Questions & Ponderings
- Have you ever picked up a book, opened to the first couple pages "just to check it out", and many hours later put the book down because you've finished it? No? Then I won't tell you that's what happened to me today, lest you think I'm silly or something. :D
- Is three trips to the library in one week too many? I had several books requested and they kept coming in on different days. I could have waited til the end of the week and just went once I suppose, but I had no idea that any of the others were going to arrive! Plus when I know the book is waiting for me, it's awful hard not to run out right then and pick it up, especially when the library is close. What if I want to read it that very evening? (Completely disregarding the fact that real life prevented this most of the week.)
- Why does time go so fast? My oldest niece just became a teenager recently. A teenager!! What joys her parents are in for the next few years, right? ;) I can't get over the fact that she's that old already. It seems like just a couple years ago that she was still little. But I do love the fact that we can have meaningful chats now. I hope I can always stay the "cool aunt" that I am today (one of my nephews called me that, so of course it's the truth!).
- How crazy awesome is this? I found out this week that one of my favorite bloggers actually lives just a couple towns away from me! And. And! We actually have several mutual friends and connections that I just discovered! Is that not crazy? Yet awesome?! I always picture my online friends as living other exotic places. You know, exotic places like Montana or Illinois or Canada or England. But to find one that's basically my neighbor? Made me smile all day long when I found it out. :)
- Why is it that I can't get any enthusiasm up for doing some sewing? I have a couple dresses I'd love to have made and the pattern pieces are all cut out and everything! So all I have to do is sit down and start sewing. Yet I seem to find everything else imaginable to do instead of sew. Hmmmm. Does that say something about my priorities?
- Do you like receiving real mail? Versus email I mean? I do. And I got a lovely card from a dear friend this week. Nothing special, she just wanted me to know she was thinking of me and hoped I was having a wonderful week. Isn't that sweet? It was so encouraging for me! Made me think I should do that more often for others. Encouraging notes really do make a difference.
- Are you on Twitter? I'm not, but have been pondering the idea of joining for a while. It sounds so fun to keep up with some lovely people that way. Not to mention it would be great for keeping tabs on the Sanditon happenings! I know The LBD characters were very active and there were several things I missed or was late to the game on because I didn't have Twitter then. I think my biggest question is whether I'd have time to keep up with it. And whether anyone would pay attention to anything I'd have to say in 140 characters. So tell me. Yea? Nay? Should I? Shouldn't I? Rissi was already sweet enough to expound on some of the ups and downs of tweeting (thanks friend!), but I'd love to hear more thoughts. Care to share?
- Did you know that there's a blog tour starting this week? And I'm going to be part of it! Head over here to find out more details and where to visit for the next two weeks. And be sure to come back here on Thursday! The author, Sandra Leesmith, will be answering some questions and there will be a giveaway or two. So please mark your calendars! :)
Personally, I like Twitter. I get updated on news I'm interested in that way. I have over 200 followers without even trying. Beats me why people follow me, but they do. My only advice is, be picky about who you choose to follow. The tendency is to follow so many that you have tons of tweets to scroll through to see ones you actually care about.
ReplyDeleteThat's seems like excellent advice, Karen. Thank you! There's just so much I don't know about it. Glad to know you enjoy it. :)
DeleteCongratulations on finding a book so spellbinding that it was in your hands until you finished! I've had some trouble finding one like that recently.
ReplyDeleteThree trips to the library in one week! Wow. You must devour books.
Aw, I'd love to have a niece. I love little kids, and can't wait until I'm an auntie. Say Happy Birthday to her for me!
Wow! Your favorite blogger lives so close to you...that's awesome.
I wish I knew how to sew :)
I love getting real mail. And real emails too, since a lot of what I get is junk. My top love language is Quality Time, so it is very special to me when someone writes me a letter or an email. Even just "junk mail" addressed to me in the "real mail" is important though! ;)
I'm not on Twitter. My parents don't want me to have a Facebook till I'm at least 18 (I don't really care, either--what I've seen from Facebook doesn't impress me), and I'm guessing they feel the same way about Twitter. (I don't care about that one either.)
I didn't know there was a blog tour! But I'll check it out :)
I know what that's like, Hannah. I don't always find books that spellbinding either. But this one was. Once I got started, there was no putting it down. :)
DeletePerhaps I should have noted that I didn't take books back each trip to the library. Just always picked up at least two more. So my pile of library books is pretty high right now! Means I'd better get to reading in the next three weeks before they're due back. ;)
Nieces and nephews are the best! You'll love it. And I'll definitely let her know. Thanks!
Isn't mail fun? I love real email also. Getting a little note, it doesn't even have to be very long, goes a long way to cheering me up! To know that someone else has thought about you and wants to let you know is so encouraging, isn't it?
I've had FB for a good while but recently haven't been getting on as much. There just hasn't been anything interesting enough posted to make me want to log on. Actually, I'd agree that you're not missing a whole lot. And for sure it requires accountability and maturity to use. I've posted some things that I've went back and deleted before because I realized that while it wasn't "bad", it also wasn't edifying at all.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)
When I worked 3rd shift, I had Tuesday and Wednesday nights off, and my hubby would have one or the other off, alternated weeks. So some weeks, I would go to the library on Tuesday night while he worked, and get a whole bunch of movies and books, then spend that night off watching movies and reading, and go back again the next morning with him to return the things I'd finished and get more for the rest of the week.
ReplyDeleteSo nope, going 3 times in one week doesn't strike me as crazy at all.
I have a Twitter account. I got it about a year ago, and followed people I thought would be interesting, like Nathan Fillion (genuinely funny), David Boreanaz (tweets about grilling and hockey), and Tom Hiddleston (his Facebook account is more interesting). I discovered that it didn't provide enough reward for the time spent, even less than Facebook, so I pretty much never check it anymore. Not like Pinterest, which can be useful.
It's good to know I'm not the only one who loves the library! And the scenario you mentioned totally makes sense to me. I'm sure I'd have done the same thing. ;)
DeleteThanks Hamlette, for letting me know your Twitter experience. There's just so much about it that I don't know, so I've been going around and around in my head trying to decide if I should try it or not. And I'd certainly agree that Pinterest is very useful! Easy to keep track of things and you don't have to limit your comments.
Yay for books and blogging friends and snail mail! :) I've actually had the opportunity to meet up with a blogging friend in Oregon a couple of times, which was a real blessing! And I've exchanged letters and sweet e-mails with others, as well - so blessed by the friendships I've made online (including ours!)!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Twitter! Sort of addictive and time-consuming, yes - and a little hard to keep up with everything on there. ;) But it's quick and easy to communicate with others, and I prefer it to my brief experience with Facebook, by far! If you're a writer, you can get together on Twitter and do #1K1Hrs, where you try to write 1,000 words in an hour and see who gets the closest/most words. And Rissi and other blogging friends and I all love to share talk about book covers and music and share links to posts and whatnot... It's just a fun place to be, especially if you use it as an extension of your blog, you know? :) Would love to see you on there, if you choose to join!
And thanks so much for sharing about the blog tour! I'm getting really excited!! God is so good - the book is now up on Kindle, and I was getting nervous that it wouldn't be up in time for the start of the tour. Little speed bumps along the way, but Sandra is really patient, and it all seems to be working out OK. :) Just finished putting together the launch post for tomorrow - fun stuff!!
~Amber
Double yay, Amber! I too have been incredibly blessed by my online friendships. Most definitely ours!! :D I don't have many real life friends who love to read as much as I do, or keep up with what books are coming out and such. So finding this little community online has been an awesome experience for me! Getting to gush about books with someone who understands. Make that lots of someones who understand! ;)
DeleteI admit that I wasn't too concerned with Twitter until I started getting the hint that you and Rissi and lots of over lovely people were chatting there. And it kind of sounds like a great way to keep up. At least quicker than email or blogging. Say if I had a quick question or whatnot. So thanks for giving me more details. I'm just so clueless about stuff like that!
I'm excited for the blog tour myself! Been working on my post today too. May have to email you with a question or two later. We'll see. And thank you for being so helpful and willing to answer any questions I've had. I appreciate that so very much. Looking forward to lots of fun this week! :)
- Been there and lost track of time reading that book! Happens to me all the time. You are not alone :D
ReplyDelete- Psh no! I go about that many times as well to pick up books and drop off books.
- My niece is 12! I'm 22! I remember when she was born. I was there for a few months after her birth helping my sister with her and it was amazing and now she's so big! She's even taller than me (most are though). Cool Aunt club!
- I wish I had a close bloggy/reader friend like that. So far no Houston junkies.
- Ah! I've gotten so much into sewing and making my own clothes! Mostly skirts right now but I'm going to attempt a couple dresses for my sisters graduation next month.
If you make anything let me know. I'd like to see your stuff.
- I LOVE snail mail! Handwritten, wax-sealed and in cursive ;D
No but I really do. I go all out with my snail mail.
- Totally up to you. I hate that I can't be on as much as I would like because of mu schedule but I will admit I do twitter stalk people. Heheh :D
- I will check it out. I'll get the email with your post.
Hi Martha! :)
DeleteYeah for books and libraries! Glad to know I'm not alone in making lots of trips back and forth. ;)
Cool Aunts unite! Isn't it just crazy how fast they grow? So far none of my nieces/nephews are taller than me. But I don't expect that to last. Lexie can already just about look me in the eye!
Believe me, I was shocked that we lived so close to one another. But a good shocked! :)
Sigh. I really want to get that sewing done. But I just can't seem to get any motivation. It must have ran away. Hopefully one of these days it'll show up again.
Hey, I'd take handwritten and wax-sealed myself! But not sure about the cursive. It can be hard to read sometimes. ;P
I don't know why I'm so undecided about the whole Twitter thing. I either need to just do it or decide not to and quit thinking about it! But thanks for sharing your experience. Much appreciated!
Do check out the tour! I think it'll be great fun and who doesn't love a giveaway?
No way! A blogger-friend so close? How awesome is that! ;)
ReplyDeleteGral, three trips to the library is totally acceptable!! I tend to go in spurts - when I find an author that I love, I buzz through their books all at once, which usually means having to request in books from other libraries. It can get confusing, as I have cards with two different library systems. I can cover more reading ground that way. ;)
Ah, the Twitter debate. I'm with you - I see everybody's doing it...but do I really want to sign up for yet ONE more thing that takes me from the real world and cements me into a virtual one? For now, I haven't...but maybe someday soon. I'm contemplating starting up my facebook again...but we'll see.
Yes way! Isn't that the coolest? ;)
DeleteI go in spurts too. Sometimes it'll be several weeks before I go to the library. Then I'll get a burst of finding lots of books, so I'll end up making multiple trips in multiple weeks. But when the books are there, it's too hard to say no! I've wondered about other library systems. I'm thinking I should check that out. Definitely a smart idea in my opinion! :D
Yes, you understand my dilemma exactly. It looks so fun, but I spend so much time thinking about online stuff as it is. I still have my FB, but I so rarely log on these days. It is handy to get info out to a bunch of people at once, so I'm not ready to get rid of it yet. We'll see what I decide. Maybe since I'm so undecided, that's my clue not to do it. Hmmm.
Snail mail vs. email? Hmm... to be honest, I think I like both! Some of my relationships aren't the kind that facilitates snail mail but that doesn't mean I find the ways we do communicate any less meaningful. That being said, it does bring a smile to my face to get something in the mailbox as does an email or any form of communication.
ReplyDeleteTwitter... well, guess we already talked about that! I mean, I don't regret joining - at all! It's fun and crazy and fun and tempting and fun and... well, it kind of owns the tweeter. LOL! ;) It may not be helpful but truly, I believe it all comes down to the individual: you have to decide whether or not it's
"right" for you. When it comes to FB, I steer clear. Never had it and don't plan too - I don't like the "idea" of it.
Very cool! A favorite blogger lives close!? That is too neat! Hope you two can meet up sometime - especially since you share mutual friends.
Looking forward to your post in Amber and Susan's blog tour. Fun stuff!
I like both too, Rissi. I love the quick and easy part of emailing someone. Especially all my lovely online friends (like you! :). But there's just something about going to the mailbox and seeing a handwritten letter from someone just for me. And I love all the cards and pictures I get at Christmastime. So I'm a big fan of snail mail!
DeleteMe and Twitter. I'm thinking we're destined to go around and around each other. I'm so ridiculous! I don't know why I can't fully decide on this thing. Thank goodness for email and Pinterest and blog comments! I do love communicating with all my online friends, however that communication may happen. So we'll see what I do. ;)
I'm hoping we can meet up soon too! It's so crazy how it all got figured out. But such fun!
Thanks for just being *you*, Rissi. I love how much fun I've had chatting with you. And it'll be lots of fun to share a giveaway chance with you now! :)
Yes! Join Twitter.
ReplyDeleteYes! I love when a book sucks me and suddenly hours and hours have passed and I forgot to drink or sleep.
Yes! Snail mail rocks. It's why I love Christmas. Then everyone starts sending snail mail.
No! 3 trips to the library is totally cool normal and right by me.
Great post.
Thanks for the encouragement, Juju! :D
DeleteMost everyone has had nothing but good to say about Twitter. I'm thinking there's my answer right there. And I won't mention how many times I've forgotten to eat a meal because of a book. Too many to count on one hand, that's for sure! ;)