I pet my blogging peeves and even think of a few nice things to say

Nice things first so as to throw you off guard…

1) Instead of a few words, people often respond to my posts with a few paragraphs. I ADORE knowing that I’ve inspired them to think and feel, and vice versa.

2) Blogging has brought me into personal contact with people from all parts of the English-speaking world. Britain, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, and Australia, have become as one, and except for an occasional place name, no one could tell where any of us are from.

3) I like it when people challenge my opinions, but I also like it that no one has ever trashed me. The only off-the-wall comment I’ve gotten was posted anonymously on my blog in the mistaken belief that I would forward it to another blogger who didn’t accept anonymous comments!

4) I like having the opportunity to share my writing—and even my photographs—with a world-wide audience, and to have them preserved in cyberspace.

5) I like it that I never have to edit my words to please a publisher.

6) I enjoy finding great blogs that almost no one knows about.


Peeves and more peeves…

1) Bloggers who have more followers than I.

2) Bloggers who post graphics without labels (like the accompanying map of the Internet) because they don’t know how to make labels.

3) Bloggers who go by no name but the name of their blog, which is usually long. Ideally, people’s names (even when made up) and the names of their blogs would be the same, because it would help me to sort everyone out. It would also make it easier to respond to comments. For example, if your blog is entitled She Who Likes to Eat Cantaloupes in the Nude, and I don’t have anything else to call you, I have to come up with an abbreviation. Cantaloupy? Nudie Tahoodie?

4) Bloggers whose latest entry says they don’t have anything to say, so they won’t say anything. I spend three to twelve hours (sometimes more) on my every entry trying my damnedest to make it worthwhile, and I just hate being summoned to someone’s blog (by notice of a new entry) only to be told that they don’t feel like writing.

5) The fact that I spend so much time trying to perfect an entry only to see errors as soon as I publish it. Sometimes, I have to edit and republish repeatedly to get everything right, and I worry that people will think I just keep republishing to get their attention, as if I’m screaming, “Hey, look at me!” Believe me, I’m not.

6) Cryptic bloggers who say things like, “If I do it, it might not turn out well, but if I don’t do it, it might turn out worse.” Do what?! Why write something that no one understands?

7) Bloggers who say, “It’s my blog, and I’ll write anything I want to.” I interpret this as pugnacity or, at best, defensiveness. Our readers are our guests, and they deserve our respect and consideration even when they disagree with us. Yes, I know, some bloggers say this kind of thing because they feel attacked. Like I said, it’s at best defensiveness. I mean, they’re stating the obvious—assuming, of course, that they don’t live in some free speech hellhole like Iran or China.

8) Awards. I’ve received four awards from three followers. I remember who sent them (Jane at Gaston Studio, Joe at My Quality Time, and Lille Diane at This Time Tomorrow), and I remember the joy and gratitude I felt upon receiving them. Truly, these people have a special place in my heart. I don’t display my awards because (a) I’m a decorative minimalist, so I prefer my own blog to be sparsely furnished; (b) I don’t want to risk distracting my readers from whatever I’m trying to communicate; and (c) each award came with the requirement that I pass it along to five (or even more) people, a number that boggles my imagination. Let me explain. Here’s how many people would have received a new award after it had been presented to ten generations of recipients if everyone who received it gave it to five new recipients.

Gen one. I create the prestigious You Just Don’t Know When to Shut-up Award, and I present it to 5 people.
Gen two. My five grateful recipients pass it along to five other recipients: 5 (originals) + 25 (new people) = 30 total
Gen three: 30 (the total from generation two) + 125 (the number the 25 new recipients sent it to) = 155 total recipients
Gen four: 155 + (125 x 5) = 780
Gen five: 780 + (625 x 5) = 3,905 recipients
Gen six: 3,905 + (3,125 x 5) = 19,530 recipients
Gen seven: 19,530 + (15,625 x 5) = 97,655 recipients
Gen eight: 97,655 + (78,125 x 5) = 488,280 recipients
Gen nine: 488,280 + (390,625 x 5) = 2,441,405 recipients
Gen ten: 2,441,405 + (1,953,125 x 5) = 12,207,030 recipients

In ten generations (three months maybe?), there would be over twelve million recipients if everyone passed it along. I am very appreciative of my awards, but I can’t see how an award can continue to be meaningful if it covers the globe faster than Swine Flu. Besides, if I deserve a merit-based award, why should I be expected to pass it along? I won’t even mention how easy it would be to simply steal an award by copying and pasting, because only a truly evil person like myself would think to do such a thing.

9) Followers. Based solely upon my own experience, it is my sad conclusion that the number of followers a blog has is primarily a function of how much time its owner spends visiting other blogs. The first time I visited a blog that had over 500 followers, I asked the owner how the hell he did it. He explained that Google had for some reason listed his as a blog of note, after which people just came out of the woodwork. Most of them, he believed, weren’t even interested in his blog; they just wanted to have their blogs listed on his blog so that people would click on their link. Thus began my disenchantment with piling up oodles of followers.

Another problem with having a lot of followers is that I feel all but obligated to follow the blogs of people who follow my blog, and I can’t adequately do that with even the 70 followers I now have.

10) Musical blogs. I had rather drink Drano. I hate musical blogs so much that I pet this peeve more than I pet all of my other peeves together. I can only give you 100% of my attention, so if someone is singing while I’m reading your words, your words get less attention. Besides, your writing has its own tempo, and I often feel as if I’m reading William Shakespeare while listening to Jimi Hendrix. It’s worse than fingernails on a chalkboard.

If you want to share your music, please create a playlist, and give me the choice of playing it. Yes, I could mute my speakers. This takes eight seconds followed by another seven seconds when I turn them back on. Rather than take the time (often with multiple blogs) and feel bummed about it, I tend to read fast, write fast, and get out of there. Yes, this IS a pain, and if I didn’t value you above health, money, and sex I wouldn’t do it.

Sometimes, I will have read a couple of paragraphs before the music starts. Because I’m deep in concentration, it just scares the hell out of me (when you drink too much coffee, you scare easily), and this pretty well ruins the rest of my visit. One reason I don’t go to bars is that I hate straining to hear people talk above the music only to miss half of what they say anyway. Music on a blog is like music in a bar.


Well, that’s about all I can think of, but before I close, I would just like to say a brief word to all those whom I have offended: FOR GOD’S SAKES DON’T LEAVE ME! I spent about a million hours piling up 70 followers, and I am too tired to look for replacements. Besides, I actually like you, even the ones with musical blogs. Surely, our friendship can include saying what we don’t appreciate as well as what we do.

75 comments:

rhymeswithplague said...

I might value you above health and money, but I can think of no instance in which I would value you above sex, unless it were sex with you, in which case that would be the same thing, wouldn't it, but I am not gay, so that is not a possibility, though there's nothing wrong with that, unless there is.

Yours for clarity in writing,
Robert Henry (rhymeswithplague) Brague, aka Bob, aka Bob Jr., aka Bobby, aka Bobby-o, aka Bobbo, aka every confused at times

P.S. - Nice post. I agree completely, except where I don't.

Renee said...

I love you. You have just made me laugh my head off with the 'Don't leave me.' Too funny.

I enjoyed this post.

How are you feeling dear friend. Have you had any releif with the pain?

Love Renee xoxo

khelsaoe said...

Well said! I hate blogs with music too.

Natalie said...

I still love you.xx♥

Anonymous said...

I totally agree on #8. I appreciate the awards I've gotten but don't read enough blogs to pass them on to a dozenty-three people. My away-from-the-blog writing takes so much time I have to limit how often I can read so save for just the few I fancy most. Awards become meaningless when EVERYBODY gets one anyway. It turns into a pyramid scheme.

Snowbrush said...

Rhymes (or should I say runes?) I thank you as always for your clear thinking and your crystalline presentation, I guess...

Renee "You have just made me laugh my head off"

I am so sorry. I know you already had enough problems dealing with the stage four breast cancer.

Khelasoe "I hate blogs with music too."

I expected to hear from at least a few people who agree with me. Thank you.

Natalie "I still love you.xx♥"

You say that just to hurt me. Please, hate me. It will be a kindness. I deserve it.

Matawheeze " Awards become meaningless when EVERYBODY gets one anyway. It turns into a pyramid scheme."

Yes! I hadn't thought of that term. Compound interest came to mind in describing how fast they spread, but pyramid scheme escaped me. Fortunately, no one gets hurt by blog awards, and I know they are created and given with the best of intentions.

Michelle said...

Snort!

Love this post Snow...so funny and all too true :)

xxx

southeastcountrywife said...

haha, very funny and pretty good points. :)

Strayer said...

I don't want any awards. Too much implied expectation! Thanks for dropping by and leaving a sentence or two every now and then.

I keep my blog primarily as an easy reference for me, to go back and find, when I need to, when I got what cat fixed, or who this lost cat that looks very familiar might be. But then, being stressed sometimes, I began using it to record my life, in regards to helping strays, hoping, I suppose, that people might realize how huge the problem is. I thought, "well maybe a cat or two will get fixed if someone stumbles on my blog and thinks "Oh my gawd, overpopulation really is a problem."

So Snowman, how is your shoulder these days? Gaining function?

Reuben said...

"I spend three to twelve hours (sometimes more) on my every entry..."

and

"I spend so much time trying to perfect an entry only to see errors as soon as I publish it."

These two points aptly express the reason for which I fear to even publish comments. For example, upon reading "Credo est" and finding various points that correspond with my own thoughts and experiences, I feel compelled to write something more than "yes I agree with that." But before I can open the "leave your comment" box, I notice that my agreeable sentiments have agitated other noteworthy anecdotes that have exposed other hidden fears that suggest other implied gestures of belief that copulate exponentially like goddamn rabbits until I cannot hold onto all of these precious insights and revelations while attempting to type (because, you see, I have only two hands). Out of spite for this absurd condition that is despair of ever expressing myself aright, I open the comments section without realizing that SEVENTY OTHER PEOPLE have already commented while I was bracing myself against my desk lest my thoughts had plucked me from my chair. Then I swear at your blog (but not at you) for bothering my head but promise to give it another shake tomorrow.


Also, you must know that I will never be a follower of your blog in a formal way (although it roundly beats and insults the others among my bookmarks), because I have a strict minimal commitment policy to all things internet. I think that this is important for you to know because it may indicate that, although you do not yet have the world's population among your devotees, the number may be very near to that in unofficial devotion.

Snowbrush said...

Michelle "Snort!"

Michelle, what I love most about you is your ability to express a great deal of feeling and insight in a very few words.

SECW "haha, very funny and pretty good points. :)"

Thank you. I am so pleased to please you as we are often in disagreement despite my respect and fond feelings for you.

Strayer, you put such heart into your blog that I am exceedingly glad that it has become more to you than a mere record-keeping tool.

As for my shoulder, my surgery was ten weeks ago today, and I still have to get up and ice it every hour and a half some nights. Even at that, I have to sleep in a chair, being unable to tolerate lying down for more than a few minutes. Since my other shoulder is awaiting surgery and is too painful for me to use much in the interim, I am significantly disabled. What can I say? Life is hard right now, but my blog and my blog buddies are a great solace.

Reuben, I hope you do return. Your intelligence and your skill as a word stylist shows. I am sorry you have what would appear, if I may be so bold, to be psychological blocks around expressing yourself. Perhaps (again, I fear that I might appear presumptuous), you are flummoxed because of a need for perfection. You could start out small. No more than, for example, 100 words now and then.... I really don't know. I just hate to see you all bound up, as it were.

Mim said...

1) You have more followers than me and therefore must be more interesting.
2) I don't get it when people say they don't have anything to say, my thought is "well don't say it", but they still do!
3) screw errors - it's my blog! (oh, right - that's defensive - sorry!)
4) I don't have enough followers to give out the repeating awards. I love them but feel that if I sent them out people would be like "why'd she pick me, doesn't she have any real friends?"
5) I don't feel obliged to do nuthin'. I visit my friends and people who amuse me. or people who are better people than me and I like to get some love.
6) i HATE musical blogs. It's like a political statement and I can turn of FOX news for that.
7) I would hate to have my friends leave me. I love 'em, some of my best friends are bloggers.
8) when my poor old dad broke his arm he slept in the car for about 3 months with his arm on that fold down armrest. Only way he could get peace at night.

Hope you're having a lovely saturday.

Rob-bear said...

You've done a lot of thinking about this. But then you do a lot of thinking about a lot of things. Which is good -- for you and for us.

I agree with the nice things you've said. The neatest thing about blogging is all the interesting people I've met -- including you!

I understand your peeves, too, and agree with most.

Like you, I tend to put a fair amount of time into my posts, and into my comments, too. I figure if I'm expecting people to read what I write, it should be interesting and well-written. I don't want to waste peoples' time. Cryptic is not my normal style. Followers are nice, but having too many of them becomes a burden -- insofar is one tries to keep up with them all. It's hard to read and comment, and also to write my own posts. So I tend to be selective in my reading and commenting. (Assuming I have the time to do even that.)

The thing about musical blogs is fairly simple. If you don't like the music, you can shut the playlist off. For my part, I have a playlist on only one of my blogs, and I'm not sure I'm going to keep it.

I was hoping your shoulders were getting better. Sigh. Maybe next week?

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Snow, Thanks for visiting my blog. I encourage you to come back sometime and check out more!!! Some of my interests are: Flowers/Roses, Yardwork, Birds, Hiking, Waterfalling--we've visited over 350 different waterfalls, Family History, Family, etc...

I have been blogging since 2006--but have only been on Blogger since Jan. of this year. For some???? reason, people seem to like my blog. I try to stay away from controversial issues --and 'try' to make it a JOYFUL blog (most of the time). But--as you know, that's not always LIFE as we know it. I recently asked for good thoughts for a friend with Breast Cancer.

I find that some of the people listed on my followers list are just lurkers. They don't comment--so I obviously don't follow them. Then there are others who comment everyday--and yet, they don't list themselves as 'followers'... Go Figure!!!

I try to follow people who do comment regularly on my blog. That seems to work well for me.

About Blog Peeves, I like blogs with substance (like yours)--and not just someone's U-tube video. I also like knowing someone's name and generally where they are from --which doesn't always happen. There are some people that I communcste with almost everyday--yet I really don't know them at all. Then there are others who become great friends.

Another peeve is when someone puts in a zillion pictures with either no captions --or the captions between each picture--so that I have no idea which caption goes with which picture. Oh Well--tis the joys of blogging, huh????

So you are from Mississippi??? My best friend grew up in Tupelo--and she's a Mississippi Girl through and through --although she lives in TN now.

I enjoyed seeing your boyhood pictures and you with your dogs. NEAT!!! The reason I started blogging was hopefully to leave something about me to the next generations.

I enjoyed reading this post SO much.. Like I said, I love substance. Please come back to my blog and I'll return to yours.
Betsy

Anonymous said...

Very well said! Hope that you are feelng better, that the pain is diminishing and you are once again out and about!

patsy said...

well I just read severaL of your pages and enjoyed your writings. I gained knowledge. I thought you were anti-gun but now I think you are anti-religion.
you need not read my blog because it wouldn't be something you would enjoy. You said you had to many blogs to read so save yourselve the trouble in looking at mine.
You are very entertaining to say the least.
I find it amazing you go to church so much but don't believe in God or do you?

Snowbrush said...

Mim "You have more followers than me and therefore must be more interesting."

Yes, I'm WONDERFUL! Unfortunately, there are still those who are well ahead of me in followers, and I simply must find a way to BRING THEM DOWN.

Mim " a political statement...I can turn of FOX news for that."

Wasn't it Orwell who said that, if you tell the people a lie often enough, they will think it's the truth. "Fair and balanced. Fair and balanced. Fair and balanced." All day long, "fair and balanced."

Rob-bear "I tend to put a fair amount of time into my posts..."

It shows, my ailing friend who I hope will be better soon.

Rob-bear "The thing about musical blogs is fairly simple...you can shut the playlist off"

Why not give readers the choice to turn it on? I strongly believe that most readers wouldn't, which suggests that they are at best neutral about the music.

We live in a culture of stimulus junkies. SHOUTING is considered interesting; whispering is not. By the same token, a plethora of stimuli is believed better than a single stimulus. I ask that bloggers put the lion's share of their emphasis on exposing me to that which they themselves can create--in most cases, their words, their photographs, and their art. I would like for them to have confidence in themselves. They don't need to be reinforced by famous musicians.

Betsy, Audrey, and Renee, I'll respond to you next time. Please pardon me for now.

Rob-bear said...

Good point about letting people turn the music on. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to do that; not even sure it's possible. It is, as far as I can tell, automatically set to start when someone opens the blog. I'd have to learn html to fix that, if I could even access the html of the music program.

One more challenge in my life. {Sigh.}

Bears never win (except maybe when playing football in Chicago).

Snowbrush said...

Betsy "I try to stay away from controversial issues"

I neither look for them nor avoid them. I simply write what is on my mind. My feelings about religion and Mississippi have both brought disagreement of late. I actually enjoyed this because it was all thoughtfully and courteously expressed.

Betsy "So you are from Mississippi???"

Yes, but I've been in Oregon since 1986 (except for two years in Minneapolis). Tupelo is in NE Mississippi. I'm from SW Mississippi--Brookhaven,
to be exact.

Audrey "Hope that you are feelng better"

Not much. If you want the sorry details, they're in my last response to the readers of my last post ("Credo est"). Thanks for asking.

Renee "You are so smart."

Thank you, dear Renee.

Patsy " just read severaL of your pages and enjoyed your writings."

Thank you. I was puzzled by your suggestion that I not read your blog.

Patsy "I find it amazing you go to church so much but don't believe in God or do you?"

If, by God, you mean a supernatural being who cares about us, I do not. I rarely go to church, per se, but if a church offers good classes, I do go to those. One need not be a Christian or even a theist to be interested in the Bible. I've talked about this in past posts, and am sure I will do so again.

Rob-bear "Good point about letting people turn the music on. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to do that"

I know from experience that some do offer the option, but I haven't noticed whether they're on Blogger or on another service.

Unknown said...

#5 - I never thought that my compulsive editing and re-publishing, which comes from nearly 30 years of being a graphic designer, would be sending out multiple alerts. Hmmmm. Doubt I'll ever change though!

#10 - I just keep the volume turned down to zero all of the time because I also hate all of the computer bells and whistle noises. What I really hate is how long blogs with a ton of music take to load. We're not so primitive here as to have dialup, but satellite isn't DSL!

Thanks for your regular visits and comments...Carmon

patsy said...

You comments were fine, I just supposed my well was to shallow for you. I enjoy people who think different than myself.
as far as the judge goes I am not really very interested in her. I read the news on my computer and sometime I read something that triggers my posting.
I am a demorcate and I am glad that we have a demorcate in the white house but I read your post about Obama being so popular and I knew what you were saying. you see I did go back and read your early post and will read all of them soon.
Your posts are like candy, if you eat to much at one setting you get full and any more would be all a person could stand.
I am 71 years old and have health problems so I spend a lot of time on the computer and since I have 3 sisters and a brother who read my blog much of it is for them and other people might read it and think what the hell is wrong with her?
so I am off to read more of your blog.

KC said...

Hey Snow, Thanks for the link to Carmon's blog. You are right, we do have lots in common. I will enjoy checking in with her as I do with your blog.

It is obvious I don't spend much time on my blog. I started it as a winter project and a venue for photos. I was so surprised when you found it but have been glad you did. I enjoy your writing and your thoughtful ideas. Thanks! And by the way, my name is Karen.

Donna. W said...

I hate the award thing too. And I'm so mediocre, I'm pretty sure I get my awards after everyone else has received them. You know, everybody else has been used up.

A lot of friends and family couldn't read my blog recently through Internet Explorer and I had to take my "followers" widget off to make things work for them. I have 111 followers, but now nobody will know that.

Unknown said...

Hey Snow! Well, you've done it again and made me laugh out loud while reading your post; thanks a bunch, 'cuz I needed that laugh this morning.

Actually, I agree with most of your pet peeves, especially the music you can't turn off. Most of the time, I keep my sound on mute because I just don't want to be blared out of my seat with any kind of sound but most especially with music I'm not so fond of and turned so loud.

You really made me laugh about the generation effect of awarding awards! And this has just got to be true; I simply never thought of it in terms of math!

I'm sure those 10 weeks since surgery seems a lifetime to you Snow, and I was hoping to hear that you were getting more and better sleep; sorry that's not the case. :-(

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog and leaving comments.
Jane

Chrisy said...

I always enjoy your writing style Snow and this was no exception and quirky in terms of the content...and useful...let's face it if some of this stuff is buggin you well it's probably buggin other people as well!

Unknown said...

HA! We're bloggy twins. I, too am a victim of post-publishing horror due to missed errors.

I am slowly training myself to proof the post a few times, post it and then run like mad, closing all browser windows, shutting off the computer and leave the house to avoid seeing them. Sad, huh?

Oh, and the follower thing? Meh. I stopped caring whether people read me or not a long time ago. As long as my mom loves me, I'm happy :)

Snowbrush said...

Carmon " I never thought that my compulsive editing and re-publishing...would be sending out multiple alerts."

Since I don't get multiple alerts from you, maybe I I'm wrong about this. I had just assumed that hitting the "publish" button would send out an alert every time...

Patsy "I enjoy people who think different than myself."

Then we should get along after all. I was worried there for a moment.

Patsy "I am 71 years old and have health problems so I spend a lot of time on the computer"

Same here except that I'm sixty. I'm still hoping to get myself up and running again eventually.

Karen "I was so surprised when you found it [her blog] but have been glad you did."

I'm glad too as I esp enjoy your photographs. Bloggers who have counters show an astounding number of visitors, few of whom ever post, and most of whom, I suspect, are in and out in seconds.

Donna "I'm so mediocre, I'm pretty sure I get my awards after everyone else has received them."

I checked with everyone who ever gave you an award, and they verified that this is true. But look at the bright side, they could have thrown their old awards in the garbage. At least, they preferred you to that.

"I have 111 followers"

Oh, yeah, you're unpopular alright. All those 111 people giving you their old scuffed up awards. Poor, poor, pitiful.

Hey, Jane, thank you too--for everything. I always worried that maybe you felt badly about me not displaying the awards. At least, I think you understand that I DO appreciate them. I saved them to a folder, and there they are anytime I want to take them out and polish them up.

Chrisy "If some of this stuff is buggin you well it's probably buggin other people as well."

I had anticipated losing maybe five followers over this post. I hadn't anticipated much in the way of agreement. So far, no one has left (so far as I know), and I've even gained one follower.

Sarah "I stopped caring whether people read me or not a long time ago. As long as my mom loves me.''

Well, my Mom is dead, Sarah. Thanks for reminding me. Truth is, she didn't seem to like me much anyway, although I'm sure she would be delighted with my blog, and would almost certainly have one of her own.

nollyposh said...

Hee! hEE! Snowbrush and after all that, we will love you anyways X;-)

Jo ~ said...

so, you're annoyed with my choice of music, eh? LOL

Snowbrush said...

Nollyposh "after all that, we will love you anyways"

You and another Aussie, Natalie, I think--or something like that (so many women love me that it's impossible to remember them all, although I do try to get their first initials right).

Why is it that the finest women are doomed to love the worst men in the best way? I can but be glad for it, I suppose, or else I would be left with only dogs to comfort me in my reclining years.

kj said...

snowbrush, you have the wordiest blog buddies i've seen anywhere. some many of your comments are small books! i love your humility and honesty about how much these relationships mean to you. and i certainly understand.

you've encouraged me to state my #1 pet peeve: music! music that startles me and wakes my family at 2 am.

last, dear snowbrush, there is indeed an award for you at my place. what's right is right. please give me the honor of accepting it.

xo

crone51 said...

I am totally starting a blog called She Who Eats Cantaloupe In The Nude.

Do I have to credit you?

And, how did you know?

~Babs said...

Hi,
I followed kj here,,,I had to see what a Snowbrush up a canal without awards is like.

Enjoyed your blog,,,especially the post written about your childhood dogs. I normally don't comment on blogs with so many followers, as I figure what do they need/want with another,,,but I see you like lots of readers. I've stopped posting and forwarding awards, as it's too time consuming, and too much tech stuff, at which I am lousy.

Lisa said...

Hey there. Nice graphic, what is it?

I was fired.
I'm pretty bummed out.
I guess keeping it simple wasn't enough for them, they actually told me they wanted perfection.

I guess I didn't get that particular memo.

Lisa

Pam said...

Hi Snowbrush, thanks for stopping by. I like what you are saying here!

babbler said...

Hello Snowbrush, I have been remiss in my visits to your blog, but here I am now to tell you that I have a pet frog who is very hungry, so I shant stay too long lest she fling herself out of the tank and crawl over here to get my attention. Suffice to say, I enjoyed your post this evening and I will be back to expound another time. Love from Mrs. Slug

xxx said...

Hi I'm a first time visitor here and thanks for the laugh...
best wishes
Ribbon

Snowbrush said...

KJ: "you have the wordiest blog buddies i've seen anywhere."

Thank you.

KJ: "#1 pet peeve: music! music that startles me and wakes my family at 2 am."

I could have go on for some time listing all the reasons I hate music, and this would have been on the list. I do my damnedest to turn it off as fast as I can, but that's not fast enough.

Babs: "normally don't comment on blogs with so many followers, as I figure what do they need/want with another"

I am more concerned about getting the blog owner's response to my response. If I click the button that will allow all responses to be forwarded to me, I run the risk of getting 70 emails. If I visit several blogs, this can be a real problem. Renee (Circling My Head) has tons of followers, so if she wants to respond to me, she does it on my blog. I wouldn't like that if she had only a few followers, but since she has maybe 200 followers, it's actually the only way I would get her responses. I rarely publish such responses because they are off topic to my post, and I don't want my own followers to receive an abundance of responses that make no sense to them.

Lisa: "Nice graphic, what is it?"

A map of the Internet. One of the peeves I listed was not knowing how to label graphics.

Crone 51: "I am totally starting a blog called She Who Eats Cantaloupe In The Nude. Do I have to credit you?"

Like totally, you know. Ha. You are welcome to it.

Pamokc: " I like what you are saying here!"

Thank you, Pamokc.

Mrs. Slug: "I have a pet frog who is very hungry, so I shant stay too long lest she fling herself out of the tank"

I pictured a toilet tank. It's just how my brain works--or doesn't work, as the case may be.

Ribbon: "thanks for the laugh..."

And thank you for visiting. You are always welcome here.

Renee said...

Dear friend: I love your comment on my blog today. You are amazing.

xoxoxo

david mcmahon said...

Okay, this brought a smile to my face. (But most things do!)

rhymeswithplague said...

"a plethora of stimuli" is a wonderful phrase. I wish I had thought of it first and named my blog that.

As I am definitely NOT a demorcate, I do not want a Snowbrush, with or without awards, up or anywhere near my canal.

I'm sorry to hear that your pain continues and that it is so severe. I know one person whose shoulder surgery had a similar outcome as yours, but many others who have been glad they had it. My own wife is in the latter category (rotator cuff). And when she underwent her first knee replacement, she said the pain of the surgery was so much less than the pain in her knee prior to the surgery that it was almost like having no pain at all after the surgery. The second knee replacement, which she actually was looking forward to, was a much worse experience for her. I guess you never know. But I wish you well, my friend. May your days and nights be filled with less and less pain, leading to pain-free dreams filled with dogs from Mississippi.

Rob-bear said...

Finally figured out how to quiet the music on my blog, and thus give people the option of listening if they want.

All it takes is a volume adjustment on my part.

Thanks for the tip.

Anonymous said...

Hello there.
Thank you for this post, and for the comments you've left on my blog. I want you to know that I have replied back to you every time via email, but only just (today) realized that the comment reply address is "no reply." So you've never heard my thank yous and further dialog.

I have enjoyed your blog. Your writing is philosophical and moving. There are so many of us who have watched the suffering of others with no sense of how to "fix it" and those of us who have known the darkest of our own nights. Like you, I am holding out for redemption... but my former conclusions about the meaning of suffering have changed as my faith has been challenged. I feel empty without faith and cannot get comfortable with the concept that when the boulder reaches the bottom, as you say, it just stops, stays at the bottom. Sad -- We start out believing that we will leave a meaningful legacy somehow for someone, but sometimes we lose ourselves. When I had faith, I thought I had enlightenment that others were missing. Funny that now that faith is gone, I feel I know too much. Where is the balance?

By the way, my family is from Brookhaven, MS.

Best wishes for good and meaningful days.
Ananji

Jennifer Giuffre said...

Loved your pet peeves post. Too funny. And I totally agree.

Thank you so much for your comment on my blog!

Jennifer

Maya said...

I agree with all of your points, although I never thought of them before. Hope this comment actually gets to you.

CreekHiker / HollysFolly said...

I too hate musical blogs! OR musical websites... there is nothing cool about them! Sometimes, I'm killing time in an office and I don't necessarily want every one in the office to know that and the music comes blasting through... UGH!

Anonymous said...

Awesome, love all these points! Apart from the followers. I want more followers :P

Carol said...

This is the first time I've visited your blog but it will certainly not be the last!!

Very very funny post

C x

Unknown said...

Hey Snow, first of all no offense taken AT ALL about you not displaying awards, and also Congrats again on POTD award from David!!!

ellen abbott said...

I am in total agreement with peeves #5 and #8. Oh and the last one too. I keep my sound turned down.

Anonymous said...

The awards kill me & then I feel badly because those who award me are usually lovely people doing a kind & thoughtful thing, but I won't get on the award bandwagon for a number of reasons. I agree with all your likes in blogging, but dislikes, I have mostly different ones(except for the awards & my big pet peeve: dumb comments like HAVE A GREAT DAY). Many times more followers really translates into more people who don't actually read more than one sentence of your blog entries. Sometimes people who don't follow but check in a bit read with more interest.
I came by way of David M. ~Mary

Jazz said...

Hey look, a new commenter! I'm here from David's blog. Congrats on the POTD.

I've always thought the same about awards, but they're always useful for a snarky post...

rhymeswithplague said...

Yes, yes, but what I really want to know is how do you make posts without a date connected to them?

julie said...

#9...."Another problem with having a lot of followers is that I feel all but obligated to follow the blogs of people who follow my blog, and I can’t adequately do that with even the 70 followers I now have."
The whole follower/blog thing is pretty strange in that if I like what you/or anyone else writes about on their blog, and I decide to follow that blog, that really means you need to come and read what's on my blog even though it may not interest you at all???

Lori ann said...

Hi Snowbrush,
I really enjoyed reading this post. You've made so many good(funny) points, i'd not thought of before. Thanks for sharing!

Congrats on the mention for post of the day, that's how I found you.

Good luck with the shoulder, take good care,
Lori

Craig Glenn said...

Snowbrush,

Darn, now I have to go and rewrite my whole blog! So many rules, so little time. I really enjoyed your post and considering adding you to my list of blogs to follow. Two things though… I am tired now from reading so many post, I think I need a nap, but the snoring always disturbs the workers in the next cube. Also, I would be number 70 something and lets face it, it’s just a sad reminder that I only have 11! 

Great post Snowbrush, I look forward to coming back. Congrats on POTD!

Craig Glenn
http://craigsobservations.blogspot.com

Snowbrush said...

Peggy and I went hiking in the Cascades yesterday, and I returned to find that my blog was honored somewhere, but I'm not sure where or who (if anyone) nominated me. If I had had all this input before I posted this entry, I would have added a few things to it.

Renee, Rob-bear, Jennifer, CreekHiker, Ellen, Jazz, Lori Ann, and Chapati, thank you so much for your comments. I won't address them directly since I've already gone into them in previous responses.

David "this brought a smile to my face. (But most things do!)"

Uh...should I say thank you? Why not? Thank you.

Rhymes, those second knee replacements have a high failure rate, which is why I haven't had my first one yet.

Ananji, I really appreciated your comments and your thoughts about faith. Please tell me more about your family (I won't let the post appear on my blog). I don't recognize your picture, and am reasonably sure that no one in Brookhaven had your first name during the 37 years that I was there.

Maya "Hope this comment actually gets to you."

I hope you haven't been having problems with this, Maya.

Carol and Chris "This is the first time I've visited your blog but it will certainly not be the last!!"

Thank you, Carol (I think).

Jane "Congrats again on POTD award from David!!!"

Oh, so that's where all the people came from. I thought it might be. Did you nominate me, my friend and encourager?

Mary, you brought up an issue that I didn't mention. It was just below my conscious level, and I wish I been able to bring it to the surface.

Rhymes "what I really want to know is how do you make posts without a date connected to them?"

They do have a date when you look at them as an aggregate in the sidebar, so I'm not sure what you mean. I see that there isn't a date at the top, but I didn't set out to eliminate it, so I don't know how to advise.

Julie "...if I like what you/or anyone else writes about on their blog, and I decide to follow that blog, that really means you need to come and read what's on my blog...???

Well, it can't after a certain point. I follow Renee's blog (Circling My Head), and she has well over 200 followers, so it would be rather silly for any of us to expect reciprocity. Yet, I personally feel the DESIRE to reciprocate (and I think she might too), partly because mine (like hers) is not like a political blog or a blog about economic trends. It's personal. It contains the kind of things one might share with a close friend, and that, I think, is what attracts people to it, the feeling that there is communication on a very real and intimate level. However, sharing such things on a blog is low risk compared to sharing them with friends because friends might feel obliged to DO SOMETHING when confronted with feelings such as sorrow or angst (at least). Then too, writing is my art and my chosen method of communication, and I have NO friends who are interested in that.

Craig Glenn "Darn, now I have to go and rewrite my whole blog! So many rules, so little time."

It's really not hard, Craig, but it does require that you give up everything else in your life. I certainly hope that this won't present a problem for you.

San said...

We share some of the same peeves. Although my blog sports several awards, and I've enjoyed receiving them and passing them on, the exponential proliferation of them does diminish their value. Since I often visit blogs while I'm at work, when I go to one that blasts music, I have to mute the sound on my computer, and that's a pain.

I like the looks of the Followers widget, but what I don't get is why a person clicks to be a "follower" and never returns.

Now, for the sake of brevity, should I address you as Snow, Brush, or Sb?

I came over from David's. I've enjoyed my visit.

studio lolo said...

I love reading posts about pet peeves. Yours have a lot in common with mine. When I did certain Illustration Friday posts in the past, one of my favorite things to do was to match it to the perfect piece of music. Most people loved it. Several people copied my playlist. But one lady said she HATED it and for God sakes would I please get rid of it, so I did. She was the minority and I did it anyway because I hate upsetting anyone. I'm thinking I need to get a life. And sometimes I miss my music but now I'm concentrating more on what I have to say. I like that better.

I get lots of awards and I'm grateful for them but I've pretty much stopped passing them along. I'm popping them over to my sidebar now with a nod to the giver. I've also created an award and it amazes me to see how far and wide it has reached people I had no clue existed. I think that was your point.

I'm surprised at myself for adding the followers link to my blog. I certainly don't take the time to visit them all and some I've never visited, but you can bet if my number goes down by one I wonder what I did to make them drop me!
Kind of pathetic really. It makes me laugh at myself.

My blog has changed to mostly photographs this past month because my husband and I are about to drive back to Rhode island after being in California for 16 years. I miss drawing because it's who I am. My art defines me in ways that are untouchable. I'm hoping when I land in my new digs my art and my spirits will soar to new heights. And perhaps my writing will improve too. That would be a bonus!

Thanks for your visit. If you like my photos you can see a slew of them on My Friend Flickr link on my sidebar. There are some wonderful zen spaces there for you to get lost in ;)

Have a gentle weekend.

Susan English Mason said...

My pet peeve is people who have an answer for everything:
1) Stalkers.
2) An inappropriate graphic display.
3) Cantaloupy? Nudie Tahoodie? Did I give you permission to call me that? I have only approved melon collie baby.
4) I have an addicted blogger award waiting for you on my nonsense blog.
5) If I want everything stripped, I'll drink Vodka.
6) "I'm a lurker. I don't comment because I like to watch." Watch what?
7) But my blog is about me, me, and me!
8) Taking back the addicted blogger award.
9) What about the ones who follow that don't have blogs themselves? Creepy.
10) The music thing definitely throws the chai of the zen of the shakra off.
Congrats on Post of the Day from David over at authorblog. He sure can pick them.

Maureen said...

First time reader... love this post and will continue on to read more, only after having to comment about #5. Here I thought *I* was the only one to hit Publish and realise afterward the numerous typos or bad formatting I had committed. Then I worry about hitting Publish again... will my subscribers get duplicate notifications of my stupidity??? Gad I hope not.

The other day, I was in THE MIDDLE of writing a post and accidentally hit Publish instead of Save.

You never saw someone finish up a story so fast...

Snowbrush said...

San "I don't get is why a person clicks to be a "follower" and never returns."

I suppose they just like to spread their link around. I also have followers who used to write to me but quit. I suppose they became too busy, lost interest, felt offended, etc. but didn't want to break all connections.

Lolo "I get lots of awards"

I haven't. I sometimes think that they are more popular with women than with men. I didn't mention this in my post because it might have sounded like sour grapes.

Lolo "my husband and I are about to drive back to Rhode island after being in California for 16 years."

Wow, that will be a change, but you imply that you lived there before, so at least the change won't be terribly unexpected. I wish you a safe journey.

Pouty "My pet peeve is people who have an answer for everything"

I didn't even want to go there, Melon Colicky. As you can imagine I get a considerable amount of advice. I just take it as an expression of love. I could bring myself to criticize things like awards that are also an expression of love (because I figured everyone could see the truth in what I was saying), but I thought that criticizing advice might strike a little too deep. I also criticized music, of course, and some of my regulars have remained uncharacteristically silent.

Pouty "what about the ones who follow that don't have blogs themselves? Creepy."

I have a few, and they occasionally comment. I just figure they like to read but not necessarily to write.

I'll be over to pick up my award soon. Thank you.

Maureen "I thought *I* was the only one to hit Publish and realise afterward the numerous typos or bad formatting I had committed."

A few others have mentioned it too, so it goes beyond just you and me. I have about concluded that it doesn't appear in everyone's update window more than once when you hit publish. At least, no one has said that it does.

Joe Todd said...

Well said... I think you were just about the first person to follow my blog other than my wife and I signed her up and she didn't even know about it.. Thanks for all your posts and comments Joe Todd

jabblog said...

I laughed at your peeves and agreed with many of them. At least with the number of followers you have you know that your words are not wasted (and if I sound miffed and - well - peevish, it's because I am)
As for music on blogs you've made me feel better as I was beginning to think I was inept being unable to add any music I'd like anyone to think I enjoyed - you see? Bit of snobbery there, I feel. Music in bars doesn't bother me as I don't go into bars or pubs but I have to shop and I loathe music in shops, lifts, passing cars.
I shall return! Oh, and sorry - my name is jabblog - well, it isn't really but that's the name by which my blog and I are known.I like to keep things simple.

Snowbrush said...

Joe "I think you were just about the first person to follow my blog."

Yep. I think that three of the first four people I followed were from Ohio (the fourth lives in England).

Jabblog, "Music in bars doesn't bother me as I don't go into bars or pubs"

Same here. I don't like the music, and I can drink cheaper at home.

Jabblog "I loathe music in shops, lifts, passing cars."

Lifts? You aren't from around here, are you (America, I mean)? We never lift, although some of us are fond of elevating from time to time. As for the music, I avoid some stores, because the kind of music they play, and the volume they play it at, makes me feel that I AM in a bar.

All Consuming said...

Wow, that's one hell of alot of comments. By the time I finished reading them I'd forgotten what the post was about! Si I went back again and now I'm all tuckered out. My blog is primarily for me and always has been. I feel no obligation to my readers (all 3 of them hahaha) apart from the compulsion to make them smile and feel a little empathy occasionally if I can. Interesting post, I'm goona read your other one now and collapse heh x

swan said...

"Bloggers who go by no name but the name of their blog, which is usually long. Ideally, people’s names (even when made up) and the names of their blogs would be the same, because it would help me to sort everyone out. It would also make it easier to respond to comments. For example, if your blog is entitled She Who Likes to Eat Cantaloupes in the Nude, and I don’t have anything else to call you, I have to come up with an abbreviation. Cantaloupy? Nudie Tahoodie?" Your hilarious! This blog is great had me laughing out loud! I have felt the same way with wondering what to call people.

peace and blessings!

C Woods said...

I agree with you on almost all of your peeves.

To answer why someone might click follow and then never return. I admit I've done that. I read one post that I thought was great and thought I'd want to return often. But future posts were not so interesting so I stopped visiting. Also, I just don't have the time to visit every blog that interests me. I decided I would try to visit 3 per day. But since I have 3 blogs with very different focuses, that means I need to visit 9 --- and although I wish I could discipline myself to do that, it just never happens.

Lille Diane said...

Yes, I did hand out an award to you...AND you may have noticed above my comment section I've since requested people do not send me awards or tags. As a fairly new blogger, I didn't understand the stress, and time it took to "follow" all the rules. I sincerely am honored that so many people selected my blog but it wore me out. I have them listed down on the bottom of my page so not to offend the giver (and I am indeed thankful they thought of me) BUT in 2 days I received 8 and I was so overwhelmed I didn't even blog for fear of hurting someone's feelings for not jumping right on it...sigh... THIS is not why I started a blog...

I do know when I gave you an award I also gave it to you with no rules or obligations attached. I always broke the rules in that way which may not be politically correct in blogland award giving.

I am also guilty of having music on my blog. I get so many compliments on my music and no one has ever told me they didn't enjoy my background selection. I also didn't know it comes on suddenly or loudly when opening my page. Thank you for letting me know. I will ponder this as whether or not to delete the music.

My goal is like yours, Snow, to connect, communicate,and exchange a piece of my world with someone else who cares to stop by and visit.

I admit it's hard to keep up. My followers have literally blossomed overnight into a city. Try as I may, I'm struggling to get to everyone I really enjoy reading such as you--especially you.

All of this is great food for thought, and that's why I find a visit with Snowbrush a full-on smorgasbord. Yum, my friend. You know I've always valued your honesty.

angela recada said...

Wow! I've already been on the damn computer hours this morning passing on some awards, linking them, notifying the recipients, moderating comments, (aaaaack!) and finally I have a chance to sit a few minutes and read your incredible blog.

I love how you see things - but I'm so sorry you deal with chronic pain. That sucks. Your view of the world, your sarcasm and your wonderful style of writing really speak to me. The post about religion is something I'll come back to, so I can read it again.

When you wrote:
"I’ll tell you what I want out of life. It’s simple. I want to be completely present. That’s it."

. . . that's exactly where I am right now, too. All the dogma and man-made junk is just too much for me to wade through. I find what I need spiritually out in nature and in some special books, with as few people as possible around me.

I'll be back. And I'll never have music on my blog, except for the "It's raining men" video I embedded in a recent post.
:0)

soulbrush said...

i do like awards, like the one we got from kj... yes call me shallow, in need of adoration, wanting to be loved, that's okay...the rest is all true and i love the points you make and i think i am falling in love with you altogether,certainly with your written words... is that okay?

Snowbrush said...

All Consuming "My blog is primarily for me"

I work rather hard to please--or at least stimulate--my readers. It's a labor of love, for sure, but it's still a labor. If I were on a desert island, I would continue to write, but I'm very glad to have readers.

Swan "This blog is great had me laughing out loud!"

Hey, thanks, Swan. Is it my imagination or have I not seen you around lately?

C Woods "I need to visit 9 --- and although I wish I could discipline myself to do that, it just never happens."

Nine blogs a day--wow! I can't really imagine even wanting to do that. It just gets too hard to keep up with so many people's stories.

Lille Diane " I've since requested people do not send me awards"

I know. I'm designing a special award for you and others like you.

Angela, thank you so much for your kind words.

Soulbrush, I'm so glad you're here. I try to keep up with everyone's responses, and I was shocked to see how many awaited me on this post.

Lisa said...

I just posted something about blogging and the nature of it. Sorry I am a little late getting to the point of this particular post, talking about getting fired, I don't know where my mind was. And I guess that particular aspect of my post bothered you, too.

I think those awards are stupid.

But although I love reading your writing, I find it annoying that you write what bothers you about others' blogs, and there are those here who have had to defend themselves for what they have written. I appreciate your candor, but if you don't like what someone has to say or you think it is too trite, do what I do and just go to the next blog.

We all can't be as revealing with our thoughts and have so much time to post very intense memories or opinions. Certainly you are allowed to have your peeves, but you are a very popular blogger, people love what and how you write/ Not many challenge you from what I can see, and I'd think you'd have more grace regarding others' posts.

Lisa

Snowbrush said...

"I just posted something about blogging and the nature of it."

I don't know how I missed it--I went back to April 19. I am having a bad day following a bad night, and it's hard to concentrate, so I'll blame that.

"if you don't like what someone has to say or you think it is too trite, do what I do and just go to the next blog."

Well, that's one option, but if the goal is to build relationships with people I (or in case, you) mostly enjoy, then it would seem appropriate to bring up dislikes. Besides, I wasn't singling anyone out. Everything I wrote could be applied to numerous blogs.

"We all can't be as revealing with our thoughts and have so much time to post very intense memories or opinions."

As to the first, I don't know why, it being a matter of choice, is it not? As to the second, I know bloggers who are strapped for time, and I know bloggers who don't seem to have anything else to do all day. I see myself as in-between the two, but ever struggling with the time issue. If I had more time, I would post more frequently.

"you are a very popular blogger"

What is popular? 100 followers, 200, 50 followers but all of them active responders? I see myself as but one grain of beach sand among thousands. Of the followers I have, I think very few are interested in me. The rest are pretty nearly non-existent (or at least sporadic) in regard to any real interaction, and even among those who seem to care there is a turnover. This particular entry didn't, as I recall, lose me any followers, but it did alienate some people who had previously responded frequently and expressed affection for me. I don't take any of it too seriously. Otherwise, it would drive me crazy.

Look, either of us could pile up followers by the dozen if we visited blog after blog after blog on a daily basis. Followers are attracted PRIMARILY by what we contribute to other people's blogs rather than the quality of our own blogs.

"Not many challenge you from what I can see"

Almost none. It's not that I don't allow criticism; it's that outspoken critics don't exist. I'm ever surprised by this as I know that I say things that people must surely disapprove of or disagree with.

Lisa said...

"I just posted something about blogging and the nature of it."
I blogged about it last night. On my page. Perhaps I got the verb wrong.

Well, that's one option, but if the goal is to build relationships with people I (or in case, you) mostly enjoy, then it would seem appropriate to bring up dislikes. Besides, I wasn't singling anyone out. Everything I wrote could be applied to numerous blogs.

Unless someone really put something on my page that was vile or mean, etc., I'm really not going to mention what I don't like about their post. For me, if someone posts, I am thankful for it. And if you read back, there is at least one person who felt they had to explain themselves to you. So if you didn't single one person out, then one person felt singled out.

We all can't be as revealing with our thoughts and have so much time to post very intense memories or opinions."

What I meant was that if YOU don't feel intellectually satisfied reading a post, and they didn't have anything to say other than, hey, I am here, don't have much to say, but here I am existing in the Universe. That might be the most profound thing they could think of at that moment.

"you are a very popular blogger"
What is popular? 100 followers, 200, 50 followers but all of them active responders?

Come on, you know you're like Blogspost's Hall of Famers, you have an excellent page. You, by your own admission, admitted you had many followers, so whatever that number means, you know it. The reason why this particular post alienated some followers is because you know you write brilliantly, you do make excellent sense most times, but some your peeves are common doings by the common man. We all can't be as brilliant as you are, and I mean that sincerely.

"Not many challenge you from what I can see"

Well, you had one last night, and you have at least another, unless this is a friend of yours, someone using your name and kind of talks about you. Do you know this person? Is it real? Is it a joke?

Plus, I think you write with such an authoritarian voice, no one, really wants to match wits with you because they probably can't so don't even try. Because you do press buttons. I think your regular readers and responders (I think I catch all of your blogs, I am not sure), do agree with you because you do, as I said, make a lot of sense. But also stir up discussion which is good.

Point being, I just didn't think it was polite to post this particular blog. And you are allowed to post whatever you want, and I am, I hope to allowed to express that I think that that post probably hurt feelings. But you aren't here to make everybody feel better, so I guess it's all a moot point anyway.

It is a cool pic of the internet, even though I had to come out and ask you b/c you didn't put the title on it! LOL!

Again, Snowbrush, I don't mean you any disrespect whatsoever but if you can dish it out, then you know the rest. Now be good!

Lisa