I love you all too much
I was at a little get together last weekend and I was telling someone about something or other having to do with my blog. From across the room this woman I hardly even know yelled "You have a blog? You have way too much time on your hands!"
Um. Ok. Offhanded slam from a near stranger aside, is having a blog really an indication that someone has too much free time? When did that happen?
If you really want some evidence that I have too much time on my hands you ought to check out my reader. No, you shouldn't. I'm ashamed at how cluttered it is. It's way overfull and it's not even a very good indication of how many blogs I read. There's a good sized chunk that I read that I never got around to adding. There are several on there that I don't really like anymore that I never got around to deleting. The disarray in my reader mirrors the disarray in my life.
What's really sad is that my bloated reader keeps me away from the blogs I love the most. Most of the time I spend reading blogs is time that I should be doing something else. So I'll sit down for 5 minutes in between loads of laundry and skim through a few of my lesser favorites. My real favorites though, the ones I want to read and savor and think about and comment on, are the ones I find myself never getting to. As a result I sometimes end up a week or so behind on my favorite blogs and then by that time I feel stupid leaving a comment. Then I worry that everyone will think I don't like them anymore and that makes me sad because the truth is that if I don't read you very often it means I really like you a lot. (I know that all of blogland awaits my comments with bated breath.)
Sigh. Blogging isn't an indication that I have too much free time but it is an indication that I'm massively neurotic. Anyone else out there have a problem with a way bloated blogroll? And it's ok if you don't get to this until some time next week.
Jen
11 comments:
I went through a period where I added everything under the sun to by feed reader and it quickly got out of control. I've been trying hard to scale back so I can give actual attention to the ones I like that had been falling through the cracks like you had described. Although cutting back your feed reader is so much easier said than done.
I am the same way with my reader. I am unsubscribing to a lot. I won't this one though. LOL... You can leave comments anytime at mine...nobody will think anything.
Clearly that rude woman had no idea what she was talking about. I don't have nearly enough time on my hands! Does she not make time for the things she loves? Stupid woman.
Also I second what Jennifer said about comments: anytime.
Don't even get me started. I've had to trim my Reader many, many times. If only there weren't so many excellent writers in the blogosphere. I too find myself not able to make time for my favorites because I'm trying to think of a thoughtful comment, or because I want to have time to savor and not skim through their posts.
Too much free time? Hardly. I admire those people who blog regularly and faithfully for their readers; they're not suffering from an excess of free time, they're just organized enough to fit in blogging into their busy schedules.
Funny thing about the comments, though -- I too have sometimes been afraid to comment on someone's post because I didn't feel "timely" enough. Glad to know it's forgivable!
I am so behind on my blog reading and I think the same way. Like anyone really cares if I comment.
After the baby is born, let's have a drink. Wait, I'll have one now and you can join me later.
Reader totally did that to me too.
Then Jennifer aka Binky Bitch told me to sort my reads..I did.
I have 'every day reads' and 'weekly reads' and I try to stick to that system. I also have 'carnivals' and 'news' folders too...Those I can skim and delete quickly...makes for much clearer thinking.
try it..
So the fact that you choose to write means you have all this unmitigated free time that this stranger is missing? I guess she's so busy curing cancer and making great contributions with her mind that she doesn't have the time. Except not. She probably doesn't understand the need to write and think and talk about concepts and ideas. That's not something that has to do with "free time," it's about what kind of mentality you have. Her comment reminds of these people that smugly claim not to watch TV...which is fine. Except most of these people aren't exactly substituting the "not watching TV" time (or "not blogging" time) for something so freakin' incredibly intellectual or humanity-saving as they seem to try to imply.
Generally, people that have a hostile attitude toward anything creative, intellectual, or that requires critical thought, pontification, etc. (and yes, we can laugh because I know our blogs are sometimes just thinking-out-loud- randomness, but that too, is important) have other issues that they should probably address since it pisses them awf when others have the need (or "time" as they call it) to be creative, intellectual, or to just plain spend a few mintues actually thinking about something of value or import. Even if it's something trivial.
Okay, yes I am late in commenting, but hey, I just found your blog today!
I am constantly revising what I read; some of my favorite bloggers may only update once a month; others daily. But I try to catch them whenever I can. I don't really worry about how long it takes to comment... I know I love reading comments on my older posts; shows that people aren't just skimming the last entry.
My reader has several sections (thank YOU Google!). I have one for gossip blogs which gets to 1000+ very quickly which I rarely read. A race issues one which I normally read blackfolk, a "buddies" where you and some others are, a livejournal one for my flist, a diversions one for my comics and my "anything under the sun that's fun one. Hmm, a dhak one, a journalfen/drama one, and a torrents one. Then I assign tags and use those a lot.
I do this while I'm taking reservations or credit card payments over the phone. Yay for attention paying and multitasking!
Where am I?!
I decided to wait a full week to let you know that I always love blog comments, regardless of how old the entry is!
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