wonderful sense of humor and are witty beyond compare so it’s fun to see you play with questions like this! I also adore “bears like to have options”! If I am remembering correctly our state DNR or BLM is on a mission to jazz up their media presence with all sorts of catchy Twitter, IG and other such social places hilarious stuff. I’ve seen a few and they are laugh out loud good 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deb, I rather enjoyed these questions, too. ALL the questions throughout were excellent and I appreciate everyone who asked them. I adore the Park Service memes. They are my kind of dry wacky humor.

      Lake Superior has someone who writes tweets that are delightful, too. As you can imagine being a superior lake he has a few snide opinions about things.

      Liked by 1 person

    • NGS, Mary has a delightful sense of humor so that question is her through and through. Gotta wonder if the question is posed as a plea for help, though. 🤔

      Like

  21. You are right–even my one cat is sometimes too much. And weirdly, I like chocolate but don’t like plain chocolate ice cream or heavily chocolate based desserts. I love chocolate accents in vanilla though. So, perhaps I’m not a fan of too much chocolate either.

    Like

    • Margaret, I like cats, but also feel they can be a bit too opinionated, thus I also suggested being a sloth. I mean, they do have such relaxed smiles.

      I’m like you about chocolate. I like it in small amounts but plain chocolate ice cream isn’t my cup of tea cone any more, but chocolate chip ice cream can be okay. When vanilla bean isn’t available.

      Like

  22. I laughed so hard over your blunt response to Mark on how the two of you wouldn’t last a day on the island. That one took the cake for me (which, unlike cats and chocolate, you can never have too much of because cake has infinite varieties).

    Very amusing post. Bravo to the askers and the answers.

    Like

  23. Nice wrap-up (and thanks for including my question… even though, apparently, you already answered it… although I would never have picked the simple, beige pinto bean for you… but what do I know.)!

    Based on your reply to Mark, I hope you two never find yourselves stranded on a desert island… although I imagine you’d have a few laughs before your untimely demise.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janis, I take your point about which kind of bean I am, but I’m sure the Bean Institute online bean personality quiz could not be wrong. They know bean things. 😁

      I think you’re right that Mark and I would laugh our way into oblivion. I’m hoping this scenario never plays out, but it is fun to contemplate.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. I loved your AMA series. I’ve always enjoyed learning interesting tidbits about people. I join you in giving up on stuff. Why waste precious time? I constantly give up on books and I’m more than happy to give up on people who never come through. Also, yeast has never once risen properly for me, so I’ve officially called it quits on homemade bread/rolls.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bijoux, I’m glad you’ve enjoyed this series of posts. Everyone asked interesting questions– some a little more out there than other ones. I agree with you about giving up on books. When I was in college I HAD to read books I didn’t care about, but NOW it’s for enjoyment only. I understand why you’ve given up on yeast. My mother came to the same conclusion, but somehow I seem to be able to bake bread. Now cheesecake… 🤬

      Like

  26. Well done. These were fun posts. I appreciate all the effort that went into organizing and answering the questions. WP- what up? Give a blogger a break already.

    The NP tidbits were so entertaining. Bears like to have options. Bah ha ha.

    My interest in art has been taxed to the limit on this art museum bucket list tour- reading your blog was just the break I needed.

    Thanks for answering my question. Coach and I have other couples we enjoy meeting up with . . . but we are not out and about socially as often as others, so I think we fall off friends’ radar at times. Coach is fine hanging at home after treating patients all day. I, on the other hand, wanna get out and socialize.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ernie, I can’t explain what’s happening with WP but it’s odd. I had a VERY WEIRD experience publishing this earlier to day which seems odd after WP telling me how popular I am and how my stats are up. Could it be that the system isn’t reliable?!!

      I can only do so much art before my eyes glaze over, I get what you’re saying. I also understand how you and Coach have opposite approaches to socializing. Somewhere in between is the answer, I’m sure. Good luck

      Like

  27. Thank you, thank you. I really enjoyed these often off-the-wall questions and answers. I was impressed by your very insightful response to the question about fashion advice. This method of response could be used for all kinds of tricky situations. BTW, I did receive notification of your new post (though I would have found my way here eventually regardless).

    Liked by 1 person

    • Christie, I’ve found that applying the improv approach to many conversations, like you mention, works well. Kind of keeps things positive but moving forward to something [maybe] better.

      It’s been odd some people got notifications while others didn’t. No rhyme or reason to it from what I can tell. Thanks for stopping by to read and comment.

      Like

  28. Oh, well. At least we’ll be able to catch a few amazing sunsets before we perish.

    Your answers to these questions prompts additional questions, such as, if a pinto bean is involved in an accident, will it explode?

    We’ll save that one for Part IV.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Did I really ask such a dopey question! I believe it was during the cool kid discussion when I mentioned how often I was asked that question by the popular kids. On the contrary, I would have needed drugs to act normal! On another topic – I have often changed my opinion about a book after a discussion. Everyone sees something different so getting feedback from reasonably well read people is often a blessing.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jan, I answered what I was asked! And glad to do so. Your reasoning for asking such a question is your own.

      I wholeheartedly agree that discussion about a book often changes my opinion of a book. I suppose that if you’re open-minded it’s a given. Like you said, a blessing to broaden your horizons.

      Like

  30. I, too, am a pinto bean (apparently) and I also love the National Park Service social media account. I’m happy to have my tax dollars support their work. Am also with you on the value of reading as a social activity (no big surprise, I guess, given my history as an English teacher and a school librarian). Not too many schools assign The Scarlet Letter anymore, but I really liked that book when I read it in high school. I suppose your conclusions about it are part of why so many people want to limit what kids can read and talk about these days. (sigh)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Rita, hello fellow pinto bean! Nice to meet ‘ya. I read for fun now, but after majoring in English Lit in undergrad I feel entitled to do that. I don’t know if The Scarlet Letter is one of the books that conservatives want to ban, but could be. I remember reading it in high school and thought it was so dry. I loved Shakespeare in high school, but Hawthorne didn’t grab me until it was explained to me to by, of all things, a teacher! Can you imagine? 😉

      Like

    • Donna, I’ll admit that Mark’s question was one for the ages and made me dig deep to answer it, NOT. He’s a funny guy so I suppose I should have expected it. I’m glad you enjoyed this series. I jumped into doing this without any planning, just to see what’d happen. Great to do once, but never again.

      Liked by 1 person

  32. I so enjoyed this 3rd round of Q&A. It highlighted the snappy wit of many of your followers who no doubt enjoy the snappy wit you share right back to them. I LOVE your summary (and the memes, they were perfect additions). As I read all three installments of the Q&A I thought those same 4 points. True words of wisdom there. Congratulations on setting the goal, working through to the finish line, learning along the way, and teaching us all valuable blogging lessons. 🥰🤗😍😁 Well done, Ally & all the Cool Kids who played along!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Shelley, thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed these posts– that turned out to be the longest things I’ve ever written for this blog. The questions were all wonderful, forcing me out of my comfort zone when it came time to answer them so a growth experience for me.

      I decided to add a summary of my experience because a few Cool Kids had mentioned they might do an AMA post series, too. I don’t know that everyone would feel like I did about answering a bunch [99!] questions, but at least I provided food for thought.

      Thanks again for reading and commenting along while I did this ONCE IN A LIFETIME series of posts. I appreciate your interest. ❤️

      Liked by 1 person

  33. Thanks Ally for providing these illuminating and fun answers. I must appreciate your will too stick to your commitment for some of these were hard to answer. Brilliantly my friend

    Liked by 1 person

  35. Hi there Ally Bean – I loved reading your responses to our questions. And I loved the randomness of them. Because, really, life is random so why not be random too? My head is always all over the place anyway. As for the Scarlett Letter, didn’t enjoy it when I read it in school, but I’d probably like it now. I’ve often changed my opinion about a book once I’ve talked about it with other people. Hence the “book club” in my nam.

    What a fun project and thank you so much for including my question!

    Like

    • Barbara, good point about how life is random so why shouldn’t these questions be the same way. I had zero expectations about what I’d be asked– and y’all didn’t disappoint. I was happy to answer but it was time-consuming.

      I have a feeling many of us had to have The Scarlett Letter explained to us and fortunately in my case someone did it well.

      [Also, I wasn’t ignoring your comment. I just found it (Sat morning) when I manually scrolled through the comments on this post. WP never notified me of it. WordPress has NOT been playing nice lately. 😠]

      Liked by 1 person

      • Hi Ally. Thinking of The Scarlett Letter reminds me of reading Moby Dick, which I read for two different classes. My college professor was a huge fan and I still remember his enthusiasm for it and what he said. Although I didn’t enjoy it the first time, I did like the book the second time around, and appreciated the explanation.

        Liked by 1 person

  36. Ally, my dearest Pinto Bean. The questions and answers are, to say the least, RANDOM and funny. People crack me up.
    My two cents is that you should always tell your friends the truth about their fashion choices IF they ask, and just like you and Mark, you and I would be doomed on a desert island. It’s been fun. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Suz, I feel that all these questions, asked by what I hope are sincere inquiring minds, have been random in their own ways. With you about people, you just never can tell what’s going on inside their minds. I hope that if nothing else as we perish on a desert island we can laugh. I mean, why not?

      Like

  37. So, I missed the opportunity to submit a question, but I do have one. How do you find time to read everything blog-related– fellow bloggers, comments, etc? Do you dedicate time or hit it whenever you can? Are there enough hours in the day??

    Liked by 1 person

    • Gwen, good question that I ask myself from time to time. I attend to my comment section first, then as time allows I try to read one post per week from everyone who I follow. Sometimes more than one post if it’s a slow week for me.

      I usually spend about an hour in the morning catching up with other bloggers, but after that it’s hit or miss. I’ve found that using Feedly allows me to keep track of people in many folders so keeping up is relatively organized and easy.

      Liked by 1 person

  38. Reading all the questions and your delightful answers in the past three AMA posts has been loads of fun. Wish I had a chance to participate but have been preoccupied with unpacking and getting settled, still unfinished. Laughed at the National Park memes, too, especially the one about providing bears with more options. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Barbara, thanks for following along on this series and leaving a comment. I appreciate that, considering your recent move. I agree about the meme about the bears. I suppose it might be true and even if it isn’t, it’s funny.

      Liked by 1 person

  39. Sloth and Pinto bean! Had to laugh because these are so you.
    (Sloths despite what people think are not “slow” just cautious and conserving energy.)
    You’d bring lots of skill to the desert island – the main one is to look at something then distill into few words an astute observation of something that may have been overlooked – you could be the sane voice jerking others from disastrous moves.
    This has been a fun experiment – great reads/responses
    (Oh, I discovered/loved blackberry ice cream as a kid and have searched for that perfect wonderful flavor ever since leaving that little East Coast town ice cream place. Sigh. None compare after all these years. Went through a green mint with chocolate phase, but now a nothing is better than Blue Bell Homemade vanilla)
    Blog on!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Karen Parker/Phil, EXACTLY about sloths. They get things done, on their own schedule, which is why I like them. They’re free spirits, slowly of course.

      I’m flattered that you think my observational skillz would come in handy on a desert island, I just figured it’d come across as whining but you could be right. I’d be the voice of reason.

      I’m sure I’d like blackberry ice cream, as a kid and now even. Sorry you’ve never found your favorite again. Life can be difficult sometimes.

      Thanks for asking such great questions and taking the time to read my answers. Now that I think on it if I ever own a sloth I shall name it Pinto. That’d work, right?

      Like

  41. Well Ally, now I feel like I’ve known you all my life! I liked the National Park memes and have just followed them on Twitter. They were a hoot and I think the Michigan DNR which I follow is copycatting the NP site as they are always doing fun pictures with witty captions. A few weeks ago they posted a pic where a couple had put their initials and a heart on a new wooden overlook and the Tweet author said “the overlook will probably be around longer than ___ and __.” Speaking of Twitter, I saw you did this post, yet it didn’t show up in my Reader. Sigh.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, I like the National Park memes and am happy that my tax money is going to support such clever folks. Their dry sense of humor calls to me. Lake Superior has an account on Twitter too that makes me smile.

      I know that this post didn’t show up in Reader but I don’t know why. I’ve been fretting over it all week. When I went to publish this post the system insisted that I had to “schedule” it rather than just hit “publish” then the system didn’t list me in Reader BUT if you look up this blog under the ones you follow in Reader the post is there.

      If there was ever the wrong time for WP to betray me it was this last post in the series wherein I’m attempting to promote other people. I feel awful about it.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I only recently learned Death Valley was a NP. I went throughit as a youngster. My father had an interview in California so we visited there.

        Ally, I have been ready to schedule a post when the area for scheduling the post suddenly looks different – nowhere to schedule the post. So, I know that people around the world are creating posts, so there is no good time for WP to tweak things, but it made no sense to me. The last time it happened, all I could do was “X” out as I didn’t even see the area where it says “draft” so I could save what categories and tags I had put, so I left. Hours later it was fine.

        I was anticipating your last post would be this Tuesday, saw it on Twitter. Then it went missing. If I were to go to your actual blog site, I knew I could not post as they want “credentials” and I still can’t get in, so I accessed your last comment to me and went to your site that way. Crazy!

        I think people were anticipating Part 3 so will look for it. I hate when that happens – I had a Christmas post go missing once and showed up in Reader the following day, so way down the reading queue.

        Liked by 1 person

        • I didn’t know about Death Valley but am charmed by its existence online. I’ve been through there a few times, kind of freaky. Somewhat disturbing.

          That is one convoluted way to find this blog. First thank you for trying, BUT REALLY that’s how WP wanted you to find me. The thing I find ironic is that last week they were telling me how popular I am, then this week they make sure no one finds me. Talk about a passive-aggressive platform.

          It’s the placement in the Reader queue that is disturbing. I went around to everyone whose questions were on this post so they’d know I’d replied… but why did I have to do that? Extra work for me, but I felt it was a good idea to tell everyone I’d replied to their question. Sometimes being conscientious comes at a price.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Death Valley was horribly hot when we stopped there in the Summertime. My father had driven us from Ontario to California and had his left arm resting on the window well. The window was open as we had no A/C in our car. He got sun poisoning and a huge blister the size of a dinner plate so he had to go to the E.R. near Death Valley.

            Yes, they tout your stats then mess up your post. You should not have had to jump through all those hoops. I remember asking other bloggers if they saw my post, then reblogging it (my first and only time to do that) to ensure they saw it.

            Like

    • Natalie, thank you! I jumped into doing this project not realizing how involved it’d be. It reminded me of working as a paralegal, keeping track of a zillion documents, while planning a million closings. Still I did it, so HA! 😁

      Like

  45. I read the other parts of this series and wow that was a lot of questions, a lot of effort and a big well done on your part. I really enjoyed reading the questions and responses and getting to know you. Vulnerable you may be as you said, but also so real. I think that’s why we are all here. I love your responses to giving up. You can give up anything and move on, yes. But also no reason why you can’t come back to it and start the fun all over again! You are not the first person whom I know that likes vanilla bean ice-cream as their favourite flavour. I think it’s delicious, but I prefer cookies and cream if it’s not too sweet. Then again, I usually am up for any kind of ice-cream any day 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mabel, in the end I fielded 99 questions which is WAY MORE than I anticipated. I was happy to answer them, after all I asked for them, BUT never again.

      I agree with you that just because you’ve given up now, doesn’t mean you can’t go back to that which you gave up on, later. I didn’t think to add that condition and you’re right.

      I understand about how cookies and cream ice cream can be too sweet. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth which is why I lean into vanilla, most other flavors are too much for me.

      Like

      • You did very well fielding all the questions, and providing thoughtful responses. I think we all enjoyed reading them all. Very entertaining and you very good effort.

        Vanilla used to be my least favourite ice-cream flavour. Then one day I had good vanilla ice-cream and I like it now. Sometimes if I feel vanilla is too plain (eating ice-cream at home), I can add my own toppings like chocolate syrup or candies, as much or as little as I want.

        Liked by 1 person

  46. I might be the last cool kid to comment here, but then I am good about ‘bringing up the rear’. I will forever be amazed by the “bitey end of the squirrel”. Goodonya for this series and all the sharing for the greater good of blogland. Always a fan!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Maggie, thanks for stopping by to read and comment. This post wasn’t picked up by WP Reader so lots of Cool Kids don’t know I published this, therefore you may end up not being the last to comment. Or you could be, who’s to say?

      I did this to promote other bloggers and think I may have succeeded even without WP playing nice. I like your idea of “the greater good of blogland.” Well said, hear, hear!

      Liked by 1 person

  47. Hi Ally “pinto” bean – I am slowly easing back into blog world after a break (to write etc) and this post was great to come and read today – because of your humor and because you took the time to add the links and I am going to visit a few of the folks you replied to.
    Oh and I am glad that when we read The Scarlet letter in High School, the discussions also helped me to understand so much of the context and universal messages about society and religious folks.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hi Yvette, I’ve been wondering what you’ve been up to. Thanks for stopping by as you remerge into blogland.

      I wanted these AMA posts to be a way for bloggers, new and old, to connect so I added all the links. Plus it was/is a hoot to see who asked a question and then the name of their blog.

      It turned out that I liked The Scarlett Letter, but as a teenager reading the book it seemed so strange. Fortunately I had a great English teacher who explained it to us. Yay for teachers!

      Liked by 1 person

  48. Now I want to know what it says about me that my ice cream flavor hasn’t really changed (chocolate chip all the way). Find that research program?

    Also, I think if a friend asks for fashion advice, we need to be honest… but distinguish between personal taste or if something looks truly awful on a person.

    Liked by 2 people

  50. I’m old-fashioned and get emails because I hate The Reader – yes, my inbox gets ridiculous but at least I can pick and choose if I don’t have time to read ’em all.
    This was a wonderful project and hats off to you for having been able to answer all the questions, post links and let yourself shine through. It was fun and we learned a lot about you. All good, too!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dale, I’m not a big fan of Reader either. The irony isn’t lost on me that one week WP is telling me how popular this blog is, then the next week they can’t get this blog into their Reader. Oh well, says I… but REALLY?!!

      Thanks for reading along on this series. It was more involved than I thought it’d be when I dreamed it up, but maybe good for me to challenge myself a little bit? However, henceforth it’s back to flapdoodle and twaddle.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Neil, I’ve belonged to book clubs in the past but not at the moment. I liked the interaction/discussion BUT in my experience the club members were less than reliable and the clubs fell apart.

      Liked by 2 people

      • I’ve started a mini-book-club with just one friend to combat that “fall apart” (or in some cases “failure to launch”) challenge. So far, so good! In fact, we’re reading a book now that makes me take the question about changing one’s mind about books in a whole different perspective: I think it’s awesome that you would change your mind based on a discussion, and I’d like to believe that I would, too!

        Like

        • EW, believe it and it is so. I appreciate anyone who can explain a book to me that I heretofore thought was rubbish. Kind of the basis of being an English Lit major come to think of it.

          Liked by 1 person

  53. Pingback: July’s Greatest Hits – The Heart of the Matter

  55. Yeah! Congrats Ally on finishing this superb challenge and yes, I can see that it would have taken a long time to answer all these questions. The questions are terrific, wonderfully varied, inquisitive, funny as well as incredibly deep and thought-provoking. Definitely the cup to Mary and her stream-of-consciousness questions. Your answers are fantastic and you have given so much of yourself in these! I love that you looked up what bean you are – Pinto it is! I couldn’t agree more with ‘The thing is I believe there is nothing wrong with giving up.’ Also, it is great how you have linked the blogs to everyone and helped extend the community here on WP!

    Final question – will you be doing AMA soon again?! 😀❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    • Annika, thanks for the compliments that must be shared with everyone who asked great questions. With no questions I’d have had nowhere to go with this. While I like all the questions, Mary got me laughing out loud. She’s a delight to begin with, but all those questions in a row that actually made sense to me knowing her.

      Glad you agree about giving up. I know many people believe you never should, but that seems like a way to get yourself trapped into doing things that don’t benefit you.

      As for doing another one of these AMA series… HECK NO! This was quite enough. 😳

      Liked by 1 person

      • I was and am lucky enough to have a mother who helped guide me through key points in my life – eg. changing schools and later university. At that age it feels such a failure and as for the latter everyone said it was impossible – it wasn’t and I loved my new uni. Feeling trapped is a horrid sensation and it takes courage to get oneself out of such situations – not always easy to appreciate when younger.

        Aww … no more AMAs! 😞 Someone else will have to take on the baton! (Not me I hasten to add; this looked like a LOT of work!)

        Like

        • Excellent example with going to college, finding the right fit. I’m glad your mother helped you. No one wants to feel stuck.

          You don’t want to do an AMA series of posts?!! Color me shocked. It turned out to be way more effort than I thought it’d be. HOWEVER anyone else who wants to do one has my blessing.

          Like

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