Carnie, Cook, Clerk, Customer Service ( #AtoZChallenge & #IWSG )

        

   

          Coulda, woulda, shoulda--yeah, I could have done lots of things in life.   But I did what I did and that was pretty cool for the most part.  Still, it's fun to think about what might have been--or what I'm glad wasn't.

          I could very possibly have been a carnie, traveling the country conning customers with shyster games, operating carnival rides, or working in a tent show of some kind.  Actually, I have on a couple of past occasions worked in a carnival show for short stints.  Not a lifestyle I'd probably have wanted to continue for any long period of time, but it was fun to do it for those short whiles when I was younger.  During my college years I also worked at a carnival supply company where I encountered many carnies.  Sure, they get a bad rap (sometimes deservedly so), but most of the carnies with whom I dealt were okay people.  Most worked hard during warm weather months and some of them spent winters in Florida or some other warmer clime. Seems like it could be an interesting life, but the life of the carny is not really my thing.

         Since I was a kid I've kind of enjoyed cooking, so I guess the career of cook or chef could have been one I might have pursued.  From all I've heard, restaurant work can be pretty stressful and things can get hot in the kitchen.  Cooking as a career choice might have gotten old fast.  I do enough cooking these days since I'm the cook in our household.  When my kids were growing up I usually cooked for them.  Now they are gone and I just cook for my wife and I.  That's enough cooking for me.

         Over the years I have worked both as a store clerk and a customer service representative.  Those were okay jobs, but I can't say I would have wanted a life career doing either.  Same with construction worker:  That was a job for the younger me and I wouldn't have wanted to do that my entire working life.  Though it's all commendable work.  There are just other things I'd rather do.

        Sometimes we just take jobs because they are there and we need them.

        Have you done any of these jobs?  What do you think of work that involves constant travel?   What is your favorite food to cook?

      The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 
     The co-hosts for the April 3 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, T. Powell Coltrin, Natalie Aguirre, and Pat Garcia

April 3 question - How long have you been blogging? (Or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram?) What do you like about it and how has it changed?

         I've been blogging almost as long as I've been doing Blogging from A to Z April Challenge--15 years!   When I first started in September of 2009 I was transitioning from a career that had basically ended primarily because of the internet and into a life where I was exploring the possibilities of income derived from the internet.

       The first few years were challenging and exciting.  The blogging world was so new and unique to me.  At last I had a way to fulfill my writing aspirations without going through the traditional channels of the past.  Now I could set up my own platform, write whatever I felt like writing, and just publish it for anyone to access.  That was what I liked.  However eventually I found the computer life interfering with my real world life.  In recent years, my enthusiasm for blogging has waned to some degree and certain other issues with computer and personal time have decreased my online time.

        Over my years of blogging I don't know that blogging itself has changed as much as the attitudes of individual bloggers have changed such as my own has.  I've seen bloggers come and go and the ones I continue to follow seem to be carrying on as they have.  And there are those who now blog in a similar way to which I do.

        For now, I continue to keep blogging since I do understand the potential in it.  Maybe my blogging will increase again as I find more personal purpose to it.  Or maybe I'll just continue doing what I've been doing.  I don't think I'll ever stop posting on my blog anytime soon, but for now I've got no great blogging impetus propelling me forward.  If that comes, then maybe I'll be on fire for blogging again.  For now I'll just tend to the embers of creativity until it's time to fan the flames.

        What do you find to be the most useful aspect of blogging?  Has your blogging activity ever interfered with your life?   Do you now blog more or less than you used to?

Summer Considerations & Meaningless Musings ( #BOTB Results )

       According to the activity on my blog, summer has officially arrived.  The date is one indicator of summer as is the hotter weather.  But drop-offs in blog comments might mean summer is definitely here.  They might also mean something else, but I'll blame them on summer...

           Some might say that blogging is dead or dying.  I say it's cyclical in part.  Since I don't know the status of all blogs and all bloggers, I can't really say for sure that people are losing interest in blogging.  I don't think so.  I'd say blogging is a phase for some while others conform the activity into some sort of lifestyle.  We plunge into the blog world to either sink or swim.  I've been swimming for a while now and doing a respectable job of keeping my head above the water.  And I'm a lousy swimmer when it comes to the actual water activity.  Otherwise I can metaphorically swim okay.  

          For me, blogging is writing and since I've always been inclined to write then blogging is a fine way to crank out something on a regular basis.  I'm writing if for no other reason to entertain myself.  The fact that my writing actually does go into a public realm means somebody might read and might enjoy.  And if it is true that things on the internet stay there forever then maybe in some distant future someone will read my blog posts and think, "Wow!  What a creative genius!"

         Or, more likely, they will skim through my words and scratch their heads distractedly as they move on to the next arcane internet thing they can find.  

        For now that next thing in the story of my blog is, "What happened in my Battle of the Bands of June 15th?"

        Since all of you are so fervently waiting, here is the answer...

Battle of the Bands Results

Young Lynyrd Skynyrd

        My most recent Battle of the Bands installment featured Canadian artist k d lang singing the Neil Young song "Helpless" against artist Laura Cox singing the playfully anti-Neil Young anthem "Sweet Home Alabama"--it was a girl against girl contest (I think). 

       I like both songs and I think both artists did a tremendous job.  Laura was new to me, but I've been a k d lang fan since the eighties.  I went back and forth with this match--could have gone either way.  But "Sweet Home" is definitely more of a pick me up rousing fun tune.  And I wouldn't be the only one admiring Laura Cox's talent as well as her looks.  k d has a fantastic voice in my view, but so does Laura.

       I'm giving my vote to Laura Cox!

       Still, though a couple of voters agreed there is a melodic similarity between the song, there was not much argument one way or another about this.  An internet search yielded me nothing else to show agreement to my theory about the two songs and their similarity.  Oh well, it was a thought.

Final Results

k d lang                 5 votes       

Laura Cox            4 votes

Next Battle on Friday July 1st

        I think I'll follow Stephen T McCarthy's plan to use a summer themed Battle on that day. Sounds like a good time to do it since it will be Fourth of July weekend and all that.  Personally I'm hoping we have a cold spell in the weather where I am, but I'm not going to count on that.

Blogging Blues ( #AtoZChallenge )

I got those blogging every day in the A to Z April blogging blues...

Dang!  And we just started!







Blogging Blues

         My blogging blues have nothing to do with this year's Challenge.  My blog really started singing the blues five years ago.  Maybe even more.  Still I've blogged on since those blogging blues cast a pall on my online activities.  Perhaps it's partly my own fault, but expressing my opinions was part of my reason for getting into this blogging thing.

          Even the name of my blog, Tossing It Out, refers to the concept of tossing out ideas and opinions to anyone who will read.   Sometimes my opinions have annoyed--even pissed off--some readers.   Well, that's life I'd say.  I don't always like everything I hear either.  Thank goodness no one is around to hear me talking back to some of the idiots I see on the television.  Of course, my wife hears me sometimes, but now she's seen the light about so much of the stupidity being expressed on the airwaves and she's saying the same things I'm saying.   It's a matter of logic the way I see it.

         But blogging should be different.  Somehow I see the written word as a vehicle of somewhat passive provocation.  Reading a point of view and writing a response should entail reflection and reasoning.  Sadly this has become discarded only to be replaced by name-calling and linguistic vulgarities.  I sometimes wonder if opinionated writing is more a thing of emotionally driven venting with no reasoning behind it all.

         So should I blame the bloggers with whom I have interacted in the past or in some cases continue to interact with?   Or should I blame the media outlets that are disseminating skewed propaganda and outright lies?  What is truth anyway?

          Blogging doesn't have to be true if it is a matter of opinion.  And that's one of my opinions.


         Do you ever respond rudely when disagree with another blogger?   Have you ever tried to present a logical argument to another blogger only to receive a rude rebuttal?    If everyone kept their opinions to themselves do you think society would make more progress?

Books and Blogging ( #AtoZChallenge )

 Books and Blogging--of course!  What better words to use for my "B" entry...  

       
        Since my early childhood I have always been fascinated with books.  Reading was one of my primary activities when I was growing up.  After I started high school I began thinking about writing books of my own. I started a few and jotted down ideas for others.  Other than a couple of almost-finished books, I haven't completed anything yet.

         My discovery of blogging was a great find for me as far as blowing off writing steam.  Once I actively started blogging I began to think of making money from the activity.  Not much happened for me on that angle.  But I didn't particularly pursue monetization of my blogs with any active vigor.  I began to turn my thoughts to books.

        Books and blogging.  I'm not the only one, you know.  Many of us are blogging about books or the like.  I mostly blog about music these days with my Battle of the Bands, which if you missed my Battle for the letter "A" you might scroll back a day to vote on it.

         The way I blog might change in the future, but for now I'll keep doing my Battles and monthly Insecure Writer's Support Group posts (there's one of those coming up in my next post).  Writing my own book and making my own music might become more my focus in coming months.  My blog is likely to evolve if things start looking productive in the realm of writing and music--or something else for that matter.

         I'm not planning to stop "tossing it out" to readers as long as readers remain with me and my heart and mind are still engrossed in the activity.  Let me say simply that if I manage to start making progress in reaching some of my current life dreams, then I'll blog about that if I keep blogging.

        That's the way I guess it has been all along and so it shall continue.  For now blogging is a part of my life.  Like books are a part of my life.

        Why did you start blogging?  What was your original focus for your blog?  How has your blogging changed since you first began?       

Journal of Days (#AtoZChallenge)

         Have you ever thought about the possibility of losing your memory?   If you had kept a journal of the days of your life, now and then you could read it to remember things you had done in the past. I can recall things that have happened that at the time I believed I would remember the rest of my life and then later never think about it again.   There are people whom I figured would always be around and then they're gone and I forget so much of the good times I had with them.  Memory can be a great friend, but it can also be our biggest deceiver...

 Private journal, Diary of Henriette Dessaulles,
 1874, Ink on paper, 21 x 14 cm
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Journal of Days

       Time passes along with births, deaths, marriages, graduations, or this event or that event.  The world happens as histories are inscribed for future generations to learn and study-- or misremembered for the sake of societal deception until they are corrected by historians untainted by bias, if indeed those histories are ever made right.  Kingdoms may rise and fall, but time remains the constant--a stoic witness to all that passes in a never ending procession of minutes, hours, years, and centuries. Humankind may have discerned the devices for measuring the passage of time, but time itself outlives us all.

       Everything we do or think about has some relation to time.  Our lives are centered around time as time revolves all around us in the activities of the world outside of ourselves.   I used to keep a schedule book in which I recorded upcoming events.  Sometimes in the same book or a different record book I'd keep track of meals, gas, motels, and information about the working facilities where we performed the touring show that I managed in the eighties.

    Working on the road with a performance schedule, one takes careful note of time.  Typically, cast members would leave the motel by check-out, drive a few hours to the next town, have lunch, and then from about 4 until about 9:30 PM we'd set up and then perform our show before tearing it down and moving on.  My main tools were my watch, my road atlas, and my trip record book and my journal of days.

      Rarely did I get into detail then or in any other attempts to keep journals in my lifetime.  There were a few times when I would burst into an ambitious attempt to keep an actual daily journal.  The best journal--one that I kept while on a several week hitchhiking trip during the summer of 1971--that journal got stolen in 1981 when our van was broken into in the Holiday Inn parking lot across from the police station in Greeley, Colorado.  Lost some good stuff and that kind of dampered my applying much future effort into journaling.

         Now most of my days are the same.  Not much point in keeping a journal of my days as they pass by.   The closest I come to keeping that journal is my blogging.  Other kinds of writing would probably be good but I haven't been doing any of that.   Just blogging and I do enjoy that activity.

         Which brings me to the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  This will be my journal of days in a sense over the month of April.   Each post will take me time to write as well as take the time of whoever might read it.  That writing will be part of my daily activity.  Hours will pass as will days.
If I were keeping a journal I could reread my life whenever I wanted to--maybe even some day if I needed to.  

          Do you keep a daily journal?    Have you ever found a journal of a relative or someone else?  Are you concerned that one day you might lose your memory and sense of who you are?

Changing Horses in Midstream

         Changing horses is not the same as changing a diaper.  One might be more a matter of avoiding a mess while the other is a necessity to get rid of a mess.  And if one does change horses midstream they can always get back on that same horse later on.  Which brings me to the question:  Does anyone not use disposable diapers these days?

 example for camera tossing foto technique, done by Nadja (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      Have you voted on my most recent Battle of the Bands?   I've gotten a number of votes so far but as always I could use more.   In my highly biased opinion it's an outstanding Battle related to an interesting topic.  So if you have not voted on this Battle I'd appreciate it if you'd do so now.  After all, Battle of the Bands is really my main focus on Tossing It Out despite of what things might have appeared in recent months.  I try to revolve all of my posts around those music battles and not politics.  Maybe hard to believe, but it's true.

       Back in November I started my series about Donald Trump in response to some encouragement of sorts from other bloggers.  Originally my intent was to blog about the negativity concerning President Trump and related issues until the Inauguration.  But the lies and hate spewing continued after that day and since I still had more to say I kept presenting what I felt were calm reasonable posts in response to the nasty mentally unhinged ranting from the liberal left and others who didn't like our new president.  The dishonest negativity continues in the mainstream media as well as social media.  My series could continue for months, maybe years.   Still there are other considerations for me to heed.

        Looks like it's time to end my President Trump Acclimation Series, not because I'm giving it up, but because I want to "sanitize" Tossing It Out from contentious politics as we head toward A to Z April.  For those who are not aware, there is this little blogging event coming next month and I have participated in this event for the past seven years.  This next one will be my eighth year of involvement.  If you want to know more you can visit the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge blog to get more details.

         My April theme will not be politics (unless I change horses again) so that's why I need to step back from my intelligent countering to anti-Trump absurdity.  On Monday March 20th I'll tell you what my theme will be as this will be A to Z Theme Reveal day--the day when many participants will jointly tell the world what they will be blogging about in April.

        As for the posts on President Trump and politics in general there will likely be more to come unless the world suddenly gains sanity and the United States has begun to progress in the direction of becoming greater.  And even if I don't blog politically, I will continue to Toss It Out with controversy now and then.  I might make some readers angry, annoyed, amused, or just contemplative.  It's what I've usually aimed for on this site in one way or another.

        So stay tuned.   My Wednesday post will be my announcement of the winner of my current Battle of the Bands match.   Will your favorite version be the winner?   My Friday post will likely upset a few readers--it's not meant to be political, but since so many celebrities insist on sharing their opinions then some might construe my post to be a revenge based on politics.

         Hope you'll stay with me in whatever I discuss in my posts.  And most of all, I hope you'll keep contributing to the comment section.   The comments are the best part of the blog.

          When do you have a tendency to "change horses in midstream"?   Do you think it's best for me to avoid politics during A to Z April?   Do you think the topic of President Trump is worth coming back to later?

Why Do I Still Blog?

Evaluation is a part of the process of growth as well as abandonment.  It's a good idea to step back now and then to figure out why you're doing something and if the way you're currently doing it is still relevant.  Today I consider why I still blog.

 Relevant photograph. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

       No, I'm not considering stopping blogging--not yet.  I still have too many Battle of the Bands posts in the blog bank waiting to be played.  For now I'm going to put a hold on the Trump stuff or any other controversial opinion stuff.   I had a dilly scheduled for today that would have likely riled a few more folks, but maybe for now I best keep quiet.  Friday was going to be another topic that probably wouldn't have upset many folks, but maybe a few would have some disagreement.  I'll save that topic for later too if I do it at all.

       For now I just need to take a big breath and take it easy.  Do some chores around the house or watch TV.   Maybe even start reading a new book.  Anything but blogging.  Maybe read some of your blog posts, but not post any of my own.

        Oh yeah, big deal--I'll be back on Monday, or at least on Wednesday when I post for Battle of the Bands with maybe a word in for the Insecure Writer's Support Group.  And since Monday the 30th will be my birthday, maybe I just take the day off from blogging.

       Why do I still blog?   Because I can and because I can just do what I want.  There's not really any screwing up on my blog.  No one's going to fire me, though I guess in theory Blogger could shut down my blog or something, but I don't guess I ever do anything that would warrant that.

        One thing that I can see as I evaluate things is that the ways I approached blogging when I first started nearly eight years ago, as well as the motivations I've had over those years, have changed to a great extent.  How I blog will probably continue to change and same with what I blog.  Some things will stay the same sometimes and change at other times.

         But seriously, why do I still blog?

         Do you ever reevaluate your blogging?  Right now in your blogging life do you see blogging as a habit, a duty, a means of expression, a pleasant past time or what?    What has been inspiring you of late?

Do You Still Love Your Blog?

        I love my blog.   In a manner of speaking I can say that.  After all, the word "love" is perhaps one of the most misused and misunderstood words in the English language.  We all tend to say that we love certain foods, times of the year, places, or things.  Then of course we love certain people. There should probably be degrees of love or different words to actually express the kind of "love" we are trying to express.  Instead we lump a lot of things into one word that loses power in its overuse and misuse.

        So in thinking more about my blog post title today, maybe I should change the word "love" to something less enigmatic.  What is actually on my mind is enthusiasm or interest perhaps.   From my own standpoint I continue to be dedicated to my blog with a sense of commitment.   I don't post like I did in my first year of blogging and as I continue to blog I seem to be cutting back more.

        It's not that I dislike blogging or anything remotely like that.  I remain passionate about my blog, but in a different way that I once felt.  Blogging can be an enormous undertaking as those of you who have blogged as I do already know.   A time for reevaluation of blogging has come for me.  Now don't get me wrong here--I'm not indicating that I am going to quit blogging.   But I will continue to see a metamorphic cycle in my blogging activity and currently I'm not exactly sure where it will all take me.  For now, my blogging trend will be as it has been in the past months--a combination of Battle of the Bands, Insecure Writer's Support Group, and a random assortment of peculiar or even utterly normal thoughts. And let's not forget Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  In other words, business as usual.      

        My Blog Schedule tab at the top of my page has become more of a historical artifact of where Tossing It Out once was and no longer representative of what it has become at this time.   Next week my schedule might become more predictable, but then again maybe the schedule will go further awry.  I like my blog a lot.   Sometimes it has a mind of its own and I must respect that.

         But love?   There are many words that work better than the word love to describe certain things.   Likewise there are many synonyms that can work for the word love.  How can we say love?   Let us count the words...

       And speaking of Battle of the Bands, what a convenient Monday day-before-the-event post this is.   It's kind of a throwaway post that will likely pass as quickly as most of those I used to put up when I was posting daily.  

         Consider this post a prelude to tomorrow's BOTB post and a clue as to the song I'll be using this time around.   I will say that it's a love song.  It's also a song that I posted about a few months ago.  The song is one that I find very touching and meaningful in my own life.  Be sure to stop in tomorrow Tuesday September 15th for my next Battle of the Bands post.

          What do you "love" most about blogging?    What do you dislike most?   What replacement words for "love" can you think of?    Can you guess what song I'll be using for my next Battle of the Bands post?

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A to Z Theme Reveal-- Elements of Blogging

       One of the topics of Tossing It Out which has gotten the best responses over my past five or so years of blogging is the topic of blogging.  Anything from content to comments seems to be something that we bloggers like to hear about.  I tend to read those types of posts on other blogs and when I post on blog related topics I tend to receive a good reaction in my comment section.  The topic of blogging is one that bloggers embrace because it's about what we enjoy doing.

      Twice during the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge I've used marketing and promotion as my topic, once I blogged about movies, and in other years the subject matter was somewhat random.  In this 2015 Challenge my topic will be in regard to blogging.  A few of my previous A to Z posts discussed blogging and blogging has been a frequent topic on Tossing It Out throughout the years.

       For this 2015 A to Z Challenge I call my theme "Elements of Blogging".   This will be stuff most of you already know while some might be some things you might not have thought too much about.  My intent in April will be to explore what blogs are about.   Maybe some of you will get some ideas about things you could blog about that previously hadn't crossed your mind.   Or you might find something that will interest someone you know whom you think might want to start a blog about the things that interest them.

         My April mission will be to explore the unique possibilities that blogging has to offer everybody and perhaps even give you cause to explore your own approach to blogging to see what you might do to infuse new life into your blog. This will be basic information that I hope will stimulate some conversation about the subject of blogging and how to blog better.  I'll be looking for comments to expound on the concepts I present.

          Do you like blogging?   Do you like to read blog posts about blogging?   I hope you'll follow along in April.  Even better still, I hope you'll let your non-blogging friends know about my series just in case it might inspire them to start their own blogs.   That means more bloggers to sign up for A to Z in 2016!

          If you have not yet signed up for the 2015 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, please go to the A to Z Challenge Linky List to add your blog today.  For more A to Z theme reveals please go to the Theme Reveal participant list.

        Do you enjoy reading blog posts about blogging?   Have you noticed that posts about blogging tend to usually get a good comment response?  What is a special field of interest that you tend to like to read about?

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Ask Arlee: Quality Content VS. Frequent Posting?

And now another episode of Ask Arlee...

M. J. Joachim asks...

Quality content vs. frequent posting? Obviously, it takes way too much time to do both!

       Does it?  Can we post with frequency and still have quality posts?   I see many blogs that I would judge to be accomplishing this, but the answer to this question might be a matter of opinion.  Let's try to define what each of these aspects of blogging actually means.

Quality Content

        "Content is king" is the well-known adage attributed to Bill Gates back in 1996.  However, does this really apply that much to all of us as bloggers?  For the most part the saying is more applicable to search engine accessibility based on originality of content.  Our content should be original and it should have good quality.  But "quality" can be a variable and rather selective term.

         We need to determine the purpose behind our blogging.  If we are striving to be pro bloggers with blogs that readers regularly follow or search engine researchers arrive at for specific information, the blog posts need to be of a unique informational content that is professional and authoritative.  This is the type of blog with quality content that is backed by good research and experience in a field and is suitable for quoting from or citing elsewhere as coming from a reliable source.

         If you are not a pro blogger who fits the above description then I think you can still maintain quality content but that quality would be of a different nature.  There is that level of quality that we would expect from any published work--proper grammar, correct spelling, engaging presentation, and so on.  If you are blogging to establish platform then your blog should be exemplary of what you are delivering or plan to deliver to your audience in your published work.

          Comments can tell us a lot.  If a blogger is doing all the right social networking and receives few comments or the very shallow "nice post" comments I think there is something wrong with the content.   I'd rather have four high caliber comments that tell me that the readers actually had read and responded in a meaningful way than 40 drive by comments.   If you see by your stats that your post got a lot of visits but few decent comments if any, then maybe you had bad content and visitors had no idea how to respond.

          Blogging is often an experimental endeavor.   If something does not seem to be working for you then maybe you need to try something else.   The assessment of the quality of a blog's content is ultimately up to what readers are looking for.   If you can't seem to hold onto readers who visit then they must not feel that your content delivers anything that they think they want.  

          If you are pleased with your posts and the traffic your blog gets then maybe you're doing all you need to do.  However if you don't like your traffic, your blog's ability to retain readers, and the lack of interaction from visitors then maybe you need to think a bit more about the content you are delivering.

Frequent Posting

        "Better to have too much than not enough."  That's a philosophy my mother used to have when it came to dinner gatherings and other social events.  This might not be the best idea for blogging though.  Unless you're operating a news blog or a site that requires frequent updates, more than one post per day is probably overkill--you're likely going to wear out your readers and drive them away.

          However it's important to have regular activity on your blog.  Once a month might be okay if you maintain a regular schedule.  Consistency is the most vital aspect to instilling audiences with a sense of expectancy.    If they know when you post then it's easier to turn your blog into a habit.  Random posting might work for some bloggers, but I would recommend a predictable schedule.  If you become accustomed to meeting deadlines then you are more likely to have a readership who knows when to look for your new posts.  When you go out of sight then it's possible that you'll go out of mind and have to make a greater effort to retrieve your lost readers.

         In my opinion, two or three days per week is best for most blogs.  Three of my blogs are only posted once a week and that works well since those are very limited niche blogs.   The key is to pick a regular posting day and time, then plan your posts to go up according to that schedule.  It's easier on your readers and in the long run I think it's much easier on you the blogger.

Should Your Blog Ever Post Daily?

         Yes, during April you should sign up for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.   There are some very good reasons for doing so as I outline in the following list:

• The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event in which many other bloggers will participate.  You can gain greater visibility in participating with others.
• You can hone your blogging skills in content creation, experimenting with new approaches to blogging, and testing your blog to see what works best for you.
• There is an increased opportunity to get more feedback on your blog posts.
• Blogging daily for a month can develop a habit of creating content and functional social networking.
• The output resulting from participation will provide a good backlog of content for your blog.
• Participating bloggers can develop strong bonds with others with common interests.  This in turn can be used to mutual future advantage for friendly support as well as business networking.
• Daily blogging means more writing and more writing is practice that can help make you a better writer.
• You might even end up with material for a book based on your A to Z content!

       There are many more reasons that you as a blogger should participate in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.   If you have never explored the A to Z Blog be sure to visit and read the helpful posts that appear on that site.   If you are having concerns about not having the time, the energy, or the ideas to join us in April I hope you will reconsider.  For every reason not to do the Challenge in April, the A to Z Team members and many other A to Z participants can probably counter with several reasons why you should join us in April.

         Once you've done a Challenge it's easy to get hooked.  It's really the best blogging event of the year!

         What other reasons can you think of to encourage others to participate in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge?    What are the main benefits you've gotten from A to Z?     What do you think is more important in blogging--quality or frequency?

         

Is It Passion or Obsession?

        My previous post hinted toward my song choice for my Battle of the Bands post that will be appearing tomorrow January 15th.   Once again I am using today's post for a topic not specifically about my song choice, but it alludes to the subject matter of the song.  No one guessed the song correctly on the previous post though there were some excellent suggestions made.  Maybe this post will lead you to making a correct guess.   And if you don't give a whit about my Battle of the Bands posts, it doesn't really matter because this post is not about that anyway.

 On a pedestal in Another Place (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

        When I first started Tossing It Out in late 2009 I became so excited about blogging that it became one of my main topics of conversation with anyone who might listen.  I began to research the topic of blogging and read everything I could find about it in order to become a better blogger.  My thoughts became focused on my blog most of my waking hours and sometimes even into sleep.

          There were probably those who thought my interest in blogging had become a somewhat annoying obsession.  Some supported me in helping me to grow my base of followers while others politely indulged me as I babbled incessantly about this or that aspect of social media.  After a few months I even had business cards printed so it would be easier for people to remember my blog address in order to read it later.   Few of those cards reaped new readers to my knowledge, but having them was helpful in some cases if for no other reason than to open up the conversation to the topic of blogging.

         It took me about a year and a half to temper my obsession to a point of more reasonably subdued passion.   These days I still maintain a strong interest in blogging, but I no longer see it as my big mission in life.  Now it is a tool for my platform, to use that common cliche of branding and marketing.   Blogging is fun for me, but I don't force it on anyone and only bring it up if the subject seems appropriate to introduce to a conversation.

         When I was younger I went through periods where I developed certain interests in which I invested time, thought, and money.   For example I had a passion for stamp collecting from about third grade until my early high school years.   Then there were the periods when I became very involved with model building or immersing myself in anything related to science fiction and monsters.   Like an artist who can be evaluated by his creative stages, my life has seen periods of interests, sometimes for prolonged periods and other times short-lived.

         My biggest material passion has been for music.  Once I started working in my late teens and had more money to spend, I began buying records albums on a regular basis.  This passion for music peaked in the 80's when I voraciously began to accumulate cassette tapes (that was the medium of choice at that time) until I was carrying hundreds of them in my van as I traveled about in my road show days.

        There have been many phases in my life when I have pursued interests with a fervency that might be called passion.  On the other hand, my pursuits might be more correctly considered as hobbies or interests.   I'm certainly no different than others in this respect.   If we don't have certain interests that define us to some extent then we can seem rather dimensionless and boring.

          In all of our lives we have each undoubtedly had best friends with whom we shared hours of time.  Many times those friendships can end in sweet--or sometimes bitter--parting as we move on in our lives.  We might be left with longings for their companionship and fond memories as life carries us onward into new relationships or life pursuits, but we often move on without those old friends.  This is just part of the progression of life--friends who become hazy happy memories as well as those friends with whom we might stay connected with for many years or even the rest of our lives.   It would be abnormal and uncomfortable  to obsess on a friend or acquaintance so most of us allow the space necessary to nurture the relationship or we quietly drift apart if that is the destiny of things.

          And then there is love in the sense of romance and long term bonds.  This is the love that leads to marriage and family for many of us.   We find that singular object of our affection with whom we want to share life in the deepest sense that lives can be shared.  The ideal societal goal is to find a monogamous partner with whom we can have children and build families.  This takes a strong commitment involving passion that falls short of stifling obsession of ownership yet an obsession to make the relationship work.   Things don't always turn out as planned, but most of us have that ideal to work toward.

          To love someone in a way that we idolize them in the purest sense, not in any bizarre obsessive way, should be a goal in committed relationships.   We should not burn with a possessive nature that stifles the other or desire to control another with some sense of ownership much like a stamp collector might long to possess a coveted stamp for his collection, but we should have a focus that makes that partner our one and only, the only shining star that we see in a celestial tapestry filled with stars.   If we walk into a roomful of people, our one true love is the one to whom our eyes are drawn with admiration and the deepest satisfaction in being a part of that person's life.  That is the ideal, though often not the reality.

         True love is the stuff of stories.  It's that irrational emotion that brings out the poet in many of us.  It can be fun, wonderful, and even scary. What we might define as love is the most scary when the obsession creeps within us creating the stalker mentality.   A criminal passion can make us do crazy things, but the pure beautiful passion that is true love brings us as close to heaven as any earthbound human can be.   I want a burning desire or yearning that transcends possessiveness or control and becomes more akin to personal sacrifice for the sake of love in a similar way that a believer might have toward God.  Not a replacement to loving God, but next in line to love for God.   The most reverent of feelings that two humans can have for one another.   This is a fine dream in my eyes and something for which to strive.

          When do you think a passionate love devolves into aberrant obsession?    Do you feel uncomfortable when someone admires you in the sense of placing you on a pedestal?    From the words above can you guess the BOTB song that will be appearing here tomorrow?

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Ask Arlee & Battle of the Bands Winner

 Needed for inforbox User:Titodutta/userboxes/Busy Wikipedia Editor
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

         I'm still taking questions for my occasional "Ask Arlee" feature here on Tossing It Out.   If you have a question you'd like to pose to me then leave it in the comment section.   I still have plenty of questions from previous calls, but it's nice to get some interesting new ones.

         The question I'm addressing in this post comes from Buck at Buck Inspire.
     

bucksaver said... ...Arlee, "How do you keep blogging when your schedule gets busier than normal?" Thanks!
February 25, 2013 

           That's a question that many of us struggle with and something I touched on in my previous post.   Many of us have busy enough lives without adding social media into the mix.  Blogging is often just a part of a social media regimen that can suck up hours if we don't keep things in check.  If you're like me you probably go beyond the time you intend to spend on activities such as blogging and other social interactions.

            It all has to come down to priorities.  To me family matters have to come first--these are the people who mean a great deal to me and the ones I deal with directly on a regular basis.   Blogging has its place in my life and there are a few approaches I use to make blogging fit more easily into my regular schedule even if busier than normal.

             Here are some of my suggestions:

• Write posts in advance as much as you are able.  
• Keep a few non-time-sensitive posts in reserve in case you have to throw something up quickly.
• Maintain a list of blog post ideas that will help you compose posts more quickly.   A brief outline or list of discussion points for each topic can help greatly.
• If you are overwhelmed in your schedule, write short posts.   Avoid trivialities as much as you can so your readers can still feel rewarded or have something they can relate to.
• Avoid posts that require a lot of research and searching for links to add.
• Write about personal topics that can be composed quickly, but still be of interest to many readers.
• Sometimes you might have to cut back on visiting other blogs.  This may cut down on the comments on your own blog, but there's only so much time in each day.  You can't spend what you don't have without having to pay for it later and time cannot be recouped.

       Yeah, I might be stating the obvious here, but if this helps someone then it's worth my time to put it up in this post.

We Have a BOTB Winner!

          My last Battle of the Bands installment pitted the original version of "It's My Life" by Talk Talk against the remake by Gwen Stefani and No Doubt.  Both versions are quite good and the voting outcome bears this out.

           It was another close one.

           I think the remake is excellent.   I had heard Stefani's version recently as part of the piped in music line-up in some business establishment I was visiting.   Not knowing who it was, but recognizing the song, I researched it on Google and decided this might be a pretty good Battle match-up.

            There's nothing wrong with Stefani's version of "It's My Life"--it rocks--however I still prefer the original sound of Talk Talk's version of the song.  That's where my vote goes--Talk Talk.   Still it was not enough to bring them a win.   No Doubt nudged ahead for the victory.

Final Outcome:

 Talk Talk             15

Gwen Stefani and No Doubt   16

Stay Tuned for the Next Battle

        On Wednesday October 15th I'll have another one of those Battles that may provoke some controversy.   It's a weird one, but Halloween is coming soon and it's a time to be weird.

        How do you find time to social network without interfering with the other aspects of your life?   Have you cut back on blogging activities?   Do you have any suggestions for finding more time for blogging?

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Shine On from L.D. Masterson

       Since my most recent Monday posts have been kind of heavy and even potentially divisive, I've been trying to keep things somewhat light during the rest of of the week on Tossing It Out.   One of my primary intents on this blog is to stimulate thought and encourage discussion.  I think I have achieved that, but at the same time some people have gotten upset with me because some opinions expressed here are different that what they believe.  Exploring differences is a good thing isn't it?   It's what I do though and if I weren't doing this I might be blogging about books I've read and so many of you are doing that far better than I could.

       In the past I have indicated that I no longer do the blog awards, but sometimes I break down and do it just to cool things down and to acknowledge the nice bloggers that passed them on to me.  Today I thank my very dear blogging friend L.D Masterson for passing on the Shine On Award.  I'm just going to hog this award to myself because L.D. said we could and it's just simpler for me.  And I get content for blog post.   Thank you L.D.!

The Shine On Award   

Here are the questions that were requested that I answer:

1. How long do you spend putting together a blog? --Of course it depends on the nature of the blog post, but I try to keep it down to a half hour if at all possible, but I can spend as much as two or three hours if I do research or add links.   These days I'm trying to do less posts like that.   In fact in the coming summer months you may be seeing some very strange short posts.  Something may be going to happen, but I don't want to discuss it until the end of summer.  Come to think of it, I guess you often see strange posts on this blog.

 2. What other writing do you do? --Ha-ha-ha!  Sometimes I scribble down ideas. On very rare occasions I might work on one of my novels or start an article or something.  I really need to work on this.  I love blogging, but it can be a big distraction.  I get distracted very easily.

3. Do you blog because you like to, or because you were told you have to by a publisher? - -I've told this story before, but I started blogging because I read that I could make money doing it.  Then I just started liking the writing and I realized that I had been neglecting my love of writing.  Blogging forced me to write (because I was compelled to blog regularly).  Now blogging is a sort of obsession which I hope pays off in some way down the road.

 4. What is a story your family likes to tell about you? - -So often those family stories are the ones that are kind of embarrassing.  Do you really think I want to tell them here?  Okay, they like to rib me about the time I walked to California from East Tennessee.  It's a long story that I hope to turn into a book one day.  My family likes to tell the first part, which is short, but it's kind of embarrassing.  If you ever meet my family they'll tell you the story eventually.  Or you can wait and read the book.

 5. When you visit another blog, do you promote it on social media?--I've gotten into a tweeting habit.  Sometimes I will tweet a blog post if I really like it and remember to tweet it.  On rarer occasions I will promote a link on Facebook, but honestly I don't think most people even notice.   I know I rarely chase down a link on Facebook.  Actually I don't have much time to be chasing down links.  What do you think I do?  Sit at a computer all day?    Well, maybe I do, but still...

**********************************************

       Thank you L.D. Masterson!   If you've never checked out her blog make sure you pay her a visit.   She rarely fails to add a laugh and a lingering smile to each visit I pay there.

         How much time do you put into blogging?   Do you ever think about giving it up--or at least putting it on hold for a while?   Does your family like to embarrass you with stories you'd rather them not bring up?

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