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By kilax, August 31, 2010 11:04 pm

Two blogger meet-ups in one week?! Lucky me!

As you know, I met up with Amanda (Vegacious) on Friday on my way to Kansas City. When I wrote all about it, Lauren (When I get a little, run run run…) told me she would be in KC on Tuesday and asked if I wanted to meet up.

Of course!

I made sure to remove the GIANT bowls of tortilla chips out of the picture. Ha!

I first found Lauren’s blog back in December when we participated in a holiday gift exchange and were assigned to each other. I didn’t know any AZ bloggers at the time, and loved reading about how she could actually run outside in nice weather during the “winter” months! Ha ha.

It was great to take a break tonight and have a nice, light-hearted conversation (not saying anything about Lauren’s conversational skills – just that that’s all I could handle!). Lauren is very personable and easy to talk to. I could tell that we could have talked and talked and talked, especially since she’s has a structural engineer degree and I have an architectural degree! Ha. We could tease each other for ages. I hope we get to meet up again sometime, when I am not trying to get back to the hospital at a decent hour…

We talked a bit about twitter and Lauren told me that’s where it’s at (or, that’s where she likes to dish). Who else uses twitter? What do you like/dislike about it?

Honestly, I haven’t checked it out much, but I am kind of curious…

Comments (21)

By kilax, August 28, 2010 5:58 pm

Thank you for your comments yesterday on the family emergency. We have a family member in severe condition and I appreciate your thoughts!

I had to drive from Round Lake, IL to Kansas City, MO yesterday. Instead of going straight there though, I made a few stops on the way (the trip ended up being 570 miles) – in Evansdale/Cedar Falls to see my parents and sister, and in Ames to grab dinner with Amanda, from Vegacious.

I find it amusing that I don’t mind talking on the phone with a blogger and look forward to meeting with them for the first time, but that I don’t like doing that sort of thing for work. Is anyone else like that – are you more comfortable with meeting/talking to other bloggers than you are in other social situations?

I’m not saying I am a social misfit (well, that much), just that I find myself more comfortable talking to bloggers – probably because I already know a bit about them.

Anyway, back to the point. I found Amanda’s blog about two weeks ago through the “blogs by location” function on Healthy Living Blogs. I was looking at bloggers in Iowa, and was excited to see one in Ames, where I went to school. I started commenting, and even won a giveway on her blog. So when I was driving through Ames, I thought, “why not meet up for dinner?”

Meeting with Amanda went like many of the other blogger meet-ups I’ve done. You talk and talk and don’t want it to end! Unfortunately, I did have to get on the road, so I hope I will get to visit with her again someday! She’s really down to earth and excited about life… which I love.

So why the post title? Amanda took a few pictures of our food with her new Canon Rebel, then we had the waitress take a picture of us together. From Steven’s Canon Elph (which I use):

From her Rebel:

Ugh. Those DSLRs take amazing pictures! So much clearer! Look at the pictures here she took of our food. It looks like it is from a magazine.

It would be fun to play around with one of those cameras someday.

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By kilax, August 19, 2010 9:14 pm

From here

I was reading an informative post on one of my favorite blogs* today and decided to read the comments to see what other people were adding to the conversation. I was surprised to see a commenter with the exact same name of a coworker of mine. That doesn’t seem odd, but this coworker has a very unique name, let’s say… Alexiou** (for story purposes).

I didn’t have time to go in to full detective mode, as I was about to turn my computer off and get off the train. However, I did have a chance to click on the Alexiou’s blog and see that the header was of the Chicago skyline, as well as email the (original) blogger to ask if they knew anything more about Alexiou.

The blogger responded that she didn’t, but I had a chance to look at Alexiou’s blog again after my run… it’s totally him – there’s a picture!

What are the odds that I would run across a coworker’s blog, while reading an internet friend’s blog (who is from New Jersey)?

So now the question is, do I invade Alexiou’s privacy and read his blog? Should I tell him that I found it when I don’t want people at work to know about my blog?

What would you do – would you read the blog and tell the coworker you found it? Read it in stealth mode? Not read it at all?

Steven actually asked me what I was going to do. He asked if I would care if a coworker searched me out on the internet. I told him that I put this blog out in the public, so if they want to, they can. That’s their right. If I wanted to make it private, I would.

So, I will probably check out Alexiou’s blog and see if I find it interesting. But I still don’t want to introduce my blog to my coworkers!

*I would link, but I do not want to lead to a search for unique names on that blog!
**This is not the actual name. In fact, this is my family name. Ilax is a derivative of the Greek last name Alexiou. My great grandpa Nicholas came here from Greece. When Christina was in NYC, she found his name at Ellis Island.

Comments (39)

By kilax, July 21, 2010 4:32 am

It’s my five-year blogiversary!

I started blogging on July 21, 2005 because I wanted a platform for sharing my adventures in Italy with family members. Now my blog has evolved in to so much more for me. I was actually having a conversation with Steven this Sunday night about all the things I/we wouldn’t be doing if it weren’t for blogging. It started with me saying he wouldn’t be doing autocross if I weren’t blogging, because I met Erin through her blog, and her husband introduced Steven to autocross.

What else was on the list?

If I wasn’t blogging I wouldn’t…

… have met some of the awesome friends I have / made connections around the world
… get as much varied advice/input/experience shared with me
… be staying in touch with certain people
… be taking as many pictures
… be documenting my life as much as I am
… (according to Steven) stick with running as much as I have
… be trying as many new recipes
… be improving my writing skills? (it’s questionable)
… be learning as many fun random facts
… be wasting so much time on the internets

and most importanly

… always have a place where I feel like I can express myself

What is on your “If I wasn’t blogging I wouldn’t…” list? How many years have you been blogging? Why did you start?

Comments (33)

By kilax, June 8, 2010 6:03 pm

I am usually so far behind in reading blogs that when I do get around to leaving comments, I am leaving comments on multiple posts, that could be days old… all at once. Is that annoying? Does it annoy you when people leave a lot of comments on multiple posts on your blogs within a few minutes?

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I just wonder because that seems to be the only way I can stay caught up. And that is with skipping the stuff I don’t feel it’s necessary for me to comment on.

I may have asked this before, but when do you read blogs?

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I read them while commuting on the train. So, being in DC for a week really screwed me over in that regard! It kind of screwed me over in a lot of ways. It totally threw me off whack, schedule-wise, health-wise and work-wise (unfortunately) and coupled with two back-to-back weekend trips to Iowa, I am feeling overwhelmed and worn out. But I swear, I can see the light in the end of the tunnel!

Anyway, I am curious about your blogging habits/thoughts. I am not stressed about being behind in my reading, I just miss it!

Comments (43)

By kilax, May 10, 2010 5:58 am

When you are traveling somewhere you’ve never been before, do you ask a colleague/friend who’s been there for tips on what to see/where to stay/what to eat?

Well, you know I do! That is kind of where my last Friday Question stemmed from – I was looking for camping recommendations (and I got them – thanks!).

I have coworkers who are traveling to Spain + Portugal*, Italy, and London this summer. Two of them have asked me to give them pointers on “must sees.”

Of course, if I was open about my blog at work, I would tell them to start here!

Since I am not, I am going to compile a list of my favorite sites (in Venice, Florence, Rome, Madrid and Barcelona). I bet a lot of my favorite sites will be highly common ones to travel to, so I am going to have to look back at my notes and see if there was any place off the beaten path that I just loved (Santa Maria Della Concezione**, anyone? Ha ha. )

Sagrada Familia – you cannot visit Barcelona without visiting ALL of the Gaudí sites! That would be a shame

You know, I wasn’t going to add a picture to this post, but decided to throw one in, since I have so many, and people often say how they prefer posts with pictures.

The thing is, I do not prefer posts with (a ton of) pictures. One or a few are fine with me, but I really don’t mind picture-less posts. Unless the author is talking about something you would expect to see pictures of (recipes, a race, their garden, their new bike, their new haircut, blah blah blah) I don’t mind if they aren’t there.

And the posts with a ton of pictures seriously slow me down and deter me from reading. Big time. It takes forever for my small computer to load them, and sometimes, they aren’t necessary (in my opinion). I try to get around all of the photo-heavy posts and look for the content – it’s just that when there are a lot photos, I lose track of what I am reading (hmm, maybe I am the only one with this issue?***).

Of course, this doesn’t mean that I don’t write posts with WAY TOO MANY pictures from time to time too. I sure do – my weekly workout recaps, race recaps, recipes, reviews, weekend updates – these all seem to be photo heavy. And I expect people to skim them.

And remember, this is just MY opinion! I know a lot of people disagree with this, so I am anxious to hear what you think! Maybe my thinking will change!

What do you think – what is your sweet spot for posts with pictures? Do you prefer them? How many (poll below)? If you do prefer them, what deters you away when posts don’t have pictures?

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I really like how Erin does her posts – one related photo at the top, then maybe more photos if she is doing a race recap or a recap of a long run. I always love Mica’s photos too – especially of Bodger! In my opinion, you can’t have too many pet photos!

*Have not been here (yet).
**A crypt made of bones.
***I think that the posts with a lot of photos tend to be more of daily-diary posts anyway, which while I find interesting to read, I do have a hard time following, because there is so much content. I feel like I need to take notes while reading. I will often leave a comment then be thinking “wasn’t there something else I wanted to say?” Again – I am probably the only one with this issue!

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By kilax, May 3, 2010 5:19 pm

Repeat post:

I am having the same Akismet issue I had back in March and in November – Akismet (my spam filter) cannot connect to my server, so it is not working. I am getting hit with a lot of spam, so activated WP-SpamFree in the meantime (which doesn’t show comments, just spams them).

It should fix itself eventually, but please shoot me an email if your comments are not showing up (kimilax@yahoo.com). Thanks!

Comments (30)

By kilax, April 27, 2010 5:17 am

Do you ever start to tell someone something, but then wonder if you already told them?

Of course, if you are a blogger, you may run in to a similar issue, where you start to tell someone something, but then wonder if they already read it. I picked up on this on Sunday, while I was talking to my grandma. She didn’t tell me she was reading, but it was obvious, because she already knew about half of the stuff I told her (and it wasn’t from talking to my parents).

The interesting thing is, there is so much we don’t write about on our blogs. Or, that I don’t write about, anyway! Did I tell you Steven did some autocross racing with Erin‘s husband, Jason on Sunday? Nah. Did I tell you Steven’s parents are coming to see our half marathon this weekend? Nope. Have I talked about how nervous I feel about being someone’s coach at work? Nah. There is a lot we leave out, so… it is important not to judge someone by a single glimpse into their life.

Oops. Where did THAT come from? I actually wanted to write about this blurb I read in the May issue of SELF yesterday. I do have the “I can’t remember if I told you or not” problem. Sure, I think blogging messes with it a little bit, but I really think it is the HUGE amount of emails I write, confusing my brain about what was shared via the written word and what was shared in person. Anyway, the SELF blurb said:

Ever start a story, only to hear, “You mentioned that already!”? There’s a reason it’s hard to remember whom you’ve told what: the self-focus required to relay an anecdote disrupts memory processes that usually link the story and the listener in your head, Psychological Science finds. Keep your audience straight by saying a pal’s name as you speak.

Okay, so that explains what is going on when you are telling an anecdote, but what about the rest of the time? Is this just one of those signs that I am turning in to an old lady? Or is it a sign that I am too connected in too many different ways… and my mind is confused?

Comments (51)

By kilax, April 8, 2010 4:47 pm

I hate writing the “why I haven’t been blogging” post (especially since I know as soon as I hit “publish” I will probably start blogging every day again) but a few nice people asked if I’m okay and I thought I should say something.

I’m okay. And I’m not too sick. The cold I got came and went fast (woo-hoo) and now I just have the task of blowing my snot-filled nose every 5 minutes. Bet my coworkers love that.

I am extremely worn out though and the allure of blogging and reading blogs seems to have temporarily left me. I don’t feel unhappy, just uninterested.

I think this means it is time to refocus on what my blog is. I usually love writing and reading, but I need to be careful that blogging does not have too big of a focus in my daily life. It can’t be #1, you know? I don’t feel like it is, but I do feel like I give it too much importance.

And while I haven’t been writing, I’ve been thinking about how vague and generic my writing has become. I feel like I don’t share many personal things. Not that I want to be scandalous, but I just feel like I have lost touch with what this blog is.

So, I am going to be feeling things out. Or, going back to how things were when I feel back up to it. Who knows. I do have a Friday Question written for tomorrow and am still writing my training posts. So, I’m here. Just not fully feeling it.

Do you go through periods where you lose interest in blogging?

The last time this happened to me was in August. It definitely happens.

Comments (3)

By kilax, March 28, 2010 8:59 am

I am having the same Akismet issues I had back in November – Akismet (my spam filter) cannot connect to my server, so it is not working. I am getting hit with a lot of spam, so activated WP-SpamFree in the meantime (which doesn’t show comments, just spams them).

I should be able to fix it eventually, but please shoot me an email if your comment are not showing up (kimilax@yahoo.com). Thanks!