My sister wrote a post the other day where she said, “i’m done blogging.”
I called her and we talked a little bit and I admitted to her that I’ve acutually thought of doing the exact same thing sometimes.
I started justkeeton many years ago and it was mostly out of vanity of learning how to do something new. I had learned html and I wanted to see how far I could take it.
The thing is…it took me.
I started ‘Ohana’ because I was feeling something bubbling up inside of me, this new beginning to something and I wanted to watch it grow.
I started Random and Odd because ‘Ohana’ was no longer ‘mine’ anymore.
Many of you have ‘secret blogs’. I have been lucky enough to stumble through some of them. I find that I am more amused by what you write when you think no one is watching. I like the way your writing comes from the heart. It’s not like you’re writing to tell a story, your writing because it’s being torn out of you!
What makes a sucessful blog? Honesty without fear. Boundry lines that are clearly set.
‘Cita and I went to bingo one night and the place caught on fire. No, I didn’t have anything to do with it…this time. The people were evacuated and we were told that we would have to come back the following week to play out the games.
I was pissed! I wanted to be able to go back in and get my money back!
Many people decided they were going to talk to the manager about how they felt about the ‘coming back next week’ issue. I jumped on the bandwagon.
The old bat that was running the joint clearly did not take her medication that night because she was screaming at people that had the nerve to insist on getting a refund. I was one of them. Because I’m a good, upstanding bingo player (and I was scared shitless of that little old lady) I came back the next week to play out my games of bingo.
That night, the little old bat was in charge of handing out the free bingo papers to the people who had played that week the place caught fire. She KNEW she was going to get some lip from people so she wore a hat that said, “Queen Bitch”. She wore a shirt that said, “Queen Bitch”. She had a tiarra on that said, “Bitch”. She was letting everyone there know that she wasn’t going to listen to us bitch about a damn thing.
I don’t like that queen bitch, but I admire the point she made. It was HER bingo palace, and she was in charge.
There was only one time I was afraid to hear that someone read my blog. The parents of Tyler’s girlfriend. I didn’t want my words to effect the way people judge my children. I want my children to have a fair shot at whatever they want to do with their lives and I didn’t want them to say, “Whoa, that is the woman that is raising him? Should we really trust our child to be at someone’s house who opens her whole life up to the internet on a daily basis?”
The other thing about taking pictures and writing is that it has gone from taking pictures to taking pictures and then having to ask the person if it’s okay if I post them because it’s no longer just my mom and sister looking at them, it’s thousands of strangers.
As I was typing this post I got a phone call from a parent asking me if I knew my daughter had her own website on MySpace. I explained to her that I do know about it and I use it as a way of keeping tabs on what is going on with not only her behavior, but her friends. The mother was concerned about the safety factor of having my daughter post pictures of herself. During the whole conversation I’m thinking, ‘The internet knows more about what is going on with my family, than her grandpa does!’ Yes, STRANGERS are watching my children grow up, go to dances, meet boys…and am I a bad parent for that? I never asked my beautiful friend, Lisa if it was okay if her daughter be spotlighted on my blog. I never asked ‘Cita if it was okay if I posted a link to her son’s radio station. These are things I should have done from the start…but I never in a million years would have thought that I would have as many people reading my blog as I do.
Just last night, Shaun said, “Your Flickr site has been viewed over 48 thousand times.”
48 THOUSAND times. I can’t even count that high!
The precautions I take now are telling people when I take their picture and tell them that I will post it on the internet for them to copy it, “I’m going to post this on my Flickr site. My Flickr site is linked to my website. I have ________ readers a day. Is it okay?” They are more curious as to WHAT I write about that would make that many people want to read.
I tell them, “I write about everyday type of things. I write about my anxiety, my life, something funny that happened. What I did that weekend.”
I get that same strange look EVERY SINGLE TIME. I’m waiting for someone to ask, “Are you really THAT interesting that people come to your site everyday to see what you’re doing?”
Then I can say, “not really. It’s the talk about boob hair and the occational porn picture I will post that keep them coming back.”
32 responses to “”
I am addicted to myspace lately. Not really, well, just a little bit.
And if I actually quit blogging everytime I think about quitting I would have quot oh so long ago..then I might have never met you..or RSG and how bad would that SUCK ASS.
I think it is normal to want to quit. It is a pain in the ass sometimes.
Is that sign real and if so, where is it?
Great post, girl.
Yeah, you have some stalkers, like that chick that says “fuck” a lot, so you need to watch what you do.
Secret blogs? My word.
Pissy: I know. I love you too girl. I wouldn’t change a thing!
Julia: I don’t know if it is. Shaun likes to go to this site called break.com and they have lots of random video and pictures there. I laughed when I saw this one. I don’t normally take other people’s pictures, but this one was HYSTERICAL and I kept the ‘break’ logo on it so credit goes to where it is due.
Kami: Someone in the blogiverse CUSSES? UNHEARD OF!
Kristine, never stop blogging!! I am one of the quiet lurkers (mostly), but I truly heart your blog and your writing, and I would really miss it if you closed down… That said, I have a secret blog only (or rather, a few very irregular musings). But really, we’d all have breakdowns if you stopped – so don’t, OK?
Hugs from a random stranger,
Tig
It’s gotten like this with my family too. my mother does not approve. when i post my wedding photos, I’m going to have to blur faces. it sucks, but that’s how it is.
Tig: i’m not going anywhere, but I am thinking about getting me a ‘queen bitch’ t-shirt!!
Adrienne: I am so sorry! That isn’t an option at our wedding. EVERYONE that is going knows about my thing for cameras, pictures, internet and sharing.
I already knew I was going to write my last post when you emailed me to say you blogrolled me.
I felt like complete and utter dirt, me and my little secret.
I’m sometimes a bit embarrassed when people I know IRL read my blog.
I mean I talk about my children playing with tampons and that’s not OK for some people. But I’ve gotten to the point where I’m like this is me. And if you don’t like it then too bad.
I guess when you write anonymously you don’t have to worry about that.
A queen bitch tatoo would be cool.
48 thousand times. Holy Shite.
Stuff Portrait Friday has a way of bringing everybody around. Even if I forget to charge the battery for the camera, I like to look at what others are doing.
You forgot to mention the wedding. I am loving reading about your wedding. The shopping for a dress, the little girl’s smiles. So much better to read about someone else going through all that because I never wanna go through it again.
I’ve thought about stopping time and time again but I’m just…so…addicted…
BTW, if you stop I will have nothing to do on Fridays and that’s just sad.
Kristine, great post. I started my blog to just keep track of what was going on in my life, not to entertain others, but the drug is so intense when people comment, who would want to stop? It does get overwhelming at times, and the idea of other people I know reading it freaks me out (having an audience of about 2, I’m safe). But being honest is who you ARE and it’s a good thing to be. I’d rather be honest and open than think people don’t think the same way I do and what a freak I must be. Keep on keeping on.
I can’t believe you’re going to get away with quoting Vanilla Ice and still have so many readers, but I know it’s the troof. Could have just as easily used “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” you know?
I think my blog is a little boring because I am cautious about what I say on it. My stepkids have read it. Their mom has read it. Their mom’s sister reads it like 3-4 times a day. (Honestly, I can’t imagine being that interested in her if she had a blog but whatever!) I have decided to make it positive stuff only. I think it would be funnier if I let loose more, I’d probably get more comments, but one thing I have noticed is that my own blog picks me up when I am down. I can always read about how blessed I am. I do get envious of your rants every now and then, though.
My stepdaugher has a myspace and we look at it constantly – I think it’s a great way to watch what the kids are up to!
I do the whole myspace thing as a way to not only keep tabs on the teenage daughter but also make her think that I really am the cool mom she and her friends think I am!
*tackle hug* Mrtl: See, that is why I love you! You turn around and quote Fresh Prince…or is that twisted sister? I AM SO OLD!
Jana: Thank you. My IRL know i’m weirder than what I even portray on my blog so they just laugh at me because they realize I am holding back.
MrsDOF: I got something in the mail today from you!! I can’t wait to hang that baby up!! I’ll post about it on Friday!! oh and thank you for recognizing SPF’s purpose!!
Jackie: Keep going with that! I seriously think that the stuff I write about can’t be THAT much different than what goes on in other people’s homes…i’m just writing about it.
Mrs Dave: I am pretty sure I have a lot of ‘ex’s reading my blog. That is why I switched over from “Ohana” because I was spending so much time pretending everything was so wonderful and peachy keen that I was losing my mind. Thing is, life isn’t peferct. My kids are not perfect. I AM NOT PERFECT. (and contrary to popular belief..neither is Shaun).
I like that you made your blog what you needed it to be though, it’s your ‘positive’ place!
I SO DO NO CUSS.
EVER.!.!
I SO DO NOT CUSS..God, I can’t even spell.
How much fun(nier) driving would be if all Stop signs were so 1990’s White Rapper inspired! Also: even sans a t-shirt and tiara, I heart your bingo palace. ;)
I use some precautions when posting pics of my son or my ex’s kiddos, but I have never thought about not posting them. My blog is very personal and I like to talk about the bizarre amount of things that interest me. I can talk music, movies, sports, my photography, my social views, my relationships and whatever hits the old brainpan.
One thing about MySpace…I am AMAZED at some of the scary stuff that people talk about…I did some crazy stuff when I was young, but NOTHING compared to some of that stuff!
You got that mail already!
I just wrote today about walking to the post office, which happened on Friday! I was allowing a week until your birthday.
It crossed half the continent over the weekend!
We should never doubt the US Postal Service!
i keep coming here cause you are real…or i think you are…i still have not seen you in person…but ya know… :)
peace…
p.s. Bingo bitches are the coolest.
LOl at the whole bingo fiasco…I’ll bet that little old woman would have kicked your ass if given half the chance…LOL…good move staying out of her way!
I have noticed a lot of bloggers lately have been getting that “need” to stop. To take a break. Very Zen mentioned it. I eat crayonz has stopped, some else recently wrote about it too now your sister. Please don’t stop. I enjoy your site and your pictures and your boob hair.
Blogging is quite addictive and I think it does burn people out. But everything in Moderation as they say.
I’m too addicted to quit. Christ, I gave up smoking already in the last year – don’t make me push the blog monkey off my back.
Great post, Kristine. I think you are awesome.
And you already know I visit (definitely don’t stalk) for the photographs.
Best,
Maria
I don’t have that many readers, but I do have a few people that regularly stop by my site. The people in my life that KNOW I have a website are always paranoid when hanging out with me that any pictures I take will go on the site. They are always fixing their hair and stuff. It’s kind of funny. I don’t post pictures of people unless I ask first usually, but they still do that.
As an aside, one thing I find terrbily annoying is when I am with people I know and something interesting happens they say, “You should put THAT on your website” It happens often, and its like a little pet peeve of mine. It’s my website, don’t tell me what to put on it.
Anwyay, I forgot to subscribe when you moved to wordpress and I’ve missed tons of posts, but I’m back now. The site looks good.
Krista – word.
I have a friend who says that to me ALL THE TIME, even though I’m pretty sure she’s never once visited my blog to see what I actually write about. “You should put that on your blog…”
NO. You should get your OWN blog and post it your own motherfucking self!
Um, not to be confused with one blogger talking to another blogger, having something ridiculous transpire, and one shouting or typing “You HAVE to blog that!”
That’s totally different. Because I do that ALL the time.
What a great post. I have been thinking about this lately, since I have been posting more pictures on my Flickr, etc. Frequently I ask myself, “Am I being honest with myself and my original intentions of this blog?” It is amazing that you have that many people reading – awesome :)