It's been a month (and a few days, but who is counting) since I opened the virtual doors of Quilting Hottie Haven to invite you all in to the often scary world of how my brain really functions as a quilter, so I'm going to blog today about the many ways that blogger has changed my life while I am so busy attempting to change yours. At least as far as making sure you spend time each week checking in with me.
Blogger has sent me further down the path of world domination
Ellen and I, we don't want much, we just want to rule the world. While she goes about this quest by gifting her guests with boxers and beach towels bearing her likeness, I prefer a little less "in your face" approach (not that I wouldn't do exactly what she is doing if I had her fame), so blogging seemed a natural extension of my business. In all seriousness, however, it is humbling and amazing to me to check the blog stats like an obsessed fan every morning and see where in the world I am getting hits from, and I am ridiculously excited every time a new country is shown in green on the darling little world map. Even though I am certain Azerbijan is green because my junior high best friend lives there now, and am sure a fair number of the American hits are people who know me anyway, I can't so quickly resolve the hits from 17 other countries, or why I seem to be so well liked in the Netherlands and Italy. So thank you all. You give me a huge ego boost from your visits and comments, and make me feel like someone out there is reading my words and enjoying them. (Cue the Julie and Julia music)
Blogging is making me concentrate harder on my life
One of the things I said in my second post ever was that I wasn't sure I would have enough to say on a regular basis. A month later I am not at all surprised that coming up with topics for posts is definitely the hardest part of blogging. I don't wish to be a blogger who just writes something for the heck of it. That's what FB is for. You all don't want to hear about how my UPS guy is a silver fox or sit through one of my biweekly speeches imploring Minnesota to for the love of God fire Brett Favre already because in football years he is 247 years old and NOT the answer to their prayers. You want, I think, to hear about what I do in my quilting and sewing life, and why I do it, and hopefully you want to hear about it in my voice, because it's the only one I've got. So I have to live in the moment at all times in my real life to come up with good, quilty ideas to blog about. It's harder than I thought, but on the other hand it gives me a chance to sew more just so that I might have more to say. And that can't be a bad thing.
Blogger is yet another technological device that confounds the hell out of me
Truly, I had to laugh when Barbara Chojnacki, owner of Six Gables Designs and a friend of mine, said to me when I started this blog "You know we don't believe you are half as technologically challenged as you say you are." You are right Barbara. I am not half, I am all of it and then some. Sure, I can write in this little box thing that so cutely comes up when I hit new post. But OMG, WHY WHY WHY is adding photos to a post so obsurdly hard? I get that you hit the picture of the photo up on the toolbar, and I can even load it in to the post. (I know, you are very impressed, and you should be.) But no matter where I have the cursor, no matter where I say I want the photo to be in the post, it ALWAYS ends up right at the top of the page, so I have to physically move the dumb thing in a slower than molasses dragging manner because apparently copy and paste doesn't work with photos and the whole thing is enough to make me scream. Also, did anyone notice I added little "love it" or "hate it" places under the post where you can quickly and easily give me some lovin' (or hatin') after reading it? Well, I would truly love it if someone used them soon, because I am not kidding when I say it took me almost all evening to figure out how to put them there one night. And finally, what do I have to do, who do I have to pay off, and how low cut a dress do I have to wear to get any comments anyone leaves to actually SHOW UP? I don't like that people have to hit "3 comments" or whatever, read them all, then they can get a box to leave their own. I just want it to be easier. But I can't make it easier because I can't figure out how. ARGH! I am absolutely accepting any and all assistance with any of these problems.
Blogging has made me a better reader of other quilting blogs
Until I started blogging, the only blogs I read on a fairly regular basis were ihategreenbeans.com because I love how the writer brings the Bachelor franchise/trainwreck completely to it's knees, and From A to Z, about an American ex-pat's experiences living in Zurich; again the writer is a riot, and is a girl I just happened to play high school tennis with. Now I actually seek out other quilting blogs too, not only to see what other people include on their blogs but because it is fascinating to see what other people are working on. I loved participating in the Blogger's Quilt Festival and hope to be able to do more things that link quilting blogs together in the future.
So thanks for sticking with me for the first month! It's been a blast from this end!
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