In a world full of incidents and information, you would think that finding a subject to write about would be an easy enough ask for a lowly little blogger like myself. Not so the case. It would appear that unless my brain has an affinity for my chosen subject matter it refuses to function.
There is nothing particularly unusual about that to be honest, the functionality of my brain has always been something that confused and frustrated me.
I wanted to be a genius, honestly I did, I was just too lazy / stubborn / undisciplined to study. I preferred the ‘drift into it’ method. When the time came and I looked at the slip of paper that bore my results I’m sure I uttered a sentence that started with “if only…”. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this was to become a regular saying in my life. Another favourite would become, “I have no one to blame but myself”. At least I have enough balls to admit when I am wrong, well most of the time anyway.
The trouble is, when I do something I like to do it well. I would feel uncomfortable writing about a subject that I have very little knowledge of. Sure I have an opinion and can offer it to anyone prepared to listen, but it won’t necessarily be right or correct.
Most people seem to think that you need to pick a subject matter and stick to it. Essentially this means that there is a theme running through your blog, but doesn’t this pigeon hole you a little? In later months you might feel a little uncomfortable about hitting your readers with a different subject matter than usual and perhaps losing some of the street cred you have spent months, even years building.
Personally I love people who write little bits of anything and everything. It keeps me interested and engaged. But each to his own.
If there are indeed different categories in the blogging world, then I fall squarely into the ‘mongrel’ one, because I am not a defined breed. I am a sum total of many different parts of anything and everything that comes to mind. Kinda makes sense now that I have been called ‘barking’ mad right?
I don’t have an exciting life. I don’t have time for hobbies, well except blogging and the Xbox and…ok so maybe I do have hobbies. I don’t travel the world. I don’t have an interesting job that I can regale you with stories of, however I do have very entertaining work colleagues and friends.
So you see even though I am, in my own way unique and individual, I am also the same.
I sleep, get up, work, come home, make dinner, do dishes, wash, iron, sleep and then rise the next morning to repeat the whole cycle again. The only difference between myself and some other folks is that instead of doing all of this for a partner and children I do it for aging parents, one of whom is regressing back to childhood.
Where’s the subject matter in that? Most times I am too tired to think.
So the moral of this story? Well that’s easy. Just write whatever the feck you want, there are eejits everywhere, if you build the blog they will come!
Tag: blog
Big Fat Broken Blog!
So, it seems it’s a for gone conclusion now, that when I changed my blog name from The Geeky G4mer to The Indecisive Eejit, I broke it!
There’s a hole in my blog, dear Liza, Dear Liza
Henry was more than likely able to fix Liza’s bucket, I am not sure however that he can help me!
Although it comfortingly says at the side of my blog that I still have around 190 odd followers, there are 100 or so who no longer see my posts. The die hards are still here, because either by luck, good grace or sheer badgering on my part they un followed and re followed me again meaning I still appear in their reader section.
I’ve contacted support by posting on the forums, but that was about a week ago and no one has answered. To be fair to them, they are probably secretly laughing and saying you should not have been so indecisive and changed your name in the first place. Thats a fair point, but the time was right, and with the blog name being the same as my Xbox gamer tag, things were getting a little messy and it was time for a split.
It’s kinda like starting all over again or the way weird mind looks at it, buying a bigger bag. All my personal effects are the die hards who have stuck with me, they are placed into the big bag before anything else, now I just need to walk around with it for a while until I can find more things to add. Perhaps on the journey some of my existing followers who are no longer aware of my existence will see me and say ‘Oh my, new bag, I must follow you again’.
In order for all of this to be possible though I need to get my head on straight and remember how to write. The mehness is an idea sucker. Last night I must have sat in front of this screen for a good 45 minutes. I really wanted to write, but I just couldn’t think of anything to write about. I have challenges to do (see more at bottom of page), but it was already after midnight and I need just a little more thinking time for them. On hindsight, perhaps I should just have posted ‘Goodnight’, but time differences make little quirks like that confusing because for some of you it will be morning!
So for anyone who still has me in their reader and has not yet Un followed and Re followed me, you may have to for things to work correctly. WordPress is wonderful, but sadly there is no way of letting your followers know on mass that things have changed, well not that I am aware of anyway. I am open to suggestions.
Ok so now for a few updates!
Over at Okay, what if?, things have gotten even more spooktacular than usuall. As well as the normal weekly challenges, a new month long challenge has been added for October, this one incorporates voting as well, so you can show appreciation for your favourites. If you would like more information about ‘October What if challenge. What if you descended into darkness?‘ just click the link and follow the instructions.
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The hilarious brain behind the blogs Her Broken Nibs and Lemon Lime Follies has amalgamated the two and all her writing can now be found on the second. The sheepsie is still there, so I was a happy bunny..erm shee…lamb. Have a gander, ewe will not regret it! Beware the killer socks though!
That’s all folks!!
New Beginnings!
The Geeky G4mer is gone but not forgotten.
Trying to get a lunch break today has proved quite difficult. Everytime I bring out my little tablet and sit down to type the door goes and it’s someone looking me for something.
There is a noted difference in the days, they are getting colder. The Tinsel Twit is talking about snow and we’ve not even hit October yet. Strangely she seems to have forgotten all about the Christmas dinner, I may have to consider renaming her.
I’m tired, so tired in fact that I am scared to lay my head down, even for 5 minutes as there is the strong possibility it would result in a major conking out.
The reason behind my tiredness is the fact that I foolishly decided to change my blog name at stupid o’clock last night. I thought I was smart and started with Facebook (Like me, please!!) changing the name to The Indecisive Eejit. Next I headed on over to WordPress and tried to find the settings for changing the blog name. To my horror I couldn’t find them and in full mini meltdown mode thought I had made a humungous error and was going to have to contend with two different names. Lee noticing the name change on Facebook, commented and I replied “I’ve fecked up”, only being that I was in the midst of said mini meltdown, I forgot to substitute the ‘u’ with the ‘e’, laying the word on Facebook with the full force!
With his help we trawled the inner brain cells of WordPress, otherwise known as the support forums and managed to figure out the steps I needed to take.
Plan in motion, idea half formed, only a little bit sure, I gnashed my teeth, fretted, hovered my finger over the enter key, read some more, fretted some more and in the end annoyed myself so much that I stabbed the enter key out of sheer badness. The deed was one. In 2 seconds flat, The Geeky G4mer was erased The Indecisive Eejit was born.
[Insert 2 minute silence here for the daily departed]
For a few moments I was unable to type. Even though I have wanted to change the name, and have only had it a short while, there is still a little sadness about getting rid of something that has provided so much fun.
You have all come to know me as The Geeky G4mer, and in fact some of you have never known me as anything else. You have all, in your own ways helped me on my journey and nurtured me. There is that moment of panic where you think, what if people stop reading, what if they don’t recognise me, so many what ifs. Count to ten, breathe, smile and carry on, whatever will be will be.
I refreshed the page and there was nothing. I shut down my browser and opened it again, still nothing…..oh for feck sake! I thought I had lost everything, all my posts, pictures the whole heap. I closed down all the windows, opened them again. Still nothing. Lee was able to see it, but I couldn’t.
Eventually it started to work. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
There are still a few problems, old comments remain as The Geeky G4mer, places where you linked to me will not redirect and I am not sure if I even show in your readers anymore, can someone let me know if I do?
There are going to be teething problems, but the bulk of the move is now complete and hopefully now that I am happy (well for the meantime anyway), I can concentrate my writing and hopefully providing you with some laughs!
Daily Prompt: Thank you!
The internet is full of rants. Help tip the balance: today, simply be thankful for something (or someone).
I’m thankful for WordPress. Actually, I am thankful for the bunch of eejits WordPress has allowed me to meet.
Everyone blogs for different reasons and gains something different from their experience. I had no reasons for starting a blog, other than it was something to do.
Initially to most people I appear to be the most confident person in the world, always in the middle of things, messing around, making people laugh. They are shocked when they realise this is not the case. I don’t usually talk about things too much, unless to my family.
The last 14 months has been tough going. Having to take 6 months off due to my ruptured patella tendon affected me mentally as well as physically. Being at home everyday made me realise how bad my mother, who suffers from stroke damage had become. In that space of time I have gone from patient to carer. Some things you come to accept, like the cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing, although the leg injury still plays a part in making life difficult. It’s the mental side of things I find hard to deal with. The mood swings, the fights, the feeling like you are constantly walking on eggshells. Even though you try, it’s hard to sit back and remember that she is not the person she once was. Mentally it’s a drain, and anxiety makes my stomach like a washing machine most of the time.
So like I said, I started the blog because it was something to do. I had no expectations. I had no ideas of where I wanted it to go. I just typed. It gave me something to look forward to when everyone was fed and I had 2 hours to spare before bedtime.
It became so much more. It’s given me a purpose and I truly adore the circle of people who regularly comment and go on my journeys with me.
I’m still amazed when they tell me I am funny, I don’t see it, but being told it makes me smile. I always was far to self critical, apparently! I love to make people laugh.
Blogging is so much more than just writing, it’s also about reading, commenting and interaction.
I’ve been captivated, duped and mesmerized by blogs. I’ve laughed, cried, sighed and rolled my eyes at entries.
All that aside my favourite part has been the interaction. I have been fortunate enough to meet some truly amazing people who unbeknown to them have lifted me and carried me through everyday since I started blogging. They offer advice, criticism, fun and laughter and never ask for anything in return. They let me read their thoughts, hopes, dreams and even sometimes their nightmares.
Through sharing our experiences we make connections that would never normally have happened.
I reached 100 followers today, and to each and every one of you I say a huge thank you. This blog would be nothing without you all!
To my loyal band of commenter’s, even the most recent ones with the cute sheep, cool cats and the ‘I burnt my buttcheeks’ presentation mug, an extra special thank you, you guys are amazing and I would have been lost without you all :) xx
Who am I?
Lee and Paul are irked with me, I know they are, but it’s not my fault. I’m still having a blog identity crisis!
I know when I asked this question before, most of you said that it does not matter what the name of your blog is, if the content is good. Lee made a comment on the last post saying that it did not matter what I did because I would never be happy, and in all honestly he is probably right, I’m never happy with what I write and can’t really see how people get enjoyment from it. I am assuming however, that most bloggers feel the same, if not all the time then at least at some point.
I started this blog for a laugh, I didn’t in all honesty think I would stick at it, my track record is pretty rubbish where blogs are concerned. I had no clear idea of what I wanted to write, in fact I still don’t, but I know now from reading other blogs from people I would class as proper gamers, not casual ones like myself that I don’t feel I deserve to have the word gamer in my title. Now I am back to work full time after the ‘Alien Leg’ incident I don’t get the same time for gaming that I used to, in fact blogging has probably now filled that space.
So do I pigeon hole myself by being called ‘The Geeky G4mer’? I have no idea, but I’ve already had to clarify the fact that I am a woman, so there could be some slight issues there. :)
Coming up with a new name however is a nightmare, I’d thought about Operation Eejit and that’s pretty much where it ended, after 5 minutes I had worn myself out.
I think what has surprised me the most is how much I am actually enjoying blogging, I love to entertain, I like to at least try and make people laugh, but in reality that is only a small part of the big picture. I’ve really enjoyed the interaction with others and meeting new people, blogging really does make it a small world. It’s made me smile on days when I thought there was no hope of turning the frown upside down.
So maybe that’s the point. I want to try and stick at this and see how it goes, so is my head telling me I need a more permanent name, or am I just being an arse like Paul and Lee say.
I’ve put on a poll. I really appreciate your opinions, so if you could spare two seconds to vote I would be eternally grateful :)
On a happier note, I reached 500 likes today. Thank you so much to all of you for reading and liking my posts, I could not have done it without you!! You lot are awesome and I’m really lucky to have met you all :)
Daily Prompt: Secret of Success
Daily Prompt: Secret of Success
What would it take for you to consider yourself a “successful blogger”? Is that something you strive for?
When I first started out, I used to think that in order to be a successful blogger I had to become Freshly Pressed. That line of thought caused me anxiety, because I knew I didn’t have the skills and the more I fretted about it, the less I wanted to write. After my first few posts I adopted a rather stupid ‘What’s the point’ kind of attitude.
When you’re new, it’s hard having no followers and no likes, in fact no one reading. Yes we all blog for many different reasons with varied end goals, but there are few who could truthfully say that they do not get a buzz when they attain new followers or post likes! So, whilst we all write for ourselves, there is always that little bit of us that craves the attention of others. We have a desire to entertain, amuse, educate and inform, it’s inbuilt.
As time wore on and I got a little better acquainted with the WordPress scene, I started to follow, read and interact with other blogs. I stopped writing for the sake of it, instead choosing to wait until I had something to say. I started to write for myself.
I can’t express how much I enjoyed the ‘Reader’ and I even started to look on Freshly Pressed in a new light, it was no longer something to be feared, in fact in one post I offered praise, as through it, I was introduced to amazing new posts and some equally amazing blogs.
Five months on I now have followers who comment and converse with me on a daily basis. They tell me whats good and what’s bad and their opinions matter more than anyone else’s, more than being Freshly Pressed.
Through the last 100 posts and my circle of friends here, I realised I didn’t have to be a successful blogger or spend time worrying about my lack of skills, I just had to be myself.
Bit’s ‘n’ Pieces
It’s hard to believe it’s almost the middle of August. Even harder still to believe, that in just short of 5 months it will be Christmas all over again. The tinsel twit in my office is already asking us for our £10 deposits, and if she doesn’t stop she’s going to get a boot in the old baubles!
It’s also been 4 months since I started this blog and I’ve been glad of it. It’s kept me entertained, kept my mind active and introduced me to some great new people, so its all good! Over 13, 000 hits, mainly due to the worlds addiction to Candy Crush, 92 followers and a new Facebook Page (which you can follow here)…who’d have thought it…certainly not me!
So here’s a round up of whats been happening this week:
Billy & Seamus have faces at last! Yes I know they are Xbox avatars ffs, I made them. Had I drawn them, they would have looked like two spuds (potatoes) with matchstick limbs, so what choice did I have really.
Any bored cartoonists stopping by, feel free to draw me a banner. I can pay in chocolate!
There was also more trouble on the streets of Belfast this weekend. Billy and Seamus got into a bit of an altercation at the ‘Here Be’s Me Burger Bar’ with big Eddie from the estate over ownership rights of the last remaining pastie bap. Three rounds of pitch and toss and a black eye later, Billy got his bap!
In other news:
Bruce Willis has ‘allegedly’ been dropped from Expendables 3 for requesting 1 million quid a day! My initial thoughts were, greedy big shite, but then I figured he probably needed the extra million to purchase the Saints Row Super Dangerous Wad Wad Edition, read more here.
Just in case anyone is interested, I’d be in it for a £100 a day! – Just sayin!
Once Upon a Time, Season 3, is set to air in the United States on Sunday the 29th September, we however, will have to wait a little longer. I was also interested to note that a new series is also being released which will cross over with the residents in Storybrooke, hopefully as soon as the first episode. It’s called Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, here is the trailer:
If you haven’t checked out Once Upon a Time, make sure it is at the top of your to do list!
On that happy note I shall bid you all adieu. It’s bed time!
Blogging to beat the blues…
The Geeky G4mer was not my first foray into the blogging world. Oh no. There were many many others.
Over the years I have had various little bits and pieces about my life on the World Wide Web. Scraps of this and that, scattered over random names that I have long since forgotten.
To date though, this has been the one I have updated the most, but it‘s hard to think of new content when your life is just run of the mill and compared to some, downright boring.
Everyone has something to offer. Everyone has something to give. Everyone will touch someone regardless of whether they realise it or not.
A blog for all intents and purposes it usually an outlet for something. Somewhere to be honest, somewhere to be humorous, somewhere to vent, the list is endless. Most of us do it for fun. There are some though, who have crafted their art so skillfully they can now live off the proceeds, or so they would have us believe. I feel under pressure to think of new things now, imagine what it would be like if I was getting paid and had deadlines. Pressure cooker springs to mind.
Despite the fact I do it for fun and to keep my aging brain active, there is no denying the little buzz you experience when you get a notification of a new like or follow. If I write and post something on my morning train journey, one person liking the post has me squealing with delight, usually at the expense of the eardrums of everyone within a 100m radius.
It makes me want to better myself, but in doing so, do I set the bar to high.
Years ago I realised I was never going to be an amazing writer or poet and I’m ok with that. I’m content to be mediocre or even something close to it. I’m enjoying the company of the people I have around me here, and getting to know them via the details they choose to share.
I’m learning things about myself, like the fact that I don’t have to be perfect or amazing or even all that intellectual. It’s perfectly fine to just be me, a little bit thick and occasionally funny. I’ve made people smile and I’ve made people laugh, and that in turn has made everything worthwhile.
Every time there is a little tinkle of a notification or someone leaves me a comment it’s a little pat on the back, someone is saying, you know what, you’re no Whilimena Shakespear but that wasn’t a bad attempt. That beats back the blues just a little.
So to sign out I am going to leave you with one of my poems, Lee who is much more organised than me kept a back log of all my old posts and poems from the site I used to have called “The Trouble With Me”. Now bear in mind this was written around 2002, so a little like my mental age, it’s around 11 years old.
Being Late
The birds didn’t sing and the sun didn’t shine,
as I snored in my bed unaware of the time.
And the next thing I know it’s a quarter to 8,
and my Mum’s screaming up, “you’re going to be late”.But even at that time all hope was lost,
I’d missed the damn train and my parents were cross.
My bed was calling but my mind said “Make haste”
So I tossed off the covers and to the bathroom I raced!A quick sprinkling of water, and a brush round my jaws,
and a luke warm face cloth around my face and my paws,
locating clean clothes amid all the clutter,
running around like a bit of a nutter.Down the stairs slowly it feels like a mile,
But “Good afternoon” she says with a sarcastic wee smile,
into the car for a 5 mile journey of silence,
mind it could have been worse there might have been violence.So here I am on a later train,
I shall never trust my alarm clock again,
but you know what it’s worth all the trouble and strife,
to get another shot at this thing they call life.
Inspire, amuse and educate me…
I love WordPress, love, love, love it!!
I’ve learnt so much in the short time I have been here, just from reading other people’s blogs. In fact the “Reader” has become my newest travel companion.
I’ve read posts that have made me laugh, think, question and quite a few that have made me emotional, even cry on occasion.
Whilst I have no idea who the majority of people on here are, there is something very personal about someone opening their thoughts to you and letting you browse.
I love it when someone is able to draw you into their story, so much so, that you feel that you are right there with them in that exact moment in time.
Of course no two people are going to react to a post the exact same way. So what is amazing for me, may be mediocre for you.
So whilst I love the Reader, I am experiencing a little frustration at the fact there are over a million blogs floating around out there that I might never get to see. That’s a million emotions I will not experience, a million people I will never meet, albeit virtually.
My “You may like” section, within the reader, seems to constantly give me the same options, even though I have X’d them after reading and finding they were just not for me. I’ve trawled the Blog’s I follow lists of the blogs I follow, if you catch my drift, but that just feels like stalking.
So here’s what I need. If you stop by and read this, please don’t pass on by. Take 2 minutes and let me know about your favourite post or blog. Something that made you laugh, think and even cry. It can be your own or someone else’s. Hopefully that way I can perhaps find a few more good reads to add to my morning routine!
Here’s a couple of my favourites that I think deserve a read:
Made me Laugh out Loud: Conversations with Cats
Made me Think: Hypocrisy
Made me hungry: Prawn pate, and other things.
Made me emotional: Making it so
Made me Smile: Animal Chaos
Made me worry for those who date online, oh and laugh: Will you be my matey?
Made me cry and STILL my most favourite post ever: Nickle Lauritzen and the Afterlife
These are just a few of the many amazing posts I have read, please try and help me find some more…..
Turning Spam into Ham!
I was getting a little bit paranoid.
Not the kind where I saw people wearing tan Mackintoshes and sunglasses duck behind trees and dustbins, but paranoid all the same.
Without my knowledge, I had become the lead character in “The Mystery of the Missing Comments.”
It started out harmlessly enough, I commented on a couple of peoples blogs. I’d never visited them before, so the fact that my comments didn’t show up was not all that strange. They, like me, may prefer to view all comments before they are published.
Another thing that lead me away from the scent was the fact that I was merrily rabbiting…umm…commenting away on my own site with no problems. Duh! I never even considered the possibility that this was because it’s my own site.
Today I commented and again it didn’t show up. I thought, “Ok,” they’ve changed their settings as well, but when two further comments then appeared from other people, that quickly changed to “ah feck, have I offended them!” Two more sites and the same problem, so another change to “FFS the whole blogging community has barred me.”
As fast as my little fingers could type I directed my web page towards Geeky and Freaky and Purple Shirt Paul, there is no way my two best friends would abandon me, no matter how much of a pain in the arse I am, but sadly they had as well.
Sensing all was not right with the world I loaded up a search engine and typed in, my comments are not showing in worpress?
After a couple of minutes of reading I realised that I was not alone in this problem, it had happened before. I continued reading as my blood pressure slowly returned to normal.
Basically it looks like Akismet has taken a dislike to me for some reason and is therefore sending all my comments to your spam folder, well that’s where Lee found them anyway. I’ve e-mailed them and notified them of the problem. Apparently it’s quite common.
For those who liked reading my comments, I haven’t abandoned you. I was kidnapped by the Spam Spectre and we were loitering with intent in the losers folder. You can rest assured that the voice you heard calling “Hello, over here!” was not in your head.
If I promise to behave will you come rescue me?
Free The Geeky G4mer – Head over to your folder and mark me as NOT SPAM please, I’d be ever so grateful!
Akismet calls this turning Spam into Ham :)
The Indecisive Eejit 