So there I was, inverted.....*

In the light of yesterday's vaguely disturbing blog post, today, I am going to slack off and give you a meme. Hah! No you can't stop me, no one can stop me!! Mwah ha hahahahahaha!

Why Blog? A Quiz from various sources, including Lauren (sort of) & Weirdsmobile And remember, be honest. This is for posterity... (assuming posterity can find my computer files amidst the burning wreckage of a world devoured by ants!!)
1) Why do you keep your weblog/blog/online writing thingie: for fun, for fame, for money, for popularity, or for another more obscure reason? What about the weblog gives you what you want? Hey wait-- this is two questions.... you oughta not do that. :) Okay, I keep my blog for fun mostly, and to make sure I write every day. There is a certain element of extra fun in there because other people read it, some kind of ego stroking that I apparently need. I found that I had missed the journalling that I used to do back when I was a disturbed young woman, and despite buying several pretty blank books, I just wasn't keeping up with any journal-style writing anymore. But once I got the hang of the blog, after my friend J. kicked in my "contrary-gene" by saying if I wasn't writing in it I ought to get rid of it, (around October 03) I found I had lots to say. What gives me what I want is that I now have a fairly good group of folks who comment regularly, and we get into conversations about the oddest things sometimes. It was cool when just my family & a few friends read, but it's even cooler now that for some strange reason, perfect strangers come here to see what I think about things. How is that for weird?!
2) Imagine that your weblog becomes wildly popular: your hit counter skyrockets, your comments are overflowing, and everyone is emailing you about everything you post. Name 3 positive things that could come of this, and 3 negative things. 3 positive things: World peace, equality between the sexes, lots of cash being sent my way. (Hey, it didn't say they had to be probable things). 3 negative things: trolls attacking my comment box, no time to answer any questions hurled my way thus leaving me procrastinating even worse and never ever getting done with my dissertation, a nasty sprained ankle. (I don't know how the ankle will happen as a result of this, I writes what the tea leaves tell me to).
3) What's the worst possible result you can imagine (short of being electrocuted or having your computer take over your brain, and who says it hasn't already?) from keeping a weblog?
Hmmm. That perhaps some troll from my distant past will find it and use it as a way of trying to get back in touch with me. Or that some students will read it and I'll get fired from my currently nonexistent (but future hoped for) job because I'm not being professional enough.
4) What do you do to prevent that worst possible result from happening? Nothing, really. For the past person, they wouldn't know my married name, but they would most likely recognize me in pictures. For the students-- I do try not to mention any names and/or specifics, or things too too embarrassing or inappropriate. But then I forget sometimes. I'm doomed!!
5) List 5 reasons that would make you stop keeping your weblog for a period of 6 months to a year. 1. Sean & Maia 2. Winning the lottery & moving to a faraway tropical island with no internet access 3. Giant radioactive ants 4. Actually managing to write one of my novels 5. The voices! The terrible voices!!
6) List 5 reasons that would make you stop forever. Hmmm. I think really the radioactive ants covers it. You know, cause they'd eat out the infrastructure making it possible to blog, and they would have us all working in the sugar mines. I think that's enough, don't you?
7) Describe your definition of a "successful weblog." Something that makes the writer happy.
8) Is yours successful by your definition? Yes
9) What pisses you off most in other weblogs? What pleases you most? I get annoyed when other webloggers disappear for days and days or months and make no posts. Or when they only post about daily boring mundane things. (today we went to the park and played frisbee. I ate a sandwich. ) I like to hear some mundane things-- personal stories make it more interesting but I want some other content now and then too. I guess I'm just impossible to please. What pleases me is a lively conversation, an interesting point, a well-turned phrase or two.
10) Make a list of 10 weblogs/journal style websites that you wish your weblog/website/writing site was like. I don't like question number ten so I'm not answering it. It leads to a competitiveness and a feeling of favoring one over the other. Plus, it's just too hard. And I'm being lazy today (hence the quiz answering and no need for real thinking on my part.) Plus, I really like the style my blog is like. It fits me. I wouldn't want to be anyone else. I do really like the blogs that are in my blogroll, and admire all of them, but I don't think I could pull of Robotnik's quirky crumudgeonliness, Brando's poetic teen-idol inspiring groupie pleasing genius, Lauren's political savvy, etc, etc, etc. And see? Cause I only mention three, I'm feeling guilty and like I should now go down the list of all the blogs and say what I like about them..... which would be a major time-suckage. NOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooo!

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*Bonus: I will answer one extra probing and personal question from the first person who correctly guesses in the comments where that title comes from, and guesses why I think it even remotely applies to my blog. Creativity on part two of the question counts for extra. Think of your question too, if you think you'll be first.