Blogging

You Suggested. I Answered.

/ Ally Bean / 10 Comments

Yesterday I didn’t know what to talk about.  And then you came to my rescue…

•  Zazzy of zazamataz.com suggested that I “post more photos of your pretty area.”

I like that idea… except that it is gray and rainy today.  And quite frankly, if you’ve seen one bleak midwestern day, you’ve seen them all.  So I’ll do that when the sun shines again.

•  Katie of slow down & savor suggested that I could “always use a silly #NaBloPoMo prompt from the BlogHer website.”

If I were a more rational person I’d do that.  My problem with those prompts is that all they seem to do is make my mind go completely blank.  They remind me of a sinister essay test question—  which is going to count for 90% of my grade.  And true to form, when I see them I immediately have nothing to say.  My ability to think & write vanishes.

•  Kristen of Kristen Loves Design suggested, among other things, that I “talk about my favorite color.”

Naturally, me being me, I don’t have one favorite color.  I like all of them– depending on the shade.  So, for instance, I like crimson red [not tomato red];  pumpkin orange [not football team orange];  lemon yellow [not neon yellow];  kiwi green [not kelly green];  denim blue [not baby blue];  plummy purple [not royal purple];  mahogany brown [not mustardy brown];  warm gray [not purplish gray];  golden or greenish white [not pinkish or taupe white];  and greenish black [not bluish black].

•  Margaret of Stargazer suggested, among other things, that I “could do a book review of a book I’ve recently read that I hated or loved.”

Under normal circumstances I’d be delighted to do that.  But the reality is that I’ve stopped reading during the month of November because all my free time has gone into NaBloPoMo.  Doing this project has become a part-time job for me and uses up my daily allotment of wordiness.

•  Laura of Team Tantrum suggested, in her own quiet way, that posting a “declaration of quit” is always an option.

I agree with her as a matter of fact.  There’s no indignity in not making it through the entire month.  Sometimes just giving something new a go is all that one needs to do— to learn what he or she needs to know about something.

Does This Never End?

/ Ally Bean / 10 Comments

I’m bummed.

I thought that Tuesday was the last day of November… and that would be the last day on which I would need to post something here on my sweet little bloggy.  But I was wrong.

Apparently, November continues on until Wednesday this year.  Humph.

Okay.  Quick show of hands: who can’t read the calendar?

Knowing that I have miscalculated the end of this NaBloPoMo project and that I have nothing worthy of note to say on Sunday, worries me.  If it is this difficult for me to find something to talk about today, then whatever will I blather on about tomorrow?  And the next two days after that?!

I guess that we’ll all find out together, won’t we?

Because right now, I haven’t a clue.

…Whose dumb idea was it to do this anyhow?

To Comment Or Not To Comment

/ Ally Bean / 15 Comments

Here are assorted musings on one topic.  Make of them what you will.

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For the past few weeks I’ve made a point of reading new-to-me blogs– and then leaving a comment on the blog.  I’ve found that I’m not alone in doing this.  Many people have stopped by The Spectacled Bean for the first time during November and have left me a first time comment.

I appreciate that effort very much.

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I know that I’ve seen some bloggers write about how easy it is for them to visit someone else’s blog and toss out a comment.  (Or to hit the “like” button available on some blogs.)  For them interaction via comments is a given– and they do it as a matter of course without any hesitation.

I envy their ability to get involved so easily.  I’m not like that at all.

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For me, an introvert, it takes a bit of effort to leave a comment on someone’s blog.  Perhaps that’s how all introverts feel.  I don’t know.

All I know is that I’m self-conscious about inserting myself into someone else’s life.  My goal is to encourage with what I say in a comment, but I’m never entirely sure that I carry out my goal.

Good intentions, dubious results.  Perhaps that’s the reality of all earnest people.

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I realize that there are always lots of people who lurk on my blog.  Through my stats info I see you out there.  You arrive here at the same time every day, from the same place, and stay long enough to read what I’ve written.  But you never interact with me.  I don’t take it personally– and honestly, I rarely even think about it.  I understand that’s how some people consume blogs– detached and anonymously.

It’s safer that way.

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I’m always concerned that there will be a misunderstanding about what I say in a comment.

I try to be clear and specific in what I say in comments, but without visual clues there’s no way to know exactly how what I said is being received.  And it’s this sense of vulnerability that slows me down when commenting.  I want to tell my truth and I want to do it with grace– while honoring the thoughts of the blogger who has written the post in the first place.

It’s a delicate balance to do.

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