Monday, March 1, 2010

when is enough really enough?

First off...let me just assure everyone that I did NOT go all shooty when I was denied tenure...as alas, I still.don't.know whether I got tenure. However I got word that the decisions have been made, letters printed and are awaiting signatures and 'hopefully' will go out tomorrow. They will come through campus mail and I should know Wednesday after lunch at the very latest. Hopefully. Hopefull.y.

Now that that is cleared up I have two big things that I want to tackle today, and a million little things I want to tell you about because stuff has happened, but let's get the big stuff done today so you can decide whether to block my IP address, or ban me to Reader purgatory, I completely understand if you choose either.

Here goes: I can't live without some of the blogs I read. BUT, there are some blogs that I definitely have to break up with. Some bloggers just, to be completely honest, annoy the fuck out of me, and for some convoluted reason I believed that if someone EVER commented on my blog I OWED them blog loyalty for now and ever more. I was finding that if I opened my Reader and certain people had blogged, I felt dread at reading those posts and then just wouldn't read any posts because I felt all guilty and angsty and blech. I know some people tag blogs at Good, Better and Best and read down as time permits, but I find if I have anything 'unread' I am anxious about that as well.

Here is what is stuck in my craw: I have read posts about what annoys people about blogs, Facebook and Twitter and frankly, I don't give a shit about what people put on Facebook or Twitter...I find the mundane chatter to be interesting. I don't mind knowing about your child's potty progress (chances are I want to know, that is why we are friends on Facebook), or what you are having for snacks on the train. Here is what gets me all upset and twisty: bloggers who don't know their place in the blog hierarchy or WORSE, want to be considered an expert in something whether it be weight loss or running or photography or mothering or beastiality or any combination of the above when they just are not. I don't want to be your fan on Facebook, I don't want to Twitter about your contest, or link to you on my blog unless I WANT TO...I just want to know what makes you tick and how you are and really, who annoyed the fuck out of you and why and what curse words you said (either out loud or in your mind) and maybe who you want to have fantasy sex with (this week I am into the Skipper of the Swedish curling team, YES, I know he is a tiny baby, but he is so pretty.) So that is where my head is at. Charming, no?

Plus, keep in mind that I am very NON-confrontational so don't ask me if you annoyed me, because chances are I will say, "NO, I love your blog" because either I do love your blog or I don't want to read your blog, but I don't want to tell you that I don't want to read your blog because I don't want to hurt your feelings even though I do think you are annoying as hell. I feel better and worse all at the same time. So, on to another issue that is very important to me:

How many t-shirts is the appropriate amount of t-shirts? I have not counted, but I probably have 50, which I know is TOO many. Mr. P says to keep 5, which I know is TOO few. What is the baby bear of t-shirts? AND, for the t-shirts that must depart my wardrobe, do I throw them away, or donate them? Seems weird to donate a t-shirt. But I totally will if that is appropriate.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

i have never donated a tee shirt because usually by the time i get around to trashing it, its pretty beat up.

there are times i read the blogs by folks who think they are "experts" at whatever. sometimes i find it inspirational. other times it just really pisses me off and makes me feel.....less...somehow. also, i subscribe and follow over 100 blogs, i probably read 10-20% of them. the rest i have given up on for similar reasons as youve mentioned.

oh, and what is this blog you're reading where the author is an expert on beastiality? i mean, im not into that, but im definitely intrigued. :)

i hope hope hope you get tenure.

Anonymous said...

Man, you are really going to miss my bestiality tips.

But seriously, I guess I don't get what the problem is. Why don't you just take them (us?) out of your reader? It's not like those bloggers are going to hunt you down and find you. I'm sure it is like Facebook and people will just drift away when you stop reading/commenting.

5 is too few. I dunno? 12? Give them away. Some slacker kid will buy them from Goodwill and wear them ironically.

Unknown said...

I wouldn't worry about it! Just read who you want to read, don't read who you don't want to read - it will all be okay!
(And if I'm one of the annoying ones - sorry! I have missed you, and will miss you if you go, but I get it, really.)

creative kerfuffle said...

well of course it couldn't possibly be ME that you're considering breaking up w/ in blogworld or fbland or wherever because we know i'm the shit. hmph. i also have a few blogs i could weed off my blogroll i suppose. i don't do the reader thing because i actually like going to the blog page. i'm a weirdo. and the tshirt thing---i would say weed it down to your favorite 25. then, of the 25 you think you can live w/out, make doubly sure they don't have some special meaning or sentiment. if they do, hide them and keep them forever. otherwise, take them to goodwill. and i too would like to know about this beatiality web site because while it grosses me the hell out i'm always curious.

Shelley said...

Keep ten, and in your spare time, make a quilt out of the others.

What?!?

Not Your Aunt B said...

I would keep meaningful t-shirts (like maybe the ones from all your races) and any others (college, Packers, etc.) I think 14-21 shirts is a good number. You can wear 1 a day to work out and still have some left if you don't do laundry every week. Plus there's long sleeved and short sleeved tees. I am way too into this tee shirt thing.

This cracked me up (or cracked my ass in half as we say around here):
"weight loss or running or photography or mothering or beastiality or any combination of the above"
The combinations are just killing me. That deserves a post on it's own.

I don't know about this reader thing or categorizing blogs. I'm not tech/blogger savvy and I am not a writer, so my blog is probably just eeking by.

And I totally thought of you when that prof went all crazy! Not that I thought you would go crazy but did you tell the tenure people that you may know someone who may own a gun? I know. I shouldn't poke fun at it, but seriously you're having to wait until WEDNESDAY???

lastchanceivf said...

You MUST get tenure unless they're idiots. Case closed.

T-shirts...there can be no wrong number. My Dad still has every single race shirt ever...from 30+ years of races. They're tiny and worn and folded perfectly into several drawers.

Welcome back, you were missed.

--V said...

Welcome back!

That didn't even cross my mind about that woman not getting tenure until you brought it up.

Re: the T-shirts. You can never have too many T-shirts, as long as they all fit. I suspect some are getting too big by now, maybe those could go? Goodwill? Would your kids shun Mom's hand-me-down T-shirts? If not, then at least you'd still be able to see them once in a while.

Swistle said...

The right number of t-shirts is the number that will fit in the available space, plus 3.

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

Oh how I've missed your bluntness from the blogosphere.

God, I hope I don't come across as an expert of anything on my blog. But, I'll be sure NOT to ask you what you think. Instead, if you choose to come back to read. Great. If not, no hard feelings. I've broken up with plenty of blogs in my time and expect others will definitely break up with me.

But, I still might come visit your place. Because, well, I like your honesty. And I like following your running journey. And I really do want you to achieve tenure. And, well, a sign that you're a true runner is when you start to wonder how many t-shirts you should throw out! =)

wafelenbak said...

re: blogs and so forth...I just gotta say AMEN. I love FB as well, and I really just don't understand why it annoys people so much.
This week I want to have fantasy sex with Matt Damon.
I feel like 10-15 is a good number of tee shirts. And I've seen them at Goodwill and such, so as long as they are not ratty or have holes, I think it is fine.

Jen L. said...

Girl. I just cleaned out my google reader TODAY. I was reading one blog that was making me want to call Child Protective Services because this woman writing it was the stupidest parent in the history of all parenthood and I was certain she was going to kill her children because of her studpidity. Gee, I feel better now.
SO GLAD YOU ARE BACK!

Jenni said...

Read what you want to read, don't read what you don't want to read...even if it's mine that you don't read. There are plenty of times that I "clean out" my reader from those that are ticking me off or boring me. I actually move them to a "on the way out" file in my reader and give them a couple weeks to get back on the other side before I end my "relationship" with them.

As for the shirts, I was going to suggest the same thing as Shelley, make a t-shirt quilt...the best quilt you will ever own!

Anonymous said...

(cough cough) But I AM the expert in beastiality!

Actually, I agree with what you wrote. I, too, used to think I had to read blogs of everyone who commented on mine, but I've gotten over it. If I find I like the person and am interested, I'll read, otherwise, why waste my time? If I mark someone's blog as read continuously for one week, then I remove their blog from my reader all together.

I have way too many tshirts but for some reason it's hard for me to part with them. I like Swistle's answer.

Amy said...

Love your commentary!

I've bought t-shirts (for work projects and such) at Goodwill. So give them away!

kilax said...

I like to check out a blog if they leave a comment on mine, but if I don't like them, I delete it. I have wasted way too much time trying to form relationships with bloggers who won't give me the time of day. It feels too one-sided. And I do have folders of daily and maybe reads. It makes me feel more sane when I open reader.

I still think FB and Twitter are annoying though ;) But I just stay away from them! Easy enough for me!

And I think that people begging for links is annoying. BUT, I have been doing contests on my blogs and asking for a link back and it has been a fun way to meet people. And I do post tips on my blog about running and health that I read. So hey, I guess I am pretty annoying!

kilax said...

Oh, and there should have been a winky face or something after my last paragraph ;)

Penny said...

I quit reading a few blogs because they were offering advice about shit I thought they had no business offering advice about. I also quit reading blogs if they talk to much about the politics of blogging. Shut the fuck up. Who cares just write a post about your eyeliner.

kathi said...

Sending good thoughts for good news on Wednesday!

I am almost an expert on t-shirts, because just about all Harley riders and their families feel compelled to buy a shirt at every dealership they visit in their travels. Add event shirts to that, and it is easy to go over 50 before you know it. I don't even want to guess how far over the mark I am. I've given some away, donated some, and the really ratty ones get tossed eventually, but most of them are kept and eventually stored.

Anonymous said...

I'm not an expert at anything except talking about stupid shit and my opinions of it. That's about it. ;)

I say come and go as you please...this is blogland, where none of us really know one another and if we do, we're usually too polite to be helpful anyway.

I'm actually doing what Shelley suggested - I'm using all my cotton race t-shirts to make a quilt of this year. Anything that isn't a running shirt (IE wicking) or have some type of fantastic memory associated with it (my signed t-shirt from Toad the Wet Sprocket, for example), gets weeded out about ever 6 months.

 
Creative Commons License
TheHotchPotchery by hotchpotchery.blogspot.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.