The house has moved

And changed names. So, the 3 people left who might see this, you are more than welcome at the new place. To get there, click here.

Oh, so THAT'S what I'm doing...

I've never been a joiner. I can still recall my amusement after the first time I voted, spending time reading about each candidate, proposal, local initiative, and making up my mind on each specific thing, then seeing a 'how to vote' sign hanging on a doorway on another dorm room and realizing that I had (with a couple very minor exceptions) voted a straight democratic party ticket. Or my discomfiture upon finding out that all those ideas of religion and morality that I had pieced together over the course of much of my adult life, and which I felt were so unique to me, brought me to almost exactly the dictionary definition of secular humanism.

And, now with blogging. I was happily doing my own thing, writing when the urge struck, trying to have something interesting to say, but nothing too prolific, nothing about much of anything. Not too fussed about how many readers I had. And then I read this. A movement to write thought-through meaningful posts, and not too often, quality over quantity. I clearly am following at least half of that formula. The question is, do I want to admit that it's o.k. to join stuff, and to embrace the slow blogger label, as I have embraced the label of secular humanist (and to a lesser extent, the label of democrat), or is it time to rebel, write all the time on topical issues? O.K., who am I kidding, as the primary caretaker of an increasingly mobile and active infant, when would I have the time to write like that? Whether I am a slow blogger or not, I will be blogging slowly for the foreseeable future. So there, now it's official.

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

My favorite Douglas Adams quote, just because it describes so much of my life. And because I sense that he really meant it, and also really lived it (his writer's block seems to have been legendary).

For example, with this blog. Would you believe me, dear reader, if I told you that I had forgotten about it? Well, o.k., not totally, but almost. You see, I have been writing a daily post for the past month, just not here (and not in a public forum), and it only occasionally has hit me that I haven't been here.

That should change soon...but I make no guarantees, just because, what do I really have to talk about? I seem to be restructuring my life from first principles, which is very exciting. To me. To anyone else, well, probably not so much. But I miss this forum, so I'm setting a deadline, of sorts. I hereby promise to write at least every month on this blog, preferably every week. Every day is probably not realistic at this point.

So, now let's see what happens. Ready...set...blog!

*No, this post is not about her. This blog is also not about her (I keep her stuff for the private blog). But, really, how else can I entice you all to stay long enough to read this?*

Happy (almost) birthday!

Yes, it's almost that time again. On Monday, this blog will be officially 3 years old. And what a year it's been. Between the periods of everyday posting and all the big periods of no posts at all, my poor blog must feel very confused. It'll be interesting to see what happens over the next year.

In the meantime, here's a list of my main achievements over the past few weeks. I've actually managed to...

...finish a book. Yes, a whole book. Alas, not a very complicated one, but still....

...shop on-line. You can see part of my biggest purchase being modeled by my personal fashion model. The scarf, compliments of Devil Mood's Etsy shop (I can't seem to link to Etsy at the moment, but you can get to it through Ms. Mood's site)

...see a movie. Not in the cinema, though cinemas here do have 'bring-your-baby' showings of films on one morning a week. On the computer.

...eat breakfast and/or lunch on most days. Some days, I manage to eat both.

What I haven't managed to do...read anything of any depth, write (including e-mails), blog. Or go on holiday. I'm off now to remedy the lack of holiday, and will see how much of the other things can get done over that time. I'll be away from the internet, so I can guarantee a continuing lack of posts for at least the next week.

Coming up for air

I'm still amazed at the very human capacity to change. No, not change, but transform, so that it's like everything before the change is simply wiped away. And seeing the change happening doesn't make it any less mysterious, less magical.

In just four short weeks, I find that I've always been a parent, that my daughter has always been here, and will always be here (and has always been, and will always be, a newborn, so more transformative change is sure to come from that). This means, among other things, that it's getting easier (I wouldn't say easy, yet) to build routines, to get things done. Now, I just need to figure out when to blog, and what to blog about (mommy blogging still really not an attractive option).

My other internet 'homes'

I spend a lot more time on-line than is good for the rest of the things I need to do in life. And only a bit of that time is spent blogging. So, where am I for the rest? Here are some of the places where I am most often to be found. Some of these I have written about before, but they are still where I hang out, and so worthy of being written about again.

1) Conceptis Puzzles: seriously, if I could break this habit, I'd have hours more each week. In fact the only thing that takes up more of my on-line time is...

2) What to Expect forums: and I don't even post there (I keep meaning to, but haven't done it yet). It's uncanny, whenever I have a concern or question, 99% of the time, someone has just posted about it, or will post about within a day or two.

3) The Archers message board: as I know I've mentioned earlier, I don't really even listen to it anymore! But I still read the synopses and check the boards. Strange, I know. And I have no interest in posting here.

4) Obsessively checking my e-mail: because you never know when spam will attack, and your e-mail account will need protecting...

5) And of course, other blogs: but not as much as I'd like to. Give me some way of getting rid of my need for #1 and 3, and I'd be by much more often!

So, what about for you? What takes up time that you could usefully spend on other things?

Nothing to declare...

...but my total blogging addiction. I managed to miss getting to my new 'usual' internet cafe until after it was already closed. So, does that mean that I'm missing a day? Nope, just that I'm at another cafe, one that has an even stickier keyboard than at my regular (so, any letters missing should be seen as just part of the charm). I'm hardly even checking my e-mail, no time to answer comments (I look forward to responding to all posts when I get back), but must...write...blog... post. Really, it's more than a bit pathetic.

It sort of makes me wonder what other good habits I could get into if only I force myself to follow them everyday. Taking vitamins? (Though I am not so regular at doing that, actually). Exercising? (Maybe later...I managed a 50-minute very light hike today, felt really well afterwards, but now suspect that I'll need the rest of this trip, and another week or so at home to recover). Maybe, just maybe, it will all be clearer after a good sleep. Any suggestions you can make, to await me when I am back in my usual cafe with familiar sticky keys, will be greatly appreciated.

Speaking of overachieving

One plus of blogging everyday for that part of me that pays attention to statistics, is that yesterday was not just weekiversary and leap day. It was also the day in which I have blogged more in 2008 than in all of 2007. I honestly can't decide if that's a good thing or not.

Or, to put it in a different way, is it just quantity, or is there any quality there? I really can't decide that either. I find that the whole reason for this blog, and the satisfaction that I get from blogging, has changed utterly. To what, I'm not quite sure I've figured it out.

Questions being considered are, while I'm clearly writing with the idea that what I write will be read by others, am I really writing for others, or just myself? Is this an exercise in meeting a daily deadline, or is there more going on? Am I trying to express thought or intuition or art...or something else entirely...or nothing? And to go back to quantity vs. quality, is one so much better than the other? I ask this in the spirit of 'the best way to get a good idea is to have lots of ideas'. Which of course begs the question, is it the blogger's job to separate beautiful well-formed posts from all the rest? Or is it up to the blogger just to get the ideas out there, and the reader's job to see if anything said happens for whatever reason to resonate?

This seems like something that is better pondered earlier in the day, something to return to later. But until I do, any thoughts and/or answers to rhetorical questions are greatly appreciated.

And the winner is...

Devil Mood has been kind enough to bestow upon this corner of cyberspace an award. I like the idea of awards, but even more, I like the idea that I can then pass the award to others. So, here are some of the sites which I most enjoy. Really, I could come up with many more than just the 5 that I get to give 'officially'. But I'll restrict myself to just a select few. I haven't used any particular criteria, though I have tried to not give the award to those who've already gotten it, and sadly, I feel the need to avoid giving awards to anyone who hasn't posted anything in months and months. Which cuts out a lot of cool sites.

1) Creampuff Revolution: Roro has style, she has wit, and she can really, really write. About anything. And should write, about anything, so that I can read and enjoy it.

2) Novel Nymph: She can turn a single line into an interesting post. Or more than a single line, either way. And she has blogged about peanut butter hot chocolate, for which I am grateful.

3) Plastic Alligator: Erin is quite simply, cool. She makes the everyday interesting.

4) Bastard of Art and Commerce: He combines the everyday with a very dry sense of the absurd. And whenever he writes about the web, I find ideas for my thesis, which is a great added bonus.

5) Mapping the Marvelous: The model I'll follow if I ever get around to starting a research blog. Marion is working in a fascinating field, and it shows in every post.

Friday night -ology

I've been meaning to address the topic of astrology for a long time now, but today is more a day for numerology, as this is my 200th post. Not such a great achievement, but seeing how long it's taken me to get to this point, well, maybe it is. I suspect that endeavors such as NaBloPoMo and Blog365 are much to blame for my reaching this milestone. While I am off celebrating (both the 200 posts thing, and of course, weekiversary), feel free to analyze my blog's horoscope (courtesy of astro.com). Or better yet, go out and celebrate in my blog's honor.

Real life vs. blog

I've come across many in the blogosphere for whom a blog is the secret to a special compartment in their lives, unknown to their real life contacts. For me, it has always been the opposite - I encourage everyone close to me to read my blog, family, friends, whomever. And some of them actually do so. More importantly, many of them read it without me actually realizing it. This leads to some embarrassing situations, not because of anything I say about anyone, but just because I'm so generally crap at corresponding by more personal means (e-mail, phone, Skype, chat programs, etc.), that the only way for people to find out what's happening in my life is to read my blog. And people do clue in to this. Which leads to incidents like the following:

1) After my mom died, there were several people, childhood friends, ex-boyfriends and the like, who should have gotten messages from me about it. But I found it really strange to write about, and so didn't do it. In the month that followed, all of those people, without exception, wrote me really nice condolence e-mails, having figured out the situation from my post on the memorial service. I still cringe when I think of the sheer tackiness of it.

2) A few close friends who are far away in space and time have also written me nice e-mails congratulating me on my pregnancy. Which of course they read about on my blog. This includes a good friend to whom I did write with the news (long after I should have), who responded with a lovely Christmas card saying something along the lines of, 'Pregnant? I'm shocked! No actually, I'm not. I've been following your blog'. I would imagine that, at the rate I'm going, she'll read this before finding any follow-up e-mails in her in-box. It shouldn't be that way, but it is.

At least these incidents are only one-way...me not communicating with others, who in turn are good at communicating with me (luckily, as otherwise, I might have no contacts at all). But now it seems to be getting totally out of hand, as shown by a comment on my last post from the ubiquitous and prolific 'Anonymous'. In it's entirety, the comment reads:

Dear readers of this blog.
It's sad but true - this is the only way, I can come in contact with my girlfriend....

Kimananda: Pick up your phone and call your boyfriend (you know... the one you live with, father of your unborn child etc.) ;-)

Which basically means that not only can other people only find out about my life through my blog, but I myself am now only finding out about others through my blog. You know, I think I'll go and find an old e-mail (I don't throw them out, I just keep putting off responding to them until they are forgotten) and answer it. Or maybe I'll just go and start a conversation with my boyfriend, Anonymous.

Just a tiny paradox

Before the paradox can be truly set up, I sent you forthwith to read this.

O.K., now that you're back, let's talk. I agree so much with the whole idea of blogging without obligation. We should all blog when we have something to say or share. Yet, at the same time, I believe so strongly in Blog365, with external motivation to blog regularly. I can't, however, pretend that there's no obligation, ever, inherent in such an endeavor. So, why do it?

The only thing I can think of it that, for me at least, blogging is good for me. If I don't have a deadline to blog (as I am a deadline oriented person, for better or worse), then I do it far too little. With a deadline, blogging becomes much easier, and fulfilling. Does this mean that every post is a gem? No, but that's no different than if I didn't post everyday. The main difference is that, the more posts, the more likely that one of those posts might appeal to any given reader, or more importantly, to me.

So I suppose that what I'm saying is that blogging is on the level of all the other things our mothers warned us to do. It's eating your vegetables, it's wearing clean underwear, it's flossing.

Resolutions made to be broken

Things I have committed myself to doing this year, making them my resolutions. Keeping in mind how many of last year's resolutions I didn't in the end do (in fact, did I do any of them? I know I did parts of some, but in any case, I'm not sure I want to see what I had planned), the following are only advisory notes to myself, things I might want to attempt, but am not necessarily planning to finish. They seem to be largely blogging related, with a bit of academia thrown in.

1) Blog365. Yes, I am signed up to post everyday in 2008, and seeing as it's only the 2nd of January, and I almost forgot to post, well, it's gonna be a long year. And as I'm not planning on organizing my eventual labor around my blog schedule, I'm almost positive I won't make it. However, it was good motivation to post everyday in November, and I'm curious to see how long the effect will last.


2) 39x365. Yes, write 39 words each for 365 people I've met in my life. This is because it looks like it could lead to some interesting exploration of my (not-so) sordid past, because Erin is doing it, and anything she does is cool, and because it will surely help with the whole blogging everyday thing. Strictly according to the rules, I should be posting about one person a day, but I plan to take breaks. So, of course I will not finish this in 2008, but would hope to get a good start.

3) Write an academic article each month (not applicable for the months of May through until August, where I'll have more important things to do, like checking my daughter's breathing). I have loads of ideas but no deadlines. So, now, deadlines. Just like that. Hey, that was pretty easy. I don't suppose the actual writing will be this easy, no? Didn't think so.

And I suppose I should quit while the list is short, if not exactly easily managable. Please let me know if there is anything I should add.

Winning isn't everything, but it sure is nice when it happens.

All right, I admit it. I really got a lot out of posting everyday in November. And I obviously haven't been keeping it at all up in December without the motivation of saying to myself, well, it's part of NaBloPoMo, I really should think of something to say and then go ahead and say it.

The really good part of the whole experience was of course the experience itself. Blogging really is different if you do it everyday. An added bonus was that it seems to have started me out on a mini-winning streak, which kind of makes me feel guilty (I feel guilty when I win things, like I've won victory at the expense of all those who didn't win, strange I know), but it's also sort of nice to be a winner.

Two things I won for the posting everyday. A randomly drawn gift of some beautiful soldered pendants with vintage photos. Which I will post about as soon as I have a photo of them (it's always something with me and my camera, and right now I have the camera and cord but not the adapter to plug the cord in). And some crib bedding, not randomly drawn, but specifically for me having announced my, erm, current condition before anyone else in the month. That one I felt the most guilty about as I hadn't even intended to announce in November. I had intended it as a Halloween post, but there was someone I wanted to tell in person before he read it on my blog. My Dad, to be precise (Hi Dad!), as it seemed a bit, well, a lot, tacky for him to find out he was to become a grandfather by reading my blog. So, I talked to him early in the morning (like 3:30 early) on the 1st, and then posted later that day. And won a prize that I didn't at the time know about.

But as I have said, the streak continues. The latest is a bet made with Thor about the gender of our baby to be. The prize, the loser pays for a luxury dinner in Vienna (where we'll be over Christmas). Is it wrong to bet on such a basic thing? Whether it is or not, I can afford to be Machiavellian about it. Because the ends have justified the means, as I've won. I've made reservations at La Ciel.

Alas, the winning seems to have taken away my stellar blogging everyday record. Here's hoping that a public announcement will make the winning streak end so that I can go back to earning things through effort.

When to blog when there's no time to blog

One thing that is becoming very clear to me this month is that, no matter how busy I am, I can always find some time to blog. Except that there must always be exceptions. For me, that exception is today, as i find myself going from work almost directly to the airport for a glamorous weekend getaway (with a 2-minute stopover at home to pack and blog).

So, instead of a thought-out blog post, I leave you with merely a question. When do you find time to blog? And what do you do to make time to blog, when there seemingly is none?

*When given the choice between travel and blogging, I always have to think awhile. And then travel normally wins. But this photo is proof that at least I'll be able to get back home after my trip.*

The meaning of blog

In my now daily quest for what to blog about, the following issues tend to arise.

It's clear that I want to blog about experiences that are in my life; however, I find it hard to count something as a blog-worthy experience if I haven't taken photos of it, for whatever reason. For example, just today, I was at a brilliant brunch at Thor's mom's house; Thor and I went shopping for baby things (where I became the proud owner of my first sling), we made a brilliant dinner...nay, feast, ending with the most beautiful sweet potato pie imaginable. Yet, there are no photos, and without photos, I don't feel that I can make a full post out of any of these things.

Likewise, there is the question of timeliness. Which is to say, that even if there is a topic I want to write about, I feel I can't do so unless it's within a day or two of the original event or inspiration. So, I took several day trips over the spring and summer (with photos, even), but they were a long time ago, and may never see themselves in print, here.

On a more minor level, there's the question of what counts as a valid blog topic. Is the mundane o.k., or the simple? Or do I need to come up with deep thoughts, evidence of writing talent, with each post? Perhaps this is related to my thoughts a few days ago about what it means to be a good writer. The truth as I expressed it then was that writing is a very subjective process, rather than a quest to give every word meaning. Yet, that truth is hard to follow. It's hard to see a mundane event as blog post worthy.

The question then is, what is the function of this blog? I've never really asked myself that question in any clear way. It just was what it was. And it still is that. But maybe it's time to make it clear also what it isn't. It isn't a blog for deep thoughts (I do plan to start a research blog, for which I will have different standards, but that won't be for deep thoughts either, just more focused thoughts). It isn't journalistic reporting of breaking news, though such reporting isn't prohibited either. And it's not a place where only totally finished thoughts are presented. Freewriting is to be encouraged (and generally has been, but it's nice to make it clear).

There, that feels much better. And as no one reads blogs at the weekend, I'm safe from boring too many people with my manifesto. But if you have made it this far, and you have a blog, I would like to know how you feel about your blog. What is it? And what is it not? Is it something you think about?

If you want something done, ask a busy woman

Which is to say, don't ask me. It's not that I've not been busy (well, if I look at my schedule, it looks fuller and fuller each week), but rather...unmotivated to do anything substantial. And, o.k., I'm also really busy. Added to this is the problem of instantaneity. Something happens, and I think 'I must write about this. Now. While it's topical'. Then, when I don't instantly write about it, I decide it's too late. So, it doesn't get written. After enough things have not gotten written, the whole blogging endevour begins to feel totally out-of-date.

So, I've decided to make a list of what I've not been writing about, and leave it at that. Then I can begin anew. So, herewith, what I've not written about this past month or so.

My birthday (which was fabulous, especially the breakfast, and the Danish flags all over the apartment)

An updated 43 things meme for this birthday, to go along with the ones I did last year and the year before

Successfully defending Tristino (I'm quite proud of the little guy, who did very very well)

A week in Yorkshire including a friend's large wedding

Trips with Annemarie, closer to home, to Odense, and to Dragør (on bicycle...50 minutes to get there, 3 and a half hours to get back...we got a bit lost)

Innumerable current events which at the time seemed like good insights into Danish culture

PhD proposal ideas which are trying to get written in one form or another

Assorted lovely blog friends who send lovely gifts and postcards, and the lovely gifts and postcards that they send

And probably more, but those are the ones that come to mind at the moment. So, there you have it...I'm caught up. Let's see if the next big idea I have that needs to be explored now...actually makes it onto blog. Or even one of the older ideas listed here. You never really know.

*Have I mentioned that I also have a small file of photos I've meant to use, but haven't? This one is at least a year old. It's eel and egg. I have no idea what post it was supposed to accompany.

Two-year-old house

Well, the first year was the year where I figured out how it all worked. The second year is where life interrupted and kept me from showing off my blogging skills, such as they are. Now it's time to see what the third year brings. In the meantime, have some celebratory birthday cake. It's 'Steelhead cheesecake' (from the Steelhead brewpub), and I think it's rather good.

On blog secrets and secret blogs

Once upon a time, there was a simple blogger who liked to use the 'next blog' button. A lot. And yes, that blogger would, in fact, be me. One day on my push-button travels, I fell suddenly into a magical world of poetry. Sonnets, to be precise. They were not all equally beautiful, some were downright doggerel, but most were entrancing. Even the mediocre ones were charming.

It was clear that I had stumbled upon something I shouldn't have. Hardly anyone had seen this blog, and no one had ever commented on a sonnet. Or so I thought. I made a comment on a particularly enticing rhyme, yet visiting again, I found my comment had been erased. This was a secret sonnet diary blog. I so wanted to link to this special universe - in fact, I believe I did link it, then repented almost immediately and took the link away. Who am I to be so indiscreet? And then, as so often happens with these things, I forgot about it for many months.

And then, this evening, the image of this page came back to me. Could I still remember the address? Did it still exist? Was it still maintained? Was it still so realistically sublime? I could, it did, it was, and most importantly, it was. But it is still a publicly published secret. Almost no one has seen it. No comment can be found on any post, though commenting is, in theory, permitted. It's a regularly updated conundrum.

A conundrum that I would like to share with the world, or at least with a few of my more poetically inclined fellows, and yet the whole point is that it is clearly not for sharing. I would like to comment, but I cannot bring myself to do it, knowing that it will disappear, like writing in milk. I would like to contact the poet, but I cannot, having but a pen name and no more.

Further proof for the lesson that life is full of secrets and intrigue. I know that there are things, both good and bad, big things to me, which I make a conscious decision not to talk about on blog. I'm sure that's true for most people who give information in public spaces such as this. And it would never occur to me to share someone's secrets, if I should be told them or find them out. Yet, a whole blog that is secret, that I feel conflicted over.

*photo info: Eloquence, in the assembly room of the Portuguese Parliament*

Sunday morning meta-meme

What the House of Fortune might look like if it were a real house.
The always scintillating Scholiast has tagged me to answer the following questions about blogs. As I'm studying blogs, does this post count as qualitative research?

Do you like the look and contents of your blog?
I am much more pleased with the look of my blog now that I've removed that blue gunk around the edges...basically, I've decided that I want a clean space with a focus on content. With that in mind, it's o.k. The content itself is variable. When I went through all my posts to label them, I found that there was a time, around May of this year, where I was posting really cool stuff. I'm not on a roll like that now. On the other hand, there were only a handful of posts that made me cringe and consider deleting them...and nothing so cringeworthy that they were actually deleted. I'd say that's pretty good.

Does your family know about your blog?
The main ones, yes. Both my parents read my blog. That guy on the top of the link list (the one making the whole thing unalphabetical) is my brother. Other relatives, I'm not sure if they know about it, but I would imagine not.

Can you tell your friends about your blog? Do you consider it a private thing?
I tell all my friends about my blog. A couple read it. Most others don't, and I would imagine haven't.

Do you read the blogs of those who comment on your blog? Or do you try and discover new blogs?
Yes, and sometimes yes. I have been lax in following any blog which is not on my link list, which I have been too lazy to update, but I do try to visit commenters when I can. I also try and discover new blogs, when I feel I have the time, but that's not always. It occurs to me that I've gone completely off the 'next blog' button. I used to use it compulsively, but I haven't in months.

Did your blog positively affect your mind? Give an example...
Uh...I think it does, but an example? Well, I do like posting something which I feel is interesting and/or funny and/or well-written. And funny comments, or those which express just the right mood, or make just the right point, make my day.

What does the number of visitors to your blog mean? Do you have a traffic counter?
The number of visitors means something, but not so much. I like high numbers, but the number of comments means a lot more...what's the point of having visitors if they hide in a corner and don't add anything? I do have a counter, and I do check it regularly, but it doesn't say too much to me. Though it has confirmed my suspicion that people do not, as a general rule, read blogs at the weekends.

Do you imagine what other bloggers look like?
This is an interesting question. A lot of the people whose blogs I read have their photos on-line, so I don't have to imagine. Otherwise, I suppose I don't. If bloggers want me to know what they look like, they'll show me eventually. I do, however, wonder how other bloggers imagine I would look, based on the photos that are there of me. As in, 'Do I look big in this profile pic?'

Do you think blogging has any real benefits?
To whom? To me, yes, it's great fun. To the work I could be doing otherwise, no. To friends I could be spending time with instead, no. To the world as a whole, not sure. It depends on what action is taken as a result of blogging.

Do you think that the blogosphere is a stand alone world community separated from the real world?
No, I think it's part of the real world set somewhat apart from the rest of the real world by a large virtual Japanese folding screen. People may know each other, and then know each other's blogs. Or they may know each other as bloggers, and then meet. It's not a total distinction.

Do some political blogs scare you? Do you avoid them?
I don't read political blogs, but not because they scare me, or because I'm avoiding them, but because I get my political information from other sources. It could be that I just haven't found the right political blog, though. Any suggestions?

Do you think that criticizing your blog is useful?
Depends who's doing the criticizing. I criticize my blog regularly. Others criticizing my blog is o.k., if it's done in a polite way. Actually, I'd rather have a thought-out criticism than a non-thought-out compliment.

Have you ever thought about what would happen to your blog if you died?
Nope. I suppose that someone would update my blog in the comments, to inform those I only know through blog about my demise. The blog itself would just remain until deleted for whatever reason.

Which blogger has had the greatest impression on you?
Many, many, many, for different reasons. I couldn't possibly list them all. Perhaps the most salient one at the moment, as I'm trying to blog more often than I have been, is the person who mentioned, in his two year anniversary post, but sort of in passing, that he had written, and published, 'a little more than 3500 posts'. That impressed me. And intimidated me. And, to be honest, freaked me the hell out.

Which blogger do you think is the most similar to you?
None of them? Well, a lot of those I read I find connections with in little ways, but if someone was too similar then I wouldn't read them...difference is far more interesting.

Name a song you want to listen to.
The c.d. which is being overplayed in our house at the moment is Nikka Costa's 'can'tneverdidnothin''. She is the current household Rock Mama. I suppose I'd want to listen to the title track. Or most of the others.

Tag some people.
Do I have to? Oh, o.k., then. I'm tagging some bloggers I know in real life. Fourlegged, it's time you posted again. James, I eagerly await your answers. And Ms. Black Scorpio, you know this means you, too.