I’ve been wanting to write an official review for No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog for quite some time now. But everytime I sit down to do it, it ends up something like “Oh! This book is sooooo rockin’! I love it! WOO HOO!” and then I remember Hmm. I suck at writing.
Then - today I read Evany’s write-up about the book. See, Evany had developed a “grumpiness” about blogging in the 11 years (WOW) she’s been doing it:
But reading Maggie’s book made her love it again…
And it occurred to me…I was having the opposite problem as Evany. I had been feeling like the world around me was mocking me for my blog and my love of the blogosphere. Sometimes I wondered if, when I said something about my blog, were people giving each other that look? You know, the one that means, She’s doing it again…talking about her damn blawwwwg…. And I started feeling silly that it was/is such an important thing in my life. Essentially? I was cowering to people who may have had the same grumpiness Evany spoke of.
So, coming from the opposite end of the spectrum as Evany did, the book still had the same effect. It made excited about blogging again. Excited without reservation. How wonderful is it that we can almost preserve so much of our current selves to share with the world? Especially using the fantastic ideas in this book? Instead of getting me “back on the blog” as Evany says, Maggie made me proud to have never left it.
I’m a blog-a-holic, I know that. I post several times a day (what’s this “writer’s block” I hear of?). I upload photos and edit my sidebar. My blog is about as dynamic as blogs can be. I should be proud of this, not ashamed. It’s not an STD for chrissakes, it’s an online diary. I should not have to mention my blog in the same hushed tones that I would mention my vibrator.
So, thanks Maggie.
psssst….hey, zoot….um….you just mentioned your vibrator in a non-hushed tone to the whole intranets.
Also: so with you on the Colbert stalking. I’ll spring for the chick-fil-a.
P.S. I hereby demand to borrow that book when you are through reading it.
Miss Zoot, you are my favorite blogger because I love that you write often and things are always changing! I consider blogs books that never end. I write to keep in touch with family and friends and to mark how I am at a certain point in time. I would be proud to have a blog like yours or the skilz to make it so pretty and fun.
I certainly think you should be proud of your blawwwwg! I love it (you!) because it IS so dynamic and I will always have something fun, weird and new to read at your place.
It’s like the coffee is always freshed brewed here, and you provide half and half instead of that shitty packet creamer dust. Thanks!
you have a vibrator? Is it the rabbit? Remember that from Sex and the city (or is it Sex IN the city, I can never remember)
Amen! I’m gonna go buy this book. It sounds like it completely rocks! I love blogging too but sometimes I do get writers block.. or some kind of memory loss
Thanks Zoot… I needed a new book to read!
I KNOW! I mentioned something about my blog in a group of friends the other day and one girl mocked me, saying, “Oh yea. My blog. Its all about me. Back to me! Let’s talk about me!” I was so shocked that people think that. No one HAS to read it. I do it for myself.
Anyway…you are definitely a great blogger and I hope you are proud of it!!!
I didn’t realize there was a book like that. It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest, though.
OK, this is where I sound like a snob, but…
Why do people need to be given ideas for what to blog? Doesn’t that make the blogosphere that much more homogeneous? I read different blogs because they talk about so many different things.
My blog? Not popular. And so what? I’ve never been popular, in person or whatever. But I’m not gonna use a list of suggested blogging topics just to get more traffic. I’d rather have my reader(s) be at my blog because they want to read what *I* have to say, not because I’m talking about the things everybody else is talking about or whatever. Shoot, there are a billion other people who are better at that stuff. Why would I want to try to fit in?
Eh, maybe that’s just me.
And dammit, sometimes, I’ll want to know what you had for lunch.
You know everyone just wants to hear about the vibrator… HAHA.
A few of my real life friends know about it, but never read it. My mom reads it everyday, and my husband reads just to edit it, because grammar, punctuation, and I don’t get along… but other then that no one I know cares at all. I talk about other peoples blogs (like yours) and they look at me all crazy like.
Thanks for the uplifting and refreshing view of blogging again! It was starting to glum out there and it is nice to hear and feel the enthusiasm, especially from an expert. Some of us just started blogging and it is sad to hear others are getting bored, disgusted or discouraged of it when we are just thrilled!
Maybe someone should create a random blog topic generator. For those days we (I) hit a blogging snag/block/blank.
We love that you are a blog-a-holic!! That is what make Zoot.. Zoot!
hee. I felt better after Mikey posted, because that’s somewhat how I’ve been feeling about this new book, too. Not that I don’t enjoy the posts that I’ve seen from this, but I have absolutely zero desire to buy it for myself.
Then again - I’m the chick who throws out the instructional manual without ever opening it and then two hours later go “hm. maybe I needed that.” So, you know.
first time commenting on this blog, so, uh, hi, Zoot!
I have to say, I’ve misjudged the book. Without really bothering to figure out the “real” reason behind the book, I figured it was just another blogwhore/traffic whore/comment whore book, but Miss Zoot set me straight.
I guess… I usually don’t have problems coming up with things to blog about, so I find it odd that other people do (have problems).
I’m pretty much in the same boat as the random person above - “Not that I don’t enjoy the posts that I’ve seen from this, but I have absolutely zero desire to buy it for myself.”
And, for the record… today, I had Enchiladas Rancheros from El Torito for lunch. And a coke.
Hey! You know that I love you and that you’re one of my favorite bloggers, right? I’m still here reading every day - even if I hardly comment anymore. Unless it’s something important. Like how Nikki needs sign language. Or the status of Lil Z’s hair. Then I MUST comment.
You are one of my favorite bloggers, Miss Zoot! That is something to be PROUD of!
No hushed tones for you!! I was just telling one of my friends over lunch about you and how you write soo often and recanting stories and she was like “who is this and how do you know her??”. I was like “oh, I found her online, you know through the blogs I read that take up multiple hours of my day, every day.” She said “oh, okay”. Crazy, maybe? but I think your awesome!! Keep on blogging, because it keeps like millions of people happy. Thanks!
Dude your mom totally reads your blog! You just told her you have a VIBRATOR!
uhh…I know you don’t usually censor yourself too much on your blog, but doesn’t LilZ sometimes read this blog? and, like, show it to his friends? …and you thought the cheese-nipple post was bad…lol
I totally feel like the world is mocking me, especially my world. Like you met her…on the internet??? Are you crazy. And then I apologetically try to describe how bloggin is different thatn internet dating..but it never goes my way.
I think you are so funny and sincere - your blog is wonderful to read. And I’ve read alot of great things about the book - but sometimes I really do care what people had for lunch. Or at least dinner. I run out of meal ideas a lot.
Chocolate? I think she just totally dissed my site!
Oh, I forgot to mention. I know you waited a while to give a review of the book, but you already did a great justice to the book- by posting about the fact that you were getting it. It certainly influenced some others to get it too. Like ME.
please ignore