IGA-Day and Other News



I opened the door, and immediately my “stressed mother” radar went off. The tension in the air was palpable. My survival instincts kicked in, and I knew if a spec of dirt fell off my shoe and onto her pristine carpets I was done for. Yes there was something different about today. Like my mother's D-Day, only it was IGA-Day. International Guest Arrival Day. We have been preparing all week, nay, all month for this day. We rearranged when I was moving for these people, and let's just say folks, I wasn't ready to move... My mother has cleaned every surface of her house, and my job... to find a place for all of my crap that I am going to be packing up again and moving in two more weeks...again. But needless to say, I did want to survive, so I continued the task at hand. You don't play with my mother about the appearance of organization, especially when guests are coming.

In other news, Bloggiesta goals are still going on for me. I have visited all of my 31 newly added blog friends. My google reader was at 329 and is now at 0... until someone posts again, blast it all! And I have added about 30 books to my Goodreads list. However, given that I have been organizing crap, harvesting grapes, taking care of grandparents, saying goodbye to my friend who has gone to Afghanistan, and going to a book launch with Suey, I feel quite accomplished. Now I just have to figure out what to say to some of you in the comments... Intimidations, galore! But I am excited to at least have somewhere to start. I look forward to seeing how far I have come when the next bloggiesta hits in March.

So I went to a book launch with Suey, my first ever! While everyone else in the nation was watching the debates, we were listening to Rob Wells talk about his struggles while he had been writing Feedback, the sequel to Variant. It was enlightening as he discussed his advice to writers, and the importance of community when trying to be an author... interesting. But the best part of the night was when we go to get our books signed and my sister hands her book over and says something to the effect of “make it to Suey.” And he responds, “Oh, Sueysays!” Just so you all know, that makes my sister a celebrity in my book! It was awesome! So that was fun! Now I am just getting into reading Variant, so I will let you know how it goes.

And to make my goal of blogging at least three times a week, I will be doing my first real review on Edenbrooke... but it will probably be unlike a normal review, so don't get too excited. Just sayin'

Bloggiesta Wrap-Up... The Road of Discovery

 



As most of you know, I am the kid sister of Suey over at It's All About Books, who was one of the amazing co-hosts of this Bloggiesta. She was very excited about this weekend and dragged... I mean got me hyped up on it too... And though it was an exhausting weekend for me, and I didn't get as many "things" done as most people in Bloggiesta did, it was quite the illuminating weekend for me. Intentional or not, I made some self discoveries because of Bloggiesta, and so I declare it a success!


So let's numerate the things I did, shall we.
1.) I "participated" in two of the Bloggiesta chats. I say "participated" because I logged on, would mostly read whatever everyone else was saying, because with my limited experience I had little to add, unless it was an attempt to be funny here or there. But because of that I did have the chance to meet a lot of new bloggers out there and visit their blogs and do some networking. I have added 31 new blogs to my google reader, so if I haven't visited or commented on your blog yet, don't you worry... it's coming! (So that is goal 2 and 4 down! woot, woot!) (Well and that was kind of a mini challenge too so I am going to cross #8 off too.)

2.) I did get better acquainted with Twitter, though not nearly as much as I need to be, so that is still a work in progress.

3.) Got on Goodreads and organized and friended people there. Score!

4.) I didn't get a header photo because I am apparently too picky in that department. BUT I did get a picture for my profile, so when I leave a comment it's not just an orange blob. Yay!

But here is what I discovered during Bloggiesta, which I feel is more important... well most of them.
1.) Wooden chairs are NOT my friends after an hour and a half sit! Friday night my butt and back were very angry with me! So that is a very important discovery for next time! Noted!

2.) The book blogging community is a very friendly and loving one. I thank all of you who have reached out, given me a read, or encouraged me this weekend. I needed it, Thanks!

3.) I discovered I love the story. Not necessarily books. I love the story a book tells. The story I envision during a song. The story a good, well done movie captures. The story behind the person. The story that is in my head. The untold story. It's not just books for me, it's everything...

4.) On Saturday, during my reading of about my 57th book review of the day, I discovered this is not me. "This" meaning a book blogger. I was amazed at the passion that so many put into their reviews, or how many books some are able to read. I was so impressed and ... so overwhelmed! There is no way I could do keep up. All of my insecurities of being a "slow reader" from school came flooding back. I love to read, but not compared to the likes of these people. I am no where near Suey in her ability to consume books, digest, and review them. So essentially, I discovered I had to be me. And though I know who I am, I don't necessarily know how that is going to translate on my blog. So I am still discovering that. I know I need to get organized and be more active here, but that will come with time. I also discovered some do not like personal posts, well I am sorry, but I have a feeling that you will see them here more often than not. I have gained a fear this summer of not being remembered when I die since I have no husband or kids to "think of me fondly", so I feel the need to put myself out there somewhere... And I think that somewhere is here. I have random thoughts that I feel the need to express on random subjects... So I guess what I am trying to say is... WELCOME to my WORK in PROGRESS. I hope I don't scare you away.