I love you, I love you, I love you What's your name? I love you, I love you, I love you What's your name? Chorus of “Drunken Butterfly” by Sonic Youth. Do you blog? I’m guessing you do. I read a study showing that ninety-two percent of blog readers are also blog writers.* As a … Continue reading I love you, what’s your name
Wordpress
The battles of those around us – a guest post
Debbie Frick, the author of Conversations About Autism, showed up out of the blue. Over the past week, she and twenty-three other people began following my blog. My friend Robyn Coupe wrote a guest post, and legions of her followers clicked into my blog to see what she had to say about Tourette Syndrome. After reading … Continue reading The battles of those around us – a guest post
Endless Interruptions – a guest post
In my blogging world, Cara is a recent connection. I don't recall when she started reading and liking my posts, but it wasn't until after she left an intriguing comment that I clicked into her blog. I'm glad I did. The first post I read on Exploring Yoga was bursting with energy. Cara, a new yoga instructor, … Continue reading Endless Interruptions – a guest post
I’m sorry, I have Tourette Syndrome – a guest post
During my first months on WordPress, I searched for blogs to read. One I found was written by a young professional with Autism. It never before occurred to me that someone with Autism might have an office job, a job with goals and projects and deadlines. A job like mine. I was also surprised to … Continue reading I’m sorry, I have Tourette Syndrome – a guest post
What I sent
Yesterday, I applied for a grant. I think bloggers should get paid… something. It’s a hobby, yes, but it’s also a job. People rely on us for reading material. A few of the bloggers I follow have set up Patreon accounts. This is a blog-specific eCommerce interface, they call it croudfunding, where followers can make … Continue reading What I sent
On criticism and social cues
Finally, I got a book review. Jeff, I'm about halfway through your BABWTR book, and I'm not sure I can finish it. Your attitude on pace and disparaging road running is exactly why people like me don't go to group runs, are terrified to join the trail community, and don't dare call ourselves runners. Your … Continue reading On criticism and social cues
Where does friendship start?
My blogging friend Angela Lawson asked me to write a guest post for her blog, You are Awesome, Trying to Stay Awake in a Sleepy World: Parenting, Leadership, and Personal Development. My post is now up on her blog. For my own blog, I wanted to write about what her request means to me. In … Continue reading Where does friendship start?
Anxious, obsessed
At 8:22 this morning, Tommy woke me up. Accustomed to getting fed at 5:00, I applaud his restraint. His method is always the same, he reaches out a paw and tentatively taps the top of my head. In the winter, I sleep with the covers drawn over my ear and nose. Not much left to … Continue reading Anxious, obsessed
On Good Men and Twitter
Lately, I’m on Twitter all the time. I’m suddenly learning that maybe it isn’t waste of time. I was late to the social media party. I joined Facebook in 2016, more than a decade after everybody else. Here’s something to consider: by jumping on the platform after everyone already figured it out, it was difficult … Continue reading On Good Men and Twitter
My Bad
I'm failing miserably. Actually, I posted it twenty-four hours ago, so I guess I've already failed. Miserably. Like everyone else in the United States, part of my past four days included thoughts about a certain Catholic high school boy and a soon-to-be-a-senior-citizen Native American. I've thought about them while driving home from work (because NPR … Continue reading My Bad
WordPress, Facebook, Twitter
I’ve got this routine. WordPress, Facebook, Twitter. I do this slowly, wanting to savor the alerts. The WordPress red dot, the numbers in the Facebook and Twitter bells. These are my social media. No Instagram, that’s where my kids hang out. I don’t want to crash their party. I do it again. WordPress, Facebook, Twitter. … Continue reading WordPress, Facebook, Twitter
Censored by Decency
Gone are the days when I wake up an hour early to write. Long gone. This morning I was up at 5:15. That early alarm setting allows forty-five minutes of quiet self-care—coffee, news, cereal—before my kids grudgingly get out of bed. They require constant and sometimes not-so-gentle nudging towards door to start their school day. … Continue reading Censored by Decency
Six Word Story – Part II
Sometimes, I fall flat on my face. That’s seven words, this isn’t a six word story, it’s an essay about my most recent post, Six Word Story . As bloggers, I suppose we all do this from time to time. We post something truly special (to ourselves), our A-work, and no one sees the brilliance. … Continue reading Six Word Story – Part II
Bloggers: What is your best post?
There’s a guy who reads my blog every day. He reads my new posts over and over again. He rereads last month’s posts on a regular basis. And he reads through the old stuff, the stuff I wrote years ago, even when no one else does. That guy is me. I like what I write, … Continue reading Bloggers: What is your best post?
World Blogger
Greenland! Bah! My biggest failure. Does anyone even live there? This is a map of my blogging world. If the country is colored, someone in that country has read my blog. Or at least they’ve landed on my blog. How many actually read it? I need better analytics to answer that question. Last week, I … Continue reading World Blogger
Etymology, Idioms & Blogs
Hit the ground running… have I done this? Not really. Consider this idiom: A parachuting reference? Jumping off a train? Out of a car? I googled the etymology and found “It may come from troops dropped into a combat zone, from stowaways.” Ignoring the weird punctuation, I tried to find out what a ‘stowaway’ is. … Continue reading Etymology, Idioms & Blogs
Everyday Strange
Of the seventy-nine million blogs on the WordPress platform, Everyday Strange is one of my favorites—and yes, I've read them all. Most blogs, like mine, require a time investment. Five or ten or fifteen minutes of reading through heavily preened prose trying to decipher the point, if there is one at all. Conversely, the posts on … Continue reading Everyday Strange
Out and about
Today I'm honored to be invited as a guest-blogger on ScottRCyre.com. Scott is an author, a freelance copywriter, and a Christian Pastor. He and I have been friends on WordPress for a couple of years now. Check out my post, An Itch I Gotta Scratch, and check out Scott's blog. -- Jeff
Buzz, revisited
Last week, I posted a story, Buzz, that paints a picture of drug use. It wasn’t encouraging or cautionary. It offered no opinion. It was simply a snapshot, a vivid scene featuring four intoxicated teens. It went nowhere. Stats-wise, it was my worst performing story in a year. Thirty page-views, two commenters, not so many likes. … Continue reading Buzz, revisited
The Other Stuff
#3 - List all aliases: I was asked about aliases recently as I filled out paperwork for my FBI background check. In Pennsylvania, if you plan to work with children, you need to prove—up-front—that you don’t have a propensity to molest them. To facilitate this, your employer needs to review your “Rap Sheet.” The first … Continue reading The Other Stuff
