i heard you liked blogs

tag! i'm it!  if i didn't love sarah so much, i would have never done this! although at the same time, many of these same questions i've been asking myself lately, so it's like we're psychic blogosphere sisters.   here are the questions she asked, with my answers in red (of course):

1.  Does your blog fit into a "niche" and how do you choose what to write about?  Have you ever pulled a post after you published it because you regretted it or got some horrible feedback?
i don't think it does, unless you count step-mom blogs.  i haven't pulled a post, but i have written a lot that have never been published.  my mother is always is saying she doesn't read my blog out of respect for my privacy, and while i believe her, i don't know that i want to tempt her or say something shitty that will hurt her feelings.  i also have a sister that i have kind of a difficult relationship with that sometimes i wish i could talk about more, but also kind of think, "if this is difficult, how much worse can it get and do i want to go there?" although to be honest, i think i'm going to talk about that big mess more, because truthfully? i don't think i'm doing anything wrong.  who am i hiding from?
2.  Do you read a lot of other blogs?  How many? Have you had contact with the bloggers, or are you a lurker?
i read a LOT of blogs.  i use google reader (because bloglines pulled the plug after many yeas of use, then came back, but by then i was internet irate and just stayed with google. it's easier because i use blogger and gmail, too.) and the last time i looked i subscribe to 132.  some are comics, some are food blogs, some are house blogs, which i got a lot more interested in after i got a house, and a big chunk of them are everyday people blogs.  what i like about reading those personal blogs best is seeing how other people's lives and days unfold, seeing the connections between their lives and mine, as well as the differences.  this sounds so fucking corny, but reading about things other people are doing can totally inspire me to try something new.  gag. and i have lots of bloggy friends! some from the old blog, some from flicker, and all of them i love. i think internet friends are awesome and just because i can't come over and get drunk and pass out on your couch doesn't mean we aren't as good of friends as if i could. 
3.  Do you comment on a lot of other blogs?
some.  honestly, if a blog is way big, i don't comment as much.  i used to comment more, what happened?
4.  How important is it for you to get comments on a scale of 1-10?
i'd say a 6. i guess if i got no comments, i would be sad and blog less, but at the same time, you are talking to someone who has kept some form of diary/journal/blog for over twenty years.  i have to do something, i have a compulsion to write, and i like writing for an audience.  i think it makes my writing better. 
5.  Do you respond to your commentors?
probably not enough. should i comment back more? 
6.  How many followers do you have?  How did you get them? 
not very many! the official count on google is 25.  i used to have a very popular blog, that got hundreds (sometimes early thousands!) of a hits day, back when i used typepad.  i was a tiny bit internet famous.  sometimes it was awesome, sometimes it was creepy, and at one point i realized too many people i knew were reading my blog and some of them didn't need to.  sometimes i wish i had more readers, but at the same time, i'm not really sure how many are out there.  maybe i should do a secret poll and get a better count of who's out there. 
7.  How do you promote your blog?
i leave that up to sarah!
8.  Do you write for any other sites?
no, but mainly because i've found it a struggle to write as much as i used to on this blog.  when i met the man who would become my husband, my life changed in a radical way.  i had less time because suddenly it wasn't all about me, i was a partner and a mom, and for a while i was unsure how much of that i should write about.  i didn't want to betray the kid's or D's trust, and while he's never said to me, "no more blogging, woman," i get the feeling sometimes that he wishes i talked less.  he does realize, though, that he married a loud broad, and i think after i got in the habit of being quieter, it was just hard to break out of it.   
9.  What is your most favorite and least favorite thing about blogging?
i love it when someone says, "yes! i totally get it!" there are very few things on earth that please me as much as when someone says, "i felt/feel the same way."  i hate feeling like i'm not blogging enough and when i feel like i'm being uncreative.  i think that for me has been the biggest change over the last few years of blogging; i make considerably less crafty, awesome projects and that makes me feel bad. 
10. What advice would you give to potential bloggers?  What do you HATE when you see on a blog?  What do you like to see on a blog?
i would advise anyone thinking about blogging to do it because you like it.  seriously.  don't do it for money or followers or slight internet fame.  do it because you feel like you have to write things down, like you have to share, like it's an itch that only be scratched via html.  i hate self-conscious blogs, i hate whiny blogs, i hate it when i am both self-conscious and whiny.  i like to swear, both when i write and when i talk, so i dislike when people self-censor.  i like to see photos of your day, your pets, your amazing and cute children, your dinner, your shoes, any and everything!  i like to read your book, movie and tv reviews, i like to hear what you're listening to and see where you're going.  i don't want to be sold "style."  i don't want to hear a perfectly lovely size 8 woman cry about her fat ass, because it makes me want to yell, "fat ass?! i'll show you a fat ass!" i will also admit, as much as i love horror films, i do not like to see any photos you may have of your surgery.  dear sir, no thank you very much.  

how was that? too much, not enough?  what do you want to hear more about on my blog? what would you add to the discussion?  i will admit, i think i've been writing a lot less, and that makes me kind of sad.  i like being able to look back and read about stuff i was into, stuff i was doing.  i'm going to try to blog more, and to write more about the stuff that isn't pleasant to write about.  this, internets, is my promise to you.