Monday, October 25, 2010

Help! Buffy Hates Me!

Holy pooper scooper, it's Monday at 7pm and I just NOW got done reading today's blogs (it took TWO HOURS).  And my computer (Buffy) hates me.  She's all loud and angry, radiating heat, trying to burn my fingers off the keyboard.  (honestly, I think its time to go to the doctor...she's on a hard surface, and plugged in but still gets so hot sometimes I literally have to stop using her and take a break)

I mean seriously, I love you guys so much, but I feel like I can't keep up!  I can't check the blogs I follow throughout the day because of work, so by the time I get home there are like a million blogs to read.  Then I try to catch up, but of course Little Monster is ready to play or eat or get ready for bed.  And then I go to bed practically right after her because I have to be at work at 7:30 (and if I don't get my full 8 hours...mama ain't happy)  And if I wait until the weekend...holy moley, it's like blogger threw up.

So how do you guys keep up with the blogs you are following?  It's so hard to keep up because of work, kids and actually trying to keep my house within sanitation codes, it's kinda overwhelming!  Oh and not to mention the book I'm writing, ms I'm critiquing, shows I'm watching and books on my TBR pile (um, and a husband in there somewhere). What's your blog schedule?  Do you have a routine for when you check blogs, and when you write blogs?  How do you not get so overwhelmed you just want to quit?

Okay I gotta go, Buffy's literally like, screaming at me and I think my wrists have third degree burns on them... 

16 comments:

Colene Murphy said...

Awe no! That sucks!
I keep up because I have a desk job and free time at work to keep up but it does take me at least 2 hours too.

(If you figure out what problem your computer is having is let me know, cause the hub's laptop does the same thing!)

The weekend sounds like your best bet unless you can finagle some time at work or something. Good Luck!!

Library Gal @Lost in the Library said...

It's hard to keep up for sure...I try and support as many blogs as I can, but I usually have to be selective of which ones I follow on a regular basis..and then try and catch up on the others when time allows. I closely follow ones who offer interesting posts, have the same reading tastes as I do etc....

Good luck with Buffy!

GreenBeanTeenQueen said...

I try to read the blogs when I can-I try to take time at least once a week to read my library must read stuff when I'm working in YA, but that doesn't always happen. I hadn't read mine in forever and today there 1000+ unread items which is too stressful for me to even think about! I organize mine into folders, and I read through the must read folders first. And there are times I just have to hit "mark all as read" in Google Reader and start over!

Anonymous said...

Cutting down my posting days to three a week has helped, but the thing that I most recommend is accepting that it can be too difficult to keep up with everything. When I'm feeling overwhelmed, I stop reading and commenting, remember that people post often enough that it's okay to miss a few days, and start fresh with the reading and commenting when I have the time.

Amie Borst said...

i'm facing the same thing right now. feel so torn with everything i have to do and everything i WANT to do. seems there's never enough hours in a day. if only i didn't need my sleep....

Anonymous said...

Do you have a laptop? Do you have one of those fan things that you plug into the USB to cool it down? Mine gets hot pretty quick and I use that fan thingy majig ALL THE TIME. It keeps my hands from frying off.

As far as the blogs...I have 2 different blogs. The one you read I pretty much just have other book blogs on my blog roll list. On my other blog I have the blogs split into categories. I just have to face it that unless I sit at my computer morning, noon, and night I will never be able to catch up. I usually start with my favs, then move onto book blogs, then when I have a chance I get to the other categories.

J E Fritz said...

It's so annoying when computers run hot. Especially when they were fine the week before! Usually it's because of some conflict with a program.

As for blogs, I can't respond to every one everyday, so I scroll through my list and pick the ones where I have something good to say. Like this, right? : )

Abby Minard said...

Thanks guys- you are being very reassuring! This is such a great community and I don't want to lose it! But I do have to cut down and not freak out as much if I miss a blog or two.

Abby Minard said...

Oh and Angela- I'll have to look into those laptop fans. Mine runs constantly and gets so hot so it might help.

Kristi said...

Totally feel your pain, well, not literally, the Buffy pain, but you know what I mean!

I often get overwhelmed with trying to keep up with blogs, so I finally decided to let go of the guilt. I browse posts for the ones that interest me and I definitely have a list of favorites I visit frequently. ;-)

I like to think most of us are overwhelmed and understand. (That's how I rationalize it anyway!)

Jennie Bailey said...

I love that you named your computer! I'm having the same problems with my laptop. I think I'll take her in at the end of the week. It's hard to part with her, but the whole overheating thing is driving me nuts. I get maybe ten minutes before she starts to get really hot and I have to take a break.

I blog in increments. I set the kitchen timer for 30 minutes. I go to my faves first (you, Colene, Jen, Sara, Liz, Meredith, etc.). I can usually read and comment on all of yours in 30 minutes, then I'm throwing in a load of laundry and writing my own stuff for an hour before I stop to exercise. Over lunch, I'll spend another 30 minutes hitting up other blogs (starting with anyone who has commented on my entry and isn't a regular). Then back to my own writing, housework, etc. I'll set aside some time after dinner tonight to write my own blog post for tomorrow and I usually end the day with a bit more blog surfing. That's the only way that I can manage it. It's hard!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I blog some during the day from work, but if I had to do it all when I got home, I couldn't keep up. I have those I visit daily and the rest are divided among the days of the week.
With NaNo coming, I'll need to cut back, but not sure how I'm doing to do that!

alexia said...

Hi! I'm a new follower, fellow fantasy writer and mother. I am getting into a blog schedule. M W F I write posts for my own blog, and T TR and the weekend I read all the blogs I follow. It is a lot! My husband was just giving me a hard time about it. Anyways, good luck with your computer!

Amie Kaufman said...

So many people face the same issue, including me. The key is to simply do what you can do. I organise my blogs into folders, and make an effort to first get to those I love, and to comment on anybody who's been kind enough to do the same for me. After that, I just do what I can do. After all, if one of your followers commented here every third post or so, would you consider that an issue? I'd still be delighted they were visiting! Nobody else ever judges us so harshly as we judge ourselves!

Abby Minard said...

Hi guys, thanks so much. I get notifications in my emails that I have comments, and I'm replying to each one, but I"m pretty sure some of them are either going into oblivion or all going to Angela Darling lol. I guess I don't understand the "no-reply" addresses in my email that are attached to some of your names. But every time I reply to one, it asks if I want to invite Angela Darling to gmail. Kinda funny. Anyway, that has nothing to do with what you all said...well, sorta- it still has to do with blogging and all.

Thanks for all the reassurances. And Amie- you are so right- I know people read my blog but don't always comment, or don't get to read it for a couple of days. And I figure we are all in the same boat, right?

Rachael Harrie said...

Hey Abby, I feel your stress. Am in the exact same position, and even more so with 50 people in my Crusade. I had to give up on doing NaNo in the end, just couldn't fit it all in. I pretty much do what your other commenters said, scroll through and pick posts that interest me, and comment on 10 or so a day (though that's the ideal, I usually end up doing loads more).

It can get stressful at times, but everyone's so right, it's not the end of the world if you don't comment for a few days (now I just have to listen to that advice myself!). I hadn't heard about sorting into folders though, will have to check that out...

Rach