Anxiety junction
I had a very strange dream last night which has made me think about the impact that blogging and the accompanying is-anyone-reading-this anxiety is having on my soul. I started out on this as a release for the mental snowstorm that passes for my brain. It was a forum for my own little peculiarities, in order to give me and the Other Half some peace from my incessant nonsense. And, had I not given in to my own narcissistic ways and acquired a site meter and hit counter, I might still be blogging in peace, safe in the assumption that about three people are reading it regularly with any number of random strangers popping in and then buggering off again. I try to write well, and wish I didn't care whether anyone was listening or not. However, apparently I do care. A lot.
In my dream, the BBC website had shortlisted the top five blogs in the world, and mine was at number three. Number three! I excitedly posted the news, along with a link to the web page officially announcing it. And then the comments started. All my lovely regular commenters (and the not-so-lovely ones, but we'll leave Dave and his fascinating fossils out of this), trying tactfully to point out that the Surly Girl in question was in fact some bint from Glasgow who ran a cookery blog, despite hating cooking. It was very funny too, as everyone was swift to point out. I awoke at 4.45am, with Patroclus' final comment etched behind my eyelids: "...in my opinion, the time has come to accept that we like the other blog better. Everyone, let's head over to surlygirl.com...".
Add to this the time I spend reading my regular blogs, commenting, going back to see if someone's commented on my comment, checking my own comments and responding, checking my stats and posting, it's no wonder I haven't got time to do any work.
Is it just me?
In my dream, the BBC website had shortlisted the top five blogs in the world, and mine was at number three. Number three! I excitedly posted the news, along with a link to the web page officially announcing it. And then the comments started. All my lovely regular commenters (and the not-so-lovely ones, but we'll leave Dave and his fascinating fossils out of this), trying tactfully to point out that the Surly Girl in question was in fact some bint from Glasgow who ran a cookery blog, despite hating cooking. It was very funny too, as everyone was swift to point out. I awoke at 4.45am, with Patroclus' final comment etched behind my eyelids: "...in my opinion, the time has come to accept that we like the other blog better. Everyone, let's head over to surlygirl.com...".
Add to this the time I spend reading my regular blogs, commenting, going back to see if someone's commented on my comment, checking my own comments and responding, checking my stats and posting, it's no wonder I haven't got time to do any work.
Is it just me?
posted by surly girl at 11:15 am
19 Comments:
Yes.
No, it's not just me. And only 2 measly comments on my blog today. Sometimes I wish everyone who reads would just comment and say "Hmm, yes. You're barking mad. Carry on", or "Christ, that was dull as ditchwater, get a grip on reality girl" or somesuch - just so I'd know that they were paying attention. But then I don't suppose that's what it's all about.
uktikxen - Dutch for that coochy-coo thing you do to the armpits of babies
nope, t'ain't just you, or at least, it's me too
blogging gives me insomnia, muscle tension and makes me want to stop people (sometimes dear dear friends) in mid-flow to say: stop! this is sooooo bloggable! do you mind if i just scribble some notes whilst you ramble lest i forget these nuggets?
harbouring an unhealthy narcissitic obsession like the one from which we *suffer* - tis a worry innit?
*flings head back as if in cheap melodrma and sighs deeply*
p.s. i lurve glasgow! i'd think it was very cool if you were in glasgow (hums tune 'i belong to glasgae, dear auld glasgae toon...')
:)
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You do know that blogging is the new cocaine don't you ?
good job i don't have an addictive personality then.
ah.
Oh but you do my love...and wonderful it is too.
It's true, you are constantly thinking, "That's going in the blog tomorrow".
Now I'm free of mine, I feel "out of the circle" and I don't feel I have the right any more to comment on yours or Donna, Phil, Carol's etc...
Except this comment obviously.
thanks hon!
now then, don swift. although i thank you for your comment i took it down as you published my IP address and company name, and i'd prefer to have neither of those published on this blog (or anywhere else for that matter). Dooced, and all that...that aside, i told you the blogging thing is an obsession!!
that's hon for the other half, altho paul, i'm sure you're lovely...and out of the circle or not, feel free to comment
Aww, c'mon now Paul. Get thy arse back into commenting at least, if not blogging. You know you want to...
and this morning i visited a regular blog haunt of mine to find that two of her choice blogs are mentioned in the new york times which has rather put my record number of pageloads on wednesday into perspective (thanks, dad - you can stop hitting 'refresh' now!)
and now feeling that my planned post for today is trebly silly...
hey ho
don - i know it's all out there, but i'd rather it wasn't on here, if you see what i mean.....
am glad we're all (nearly) as bad as each other....
still, 23 pageloads in a day is pretty excellent, no? even if they were all from one source (dad: i KNOW your IP address - you alway did try to cushion me from every blow the world was about to deliver me, bless your polyester socks)
zubgldds = the glands located under your wotsits
see, my hit counter makes me feel warm and fuzzy as i can just refresh away...the old site meter isn't looking too bad either, as if you come back within half an hour (which I frequently do *shuffles shamefacedly*)it only counts it as one visit so is more accurate.
can you tell i'm an analyst by
trade?!
luoqbrq: iranian lego
kalam: stage catchphrase of a rubbish magician who makes all the children at the party cry
Can you spell synchronicity?
I'm so glad you visited and commented on my blog "comment anxiety" post so I could discover your own anxiety-ridden site lol...
Also, I just found a great little quiz yesterday that tells you how much of your soul is owned by your blog. I've put the code up on the bottom of my link/logo list for others to click on too and discover how far gone they really are. I'm a 50 percenter, which is pretty pathetic.
Blog dreams: check. Site meter obsession: check. Stat analysis: yes. But at least it keeps me off the streets.
there was a horrible moment this afternoon when site meter went down and i had to do some *shudders* work.....
and Elvira - welcome welcome welcom (we used to do that in brownies and it was sort of gay but you get what i mean)
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