Thursday, March 14, 2013

The Sky is Falling!

It is funny yet sad when the cancelling of google reader is more of a talking point than a newly elected Pope.  I wonder what historians will say about our time.  Hopefully those people will be worse? lol

When I heard Google reader was going away I didn't think it affected me because I used google friend connect and read everything through my dashboard.  As I am reading more, I suppose the GFC widget is just a connecting tool that links your reader to all the other things.  I don't really know if blogger is going to take away all the connectibility it provided to those who blog here, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.  It is the same story with people getting all up and arms about whenever facebook changes their layout monthly.  You always adapt, right?  Plus it is a free service, so you can't complain all that loudly.  If it is truly ruining your life, your best bet is to just leave.  I thought about what a Google boycott would look like and I may as well unplug myself from the Internet indefinitely.

I feel a bit bummed about it, I'll be honest.  I bought 90% of those GFC readers via sponsorships and giveaways, and have converted approximately 2-4% of you guys into regular readers with my wit and charm.  Thank you!  lol.  Google giveth, and Google taketh away. 

Maybe this is a good thing, and more of an equalizer.  Sort of like school uniforms?  There are times, for the life of me, that I cannot understand why I or others (thousands of others!) follow a blog that just isn't very good.  But I see the elusive 5000K GFC friends and I think, I need to follow this gal because she is doin' something right!  And I secretly hope to hone in on the secret to being so popular and wind up even more confused.  I shouldn't be so caught up in numbers, and more about driving traffic because people like to be here and not just to quickly enter a giveaway.  I am totally guilty of that as I can NOT turn my back on a giveaway.  No joke, I win!  Kind of a lot it seems, I would say maybe 5% of the giveaways I enter I win.  It's all a numbers game, and numbers are my bag, baby.(Austin Powers, anyone? ok.)  If I made big bucks, I'm certain I'd invest in my blog more, because I like to be if not the best, very good at things I spend my time on.  Just know, like Ludacris, I am coming for that #1 spot.  Unfortunately at this point I am only making the medium bucks, so I do what I can.
I digress.
However, this situation is not okay.
Seriously guys, that is insane.  

I already feel overwhelmed reading and commenting on my sidebar blogs along with my blogfriends I have grown to love reading due to thoughtful interactions and such.  And I entertain the thought that 930 is a reasonable amount of blogs to peruse?  Girl, please.

Enter 7

7 was recommended by Megan over on her blog and it looked super interesting to me.  Mostly because I have basically nothing going on aside from being required to show up to work from 8-5 during the week yet I constantly feel busy, over-extended and drained.  I mean, I know I am old and tired, but if this is 31, I don't look forward to 41, and every other year after that.

I am reminded of a story I once read about a US Marine who suffered from PTSD, and had a breakdown in the cereal aisle of a grocery store. 
From where I stood, I could understand why anyone would freak out in a cereal aisle, and thought it odd that more people didn't.

It is overwhelming.

The options, all the colors, the sheer volume of what amounts to somewhere near 100 options of something so simple and mostly meaningless: the sugary garbage you will eat for breakfast for a week.  Sadly, this breakfast cereal example is replicated amongst every facet of our lives.  The amount of websites we read, information we gather, places to shop, places to eat, things to buy, TV to watch.  The staggering amount of options, while amazing, I think it really stresses us out!  Is this freedom?

7 is the story of Jen Hatmaker's quest to simplify against excess.  Not to criticize right off the bat, but the whole idea of the book is more of 7 separate temporary fasts, rather than a quest for permanent change for the better which wasn't entirely what I was expecting.  I still find the story very insightful, heartwarming and funny.  Jen seems like someone I would be friends with.  I guess I just would rather be inspired by someone who says no to society and gives up owning hundreds of items of clothing forever, because it is good for them.  I am not finished with the book though, so I don't know for sure what sticks and what doesn't.

We are fast approaching Orthodox Lent (we are Orthodox Christians and go by a different (Gregorian, maybe?) calendar than the rest of the world in regards to Easter) and since we are hardcore, we fast.  Until Pascha (Orthodox Easter - pronounced pah-ska) we don't eat meat, dairy, fish or oil.  It is a struggle to come up with non-boring food to eat, and no doubt we falter several times during by eating cheese, or a filet-o-fish from McDonalds.  We are sinners, what can ya do?! ;)  I really dig the whole meaning behind fasting before a feast.  In our church Pascha is the most important day/feast of the year, and you don't really get the joy of the feast without the fast coming first. 

When I was Catholic I was always giving up soda or chocolate for lent - a sacrifice I would make to emulate the sacrifice Jesus made for me.  I want to sort of make a hybrid of East meets West Lenten practices this year, and I want to fast from everything that makes my brain feel wired.  I want to unplug a little, practice more moderation and quiet my mind so that God can find His way in a little better.  I want to be calm and still and quiet for a little while, and learn some self-control skills that I can apply to life in general and its vastness. 

A start is these 930 blogs.  We are going to drop down to an even 900 at once!  LOL.  I just wanted to make a quick point while I am on my tyrade , I see a new blogger every week who proclaims 'enough is enough' and swear off link-ups and giveaways and this that and the other.  I feel them, because when you follow nearly a thousand blogs, there are all of these things every single day and people compelling you to join.  I can't even begin to get them all straight!  But on the same point, I think if you aren't sick of it, then do your thing!  It frustrates me that these giant bloggers upon doing their 45th giveaway decide it is over and they are tired of them.  Yeah, great, you can sit back and relax and enjoy your thousands of followers and hundreds of comments you get on your posts.  Some of us just started blogging yesterday and we want opportunities to give stuff away and link up and meet people and not feel like we are being a loser because Big Blogger Gal says giveaways aren't cool anymore.  That stuff just really rubs me the wrong way.  We aren't all you and we are gonna do what we want until our blog is where we want it- your opinion, while valid on your blog - I think is singling out people who were just like you and doing what you did when you were starting out, and I find that uncool and pretty unfair.    

I digress, again.

I haven't quite figured out my plan of attack yet, but I need to get on it - Lent starts Monday!

Oh, and if you want to do the blog lovin' thing, great, I am here.  I've never been much of an alarmist, rather a giant procrastinator, so I will be pimping out all my bloglovin' junk around June



ThistleAshD said...

just wanted to say i appreciate how blunt you are. ha!

Megan said...

Great post! Very honest. I love how you said you bought 90% of your followers. I feel that way too! It is frustrating to think how hard you worked to get where you are and that might go away. Giveaways are a great way to get followers and occasionally I do find someone or someone finds me and actually reads due to a giveaway. In the beginning, I grew my blog a lot from link ups and I want to focus on doing a couple here and there rather than feeling like I need to participate in ALL of them. (Cause there are SO many out there!) You have to do things to get your name out there. People usually just don't stumble upon your blog. In the end, though, I think each blogger has to do what's best for them and I always try to state my opinion as my thinking that that's what's best for me personally. I hope I never come across as "this is the best way" as some people have come across to you. (Am I making any sense?) :)

Also, I'm glad you're reading 7. I understand what you mean about how they did 7 mini fasts. However, somewhere in there, she says something about how she doesn't share what they do now because she doesn't want people to just copy their family. She wants people to search their own lives to decide what's best for them or what God's calling them to do.

Dara said...

haha, this post is great! you said it like it is. I'm a smaller blog and I want my followers! lol.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I am really curious how this is going to affect our dashboards - so when I log into blogger are the blogs to my left through Google Reader? I thought it was just a Blogger Dashboard list. Will I lose all of those? I am so confused lol.

Meg Hodson said...


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Take care,
Happy Kids, Inc

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