I have watched my views and followers climb up and up over the months, despite the fact that I have stopped actively trying to draw in new followers and even stopped looking for new blog reads. This does not mean that I don't appreciate new followers or new blogs that I happen to run across, but I miss the days when I could easily read everyone's blogs, comment back on every comment, and make new connections with new people. For me, it is quality and not quantity. I feel bad when I'm days behind in reading your blog posts and especially feel bad when a new person leaves a comment and I never get around to checking them out and adding them to my existing blog family. I feel like I'm loosing the personal touch, and I hate that feeling. I like having a successful blog but I don't want to be a big blog where I get 500 comments from all sorts of random people who I feel I'll never get a chance to get to know. Does this all make sense??
Anyway, I am sorry that I have been very neglectful this week but life is picking up a lot over here and I'm discovering more and more how I'm part of it. Not having a job is actually fantastic because I am free to just be available for people. I just wish I had as much time with my online people as I do my physical world people. Last week, one of my favorite, hilarious online people gave me an award! If you haven't checked out The Ginja Ninja yet then you should do so now, before I sick a horde of flying monkeys on you!
Of course, we all know that with blog awards comes rules. My rules aren't too bad actually. I just have to tell you 5 random things about myself and then pass it on to 5 other blogs. Simple enough!
1. I went to the store, by myself, for the first time this week since moving here last March! This may sound absolutely ridiculous to some of you, but my social anxiety would keep me from going to stores by myself when I lived in the town I grew up in for 25 years! When I went to the store this week, I had no fear, no worries, and I survived! It's a huge exciting step for me.
2. I ate a dried caterpillar last week. We have a new housemate from Botswana and he has two big bags of caterpillars that have have their guts squeezed out, been boiled in salt water, and then dried in the sun. They tasted like soy nuts with a hint of jerky, and he told Branden and me to help ourselves.
3. I still have a little Christmas display set up on my dresser. I need to get around to putting it away but I've been lazy in getting around to it. I currently have Christmas decorations stored in 3 different countries. A couple of boxes are in my parent's attic, a little tree and decor is stashed away with the neighbors we had in Scotland (they are saints for holding our stuff!!), and then we have our decorations here in Ireland. Maybe this is a world record...it should be odd enough to be!
4. I am a "missionary". This is a word that turns people off right away and I am not a huge fan of how it is thought of now days. We aren't affiliated with a certain church, denomination or organization. We aren't handing out Bibles or literature or just talking to random people in the streets about God. We think that being a missionary is a way of life that is to be seen and not necessarily heard. This is why I'm separating my Padded Cell Confessions blog from my new blog. If someone wants to read more about my beliefs then they can, but if they don't then they can just stay here and have a laugh.
It should be fully launched by next week, so for those that are interested in a different side of me, you won't have to wait much longer.
Now to pass on the 5 awards. I have some people who are newer to my blog family, so I'm passing most of the awards on to them in order to learn a bit more about them (plus they are fabulous!) and the rest of the awards to bloggers that I've known a while and would love to learn more about.
Dave: Cimba7200's thoughts: He's been part of my blog world for a long time but I would love to get to know him more! Dave is in New Zealand and has incredible photographs that make you itch to book plane tickets!
From the heart of Alicia Marie: She recently wrote a blog post on things about her, but I loved them and want more! Her conversations with her husband make me crack up and think about Branden and my conversations! She has a way with her humor and also a way to tug at anyone's heartstrings as she goes through her personal battles.
Rachel Whitley: Wordstream: After reading her post about a beloved cat she had, I knew we were kindred spirits. She's a fantastic writer and really knows how to describe pure emotion with just words.
RCB English Class: He's blue and sarcastic, what's not to love?? He leaves me hilarious comments and I love reading his way of looking at things. Oh and I believe he's taking his blog readers to Bora Bora ;)
Scope-Tech: Just the fact that he shared the horror of a Walgreens selling sushi in Chicago was enough for me to realize that we had similar world concerns! His fun little video clips he finds and shares are great little additions to my day as well.
So that is my award sorted and my new blog almost sorted! I am excited about Monday because I have a friend from my hometown who put out a fantastic music video recently! She has the voice of an angel and her video is so professional! I'm very proud of her and I look forward to sharing it all with you on Monday! Have a great weekend!
Caterpillar? Really? You know, I was looking for a way to not be hungry for a bit longer, and I think I just found it. ;^)
ReplyDeleteHmmm, maybe I could sell photos as part of a new type of appetite suppressant!
DeleteI haven't tried caterpillar but I once shared some chocolate covered ants & bumblebees with my sister-in-law. Can you believe no one else was willing to try them?
ReplyDeleteI have heard that chocolate covered ants are pretty tasty! I don't know how keen on the bumblebees I would have been though...
DeletePeople are always telling me not to be such a door mat, but when I stand up for myself, it causes huge problems. Maybe it's o.k. for me to be meek. I find the caterpillar rather off putting, but I'm on a new medication that causes nausea. When I feel better, maybe I'll long for caterpillar. But I doubt it. When we lived in Washington state, there were people who got together to eat different types of slugs and to figure out a variety of ways to prepare them. Hell to the no on that one. I'm very proud of you for going to the store. I've been doing some first-time stuff, some of which I've mentioned on my blog, and I feel very good about being so brave. Missionary doesn't bother me as long as you're sticking with God and not trying to spread a lone person's interpretation of the Bible. That's true with everyone, missionary or not. I say good for you, Baby. You are a very sweet and intelligent young lady. And I've been forgetting to tell you for the longest time that no, the straitjacket does not make your butt look big. The problem is the spandex cycling shorts.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I have a hard time standing up for myself sometimes (more in the past) but there is beauty in meekness as well. I am trying to see that while also making sure that I am safe and not going to be taken advantage of.
DeleteThe caterpillar isn't anywhere near as off putting as slugs!!! EEEEWWWWW!!!! There is no way I could even come close to putting on of those slimy things in my mouth...bleck!!!
Even if we are only doing 'little things' the fact that we are doing them is such a victory! It is funny how brave I can feel from just going to a store (and it was just a tiny convenience store).
The reason why we aren't 'official' missionaries is for the exact reason that we don't want to sign on to a specific denomination (and denominations are made my men) because there are flaws in all of them. We don't want a specific pastor as an influence or a certain Biblical scholar. We take our directions from God; adding a 'middleman' just leave more room for mistakes to be made and people to be mislead. I'm glad we are in the same mindset about that Janie ;)
Oh goodness, you have me in stitches over the spandex cycling shorts! I'm glad you remembered to mention it! That's the funniest thing I've heard all week!!!
I love the Ginga Ninja as well as the blogs you picked ;)
ReplyDeleteThe new name is awesome!
I'm glad you like the new name. It's really hard to find one that nobody else has! I thought I was going to blow my lid when everything came up 'taken'. OH well, I like this one too and it's all mine!
DeleteWell hello, Padded Cell Princess, the young lady with the most beautiful name. How are you today? Here in Rotterdam the sun has finally decided to melt some snow. I'm glad for I need to go to the airport in the middle of the night... by car, of course, and I'm not looking forward to getting stuck in the snow at 4 AM.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the award. As a professional dinosaur - or so one of my readers likes to believe - I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do next for I really need that award! I'm vain, you see :) Which makes me wonder what the award looks like, or is that entirely up to me? Don't say Dino Award...
But seriously, did you really eat a a dried caterpillar? My goodness, girl. You sure must've been hungry. Now where's that spider I've been wanting to roast?
I see that when you left this some of your snow was melting...but I hear it's been colder lately so I hope maybe you are the exception to that report! I'm glad you figured out what to do for the award, I was mostly in bed all weekend, trying to feel not so miserable, and hadn't been able to respond to comments. (which btw, I can now comment in Safari and I don't have to use just Firefox! It's so handy!)
DeleteAnyway, yes, I did really eat a dried caterpillar. I actually at the bottom half as Branden ate the top half, like a gentleman. I don't like eating something that has a face, it's just creepy. EEEEEE! There is no way you could ever get me to eat a spider! I am terrified of them and can't even look at them in photos!
P.S. Hey, what happened to my link :( Must be the snow in my brain. Again: ....one of my readers
ReplyDeleteP.S.2: Well, good morning, world. My brain's functioning again, PCP. Wait a minute... PCP? That doesn't sound right... I meant 'Padded Cell Princess', that's right. Disregard my monumentally retarded question ('or is that entirely up to me?') for I get it now. I really do. See, I'm clearly an Award Virgin. Virgins don't know what they have to do but, of course, now that I'm fully awake and as sober as seven priests on Sunday, the whole idea of the rules etc. is crystal clear to me. Duh!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVE the name for the other blog. It's perfect.
ReplyDeleteEh caterpillar? Uck. I think the grossest thing I've tried is chicken heart. I shouldn't have looked at it and just popped it in. Seeing the little valves is what did me in but I managed to choke it down. I don't recommend it.
I'm glad you like the name! I'm so relieved to finally have one!
DeleteI don't know if I've ever had chicken heart. I've seen them plenty of times because my Grandma used to cook them up for her dogs..ugh the smell! I have had pickled cow's tongue before. It's not too bad but it's just a mental battle to not think about it. I probably would eat another caterpillar before another pickled cow's tongue (although I've had it 2 or 3 times before).
Stopping by from RCB and Ginja Ninja. If those two dig your stuff, than I definitely should too. And I do.
ReplyDeleteWhen you went to the store, did you use an iPod to maintain a suitable societal distance (as I do)? After eating crickets, I feel and admire your adventurousness eating the caterpillar. Keep on adventuring.
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DeleteMy Lord, Pickleope! I need a doggy bag... NOW! Or was that a genuine complement? You know I love complements - like the Great Pickleope. ;)
DeleteThanks for stopping in and visiting me! Welcome to my cell! It's easy to make yourself comfortable since it's padded ;)
ReplyDeleteOoh, the iPod trick! This is where I am a complete nutter who will sound like a walking contradiction. Everyone on the busses in Scotland (when we lived there) put their iPods on and refused to talk to people. I oddly rebelled for the sole purpose that maybe I would meet someone who actually wanted to talk (despite that I was scared of talking!). I know, it makes no sense but even though I have social anxiety, I try to leave myself open to meeting anyone that maybe I'm supposed to meet. So my iPod stays at home.
You ate crickets!?! I don't know if I could have done that! I would just image them to be a bit squishy. Luckily our caterpillars are completely crunchy with no squish at all! You are brave!
No, I didn't ignore you! It just took me a while to write the post (that's happening a lot these days.)
ReplyDeleteThe post will go live at 6:30 am CST.