KirstenL4W

I’m always a little late to the party, thanks to a day job, but I saw through a few different sources that Centsational Girl is having a Where Do You Blog? Party. The idea is to show the world where you spend most of your time blogging, and do the whole linky thing on her blog to join the party.

Without further ado, here is a picture of my disaster area desk:

Besides my giant monitor with my favorite drawing from this blog post on it, my desk has on it: some bills that need to be paid, writing books, html and css books, my college writing portfolio, a calculator, some pictures, colored pencils, pens, tissues, a big K hiding behind the tissues, some organizing boxes that I can shove things in to forget about, my headphones, a notebook for blogging ideas, some cards from my husband, and a whole bunch of crap - I’m not sure exactly what all is there. There’s also the purple curtains that are always closed because Mister sits behind me and doesn’t like the sun on his monitor.

Below my desk is a turquoise filing cabinet with more stuff in it (not sure what), and on top of that are boxes with CD’s and software in them. What you can’t see is what isn’t in the picture - a huge pile of books and magazines in front of the filing cabinet, which prevent me from opening it, and to the left of my desk is a huge pile of bills that need to be filed in the giant 4-drawer filing cabinet next to Mister’s desk. Obviously, I excel at piling and suck at filing.

I’ve never been good at having an organized desk. Check out this post for a picture of my desk before I met Mister. But because I’m a Gemini, my desk at work is as neat as a pin. Seriously. I get annoyed after the cleaning crew has been in because I have to move everything back to its just so position. If they did the same thing at home that they do at work, I’d never notice because my desk already is a train wreck.

I really need to clean that mess off one of these years. I’d like some space to keep more books handy, which I think would go where all the pencil cups are now. I’d love to paint my little corner aqua, but Mister already has a hard time with my file cabinet, which is probably why he doesn’t say anything about the pile of books in front of it. I’d love a sliding keyboard tray. The desks we got didn’t come with them, but if there was an easy, inexpensive way to attach one to a glass desk, I’m open to suggestions. It would help keep my desktop clear so I have more space for writing. Right now I have to shove my keyboard back to have enough surface space.

So where do you blog? Did you participate in Centsational Girl’s party?

I don’t have a ton of pictures of myself. I haven’t been a ham in front of the camera since before I hit puberty. After that, I was much more interested in being behind the camera. Then one day, it seemed that I wasn’t really taking pictures anymore. Mister likes to take pictures, and it’s not that we don’t try to take any, but sometimes we’re just so busy living life to stop and take a picture, know what I mean?

I talked to my mom the other day. I remembered that Grandma had a couple of those collage frames in her dining room, and since the photos in them hadn’t changed for the last 15 or 20 years of her life, I can remember quite a few of the pics that were in there. I remember one in particular that is really dorky, but I want to put it on my about page. I was probably 7 or 8, at Grandma’s house in the yard, wearing a red t-shirt with white iron-on letters spelling my name. Very dorky, but perfect for an about page.

I uploaded some pictures and created a set of pictures of me on flickr. There aren’t too many, because like a lot of people, I’m very picky about what can be considered an acceptable picture of myself. You will see the picture from my header, which is me pretending to look at the sunrise over Salisbury Beach, MA. I say pretending to look because even though I had sunglasses on, it was really bright so I had my eyes closed while Mister took the picture.

I love seeing pictures on blogs - I think they can really enhance a story. What I don’t like, however, is including an image for the sake of having an image. I did that quite a bit when I was first starting out, but now I try to stick to pics that are in my personal collection. I also think that pictures help draw people in more. I don’t use pictures as often as I’d like to, but I’ve been trying to do something about that lately. Also, organizing the photos on my hard drive would help a lot - and probably provide me with some inspiration.

Do you like to take pictures? Do you use your pictures on your blog? Leave me a comment to tell me about your favorite post that includes your photos!

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been posting a lot more. My new personal blogging series has inspired a renewed interest in blogging for me, and I’ve been spending a lot of time reading and gathering post ideas.

The 3 posts per week schedule has been working out pretty well for me. It’s not so much that I feel pressured, and as Mondays are designated as the Personal Blogging day, I’ve been able to come up with plenty of material without feeling overwhelmed.

With my renewed blogging interest comes the desire for a new theme. I’ve had the current one for quite some time now, and while I do like it, I think it’s time for a change. I have one picked out, but need to do some behind-the-scenes stuff before I can make it a reality (coming up with the moolah is one of those behind-the-scenes things), so I’ll be looking to do that by the end of the year. In the meantime, I did revise my header image a bit - spiffed it up so that it looks a bit more professional and used a cleaner font.

Another thing I’ve been doing is trying to get out and make new blogging friends. As an introvert, I find it hard to get out there and actually say hi, so I’ve been trying to do that a bit more. Comments and communities are a way to do this, and like I said, I’m trying. One thing I love about blogging is the community of it all, but sticking to the same 3 blogs to comment on is going to limit my world, and the whole point of the internet and blogosphere is to make it bigger.

Other things I have going on around the blog: slowly but surely revamping my categories to make them a bit more relevant, composing a Personal Blogging page that will include links to all my personal blogging posts in addition to links to other blogs and articles I find relevant, reading and writing and coming up with more ideas, and general tweaks here and there, like correcting spelling or grammar mistakes as I come across them in older posts. It’s never too late to edit an old post!

I’ve definitely been feeling the blog love, and been loving my blog a lot more lately, which is a nice change of pace. It didn’t take me too long to become a blogging maniac when I first started out, but eventually the blog had to take a backseat to real life, and my posting frequency dwindled to just a few times per month. But I’m back now, I’ve found my mojo, and I’m hoping it doesn’t leave me again!

What are you doing to feel the blog love? What do you do to keep that feeling?

Mister and I share an office at home. Two computers, one room. We spend most of our time together in this room - me, blogging and devouring the internets, and him by playing his silly little game. He talks to his guildies, so I hear those conversations. Battles get loud, so I hear that as well. And everyone knows that music is a necessity, so that’s going. Then, on top of that, Mister will talk to me too. Sometimes it takes me a few seconds to realize he’s talking to me and not the guild, because I’m so busy trying to tune it all out.

Before we moved into this house, we lived in an apartment. There was no separate room for the office, so Mister’s desk was in the corner of the living room while mine was in the bedroom. Rather than spend all that time apart, I commandeered the laptop and would lounge on the sofa with that. Also, instead of music, the TV would be on, because, well, it was there. So I’d be trying to watch TV, surf the internet, and have all the game sounds going on at the same time.

It’s amazing that I get any blogging done at all. With all that noise, I can barely concentrate on what I’m reading, never mind keep a single train of thought long enough to actually write a blog post.

On my latest On the Internet post, I included some links having to do with writing and creating. One of them was The No. 1 Habit of Highly Creative People. Want to know what that habit is? Solidtude. The creative types featured in that post all take some quiet time to flex their creative muscles. That’s something I don’t often get is quiet time. I could get up earlier and use the early morning for that, but you know what? I’m not really a morning person. Also, I find that having a time limit like that is more frustrating than freeing.

There used to be a time when I would get up an hour early to spend some time checking emails and relaxing on the internet before getting ready for work. Often times I would find a LOT of stuff I wanted to read or have a lot of pent-up writing to do, but not enough time to do it. I’d end up getting in the shower way too late, rushing to work, and spending the rest of the day really distracted because I’d be too busy thinking about all the inspiration that hit me in the morning. I didn’t really like that too much. Being inspired, yes, I like. But not being able to take advantage of it while the iron’s hot, so to speak, kinda sucks.

Despite the noise and resulting lack of concentration, I’ve been trying. I have a pretty decent set of headphones that, while not noise canceling, do OK at muffling the sound a bit. If it gets too much, I’ll play music or find some quiet background noise to play to further block out all the noise. When all else fails, I step away and go someplace where I don’t have so many sounds coming at me all at once.

Mister doesn’t have this issue. He can listen to half a dozen different conversations at the same time and follow all of them. I get overloaded and stop being able to follow any of them. As a result, he sometimes forgets how hard it gets for me when all the noise is going on. But as soon as he realizes how distressing it is, he’s considerate. He’ll turn down the game noise to a manageable level rather than taking full advantage of the speakers he has, and he’ll turn down the music to a soft background level. He’s awesome that way.

Sometimes, even if it’s not too loud, there can be too much noise. Do you have the same issue?

I’m a personal blogger (duh), but that doesn’t stop me from having lofty dreams of making a ton of money by giving the world a glimpse into the depraved depths of my mind. That being said, I do read a few pro blogs to try to take a few tips and apply them to my little blog.

Today, I saw that ProBlogger is having a 7 Link Challenge. It looks like a fun exercise, so I thought I’d participate. Here are my seven links:

1. Your first post: I decided to take my journal out of my bedside drawer. Putting It All Down was published on March 14, 2006.
2. A post you enjoyed writing the most: I wouldn’t necessarily say that I enjoyed the process of writing this post, but I enjoyed the results, and it’s representative of what I wanted my blog to be when I started - a place to let it all out. I was scared of what was to come when I was packing up my life to merge it with my then-boyfriend (now known as Mister).
3. A post which had a great discussion: Searching for Inspiration. I had a bad case of blogger’s block, and got some great ideas out of it.
4. A post on someone else’s blog that you wish you’d written: I can’t narrow it down to a single post, but I love the way Miss Britt is able to pour her heart and soul out on her blog. She says things with the depth that I feel but wish I was able to express.
5. Your most helpful post: That would probably have to be Disrespectful Credit Card in Common. I blogged about a fraudulent charge on my card, and I still get quite a few hits to that post via Google. I hope it’s helped people in determining whether or not their charges are fraudulent and getting them removed.
6. A post with a title that you are proud of: Jekyll and Hyde because it helps reinforce the point I was trying to make in that post.
7. A post that you wish more people had read: Cuts Like a Knife, because it’s something that has had a very strong influence on who I am today, and good or bad, I don’t think things like this should be ignored. Also, it’s my secret (or not-so-secret) hope that people who teased others mercilessly will read it and realize what jerks they were and take steps to remedy that by trying to be better people.

That was fun, though I have to admit, it took a long time. Any other takers? I’d love to read your Seven Links and get to know you better.

I just signed up for a Tumblr account. Not sure why yet, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Remember when I didn’t get what Twitter was about? Now look at me. I have no idea what I’m going to do with Tumblr, but a thought was to migrate the On the Internet series there so that I can get stuff up in a more timely manner - I’m usually a day late and a dollar short when it comes to posting cool stuff I find. Also, it’s so freaking easy to get distracted composing those posts, and it can take me all night. So, it’s a thought.

Do you use Tumblr? What do you do with it? How do you integrate it with your regular blog and/or Twitter, Facebook, and any and all other sites you’re on? And have any of you found a good user guide to Tumblr? Because I just can’t seem to find a good “how-to” guide that gets into all the technical aspects of things.

It seems that every now and then I go through a period of restlessness. Every few years, I crave more. I don’t want to be tied to a schedule. I want flexibility. I want to be able to travel more without having to cram it into a weekend. Unfortunately, the way things are, I would have far less money if I were to pursue these wants.

For the most part I enjoy what having a regular schedule and decent job bring. I do remember a time when I was working retail, with hours all over the map, and I wanted more. Ok, not really more. I wanted to sleep at the same time every day, and eat at the same time every day, and not have my meals relegated to 15 minute stuff-your-face breaks. My basic bodily functions needed a schedule.

But then again, there’s the excitement of more that keeps calling me, but I don’t quite know how to reach it.

I read a lot of blogs. I read personal blogs, blogging blogs, home decor blogs, and a bunch of other blogs. I think I would love to be a professional blogger. They say that the best way to make money at this is to find something I’m passionate about. I just don’t know what that is yet. Or I can write what I know. What do I know enough about that other people want to hear?

Sure, I can find a few things that I like. I like home decor. I like blogging. But what would I have to say that hasn’t been said a hundred times before? How would I be able to stand out in these categories? That’s the part I don’t know - what do I love that would hold my interest long enough for me to create a successful blog?

I know I want more. I just don’t know how to go about getting it. In the meantime, I’ll go to work, on schedule (more or less) to a job I enjoy working with people I love, and I’ll continue to blog as a hobby.

You may or may not have noticed that I have been absent from my blog. I have an excuse for that - I’ve been on vacation. I’ve been able to keep up with everyone else’s blogs through my phone, but commenting hasn’t been easy, and it’s very difficult to post on my blog from a tiny phone keyboard.

I plan on updating later with more details about my vacation. Stay tuned!

I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions, at least not with any amount of seriousness. This year is no different. I do, however, have goals. I always have goals, but I’m not always so forthcoming with what exactly those goals are. So, without further adieu, I give you my goals:

Health

I’d like to get my weight on a downward slide. I’ve been overweight for too long now, and my weight has inched up over the past few months. This is not acceptable. Not only does nothing look good on me, I’m way out of shape - a point that was driven home when I went to the mall the other day. A simple walk around the mall at a leisurely pace totally kicked my ass, and I had to take a nap when I got home. No, this will not do.

I’d like to eat healthier. I’m not talking about swapping out microwave meals for their slightly less evil counterparts, either. I’m looking to severely limit the amount of processed foods in my diet. They’re so prevalent today, and so not good for you. It’s a process, and I’m not going all out just yet. I’ll work on this by focusing on planning my meals around healthy protein sources and veggies, and trying not to look at all the crap on offer at the supermarket.

Also in the eating category, this goal is intended to save money: I’d like to make it a goal to eat out as little as possible. Sometimes it’s necessary, like when we travel, but other times it’s not. I’m going to try my best to bring healthy lunches to work so that I’m not tempted to spend money on an unhealthy meal.

Home

I really need to get this place organized. It’s not a total pig sty - I mean, give me a little credit - but we do suffer from Horizontal Surface Disease. You know how every flat surface in the house will get covered in STUFF? We got that. I need to figure out a way to get stuff organized and figure out some systems that work with my I-don’t-want-to-deal-with-it-itis. I want to figure out a way to keep things organized with the least amount of effort possible. Still working on that one.

Blog

I spent a good deal of Saturday going through my reader and blogroll to sync them up. I need to do a better job of keeping up with that in the future. It’s too easy to add things to the reader and forget about the blogroll.

I want to try to post a bit more often. I’ve been really slack on that over the past year or so, and it’s just not acceptable. I really like my blog, and interacting with all of you, and posting more than 3-4 times a month will help with that. Also? If I want to sharpen up my writing skills, I need to do something other than stare blankly at the computer when I get home from work.

Since I’m still lusting after the Thesis theme, I’d like to buy that and get it installed on my blog sometime. I think it will be just the thing to help me do more with my blog without having to learn a whole bunch of nasty code, which I just don’t have time for.

Those are the main things I want to work on this year. I’m sure I have other goals, but right now I think I’m coming down with a nasty cold and it’s preventing me from working to my full potential.

What are your goals for the next year and beyond?

My poor, neglected little blog. Every day I think, Today’s the day! The day that I’ll finally write that blog post. I don’t know what to write about, but I’ll get a post up, somehow.

Yet it never happens. About once a week I force myself to write something, anything, so as not to neglect my readers, my fans, my adoring public. Ok, that’s going a bit too far. Why don’t I write more often?

Life gets in the way. That’s an easy excuse. We all have jobs and family that keep us from being on our blogs as often as we’d like.

There’s nothing worth writing about. That’s another easy excuse. It’s hard to come up with something witty and original. Being a perfectionist, I have a hard time writing for writing’s sake. Every time I sit down at the computer, I want to write that perfect post. You know the one. It’s the post that leaves you feeling exhilarated when you hit that “publish” button. The one where you eagerly check your stats every hour to see who’s reading it and who has commented on it. The one that you keep going back to so you can re-read it. I want every post to be like that.

I have a hard time writing about the day to day of my life - not because it’s hard to write about, but it bores me. You’d see the same posts, day after day. I don’t write about work, so that cuts out a huge part of my day. I don’t really write too much about my husband and what goes on between us, because he prefers that I keep that a bit more private. And I don’t write about my feelings so much because my husband prefers that I talk to him rather than read how I’m feeling on this blog, so that’s another post idea that won’t really be happening. That leaves two kinds of posts: observations and themed.

Observation posts can be easy to write, if when observing something I immediately write a post in my head then get myself to a computer before the inspiration for it is gone forever. That’s not always easy.

Themed posts, such as my On The Internet or Bedtime Stories posts, can be easy to write but without much in between, they will get boring - as if I have nothing else to say.

I want to offer a bit more of myself in this blog. I’d love for this blog to get little bit bigger (not too big, though), but I just don’t know how to do that right now. I don’t know how to do everything that I want to do.

How do you make your blog what you want while staying firmly planted in real life? What would you like to do with your blog if you could?