blogging | BulgingButtons

November 14, 2013
by BulgingButtons 7 Comments

To Follow Stats or To Ignore Them?

In education there is a huge trend toward examining data. Test scores are valued so highly that we have meetings to discuss them virtually every week. At times it’s overwhelming, and frankly, something of the spirit of the child gets a bit lost in these discussions.

I won’t get all soap box on you, but my point is, the data isn’t the whole picture. That being said, it does have value. I just think a balanced approach is probably best.

The balanced approach is usually best, in my opinion. All or nothing rarely works out well, in my experience, especially when it comes to diet and exercise (this is where I get into trouble, but this isn’t THAT kind of post). Moderation is key. You know, balance?

That’s why I more or less ignore the debate amongst bloggers about statistics. Some live and breathe them, others say ignore them completely. I’m in the middle camp (is there a camp in the middle?). I enjoy taking a peek at them, and I get a not so secret thrill when I see lots of activity on the blog. But do I obsessively examine them for trends? Do I throw in random asides to generate more traffic? Do I cross post all over the internet? No. I do not. I don’t have the time or the desire to do those things. If you do, I have no problem with you, it’s just not my thing.

Still, I was thrilled to see this number. Two hundred. It stands for two hundred follows. I feel like I’ve been waiting for a while to see it. I set a goal, visualized it, and it happened. How cool is that? So even though I know some of those follows are from people trying to pad their own numbers, I’m okay with it, because I know there are loyal readers, and many of you slog through each post and take the time to offer feedback. That’s what I find so rewarding about blogging, and for that, I thank you.

November 6, 2013
by BulgingButtons Leave a comment

Let Me Explain

I know that my last post, the photo collage about sleep, isn’t what you’ve come to expect from BulgingButtons. It isn’t what I expect from myself, either, but I did it for three reasons. First, I’ve really admired some of the photo collages I’ve seen on other blogs. I knew there was a function provided by WordPress to create those collages, so I decided to tinker with it and see if I could make it happen. I did, in a very elementary way. Yay me.

I would like to learn how to manipulate the images more until I’m satisfied with their placement and their relative sizes, but for today this was enough. I would also like to spend more time integrating text into the post, in order to explain my thought process and vision (in case it’s not completely apparent). Those are goals for another time and another day, though.

The second reason I actually posted that little collage was as a bit of a reminder to myself that I need to be careful about burning the candle at both ends. I am someone who needs sleep. I become crabby and difficult to be with if I go too many nights without adequate rest. I also become worn down and susceptible to any passing germs that might be in my environment. I teach elementary school kids. There are lots of germs in my environment. I really don’t want to become a walking germ magnet. Early to bed and early to rise and all that nonsense. Except that I like to stay up late, which makes getting up early a real drag.

Finally, I hit the “publish” button because I was a little afraid that I might not find time later in the day to blog. These November challenges have taken over my being, and I MUST complete them! It turns out that I was able to steal a few minutes here, between teaching an after-school group and attending my son’s sports banquet, to clarify my earlier post. I hope you’re at least the tiniest bit sympathetic and can forgive what is clearly an amateurish attempt at what could be a great photo essay topic. Or at least a good one.

Please put away the rotten tomatoes, or better yet get rid of those nasty things! Forgive me my lame attempt, and click somewhere else on the blog for something a little more satisfying.

Until tomorrow, I remain bleary in blogland.

November 5, 2013
by BulgingButtons 4 Comments

Giving the People What They Want – Whatever That Might Be

Dear Readers,

My hope is to share with you content that you enjoy reading. I’m trying to do that in a way that is interesting and engaging. I’ve been looking at the blog stats and have come to the somewhat painful realization that my college statistics course was zero preparation for distilling the information I’m currently facing. Actually, that’s not quite it. It’s not the realization that’s painful, it was the statistics course and its accompanying MINITAB computer labs that were painful. In graduate school someone gave me the sage advice to take my statistics class pass/fail. Remembering back to my undergrad experience, I took that advice. Mercifully, I passed.

As interesting as all that may be, it’s just back story. Something I am told time and again to avoid in my writing. I guess old habits die hard. Here’s the crux of the situation: I want to know what you, the reader, want to see on BulgingButtons. From the start it’s been a cute little self-absorbed blog about my life as a fat girl. It’s branched out from there to include my life in general, including some thoughts on parenting my dear son, with bits about my teaching career, a little about my long neglected quilt projects, and a fair amount about the wonderful world of words, aka writing.

I sometimes write about health related topics, or the world of fat girl fashion. I also write about my food obsession, both positive and negative, and about my ongoing efforts to get my fat behind in gear, i.e. exercise. Some days this is more challenging than others. Oh, and challenges. I have the ongoing 47 for 47 challenge, and the NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo challenges for the month of November have kept me quite busy as well. I also did a series of Daily Passions Prompts, and I have regularly written to the WordPress Daily prompts.

I suppose I’m not looking for a new direction exactly, because I really like sharing my thoughts in all different directions, but I do wonder what aspects of the blog appeal to you most, and what parts are your least favorite (or just not interesting to you). I imagine the quilters have all left the building, as my poor neglected projects page hasn’t had any action (much like my poor neglected quilt projects). And anyone seeking recipes has probably moved on, because I haven’t shared any. But I know that lots of you have chosen to stick around. I’d love to know why.

I’m ready for the feedback, bring it on! What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of BulgingButtons, and what would you like to see more and less of here?

Thanks in advance for your well thought out and detailed comments! (See what I did there? Clever, no?)

With love and orange-filled Oreos (hey, I have to get rid of them somehow!),