Melissa is the owner of Taking What is Left and my bloggy friend! She’s quirky (she just watched part of a Mork& Mindy marathon), she recently relented and added a snake to her family (a real snake, not that uncle no one’s heard from) and she’s participating in NaNoWriMo this month. That makes her time here at PinkAsparagus even more precious, she’s got writing obligations! Yet she’s here! It’s like I’ve arrived.

Ahem.

You think you’ve arrived? This is soooo cool! I’ve never been asked to something like this before, so this is big fun for me.  And don’t feel like you’re taking me away from NaNo. I’m still writing, but fifty thousand words is a lot more than it seems. I’ll be happy if I finish the story before the end of the year.

Would you classify your online existence as transparent or compartmentalized? Why? Is it by design or just the evolution of your actual life?

Definitely compartmentalized. My whole life is that way. I tend to keep the different parts of my life away from each other. I don’t talk about the blog with my real life friends, I don’t talk about orchestra to people who aren’t in orchestra. I don’t even blog about orchestra nearly as much as I thought I would, considering it is such a huge part of my life. Same thing goes with my church involvement. Not sure why though, but it does make our annual Christmas party pretty interesting, since I’ll invite people from all parts of my life.

Who are you in real life?

I’m pretty much the same as you see on the blog. I don’t have enough energy or time to be a different person in different places. Although I swear a lot more in real life, and I’m much thinner and cuter on the blog.

What’s an ideal day for you look like?

This is so hard to say. What my ideal day looks like depends an awful lot on what is going on around me at the time. Right now, that would mean getting up on time, actually finishing something that I have started, having a little time to myself somewhere, and a pedicure or chair massage. Come to think about it, everyday should involve a pedicure or chair massage.

What do you blog about?

Whatever pops into my demented little mind. Or ends up in my camera phone. I take lots of random pictures with my camera phone. I remember thinking that a camera on a phone was the silliest thing ever, but when I got my new phone, that was one of the first things I checked out.

When did you begin blogging?

October 2007

What does blogging do for you?

It gives me an outlet to express myself in my own way to people who think somewhat the same way. I say I’m pretty much the same in real life as on the blog, but a lot of people in my real life just aren’t sure what to make of me. So it’s nice to commune with people who get it in the same way I do.

Do your day-to-day in-person friends read you? If not, why not? If so, do they say much to you about it?

The only people in my real life who know about this blog are Spouse, my SIL, and my MIL. Like I said before, I’m pretty compartmentalized and I don’t like sharing this part of my life with others. It’s mine, all mine!

Have you ever taken down a post? If yes, without divulging your inner-most secret, can you say why?

Ahem. Yeah, well, see where my MIL reads the blog? Let’s just say I found out the hard way that she did. In the interest of family harmony, I took it down.

Do you check your stats? If so, what are you looking for?

Yep, sure do. I like finding out how people get to my Q list site. It’s amazing how many people out there have trouble with LG dishwashers. I get about ten hits a day just from that. But I never get any of those really scary search strings. I feel kind of left out about that actually. Maybe I should write more about my pedicure fetishes and need for a new G string (for my cello).

If you could make one rule for the Internet what would it be?

Be excellent to each other.

What do you think your blog will be like in 5 years?

On something better than Blogger, with a sister blog that reviews kid lit and actually makes a little bit of money.

Do you have secret talents?

I can gargle the theme to the original Star Trek. Yes, alcohol was involved in the discovery of this talent.

What do you wish I asked? Ask and answer:

If I ever came to Austin, would you show me around?

Absolutely! I would love to meet some of my bloggy friends in real life. I also make great fajitas and Spouse makes a wicked margarita. It would be great fun. Just don’t come in August. Austin is the fifth circle of Hell in August.

This was a lot of fun! Thanks so much for inviting me to the party!

—–

Thank you Melissa! I appreciate you spending time here and helping me successfully finish out NaBloPoMo.

Pamela is having a baby! She also writes amazing posts that get her hate mail. I am jealous of the hate mail. I must be like milk toast. Maybe that’s a New Year’s resolution? Get some hate mail.

Back to Pamela… Pamela these are my followers! Followers this is your fellow follower, Pamela.

Would you classify your online existence as transparent or compartmentalized? Why? Is it by design or just the evolution of your actual life?

I knew you were going to ask this question, and I’ve been trying to figure out the answer. I think the best way to answer this is to say that the compartments of my life that I share on the interwebs are transparent.  I don’t share all of the things going on in my life. I did a post recenly about my daughter having a tough time transitioning to Kindergarten, but it was guarded, and I didn’t put in all of the details and the ensuing alcoholism.  The stuff I rant about is stuff that I would complain about to my girls; yes, I did vote for Barack Obama;  yes, that one family of neighbors are jerks; and no, I would never make up stories about poop for fun, all scatological references are based on real-life events.

Who are you in real life?

I’m Jon’s wife, and Olivia’s, Jack’s, and Henry’s mama.  Also Sweets, who is currently swimming around happily in my uterus.  I like the word uterus.  I went to school to be a music teacher, but I found out that my guidance counselor in high school was full of shit (can I say bad words, C? – edited to fix the naughty word) and had no idea what the effityeff he was talking about when he told me I would be a fabulous teacher.  I think what he meant to say was You would be a fabulous teacher if you developed a serious drinking problem, and a part-time recreational meth habit. But that was before meth was all popular and stuff, and he probably didn’t think he should point me in the direction of his dealer.  Anyway.  So now I stay at home with my short people, and I pretend I am a master chef.  A few of my friends call me about cooking/baking questions all the time, and one of them told me I was the Resident Master Chef of our snobby little clique of mamas group of friends.  I have had a big head ever since, so large, in fact, that it was not even deflated after I burned the bottoms of the pumpkin muffins we had for breakfast.

Also?  I don’t think I’m all that funny just walking around in my shoes.  I also cannot comprehend irony.  Although Jon tells me that is ironic.  But I don’t get it.

Are you going to find out the flavor of the baby before his/her entrance into the world?

I think we are.  We didn’t find out what Olivia was, and that was fun and surprising.  I was convinced she was a boy.  I was so convinced that, upon her arrival, Jon exclaimed, IT’S AN OLIVIA!!!!! And I lifted up my head a little and said, Look again.  I’m sure she’s a boy. With both of the boys we found out, and I think we will again.  We are terribly fond of smooth transitions here, and giving the children as much information about what’s coming as we are able, and knowing might make it easier.

What’s an ideal day for you look like?

I would like to sleep until I wake up.  And I would like to drink a proper cup of coffee while it is still hot.  And I would eat an everything bagel with cream cheese for breakfast, despite how not actually good bagels are for you.  Or me.  My house would be clean when I wake up, and nobody would poop their pants, and I would not have to do laundry because the laundry fairy would wave his or her wand (I’ve never met the laundry fairy, so I’m not sure if he’s a he or she’s a she).  And I could do whatever I felt like doing at the moment, like, maybe have an adult conversation without interruption, or go to the bathroom alone.  And I would take about a twelve hour nap.  Nobody would shout or punch their siblings in the head.

I could go on and on.

What do you blog about?

I blog about my kids (oh, don’t groan, please). For a while I was all jacked up on politics, but thank heaven that’s over.  I play Wordless Wednesday most weeks.  Sometimes I write about how I want to RUNNOFT with my French Press much I love my husband.

Last week I wrote a post about going to Target, and included a bit about Colm Wilkinson and Colm Meany and Star Trek DS9 and Les Miserables, and how a woman was shaving her chin while sitting in a carload of people in the Target parking lot.  All in the same post.  I’m not sure you can pin down that kind of blogging.

When did you begin blogging?

Almost a year ago.  My first post was on November 30, 2007.  You can read it, if you want. Nobody else has read it, except for Jon.

What does blogging do for you?

So much of my life is doing the same thing over and over.  I make the same kids get out of bed.  I wipe the same ass(es), cook the same breakfast, field the same complaints, do the same laundry, clean up the same puddle of pee…it can get to be a little overwhelming and not so much fun.  I’m just going to speak for myself here, although I’ve heard other people say the same thing.  I have a really hard time getting out of a rut.  I am not so good at changing my attitude.  And I can be miserably bitchy.

Blogging gives me the opportunity to vent, to poke fun at myself and the rest of the nouns around me; to give a stage to the thoughts that are in my head, so that they’re someplace I can go to visit them to remind myself of myself.

And if that weren’t enough, there is a community of bazillions of people all over the world, who all are in the same boat.  Sure, you may work outside the home, and he’s a gay guy from Jersey, and she lives in England with her 8,000 cats, but pretty much everybody is the same, no matter who, or what, or where.  It’s nice to know that.

Do your day-to-day in-person friends read you? If not, why not? If so, do they say much to you about it?

I’m not sure. A couple of my friends from MOPS all have blogs, we all read each other and we talk about it.  Sitemeter tells me there a lot of visits from towns that are close in proximity to me, but I’m not clever enough to figure out who my stalkers are.  Which is probably good, because I don’t have the time to stalk my stalkers, and I totally would stalk them.  My brother in Virginia gets me in his reader (he told me so), my other brother reads me and sometimes comments, my mom doesn’t read my blog, but she does read my other brother’s blog (not the VA brother).  One friend WON’T read my blog because she is totally anti-blog for some reason or another.

Have you ever taken down a post? If yes, without divulging your inner-most secret, can you say why?

Yes.  I have taken down two posts.  One was about my husband’s former boss, and it was called something like All Hail, Captain Bobby Asshat!  The guy was a total jerk, and that right there is the understatement of the century.  Also, I wrote a post about The Mom Friend Who Is The First To Tell You You’re Parenting Wrong, and how she had a momentary lapse in her mad skillz at a local establishment…I pulled that one, too.

Do you check your stats? If so, what are you looking for?

I do check my stats.  I just can’t believe that people read me.  I don’t even know what I’m looking for.  I just click the buttons, and visit other people’s blogs, and shake my head.

And one time, while I was checking my stats, I discovered a bunch of naughty toy wholesalers (not Naughty Toys, just naughty people) who were trying to find Naughty Pictures.  I also like to know how many men search the googles every day for information on how to seduce your wife.  I get at least five or six a day.

But really, I am just surprised people read me.  Feedburner tells me I have 50 readers.  WHA?!?!?!?  It’s so weird to me.

If you could make one rule for the Internet what would it be?

No pictures of kids.  And I think you know WHAT KIND OF PICTURES I’M TALKING ABOUT.  None of THOSE pictures.  People can be nasty all day long, and say terrible things, and whatever.  As adults, we can put on our Grown-up Pants and get over it.

Those kids?  They will never recover from the abuse they are suffering.

What do you think your blog will be like in 5 years?

I have no idea.  I can’t imagine I will ever run out of things to say.  I think my husband will be happy to confirm that.  In five years, all my kids will be in school (unless I jump on the crazy train and homeschool…must be time to start drinking…).  I will probably be looking for some form of gainful employment.  Maybe our cats will be dead, and I will be able to get the health department to certify my kitchen, and I’ll be a pro baker.  That would be sweet.

My Virginia Brother tells me that the Era of The Blog is ending, according to Wired Magazine.  If he’s right, I will probably still be blogging, because sibling rivalry never dies, so there!

Do you have secret talents?

Hmmmm….I don’t even know.  I am pretty kick-ass in the kitchen.  If you give me something to read in another language, I can read it with very precise diction.  If my French Press and I ran off together, I could be a newscaster in another country.

What do you wish I asked? Ask and answer:

The question:  What can I get you for Christmas, Pamela?

Oh, Catherine, how thoughtful!  You don’t have to get me a present!  But if an iPod or other similar toy showed up in my PO Box, I’d be crazy happy!

—–

Thanks Pamela! I appreciaite you spending time over here.

I’d like everyone to meet one of my crafty friends that lives inside the computer. Nylonthread describes herself as a “not entirely jaded hipster mom”, but she’s so much more than that! Recently, she took her crafty wares to a show. She’s also a talented blogger that has a theme for NaBloPoMo (me? I try to get some rubbish up every day because I am competitive).

Nylonthread has graciously accepted the PenPals challenge (you thought that died with the Palin rants didn’t you? ha! it’s alive and well). Thanks Nylonthread for making my month of posting and my seven readers’ month of reading a little easier.

Would you classify your online existence as transparent or compartmentalized? Why? Is it by design or just the evolution of your actual life?

Hi Cat! I’m glad to be here! Thanks for the lovely introduction. This question leads to a murky place in my mind: My online existence is mostly compartmentalized, by design. I’d rather not be Googleable by random opportunists. Since I do try to add lots of adorable pics of the kids, I worry that somebody might be able to track them down if I give out too much information. In my actual life, identity theft has hit close to home (my sister was a victim); although a criminal isn’t all that likely to be able to steal our identities via a blog, it freaks me out enough that I carefully keep it in mind when giving out personal information.

Who are you in real life?

IRL, I’m a graphic designer for an in-house corporate communications department, a mom of two cheeky monsters, the wife of a very clever and funny man, a friend to many, a hobbyist crafter, a dancer, a runner and a gym-goer. Does that sound like a lot? It’s probably too much! Laying around on the couch doesn’t happen very often around here.

I’ve lived in Washington DC for 18 years now and it’s a strange place to be for creative people—artists and musicians are here, but stay a little underground. My husband is a native-born Washingtonian and can wow many with his esoteric knowledge of DC history and current trivia: check him out on dcist.com, commenter name Monkeyrotica. I adore my circles of friends and entertain often; one of our biggest collective hobbies is entertaining. Monkey and I love having large or small groups of pals over, cooking for them and basking in the glow.

What’s an ideal day for you look like?

Oh, I’d consider a day ideal if I managed to finish everything I set out to do for work or home, and maybe was able to get started on an item or two from my personal list. My crafty part? The making jewelry and such? That is sadly a third-tier activity, but if I get to it, it makes the entire day rank pretty high!

When did you begin blogging?

I started my first blog in 2003. I had just come off maternity leave with Rosie and had access to a computer in a private room where I was pumping twice a day at work. The blog that resulted is not public; I had just discovered Blogger.com, and though it seems strange now, it didn’t occur to me to blog about being a new mom.

What does blogging do for you?

I’m very happy with the warmth and support of my/our blogging community! I love my bloggy friends, mostly women and men who post about their kids and thoughts related to parenting, and adore the comments we exchange with each other. It’s helped me get through some tough spots.

What do you hope your blog does for others?

At the very least, I want my blog to help my extended family stay in touch with me. We don’t travel much and I feel disconnected with my aunts, uncles and cousins who live an airplane ride away. I do talk about common parenting issues, and dealing with having a life while raising children. When I was a new parent, I felt very alone and didn’t know any other moms to discuss what I was going through, like many mom-bloggers do now; I hope that I can be a part of that community for lonely moms who feel alienated from their previous lives. Come into the fold! It’s warm and cozy here!

Do your day-to-day in-person friends read you? If not, why not? If so, do they say much to you about it?

Yep! And yes.

Have you ever taken down a post? If yes, without divulging your inner-most secret, can you say why?

Oh, yes, but it’s a silly reason, not controversial at all. I captioned & posted a photo that I took while driving, but when I reviewed it later, I realized that the phone-photo was so blurry that the point was lost. It would have been cute, but ultimately was embarrassing. It came down.

Do you check your stats? If so, what are you looking for?

I do! I’m looking to see what people are reading and to see where they’re come from. I’m also a little wary of whether IT people at my office are aware of my blog…

If you could make one rule for the Internet what would it be?

People’s personal info is sacred and should not be abused. See, maybe I do have a hangup!

What do you think your blog will be like in 5 years?

In five years? Wow, who thinks ahead that far? In the near-term range, I’ve been considering advertisers. What will I write about in five years when my kids are 11 and 8 years old? It boggles the mind. Seriously though, I may morph it into more of a marketplace for craft projects and discussions about trends in design; I love reading those blogs, but I’d have to work hard if I really want to pull off the writing and research.

What do you wish I asked? Ask and answer:

Do you have any secret talents?

Regardless of my Internet rule above, I am rather skilled at tracking people down when I want to, without paying those “people search” fees. The Internet is a fabulous tool when you are hunting down little tidbits of information. I honed this talent like a weapon when I got into geneology research about three years ago. All these serious, lifelong, professional researchers were crazy-excited about the details I was digging up! But, I lost interest once I found what I was looking for (and honestly, everyone yawns when you say geneology—see you yawned, didn’t you?). Anybody have ideas on how I can use this superpower for profit?

Thank you so much Nylonthread for participating in PenPals. I enjoy introducing our community to one another. If anyone else wants to particpate in PenPals, email me!

Anyway, back to CP. We met. We talked. We talked about my skirt. And then some time went by and there was an inbound link in my admin panel thingy (yes, that’s the official WordPress name for that – did you not read the manual?). Anyway, I generally freak out when I see inbound links. WHY are people linking to me? So, I clicked. And there was reference to an outburst that I had at BlogHer (long story short, I am an ultimate fangirl, if I meet you in public you might be a little scared) and they figured out that it was me. Me me of Pink Asparagus me. But they spun my crazy as delightful and now we’re all BFF.

So, you should also give mad props to someone that can find me “so nice, so funny and so gracious.”

Would you classify your online existence as transparent or compartmentalized? Why? Is it by design or just the evolution of your actual life?

I would have to say, at this point, my online existence is fairly compartmentalized.  I’ve kept my blog mostly a secret from people I know in real life.  A few people know about it but I really find that I tend to censor myself if I think about facing those people after they’ve read some of my more soul-baring posts.  I do, however, have a more transparent online existence via Facebook and there is definitely more and more cross-over every day.

Kim (another giraffe) and I went to BlogHer this summer (where we had the absolute delight of meeting you!) and we went to have a book signed by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor of Baby on Bored.  While waiting for her signing session to start, Kim and I were photographed by the infamous photographer from the New York Times.  I’m sure you all remember the uproar over the photo of BlogHer that was run in the Style section.  Anyway, the photographer asked us for our names and url’s and I panicked for a moment.  First I gave her my full name.  Then I asked her not to use my last name.  My husband’s family are avid NYT readers and I could just picture the end result if any one of them saw my photo in the NYT.   I really do not want my family, in-laws or anyone, reading the blog nor did I really want to have to explain what the blog was and why we have one.

So why did I start out completely anonymous (which was my initial plan)?  I really wanted a place where I could vent about people around me without dealing with the ramifications of hurt feelings, damaged friendships, etc.  Turns out?  I don’t really use the blog to vent about people in my close circle of friends or really even that much about my community.  I wrote one post that had been brewing for a while (and was probably one reason I started the blog) but I never went back and revisited that topic or that person.  I just don’t feel the need to anonymously vent like I thought I did.   Turns out?  I find plenty of things every single day to vent about that I don’t need to do anonymously.

Who are you in real life?

In real life I am a 38 year old mom of 3 kids, attorney and wife to a software engineer, and hopefully a good friend.  My son turns 12 in a couple of weeks and my oldest daughter is 10 1/2.  My youngest daughter is 7 1/2.  I spend a lot of time at soccer fields, at baseball diamonds, at music lessons and, lately, running as I am running my first (and only) marathon on October 5th.

What’s an ideal day for you look like?

Ideal day?  Hmmm, an ideal day would probably involve sleeping until about 7 or so, going for a long run in the sunshine (rare here in Seattle), a hot shower and then multiple cups of coffee while reading the paper.  The kids would manage to be up and have had breakfast without any intervention from me.  Let’s see this is MY ideal day so I think we’re actually on vacation in a tropical paradise so, after coffee and the paper, we all head down to the beach and do some snorkeling, body surfing and swimming with the turtles.  Someone else makes lunch and we eat at the beach while someone brings my husband and I frozen margaritas.  After consuming an incredible dinner, once again prepared by someone else, the kids head off to bed and husband and I go for a walk and stop for drinks at some beach side bar.

How did your team blog come about?

I actually started two team blogs.  3giraffes was BigMama and myself.  Then there was another blog, called 3women7kidsandalottawhine that was started by Kim and myself and we invited a third friend of ours to join.  Heather was really busy then and hasn’t really been interested in blogging.  I managed to keep 2 Twitters and 2 blogs independent for a short while but eventually it made much more sense to have Kim come and join BigMama and I over at 3giraffes.

In case you haven’t guessed, I pretty much don’t take on anything social where there is a chance I can look like a big fool without dragging someone else into it with me.  Throwing a party?  I’ll do it with a couple of others but not by myself.  Hosting an event?  Ditto.  I always think that, by bringing someone else into it, the event will become a success due to the other person’s far more developed sense of social graces.

What do you blog about?

Pretty much anything that’s on my mind.  Kids, work (to some degree- I do exercise caution here), marriage, the gym.  Bathrooms and elevators in my office building come up A LOT.

When did you begin blogging?

I only started blogging in March of this year.  I think I’ve been reading blogs for about 4 or 5 years but only decided to take the plunge about 6 months ago.

What does blogging do for you?

It does a couple of things for me.  One is that I can ramble on and on about something that is on my mind at that moment and just get it out there and out of my head.  Then I love it when people comment on either the fact that they had the same thought/thing happen to them or with some great insight and advice (if I had posted a question).

What do you hope your blog does for others?

Good question.  I’m not sure I’ve actually thought about it from that point of view.  (Scolds self for being so self-involved!)  I do hope that people, depending on the topic, either get a good laugh out of a post or feel as though they’re not alone in something.  Lately we’ve been doing more political posts and I hope people get a chance to express their opinions and know we read them and think about what they’ve said.

Do your day-to-day in-person friends read you? If not, why not? If so, do they say much to you about it?

Mostly no.  I think four people I know in real life who I see on a regular basis read the blog.  I’d prefer to keep it that way.  Only one or two of them really every say much about it although they all do occasionally.  There are a couple of who start many conversations with “So I read on your blog…”

There are actually three or four other people who know about the blog who have no interest in reading it as far as I know.  I’ve made it a point not to bring it up and I assume they’ve just forgotten about it.  Guess I’m really not that interesting.  :)

Have you ever taken down a post? If yes, without divulging your inner-most secret, can you say why?

I actually have not taken down a post… yet.  I had written a draft of a post that was going to be one of those “venting about those in the close circle of people here in Seattle” but hadn’t yet posted it.  That person happened to leave their one and only comment the very same morning the post was going to go up.  I never did post it.   As far as I know, that person has never come back but I probably will never put that post up.

Do you check your stats? If so, what are you looking for?

We finally did put up a stat counter a couple of months ago.  I check it occasionally but look more at the locations stats than the numbers.  I’m always excited to see where people live who read our blog.  It’s really kind of cool to see people in S. Africa, Iceland, all over Europe, etc coming and reading what we have to say.

If you could make one rule for the Internet what would it be?

No anonymous trolls.  We have been lucky (or maybe we’re still just too new) but we haven’t had any trolls, any negative comments and I think, only one anonymous comment.  But I’ve seen the horrendous things people have commented on other blogs and it just seems so pointless to be mean and then hide behind the anonymous comment.  If you really feel that strongly, then stand up and own your feelings.  Be respectful and leave the line open for dialogue after you’ve disagreed with someone.

What do you think your blog will be like in 5 years?

I fully expect all 3 of us will be writing about our angst of having multiple teenagers in our homes and I’ll still be rambling on about my issues with personal space.

Since we met at BlogHer, are you planning to got to BlogHer ’09? Why or why not?

Kim and I have actually been talking about BlogHer ’09.  If it’s in Portland (where I lived from 1994-2003), Kim and I will definitely be making plans to go.  And maybe we’ll get BigMama to join us all the way from Japan.  She and I met when we both lived in Portland.

What do you wish I asked? Ask and answer:

Who do you think should be in charge of running things in the universe?  Answer: Me, of course.  Shit would get done and people would learn the art of not standing too close in elevators, not peeing in the stall right next to me and how to use one of the 25 empty treadmills instead of the one right next to the one I’m using.

–

Thanks CP for spending your time posting to my blog, I really appreciate it. Next week we’ll meet one of the other giraffes!

But we’re all back now. Back to building our online communities. Back to learning more about our most favoritist bloggers. For those of you new to Pink Asparagus, Thursday is interview day where we go beyond the “About Me” found on all our pages. It’s no Campbell Brown Interview though. So, if you’d like to participate (and really, who wouldn’t? email me and I’ll hook you up).

Today we’re getting to know the woman behind wrekehavoc. Wreke and I connected over Community Identity

a new family moved in to my neighborhood last year. we’ve befriended them, and a funny thing has happened: when i’m running late because of my medical treatments, she gets my kids and hangs onto them til i get home. when she’s running late at work, i take her kids. we took care of their hamsters while they were out of town. it’s the most wonderful thing. some people probably just naturally have this; i never did until last year.

At the time she commented that, I too was forming bounds with my neighbors. And it is the most wonderful thing.

She has Guilty Pleasure Mondays – who doesn’t love music? So, when you’re done here – add her to your feed reader. You’ll be happy you did. Oh, before I forget – she knows Kelly O. IRL, so she has immediate street cred. Also, she’s participating in Blog Action Day, please support her in this.

Wreke, this are my five readers … five readers, this is Wreke.

Would you classify your online existence as transparent or compartmentalized? Why? Is it by design or just the evolution of your actual life?

this kind of reminds me of a question posed to ringo starr in the movie a hard day’s night: are you a mod or a rocker? and he replies, no, i’m a mocker.

seriously, my six+ years of blogging existence (i’ve been online via work or other reasons since 1995) is a mix of both. it’s pretty transparent in that what i reveal about myself is severely truthful. i’m there, warts and all. however, i compartmentalize it in a sense: there are certain topics i won’t touch that involve people close to me. i don’t feel i have the right to blog about certain aspects of other peoples’ lives. if the vehicle was a novel, well, you can certainly fictionalize reality and mask it sufficiently — and you have a certain amount of distance from the reader so that most people won’t know you from adam, nor will they care. but a blog — well it’s not too difficult to connect dots in a person’s public, personal journal; and plenty of my friends read it. (fortunately, my friends know me as a sort of misfit mom, so probably very little is shocking to them.)

so while i do write about my family, i try to write it in a way where i use what we around here refer to as the washington post rule: if you don’t feel comfortable with this item ending up on the front page of the post, then don’t blog about it. period.

Who are you in real life?

in real life, i’m a high school student by day, and i’m a spidey superhero by night… wait, wrong story.

i have been in governmental relations (read: lobbyist for a non profit); i have been a policy analyst; i have been in PR, i have been a volunteer; i have been a web content and design geek. now, thanks to my illness, i’m a stay at home mom who gets to indulge in my real career calling: writer.

i’m a very family-oriented jersey girl who is loyal to a fault, snarky to the hilt, and yet a complete and utter marshmallow on the inside. i have always wanted to be a writer, i have always been a writer, and i’ll always wonder why i wasted a ton of time being a person who did what others thought was the right path for me instead of being a writer.  i’m probably the meanest mom on the block; and i prefer the company of my kids to about 99 44/100 of the known universe (even though there are days when i might consider giving them away for free to the lowest bidder.)

oh, and i have a little bit of an obsession with music. you could say i’m a failed rock star, only i’ve never actually been in a band.

What’s an ideal day for you look like?

does it have to be reality-based? otherwise, it might involve bruce springsteen (did i mention i’m a jersey girl?), a tropical setting, and a drink with a funny umbrella.

in my real world, an ideal day is a day when my family gets together and just does something, something which does not involve lounging in front of the TV. we had a great day recently when we piled into the car and visited one of our local Smithsonian museums. i loved experiencing butterflies, dinosaurs, and mummies with my kids. hearing their observations about things they see and feel makes me grow from the inside out.

some of the best fun i have had involves sharing things i love with my kids — and seeing when they sometimes also love those things back. the first time my daughter rode a grownup rollercoaster with me, i saw her face completely light up with sheer joy. watching my son plunk around on the piano makes my heart smile. and our legendary family dance parties when the kids beg to hear the la’s or time warp is the capstone.

…then, when the babysitter arrives, my beloved spouse (known in my blog as BS) and i go out and see all our friends at a party where the drinks are free and they’re playing ’80s alternative all night long.

What do you blog about?

me, for i am the center of the known universe. [insert boulder of salt here.]

seriously, i blog about my experience as a mom, as a woman, as someone who observes people in a way that might be considered a professional sport. i blog about politics. i blog about music. i blog about dealing with this serious condition i have called CVID. i blog about whatever is unfortunate enough to cross my path. i’ve hit everything from explaining homosexuality to a nine year old to ranting about kids who are waaay too old to sit in strollers at walt disney world. it’s probably not as consistent as, say, a blog that sticks to parenting topics. a travel blog. a political blog. a food blog. but i never claimed to be consistent.

i’m just not quite categorizable. you just never know which windmill i’ll tilt at from day to day.

When did you begin blogging?

in 2002, when a friend gave me a paid livejournal account as a birthday present.

What does blogging do for you?

blogging helps me capture moments in my family’s and my life. it has also helped me to connect with people all over the world, people i’d otherwise maybe never get to meet. there are high school friends who have even found me, thanks to el bloggo.

and some days, it’s cheaper than a therapist.

What do you hope others get from your blog?

a chuckle. or maybe something to think about.

Do your day-to-day in-person friends read you? If not, why not? If so, do they say much to you about it?

yes, they do. some comment; some send me email about my posts. my parents even read my blog — they often tell me that this is how they know what’s going on in my life in between phone calls.

Have you ever taken down a post? If yes, without divulging your inner-most secret, can you say why?

no, though i was tempted to take one down once.

and other than spam, i also don’t delete comments. there was one time when the commenters, homeschooling moms who i unwittingly antagonized (and, in their defense, i painted a too-broad picture of something i didn’t know much about at the time), were getting out of hand, insulting me, my insistence on not using caps (it’s sheer laziness on my part: i was an english major, people, so i really DO have an inkling about proper grammar and punctuation), and even my mother.

i have no problem with dissent, especially when it’s reasoned. but when you go after my mother, i close down comments (and i did.) no one goes after my mother. especially if you don’t know her.

that’s my job.

Do you check your stats? If so, what are you looking for?

i do check my stats. i am often fascinated by the keywords people use to get to my site. some are downright baffling; some are porn. plenty have to do with fat people disney world. go figure.

If you could make one rule for the Internet what would it be?

you don’t need to foist your stuff on other people via spam; find acceptable ways to lead people to you.

What do you think your blog will be like in 5 years?

probably still whining, only now whining mercilessly about life with a teen and a tween. maybe with a design change that moves us out of black.

a book deal would be nice, of course. ::pinching self::

What do you wish I had asked? Please ask and answer.

q: why do people actually want to vote for sarah palin?

a: because people apparently do not want to pay attention to the issues that face our nation. they want to be distracted by the cult of personality. if they only dug a little deeper there, they’d learn that her old boy cronyism is not the sort of personality they really want hitting the white house.

thanks, pink asparagus, for checking me out. and to your five readers (!), feel free to drop in sometime. i’m not as articulate as pink asparagus — i have occasional bouts of potty mouth — but you’re always welcome. i don’t bite.

much.

Thank you Wreke for taking the time to post on my blog! I appreciate it, a lot. Everyone else – add wrekehavoc.com to your feed reader, you’ll be glad you did.

If this weren’t the Internet I would totally be skeeved out by your stalker tendencies. But since this is a blog, I guess I want you to stalk read me. So, welcome. It’s interview day! Yay. Today’s victim participant is a humor blogger and AUTHOR. And not of a book that she printed off at Kinko’s and made the cover art for each and every one individually. A real live book. And I know it to be true because I have an autographed copy. Neener.

Oh yeah, back to building a community and not teasing.

I met Shauna at BlogHer ’08. She’s a little spitfire of Southern. Well, Texas Southern, not Deep-South Southern. And Ft. Worth at that. So, she’ll tell you to your face and not follow it up with, “bless your heart.” She’s wicked funny and so would have gotten my ass busted in school if we has sat next to each other.

My review of her debut novel, Heaping Spoonful, is here.

Would you classify your online existence as transparent or compartmentalized? Why? Is it by design or just the evolution of your actual life?

I would say both, transparent and compartmentalized.  The part of my life I share is completely transparent, but the other part of my life I keep to myself.  I do this because there are parts of my actual life that are complicated and it benefits me to keep my trap shut.  I’m sure there’s already a bounty on my head.  I’m just trying to keep the ante from going up.

Who are you in real life?

What a loaded question.  Who am I?–really?  First I’m a mom.  Sometimes I don’t want to be.  There are days I fantasize about having the house to myself–no kids, no husband–just me and a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle and a bottle of Pinot Grigio.  Pfft. That will never happen.  I can’t PAY these people to leave.  Secondly, I’m a writer.  God I love writing.  It’s such an outlet for me.  I think it’s the only thing that’s kept me from going into the post office with a gun.  Well, that and the fact that I loathe going to the post office–could that line BE any longer?–AND I don’t have a gun.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  I have a glue gun.  But something tells me a glue gun would be less effective…unless it was plugged in.  Now that’s a different story.

What’s an ideal day for you look like?

Did you just hear me say no kids, no husband, only a puzzle and a bottle of wine?  If that’s not available, I like to run (7 miles usually), have lunch with a good friend and then get a pedicure–ooh, or go to the movies by myself.  That way I can eat a hot dog AND nachos without anyone judging me.

What do you blog about?

Everything.  My husband’s annoying tics, my aging grandmother who can’t hear, my 3 three year old son’s obsession with wearing the same shirt every day, all things penis and vagina–you name it.

When did you begin blogging?

I started a blog in June of 2007, right after I came back from an agents and editors conference in Austin.

What does blogging do for you?

It lets me say the things I’m too chicken shit to say outloud.  Again, cheaper than therapy and WAY more attractive on me than an orange jumpsuit and plastic shoes.

Do your day-to-day in-person friends read you? If not, why not? If so, do they say much to you about it?

I noticed after I began blogging my phone rang less and less.  When I call my friends to say, “what’s up? I haven’t talked to you in forever,” they always reply, “I know what’s going on with you…l read your blog.”  I say, “well, that’s only one side of the story.”  I miss hearing about what’s going on with my friends.  I make an effort to check in a few times a week SINCE NONE OF THEM CALL ME ANYMORE!  But other than that, they never seemed shocked by what they read.  They know me.  And the blog is an exaggerated version of me.  Like me on crack and Red Bull.

Have you ever taken down a post? If yes, without divulging your inner-most secret, can you say why?

I took down a post about six months ago.  I pissed off a whole gaggle of women in Fort Worth who wanted me dead and I thought, “Wow, I’m too young to die.”  A few days later, I was so pissed that I did that.  If I could go back, I wouldn’t have taken it down.

Do you check your stats? If so, what are you looking for?

Hell yeah I check my stats.  I want to grow my audience.  I’m not doing this for shits and giggles.  I hope to have a long career in writing and SELLING books.  I’m constantly thinking of ways to get more readers.  Anybody want to see my boobs?

If you could make one rule for the Internet what would it be?

That you can’t post anonymously.  Own your words, people!  Oh, and that you can’t be on the Internet with your clothes on.  You have to be completely nude while surfing the net.  So you could say I’m pro-naked surfing.  In fact, I’m not wearing any clothes as we speak.

What do you think your blog will be like in 5 years?

Do you think the Internet will still be around in five years?  It seems like a passing fancy to me.

What do you hope others get from your blog?

I want people to laugh.  Not only do I want them to laugh, but I want them to be ok with themselves.  We’re all idiots just trying to make it through the day without completely fucking up our lives and our kids lives.  I wish people wouldn’t take themselves so seriously.  So I’ve made it my mission to entertain the seriousness out of them.  (Wait. Is seriousness a word?  Suddenly, I’m having a brain fart). Maybe I should put my clothes back on.

——–

Thank you Shauna for starting out my day with a laugh. Now I have to go put my pants on. Everyone else, head on over to Shauna’s for some great reading (unless you’re related to me through marriage, then please don’t – everyone else, go!)

Grandy has graciously agreed to participate in my social experiment. Although, when I first approached her she wondered if I was going to ask her to cross the street blind-folded. I am unsure what that says about both of us, maybe it’ll be the basis of a thesis for some psych student.

Recently an Olympic survey meme identified her as a boxer

You are assertive, strong, and downright aggressive. You have the power to demolish your opponent…And you have the endurance to make sure the job is finished.

Which is fitting since she’s pledged to raise awareness about cancer.

Everyone, this is Grandy … Grandy, this is uhm, like four new readers.

Thanks so much for having me, I’m thrilled you invited me!  Can I just say that asparagus has always been one of my favorite vegetables?  And I truly don’t mean that in a suck-up “thank the academy” kind of way either.

Would you classify your online existence as transparent or compartmentalized? Why? Is it by design or just the evolution of your actual life?

Wow…starting with a tough one.  I would have to answer this as definitely transparent.  What you see is what you get with Grandy (even if you can’t see her).  I’m just that way by nature.  Sometimes it can be a bad thing because I just.can’t.filter.  I can’t even compartmentalize my tag lines on my posts, try to imagine how I organize my household.   NOT!

Who are you in real life?

I’m a working mom-a-holic.  I go-go-go and try my darndest to play by the rules.  After I do that for a while I hit a wall, throw in the towel, and start the race all over again…usually by Monday.

What’s an ideal day for you look like?

<s>Sunday</s> Can you tell I’m trying to omit my sarcasm?  It’s not an easy thing for me.  Remember the filter comment above?  An ideal day…is one where I can sleep in, hang with my boys, and get some blogging time in.  What a great day!!

What do you blog about?

Whatever moves me.  I try not to make my blog about particulars like, “It’s 6:42 am, and the weather is a glorius at 87.3 degrees.”  I’m not saying that people who blog about those day to day things aren’t worth reading, because I quite often will follow some.  It’s just not my style.

Where do you find post inspiration?

<s>Under my bed</s> EVERYWHERE!  It’s not all about my family, but I work my friends in, or just random thing about someone at the doctor’s office.

When did you begin blogging?

October 2007 I stumbled upon the blog of a friend of mine from college.  I was FASCINATED at the fact that I could have an online journal.  I never really expected anyone to read it.  I started it that day.

What does blogging do for you?

It’s my stress relief, my escape, my fun.  It’s quite a rush for me to see who has stopped by, and what they have to say.  I LOVE COMMENTS!!  Oh yeah…and it helps me remember what day of the week it is.  I don’t participate in Wordless Wednesdays, or Thursday Thirteens, but it’s very helpful to read those.  :)

You’re a member of the League of Extraordinary Wives – what’s that about? Or is it too secret to divulge?

Are you ready for this?  It’s a group of women who actually like their husbands.  It’s a novel idea, I know, and one that I realize is not completely lost on so many blogging wives.  It’s a healthy take on married life that I think sometimes is lost in the day to day real world.

Do your day-to-day in-person friends read you? If not, why not? If so, do they say much to you about it?

Some do.  It’s funny when I’m telling them a story and they say, “Yeah, I know, I read your blog.”  Huh?  Oh yeah…you did.  Some even leave comments sometimes.  My son reads my blog…maybe that’s why I don’t share naughty secrets?  :)

Have you ever taken down a post? If yes, without divulging your inner-most secret, can you say why?

I haven’t done that yet but I don’t think of my site as an airing of dirty laundry for all my personal issues.  I wouldn’t write anything about anyone that I’m not prepared to say to them (or haven’t said already).

Do you check your stats? If so, what are you looking for?

I do sometimes check my stats.  But it’s kinda like stepping on the scale, I don’t really know what I’m supposed to expect.  I’m excited if it looks like I was close to getting 100 visitors that day.  That’s the only stat I know how to check.

If you could make one rule for the Internet what would it be?

Same rule for the off-line world…RESPECT

What do you think your blog will be like in 5 years?

I would love to still have readers in 5 years.  Is that a lofty plan?  Maybe I’ll learn how to do all the widget, html, techno-babble by then, or at least I’ll have hired someone to know how to do that for me by then.

What do you wish I asked? Ask and answer: What do you hope your blog does for others?

Make them laugh, cry, pee…whatever it takes to make their day.

—–

Thanks Grandy, I really appreciate you taking your time to contribute to my blog. Everyone else, come back next Thursday for another stirring rendition of PenPals!

Anyway, my recollection was that we were fast friends. GP knew EVERYONE. And then he moved to California. And now he’s a hippie. Actually he was always a hippie.

And we’ll leave that at that.

Make the rambling stop please … okay! on to Pink Asparagus’ Pen Pals. If you have no idea what I’m talking about you can read the series here.

Who are you in real life?

Many humans are in denial of their true heritage but I am proud to know that I am a monkey.  Probably something of a blend between a gorilla and a chimpanzee. I have long arms, fuzzy legs and enjoy eating fruit (preferably out of trees).  However, I am a trained monkey.  My employment with a major action sports apparel company keeps me busy and I really enjoy my work.  I’ll put in a unapologetic plug for our main e-Commerce websites: Roxy, Quiksilver and DC Shoes.  I’ve put together a pretty sweet team that allows me to focus on important things… like trying all the local sushi joints in Huntington Beach, CA.  Because I live behind the “orange curtain” which is more recently known as “The OC” I have to keep myself real.  My girlfriend helps with this by laughing at me if I get too serious.  Cat said I was a hippie.  I disagree, I think I’m just another white guy with a “Director” title who enjoys Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass.  I’m also a yogi, toastmaster, swimmer, geek, book club participant, Olympics-watching junkie, cat lover and gardener.

What do you blog about?

My blog is called A Sketch of Life.  That’s exactly what it is.  It’s tidbits from my life, findings on the web (I spend quite a bit of time there so I may as well share anything interesting), poetry inspired by the beauty of this vast universe, introspective essays and analyses of other monkeys struggling to get one more banana in the coffer.

When did you begin blogging?

I suppose I was supposed to give this some deep thought but to answer this question I simply referenced my blog and looked at the date.  August 21, 2004.  Almost 4 years ago to the day.  I was still married at the time.  My how times change.  Blogging was an experiment in creative writing that wasn’t trapped on my computer.  During college I wrote so many poems I compiled a collection, bound them and passed them out to friends.  But I don’t think my friends were most likely interested.  Why would they be?  It was random thoughts, deep seeded alliteration and bizarre metaphors.  Too bad they didn’t have blogs when the first browser came out — I probably would have made a fortune in cheap banner ads.

What does blogging do for you?

Eases tension, provides creative outlet, allows me to share humor, enables communication with family and friends, gives me insight into my own mind, provides an excuse to link to vacation photos.  In the past it’s helped with dating too.  I think you can glance over a variety of the posts I have and understand that I’m a pretty well-rounded person.  That comes out in the blog.  I’m a writer, computer guy, yoga instructor, yogi practitioner, former triathlete, chef, baker, eater, wine lover, cat worshipper, banana consumer, yuppie capitalist pig eco-friendly semi-libertarian raving lunatic.  But as my friend Kelly always says, “It’s all good.”

Your posting frequency is increasing. What’s spurring that?

Depends on what happens in life for me to sketch out.  In college I wrote all the time — at that age one is always learning something new.  I still do but it’s not always necessary to log it.  So 14 years later I’m actually getting my groove back for the poetry and the creative writing.  Truthfully, you’re project here is very inspirational.  It makes me realize that I’m not writing for anyone “out there” but rather it’s an experiment with myself.  A 4-year old, successful experiment.

Recently I find myself in love.  My girlfriend is moving in with me next month and that inspires my brain, my body and my dreams.  I’ve also been blogging a bit for Roxy and am supposed to start a series on the Roxy blog about yoga.  I’m looking forward to that.  So Sketch is becoming good practice for a bigger audience.  It’s nice that my occupation affords me a fun and creative outlet.

Do your day-to-day in-person friends read you? If not, why not? If so, do they say much to you about it?

I have had very little feedback on my blog actually.  About a year ago I added it to my e-mail signature.  I find that I get more response from random people who I meet and are possibly curious.  A friend in my yoga class found my blog and read some stuff the other day.  I’ve hooked up with some old high school friends on Facebook and I think they are probably looking over it.

As to why my friends don’t read my blog, I don’t know.  Maybe they do and just don’t respond.  I have quite a few friends who aren’t really blog-savvy.  My family reads my blog pretty regularly.  I think it became habit during my divorce 3 years ago and they never stopped.  I think it also gives them insight into what’s happening with me without me having to tell them.  We live very scattered up and down the west coast of the USA, so with the blog we save time as they already have an idea of what’s happening.

My girlfriend does not read my blog and I think that’s maybe a good thing.  There’s nothing on there that I wouldn’t want her to read but it also gives me liberty to write freely and not think I might mention an event or an emotion that I don’t discuss with her first.  As I mentioned, when I was dating a lot a few years back I used to encourage people to read my blog and then I could put subtle hints in there.  I did online dating so it probably wasn’t far off the mark in terms of a valid communication device.  But it didn’t work.

Your family reads your blog, does that influence what you write?

Again with a question I already answered.  See above.  Sometimes I probably cater 1% to them but generally I write whatever the hell I want.

Have you ever taken down a post? If yes, without divulging your inner-most secret, can you say why?

I did actually yes.  It was 6 months after I posted it, probably 2 years ago.  A little background: I’m not into the ‘typical’ American dream girl.  Never have been.  I love beautiful actresses and such but they would never make me happy in a long term relationship.  I like curvy.  I like real.  I even like round — I’m not ashamed of it.  That being said, I wrote a soapbox piece (that I somewhat do and somewhat do not regret writing) about the “trend” in women’s clothing where these people from mid-teens to 40-somethings were wearing low-rise jeans even though they didn’t have the bodies for it.  My point at the time was that I don’t care if you’re fat but wear clothing that makes you attractive, not a ghetto-style doughboy.  I noted that I would probably be more likely to find you attractive if you are!  But irregardless the piece was tasteless. I was in an online chat and told someone about my blog.  She read it, got offended.  Then my girlfriend at the time got offended by the post.  At that point it seemed like enough was enough.  I took it down.  I don’t regret removing it so I suppose it was the right decision.

If you could make one rule for the Internet what would it be?

Spam and pop-up ads banned eternally.

What do you think your blog will be like in 5 years?

Very similar.  Maybe more family-oriented as I grow in age and experience.  As I enter my mid-30′s my body is changing a little and my outlook changing a lot.  But generally in the last 3 years I have found my life philosophy that I don’t think will change.  It revolves around 100% intention to accomplish anything, love begetting love, happiness being important, smiles being key, optimism being critical and often hard to come by in our society.  Maybe my posts about finances will be less stressed as the economy turns and the President changes and I continue to grow.

Do you check your stats? If so, what are you looking for?

I’ve never found a good stat check that’s 100% free.  Keep in mind I’m a professional geek – I met Cat in a phone repair center where we tore apart telephones and replaced parts.  That’s pretty geek.  I currently use StatCounter to track stuff but the only “trend” I look for is if traffic is growing.  Since 2007 it’s about the same.  Maybe this super-popular post will help!  I’m open to suggestions as I really do take pride in my posts and would like to see traffic grow.  I believe I have submitted to FeedBurner but it doesn’t seem to do much like it does with Roxy.

What do you wish I asked? Ask and answer: What’s an ideal day look like?

Wake up and go to yoga for a 105 minute session.  Eat a big breakfast with eggs, bacon and pancakes or something starchy.  Have a few cups of really good coffee (something South American, well ground, filtered water, made strong, with cream and sugar).  Read the paper outside on the patio.  Watch the kitties play.  Brush both kitties. Take a nap with Catherine (my girlfriend).  Steamroll Catherine and make her laugh.  Hang out and read or watch a movie.  Cook and eat a delicious but simple and light lunch (a chef salad is a regular stand-by for us).  Check e-mail and Google Reader.  Figure out the evening plans which probably require going to the gourmet grocery, prepping the fresh produce from my CSA and a DVD.  Pet my kitties thoroughly and pass out in a spoon position.

—–

GP – thanks for your time and the pictures of kitties. I still love Tang and wish I had shoved him in my bag when I had the chance.

Okay Internets, there you have it … the totally mellow GP. Go read him. Be inspired. Maybe do some yoga while you’re there (he has poses in his posts!).

Come back next week, you’ll never know who you’ll meet!

Today we’re getting to know Abbey. She writes indulge*laugh*create and contributes to Mad About Martha. I met Abbey at BlogHer ’08. You all should be sad if you did not meet her. She’s cute as a button. And I think maybe I want her to be my long lost sister.

So, without further adieu …

Who are you in real life?

Let me just first say – Awww!! I want to be your long lost sister, too!

Back to the questions… Who am I in real life? Hmmm…I’m not really any different than what you see on my blog. I pretty much write about what’s on my mind and what’s going on in my life.

A little more about me that you may not know, though…

• I grew up in Kentucky and lived there most of my life with a few years in North Carolina.

• I like to think of myself as a lovely ole Southern Belle…I feel like I’m a modern girl, but like old- fashioned things. I like to write letters and sew and cook…you know, all that “woman” stuff. :)

• My education background is English Education and Theater. I still love theater…can’t always say the same for education…teaching specifically. I taught as an “official” teacher for one year and that was enough for me. Then I taught Theater when I moved out here and I liked that alright.

• I am a Friends fanatic. I own all of the DVDs, know every answer to any Friends trivia, and can pretty much quote any show…and do, in fact. It’s gotten so bad, I even have my husband doing it, too. Just the other day my mom was talking about how my brother and his wife went out and had so much too eat that they were sweating, and I said, “Uh-oh…Here come the Meat Sweats!” Which is what Joey says in the Thanksgiving episode where Monica makes him is own turkey as long as he promises to eat it all.

• I am obsessed with England…even though I’ve never been there. I WILL get there one day!!

• I worked as a Junior Interior Designer at a very snobby design firm in Los Gatos, CA…for about 3 months. I love interior design and have an entire bookshelf dedicated to my decorating books…but I like my style – not working with other peoples. ha ha ha

• I am a very crafty person. I love to make things. I have an upstairs room that is full of all my fabric, paper, stamps, markers…you name it… If it’s crafty, I love it!

• Besides my own blog and Mad About Martha…I also contribute to two sites on The Well Fed Network: Growers & Grocers (I write about Green Living there) & A Nice Cuppa.

• I like to use ellipsis…a lot! Can you tell?

When did you begin blogging?

May 2005

How did you choose your blog’s name?

It started when I went shopping in this adorable little store down in Moss Landing…a little antique shopping area about a half an hour south of here. They were selling these small pastel wall-hanging plaque thingies that had words on them. So I dug through the bunch and chose indulge, laugh, and create. I liked them so much I named my blog and my teeny tiny photography business after it.

What does blogging do for you?

Well, it started out as a place for me to talk about what I’m doing way out here in California since all of my family (and Drew’s) still live in Kentucky. But I’ve always considered myself a writer, so this was a nice outlet for me as well. And one other bonus I’ve gotten from it is that I can complain on here and no one can really say anything about it. If they don’t want to read it, they don’t have to. And I’m sure that makes my husband, Andrew, happy – that way he doesn’t have to listen to it…as much. : )

You read a lot. A lot a lot. Where did you get your love of books?

I really do read a LOT! If you looked around my house right now, you’d find about 5 completely full bookshelves, tables topped with books, books stacked on the floor, boxes of books stored in the attic, and books to give away out in the garage.

But to answer your question… I grew up in a family that really loved two things: books & music. All five of us are big readers (Mom, Dad, big brother, me, and little sister) . We grew up being read to and then given books to read on our own.

Right now I’m reading a lot of Young Adult stuff since I’m attempting to write one myself. But, in general, you will find a lot of Chick Lit and Mysteries on my shelves. Mostly because when I was studying English in college, I was reading lots of “literature” – and because I took about 4 Literature classes a semester I didn’t really have a lot of time to read much else. So since then, it has been my goal to fill my head with as much crap-reading as possible.

Reading is probably my favorite thing to do.

You heart stationary, what’s the last thing you wrote on your pretty paper?

I DO heart stationary! The last thing I wrote was a bunch of thank you notes for birthday presents. I actually still have one more to write. (It’s on it’s way Gail, I promise!)

And right now my stationary of choice (besides the free set that I won) is Cath Kidston’s stationary box.

You mentioned that the photowalk was your favorite bit of BlogHer. Which photo are you most proud of and why (you can get crazy photog technical if you want)?

HA! I wish I could get all crazy photog technical! I consider myself an artist photographer. What that means is that I can take a really beautiful shot…I just don’t really know know the mechanics of my own camera. : ) I’m learning, but it’s really hard for me because it’s so technical…I’m much more of an artsy girl.

I think my favorite photo from the PhotoWalk was Holding Time.

If I had to pick a favorite of all my other photos, I’m not sure I could do it. Two that people seem to really like a lot are Fall & Blooming. But one of my personal favorites is A Walk Together:

It’s a picture of my brother- and sister-in-law near Golden Gate.

But I pretty much like all of my photos in the Ordinary Beauty set…which is a group of photos that show the beauty in every day things. The other sets I have include: Black & White (my favorite is Country Road), Foodie (my favorites: Broken & Salty!), and Landscape (my favorite: Night Clouds).

If you could make one rule for the Internet what would it be?

You can’t make anonymous comments. I have this one person (who I’m sure I know) who likes to leave mean comments on my blog. I had to put up comment moderation because they said something really horrible about one of my dear friends in a comment. I don’t care what they say to me, I just laugh about it and then delete it…but don’t you mess with my friends!!

Do you use a feed reader?

I don’t actually. I tried it for a little while, but I just didn’t like it as much. Instead, I have a HUGE list of blogs and websites on my Google homepage that I just click on everyday.

How many unread posts do you have currently?

None. I actually caught up today – instead of doing laundry.

How many people do you follow on Twitter?

Ya know…I don’t actually use Twitter much. I feel pretty special because I got in it right when it first started so I actually got the user name Abbey. Whoo-Hoo! Except I never use it. I come back to it every now and again…but rarely. I think I would use it a whole lot more if I were employed and stuck in front of a computer all day long. Then I would have better access to it…and I could make all sorts of snide comments about the people around me. : )

_____

Thanks for interviewing me! It was so much fun and made me feel oh so special…like I’m one of those Famous Bloggers!

Abbey, thanks for your time. Everyone else, go read Abbey! And if you want to be subjected to my intense grilling social experiment, email me and I’ll put you in queue. Everyone is famous here at Pink Asparagus!