The Good
- I enjoyed the challenge of writing more frequently. It did help me to "get over it" in terms of feeling like every blog post must be a work of art.
- I enjoyed getting to make some new blogging friends
The Bad
- Obviously, it was a bit tiring to both write every day and read so many new blogs. I didn't come anywhere close to reading 5 new blogs per day, and often felt like I wasn't really giving the posts I was reading adequate attention.
- It was really hard to find blogs on the list that were of interest to me. I think they need a better system of categorizing - maybe each person who enters could add a list of their interests or something like that. Ideally you'd have a system where you could look up everybody with an interest in cats, or gardening or cooking or whatever - not sure how to do that technically without a database though.
- The organizers asked us to turn off word validation for the duration of the challenge, which I did, but HOLY MOLY! I was overrun with spam. Won't be doin' that again!
- Turns out April isn't the best month for me to take on a big time commitment - I fear my spring gardening stuff is WAY behind. Can't blame it all on the challenge, but it didn't help.
Over all I enjoyed the challenge of writing more frequently - but I have to say that I probably won't participate again. Just way too many rules for a rebel like me!
Part of my goal was to try to quell my perfectionist tendencies and make each post much less of a big deal. I think I did succeed in that, at least moderately.
If I'm honest though, another part of my motivation was to give myself something to focus on other than Princess being sick. I'm not entirely sure how emotionally healthy it is to distract yourself from feelings that you don't want to face... OK - I know it's not emotionally healthy, but neither is obsessing over every bite and breath your sick kitty takes.
For the record, Princess is hangin' in there, much to the surprise of my vet. We're working to slowly taper off the dosage of her diuretics, to see if having her blood pressure under control and backing off on the fluids will be enough to prevent her from going into congestive heart failure again. It's a bit nerve-racking, but she's eating like a horse and thoroughly enjoying the fact that her mommy is letting her eat as much junk food as she wants and "sleep" under the covers (well, she sleeps, I generally just doze when she's cuddling with me.)
At any rate, that's my take on the whole challenge!
You brought up a good point about the timing of the challenge. Maybe January would be a better time--after the holidays but before spring when there's so much to do outside. I too gave attention to the challenge when my time might have been better used elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Princess is rallying. Hope you can find the right combination of things for her. The good news here is that we're trying a new medicine that seems to helping Lucky, one of my cats. He had lost 2 lbs, but has gained back a couple of ounces in just a couple of weeks. More tests to follow, but I'm encouraged.
I'm so glad to hear that Lucky is doing better! He's pretty darned lucky to have you, that's for sure! :-)
DeleteI'm glad to hear that Princess is hanging in there. And I'm glad that you found some good in the blog challenge. As a non-blogger, I have a lot of respect for you bloggers. Even occasional blogging seems like quite a chore, and I appreciate those who do it. As for myself, I am pleased that I read your blog everyday and commented almost everyday (I think I missed once or twice). I may have mentioned before that I'm a social introvert - even on the interweb, but I figured if you could post everyday, the least I could do was read and comment. You're helping me break my lurking habit : )
ReplyDeleteBTW - the cartoon was spot on - and that's why I don't let my cats sleep on the bed anymore!
DeleteI'm so glad you de-lurked, and I can't believe you read every single post! My apologies...
DeleteNo, no - my pleasure!
DeleteGood thing you tried the challenge once and that you finished it :) I do agree with a category somehow to list blogs that might be of interest; lots were writing blogs I visited that were not of interest to me.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about your cat, I know it is hard to watch them gonig through things like this and to be very concerned about them.
betty
Thanks Betty. Hopefully they'll come up with a better system for categorizing next year. And thanks for the well wishes with Princess - she's hangin' in there!
DeleteI didn't realise the extent of the a-z challenge and that you had to read/comment on a number of blogs. Good for you for getting through it. Sounds like a lot of work, sorta like me when I get to volunteering for events and then we have nice weather and i really need to be in the garden and I'm so behind....what was I thinking,even though I do enjoy my self at the events.
ReplyDeleteSending positive thoughts for Princess.
Marieann
Thanks for the positive thoughts for Princess. She really seems to be doing remarkably well under the circumstances! And I have to say, I'm totally overwhelmed with all the reading - perhaps it was just too much of a good thing@
DeleteSo glad Princess is hanging in there.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much - she is one tough cookie!
DeleteI didn't follow all the rules of the challenge. I just posted my random ramblings. I only read one new blog in the whole month. I'm trying to simplify my life, not add to it ;)
ReplyDeleteI think that's the approach I should have taken. Rules... OY!
DeleteI am glad Princess is improving, I will keep praying for her. I love the goat photo :) I am glad I found you thru the challenge, but I agree it was hard to find blogs of interest. The one rule I wish people had followed was to put the initials ob which category the blog was in.
ReplyDeleteMy problem was that I couldn't remember what the initials meant! I think having a blog name that is very descriptive helped people of interest find me. :-)
DeleteI am impressed that you finished the challenge - that is a lot of writing! Each post was as engaging as your regular blogging, and I enjoyed each one. I'm glad that Princess is better. It's a good sign when kitties recover the appetite.
ReplyDeleteAwww... thanks so much for your kind words. I did enjoy the challenge though I am certainly grateful it's over!
DeleteI loved seeing what you came up with every day for the challenge, but if I had to do it myself, I'm not sure I could have completed it! Kudos to you for a job well done.
ReplyDeleteI tried to check out some of the other A to Z blogs, as well, but I had the same problem you did--it was hard to locate blogs of interest to me--so after a few tries, I gave up.
Glad Princess seems to be rallying, at least somewhat. Add me to the list of people for whom your little cartoon hits home! Our cat is banished to the basement at night because I value my sleep and if he sleeps with me, he wakes me constantly.
I finally gave into exhaustion last night and banished the fe-lions for a few hours. It was the most sleep I've had in a month! I just hate to deny little Princess anything at this point in her life, but an exhausted mommy probably isn't helping her much either...
DeleteI bet you are over the moon with Princess' health taking such a sweet turn for the better.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize we were supposed to do a recap of the challenge. Not sure I will at this late date. Having just finished the challenge I feel worn out and don't think I would do it again. I don't care much for rules and it was hard to put other subjects aside to stick to the format of the challenge. While it was only one extra day of blogging a week for me it felt like a whole lot more because I did research for each post which I don't normally do. I couldn't wait to have my computer free weekends back.
I also found the same thing you and Live and Learn did, there weren't many blogs with material for the challenge that were of interest to me.
I'm still glad that I did the challenge, but you're right, it did feel like a lot of extra work. I'm not sure I could have stuck with it if I'd chosen an actual topic! Kudos to you for finishing! :)
DeleteJust now getting around to visiting the blogs in the challenge. April was a busy month for me. Congrats on completing the A to Z Challenge! Looking forward to next year! See you on the Road Trip!
ReplyDeleteMary
www.JingleJangleJungle.net
Hello there.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on completing the challenge! Thanks for visiting me along the way. I hope Princess is back on the road to recovery. I was once owned by a cat for 16-1/2 years and as much as I loved her, I never let her once sleep in bed with me...that was the only place off limits to her! (lol) I'm popping over again today from the Road Trip.
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