The Sunday Roast

Over The Hill? Never Say That About Sylvia ...

This week's interview is with Sylvia K,
who writes the blog Sylvia From Over the Hill.

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

Two years ago my son in Seattle decided I needed a keeper -- well, not really, but he travels a great deal, has a dog, is not married and the economy was headed downhill and he felt we could both benefit from my moving to Seattle and into his house. He provided a lovely space for me, but it was a difficult change for someone who had always been outrageously independent.

That first year was very difficult for me and when I visited a friend in Portland, Oregon, she gave me an article about blogging and suggested it would be a way for me to, not only occupy me, but would give me a reason to go back to writing -- something I had done for much of my life.

I played with it at first, but very quickly got deeply involved in not only writing again, but taking up photography -- something I'd never done before. Blogging has brought so much pleasure into my life, so many wonderful people and opportunities, that I can no longer imagine not doing it.

What's the story behind your blog name?

One of the first things that people seem to refer to as they complain about aging is that you're "over the hill" and it always had a negative conotation. But it seemed to me that the further over the hill I got, the more things seemed to make sense to me, the more beauty I was able to see, the more joy I discovered.

My original blog was "The View from Over the Hill", but between computer and Google problems, I lost access to the blog and had to start over. I didn't want to change the original message so I just rearranged the words to, "Sylvia From Over the Hill".

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

The best thing about being a blogger is the many wonderful people you meet, make contact with, the chance to exchange ideas. It also gives you the opportunity to join with others in the various memes and those have been one of the most fun things of all for me. It is those memes that got me to experimenting with photography and while I still have soooo much to learn, it has given me an opportunity to express myself in ways other than just writing.

And the friends I have made, the feelings of love and friendship with and for people that I would never have met without blogging has made it one of the best things I have ever done.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

Don't be afraid to try new things. Don't be afraid to express yourself. Look for those memes that tweak your interest and get involved. Visit other people's blogs, read what they have to say, leave comments. These things lead people to your blog and the interchange begins and once it does, the fun never stops -- nor does the learning and the wonderful experiences that come with the interaction.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

Now, that is a difficult one because I have read so many that spoke to me, that offered me a new way to look at something, that informed me about other countries, cultures, people. Some just offer incredible beauty through photography. But I guess one of the first blogs that I read early on that made a deep impression on me was Octogenarian. His blog is still one of my favorites, he always has something meaningful, educational, wise and historical to say. I can't give the name of just one post because they have all been so significant to me.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

Another hard question! But I think perhaps when I began posting a series of mine called, "Looking Back", just as a way looking at my own life over the years, the one post that I feel was most significant was entitled "Looking Back - A Personal Look at Color", which told the story of my marriage to an African American, in the 1960s, in Texas -- where inter-racial marriage was still against the law.


Today's Sunday Roast with Sylvia is the 83rd in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

The Sunday Roast

Not Just A Flash In The Pan

This week's interview is with Eddie Bluelights,
who writes the blog Clouds And Silvery Linings.

Here's the first of the standard questions.Why do you blog?

My reasons for blogging are different now compared with when I began. I have always wanted to have a crack at writing - at first I saw blogging as a vehicle to develop my untested writing skills and to relate my ambulance experiences to ‘an audience’. Little did I appreciate just how difficult a task lay ahead of actually 'gaining an audience' and just how persistent I had to be to make any success in blogland. By success I mean receiving comments and acquiring followers.

I wrote a post about all this entitled A Blogging He Would Go! but suffice to say that once or twice I almost gave up entirely, having acquired just two ‘animated’ followers, a woman trying to sell me wallpaper and someone considering I required the services of a dating agency! Geepers! I already have one ‘trouble and strife’ – isn’t that more than enough? Two would be impossible!! My first post was a serious one about losing a dearly beloved renal patient and only one person read it - I was very disappointed but I did not realise at the time it takes time to get established.

My reasons today for blogging are entirely different. I love writing, reading other people’s work and posting my comments - but it is all very time consuming! Of course for me the most rewarding aspect of blogging is receiving comments for one’s labours. Time is sometimes rather limited so it is not always possible to visit people as often as I would like but one has to have a balance with life outside blogsville.

I started comedy and creative writing with my Mickey the Budgie stories and these caught on with some folks who signed up as faithful followers. From then the enterprise grew very gradually with a wider audience gained, resulting in turn with more comments received, responding to subjects like a Harley Davidson motor bike boasting in broad Shakespearean just how great he is and this led me to suppose what life would be like today if we all talked in broad Shakespearean.

Blogging becomes a bit addictive after a while and I think the reason for this is the social aspect. I have made some very good friends and email a few really close people regularly. To stop doing this would be a wrench for me now. The television does not get a look in these days but my wife thinks I am totally crackers for spending so long in this other world!! - a world which in many ways makes much more sense than the outside world in which we live.

What is the story behind your blog name?

The name Clouds and Silvery Linings originates from a Stanley Holloway monologue, The Return of Albert, in which Mr Ramsbottom tries to console his wife after their son has been eaten alive by a lion, remarking to her, “Let’s look on the bright side, mother, what can’t be helped must be endured, every cloud has a silvery lining, and we did have young Albert insured.’ It just seemed to fit like a glove to an idea I was trying to achieve at the time, posting some sad stories sometimes mixed with some funny stories, with not much in between – a sort of bi-polar approach. My good friend Janine at Sniffles and Smiles does the same thing with her blog with very good effect. Incidentally Janine and I started out in Blogland at about the same time.

My other blog, Plato’s Procrastinations is a fun blog and I used a ridiculous but catchy name to suit my rather over-developed sense of humour, with Plato and Socrates living at a recently excavated site where they somehow come back to life and are currently holidaying in Rhodes together. If they ever come back I shall be really ‘stumped’ – I’d be completely lost with their far superior intellect!! Incidentally on this blog I have posted most of the Stanley Holloway monologues, including, The Return Of Albert.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

I see blogland as a community and a large family of wonderful people with each person as an important constituent member, rather like the inhabitants of a beehive or an ants' nest - all different – all contributing in his or her own special way for the good of the community. I love trying to encourage new bloggers, fully realising what a struggle it is to get going and achieve success. I have met some wonderful people - many are now personal friends – helpful, friendly, encouraging and talented.

I see some friends, or even strangers, who are sometimes upset about something or other and it is a privilege to try to reach them and cheer them up a bit; leaving them a word of hope, a spiritual cuddle, a kind word - anything to help them. Along the way I have met some truly great writers, photographers, artists, poets and story tellers. Some leave me standing from an academic and intellectual level – some poetry and poetic writing is way over my head, yet I can tell these friends want to come and visit little old me from time to time and usually they like what I do and like what I say. They seem to all like my humour.

I love leaving witty and humorous comments here and there, particularly for the ladies – it is all such good clean fun and they all seem to come back for more. I see the blogging arena as a stage where I can unwind and perform and make people laugh and sometimes make them cry with a sad story. It is a huge escape valve for me from the outside world which I call Cosmos Diabolicus.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

Crumbs! That’s a bit difficult for a fairly new boy! However, I remember some of the mistakes I made and would advise new bloggers of these pointers which I had to learn how to rectify the hard way:

1. Don’t make posts too long like I did. 700 words is enough because the reader wants to see 20-25 people as well as you during this sitting and if he sees a huge mountain, no matter how well dressed, he will not read it all. He cannot. I know! I'm a fat one to talk!

2. Even in a serious post inject some humour to break up the rhythm and make them read on.

3. Use photographs and always take a camera – everywhere! I have missed some great photos by not doing so – a car on fire, some animal stories lost because I missed some unusual situations. Just one photo can make a short story, like my recent Peacocks in my garden - they just dropped in from nowhere - clean out of the sky, and this time the camera was there, ready for them.

4. Try to make posts relate to personal experiences. This is something I have started to do much more recently and it is beginning to unlock more doors. People can understand these and relate to theses posts, like my recent ambulance stories I am doing, or my bird nest boxes.

5. This works for me, but be careful. Flatter the ladies, including some nice compliments in your comments. I love doing it and if done tastefully and politely it will win you friends. But always make sure your Dr Jekyll is in total control of your Mr Hyde – I have gone a little near the mark once or twice – naughty boy! But I know no offence was taken – thank God!!

6. Persevere – Rome was not built in a day, as Lola will tell you. I think the real answer is commenting on other people’s posts regularly, which alas I cannot do enough of at present due to pressures at work. Be witty and interesting in your comments - and above all be genuine.

What is the most significant post you have ever read?

Bearing in mind I have been on the scene only seven months or so and I have not yet met every talented writer, I have some really great recommendations. There are several bloggers whom I must read, every time. If I had to choose just a few I would chose Meredith Teagarden of The Things We Carried, currently on vacation. In my view her post which moved me most, almost to tears, was Men in Black and White and Khaki. At this moment in time I would rate this post as the finest I have ever read - anywhere! All of Meredith’s posts are wonderful and I would not miss reading any.

Another truly great writer is Janine at Sniffles and Smiles, currently taking a well deserved rest, and all her posts are POTD material, some sad and some funny. In fact Janine has had more POTDs than hot dinners and all her output is a 'must read'. She is conspicuous by her absence right now and we all miss her.

I do not like mentioning just two great writers because there are many more. For me personally I like Lola at Aglio, Olio & Peperoncino for her all round ability with her fabulous menus and historical postings – all meticulously researched, crafted and presented – so interesting. And I can tell you she is a lovely lass as well with a great sense of humour (thank God) – a real poppet and she is very tolerant of a 'kitchen ignoramus' like me who has 'two left spoons' when it comes to cooking. She, too is on vacation currently, as is my next choice, another great writer, photographer and good friend, Cherry at The Girl from Cherry Blossom Street and I cannot forget a great talent and highly popular lady and a celebrity, Debbie at Dishing with Debbie.

You see we all meet people in blogland whom we really like – everyone I have mentioned is a good friend of mine, including some of my more recent introductions to whom alas there is no time to mention. In fact I know there are other great people out there I have not met yet - I'm looking forward to it.

Jim at Suldog is a real treat to read and I love ‘sparring’ with him – we have had some great battles recently but underneath it all he and I are real softies. Jane at Gaston Studios always provides an exceptionally interesting story. And there are many, many other super writers, Erin at Woman in a Window and Michael at The God of Another World to name but two - these are two in fact who are a little too clever for me but are good friends. You see I could go on and on – quite simply I feel greatly privileged to be doing this Roast because actually I look up to all these people and admire their work greatly. Forgive me not mentioning other greats - time and space is limited.

And, of course David’s rhymes, anecdotes and posts at Authorblog inspire me to add my bits and pieces - I love doing that.

What is the most significant post you have written?

It has to be my fun post, They’re Off: Bloggers’ Grand National in which all the principal riders were bloggers and their horses were their blog names. This was such great fun to write and everyone seemed to love it and all wanted to win the race so badly – some want another race next year, crumbs – how the ‘ell am I going to do another one??? It is a pity though that some really great characters have emerged since this post, previously not known to me at the time of writing, and the race would have been much better with them in it - just imagine Jim at Suldog in it as well!! The mind boggles!!.

This post broke all the blogging rules – it was far, far too long but I got away with it because it had to be very lengthy to achieve the end result when everyone was shattered with sheer nervous exhaustion. When the race was finished the poor commentator nearly had a heart attack - his voice was an octave higher and in musical terms he was speaking Presto Agitato and with a huge Crescendo. I was stretched to the limit of my creative writing ability to keep attention throughout this very long and gruelling race – I made the horses talk, I met a lovely lady en route and several of us spoke in broad Shakespearean whilst all the rich American punters got impatient and threatened to ‘bust my ass’ if I didn’t get on with the race and to quit talking that Shakespearean crap!!

Other posts I enjoyed writing were Mickey the Celibate Budgie and Mickey the Lovesick Budgie – these really caught on with my early readers. I have written a three part love story, And Lead us not into Temptation, a five part play, 767 Weddings, 2 Irate Vicars and Almost a Funeral. And, of course I have written more humour and some serious material as well.

Currently I am relating my ambulance experiences - there are some very funny memories and some very sad ones as well. I issue a warning as a preview of coming attractions! I am working on another big production where we can ALL have some great fun - another 'biggy' like the Grand National - watch out you may be in it! Watch this space - but it will take a while to complete.

If someone two years ago had told me I would have done all this I would have called them stark raving bonkers. Not even in my wildest dreams would I have thought this could happen, let alone did happen.

In conclusion I would like to thank two people who kept me going during my early days with their encouragement – I thank you Janine and I thank you too David, and I wish all new bloggers every success with their blogs and posts.

Once again, David, thank you for the roast – as usual I have been a bit verbose and consequently been on the spit for a while and although I am well done I must get off because it is getting far too hot and unless I escape I shall soon be a burnt offering.

Today's Sunday Roast with Eddie Bluelights is the 82nd in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

The Sunday Roast

He Can Close His Eyes And Think Of England

This week's interview is with The Brit,
who writes the blog Spinning The Wheel.

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

I put off having a blog for a long time, I guess I did that out of fear really: the unknown and the fact that having a blog shows every part of you as a person, at that point in my life I wasn’t sure if I was ready to meet the world in close-up as I was going through some tough times. I’m a British guy living in Brazil, far away from my family and friends at home. I do have very good friends here in Brazil, of course, as I have lived here for ten years now but other expats will know that feeling of a kind of loss and detachment from "home" and having a blog seems to connect everyone from all parts of the world in such a wonderful and genuine way, a little bit of "Home Sweet Home" away from home...

The day that I decided to sit down and create my blog I was instantly immersed into a different world, a virtual universe where wonderful caring people reside.

In the beginning I wrote insignificant and quite empty posts, I felt quite lost really, but then I decided to just be open and honest and write about me and my life and then I was hooked, it’s all been a wonderful release, a real lesson in self-therapy. My life so far has been a rollercoaster of incredible highs and devastating lows.

I’ve experienced terrible loss and was buried in a deep black hole for three long years after my Mother passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in the UK. If I could have had a blog back then it would have brought me out of the darkness faster. Blogging and writing my poetry truly has saved me as I was going quite crazy at times, I see that now.

What's the story behind your blog name?

I’m a huge fan of the British singer/songwriter George Michael and one of his greatest hits is "Spinning The Wheel" The words in that song really resonate with me, he always writes such wonderful lyrics and he truly is a poet (you only have to listen to "Jesus To A Child" to know that) his songs are full of wonderful metaphors and meanings; some easy to find and others hidden deep within the verses, I’ve always been a huge fan since forever.

Plus the title "Spinning The Wheel" is like spinning a wheel of fortune and seeing where it will land... fate and not knowing what the future may bring, guided by some unseen force... and I feel, and have felt, that way in my own life many times.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

Without a doubt all the truly fantastic people I meet! Every day I am so surprised and extremely touched at how many truly wonderful, caring and genuine people are out there in the land of blog! Also how many truly talented writers there are out there just waiting to be discovered! It’s a world of incredible people and their wonderful words, it’s like a huge living library of great personalities!

Some months ago I went through a very bad break-up and it was the people in my blog circle of friends that helped me through it all. People were sending me e-mails of support and concern and I truly did appreciate that and let them all know it. I had more comments and e-mails of support and love from my blogging friends than I got in the real world and it’s at times like these when you really do see how lucky you are to have met such kind, warm, genuine, caring and utterly fantastic people in the blogasphere – people who I never thought existed before I had a blog.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

This one is easy: Speak the truth and never give up! Just be yourself and write always from the heart. It doesn’t matter if you are writing about some terrible or wonderful experience in your life or if you are just writing about a day at the supermarket, the important thing is to be genuine and write exactly what you feel, from the heart, that way the inspiration comes thick and fast.

And when you read a post on someone’s blog always leave a comment ... remember that they, just like you, have spent a long time to write that post and have let you know a bit about their life. I always leave comments and I always reply to comments left on my own posts too, it’s a mark of respect and gratitude, I guess they call it "bloqiquete" now.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

This is the most difficult question as I have read so many and have found so many wonderful friends by reading so many fantastic blog posts. But I love reading about people’s lives and experiences and one that does stand out in my mind was from my dear friend Maggie May that she wrote in 2008 called RestingPlace, all about the sad passing of her dear son-in-law. That post really stayed with me and I got extremely emotional reading it, and the subsequent posts that she wrote, about this huge loss brought upon her, her daughter and her young grandchildren. The grief and heartbreaking loss just poured off of the page.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

Hummm ... difficult ... but I would have to say "Scenes From Another Room" – My Story: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5 as this series of posts are so extremely personal to me and I spent more than four hours writing each one.

I totally poured my heart and soul out onto each and every page, every bit of happiness and extreme sadness that I have experienced over the years. I cried ever such a lot whilst writing it all and especially when I was writing and remembering all the heartache and extreme loss I suffered when I lost my dear Mum to cancer when she was only 56 years old and how I had to return home alone on the loneliest 12-hour flight of my life, knowing that I had already lost her. I just looked out of the window as I flew above the clouds and cried for 12 hours.

But my story continues ... I’m extremely happy here in Brazil, I went through an extremely stressful time over Christmas, New Year and for three months afterwards, when my relationship of 13 years finished, but my life has changed for the better once again and I am living an extremely happy life with a new partner who I absolutely adore and who also adores me.

I haven’t been this happy in many, many years and I’m in a state of well-deserved joy, so it’s a very happy and rejuvenated blogger who is answering your questions right now – I want to thank you very much for this honourable pleasure David! I really appreciate it!

Today's Sunday Roast with The Brit is the 81st in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

The Sunday Roast

Blogging With True Religious Fervour

This week's interview is with Sharon,

who writes the blog Dances With God.

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

I began blogging after reading other blogs. The creativity, the journaling, everyday life of other people, great stories, inspired me to move from just journaling and working on a book I was writing, to the blog posts. I enjoy blogging as an outlet for comedy, inspiration and connecting with others.

What's the story behind your blog name?

About a month before I began blogging, I begin my first year as a seminary student. Especially during the first four weeks and continuing through the first semester, I was presented with interesting facts that caused me to question so many things from my childhood experience of church, my faith, and what God really is all about.

I felt that everyday in class was a dance with God. The thoughts that went through my head, my prayers and conversations with him began to be like dancing on broken glass, or tiptoeing through the tulips. That was the best growing to know God experience that could have ever happened to me. By the time I started blogging, I began to like my dances with God and thought it would be appropriate to title my blog just in that manner. I shared in my profile that I am a pastor.

I have met people, whom I have enjoyed conversations with, all is fun and great, even inspiration and when they stop to ask, "What do you do?" I respond and say, "I am a pastor". Those same people look at me as though a holy cloak was thrown around me and they too, begin that "God dance". It is often a challenge to help them recognize I am just another human, working my way through life, as they are.

Our differences are the callings we have answered because of the passions that drive us. Yours are inspiring us with wit, poetry, rhymes, and incredible photography. Mine is being a pastor; a pastor that lets people be who they are, where they are. After all, don’t we all need that?

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

I have met the most amazing and wonderful people since I have become a blogger. I continue to find new blogs that I follow. I have grown as a person because of people I have met.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

Be sure you are okay letting the entire world in on what you have to say. Show up, tell your story, and don’t be attached to the outcome. You will have people who love what you have to say. There will be others who aren’t kind. Be who you are and don’t let someone else dictate what you do on your blog. Be original.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

David, this is the hardest question. There are so many. Some help me grow spiritually, like Braja at Lost and Found in India. Some have incredible true stories like Jane, at Gaston Studio. Jane’s adventure and ability to tell her story puts her readers there with her. Otin at The Wizard of Otin blows me away with his fiction, his depth and character and his ability to sound superficial when the whole time, he totally gets life the way it should be.

Michel at Facts are Strictly Optional is the funniest, most comical person I have ever had the chance to read about. The way she writes about her everyday life, brings tears of laughter and side-splitting humor. She is a gem. I believe the most significant post I have ever read is from Shannon. Her post Live Your Truth was spoken well, it made a statement and would make a great presentation for all pastors to read or hear.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

The Pastor’s Mirror is my most significant post. My goal was to give people an inside look at my life and see that we all have the ability to rise above circumstances and turn our lemons into lemonade. I believe that message was received just as I intended.


Today's Sunday Roast with Sharon is the 81st in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

The Sunday Roast

Inspired To Reach New Literary Heights

This week's interview is with Muthering Heights, who writes
the blog Muthering Heights And Other Senseless Sensibility.

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

Well, the short answer would be that I blog because I can! But to elaborate, I blog because I enjoy the pursuit…not so much the pursuit of writing, as I have never found my writing to be terribly interesting, but more so to connect and communicate with other people en masse, as I have little time to leave the house, and after three successive pregnancies, little memory on which to rely on to prompt me to call anyone!

I have also found that connecting with other bloggers has allowed me to learn quite a bit from persons that would never have had the opportunity to encounter otherwise. The blogging community is an amazing place, filled with lovely people!

What's the story behind the blog name?

I have always enjoyed a good play in words…nearly as much as I enjoy classic literature! (But not to worry, Jordan and I are certainly not Catherine and Heathcliff!)

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

(Allow me to preface my answer by noting that I will soon be giving birth to my third child in three years, which should suffice to explain that I do NOT get out much!) The best part of blogging, as far as I am concerned, is the opportunity not only to share my life with others from, but also to cultivate positive, edifying relationships with other people.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

I would advise a new blogger to get “out and about” in the blogging community as much as possible. I have found that to be, by far, the best way to connect with other readers/writers!

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

This is a difficult question, as I have absorbed so many interesting and engaging bits from the blogging community. I couldn’t possibly narrow it down to just one!

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

I’m interpreting “significant” as the post that has touched the highest number of people in the most meaningful way. In that case, my post detailing my 100 pound weight loss has been the most significant. I have received an incredible amount of feedback about the inspiration and encouragement my story has provided to readers in many different areas of life, not simply those struggling with health issues!


Today's Sunday Roast is the 80th in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

The Sunday Roast

If You Can't Find Tarzan, Just Call On Jane

This week's interview is with Jane,
who writes the blog Gaston Studio.

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

I started blogging as a means of getting traffic to my retail website, Gaston Studio, but after reviewing many online shop owners and finding that all they did was show what items were in their shop (and I found that boring!), I decided to change tactics completely. I started posting stories from my life and that’s when things took off.

What's the story behind the blog name?

It’s simply the name of my online shop (incorporating my surname) and the way in which I signed up at Blogger! If I had it to do over again, I’d name it Going Places because this can refer to the physical, emotional and spiritual places to which we go.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

Undoubtedly, the people you "meet" in blogland. I’ve found some wonderful people that I would truly like to meet in person and I can’t think of a better compliment than that. Also, the comments offers an insight into the commentator as to their reaction to posts on which they comment; and, into how they somewhat react to current events.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

Since I’m still a newbie myself, I can only offer some simple ideas: First, sit down with pen and paper and think about what you want your blog to say about yourself. Second, come up with a name that conveys that idea. And third, be honest with and to your readers.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

Social Angst, which was posted by Snowbrush in 2005. The posts this dear man writes comes from his heart, his soul and his gut; you may not agree with everything he says, but he’ll surely make you think. Mind you now, I haven’t read all of his older posts but Social Angst struck a cord with me immediately upon reading it.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

Young And Ignorant, which I posted in May of this year. The events of this post really taught me many great lessons. Firstly, how important it is to be aware of what’s going on around you, especially when it comes to people and current events. Secondly, although I was certainly aware of racism, it never occurred to me just how much hate there was for other human beings, and I vowed my children would never judge another person by their color or religion. Thirdly, once you’ve become aware, you can trust your instincts. And lastly, to try and make wise choices in life because the choices you make rarely involve only yourself.


Today's Sunday Roast with Jane is the 79th in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

The Sunday Roast

It's Official - She's Cracked The Da Vinci Code

This week's interview is with Susan,
who writes the blog Pouty Baby's Nonsense.

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

I blog because it makes me feel connected to the world in a way I've not felt before. For me, blogging has become like a virtual playground. How else can I go on a nature walk, enjoy the arts, and laugh with new friends, all over the world, in the same day, without money or leaving the house? I enjoy reading other blogs more than I do posting on my own, and I especially enjoy leaving well-thought-out comments constructed to both encourage and make people laugh at life's absurdities.

What's the story behind the blog name?

Pouty Baby's Nonsense is a blog with creative content meant to entertain. The best place to start in explaining the story is to start with the "Nonsense" piece of the blog name - I know this will come as a shock - It's true confession time - Here it is. I have a personality with a propensity to exaggerate, and so, not everything I say is entirely true. Most people have copyright language on their blogs. On mine, I disclaim liablility from any brain damage sustained while visiting.

The story behind Pouty Baby most assuredly will not surprise anyone. One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Leonardo da Vinci is the question of the true identity of Mona Lisa. Compelling evidence exists to support that she illustrates the zen of the paradox of the world view that is the Pouty Baby paradigm.

Furthermore, by using sophisticated colored pencil and water color techniques and mediocre Photoshop skills of scale and cropping, the relative location of each facial feature in the Mona Lisa matches mine exactly. Look at my brilliant watercolor rendering and see for yourself. It is obvious that turning down the corner of Pouty Baby's mouth produces the mysterious pouty lips. It is me, Mona, posing as Susan English, posting as Pouty Baby, and going by Pouty Lips.

The implications this creates are mind bloggling, and require some explanation. I hear dead people. Apparently, whenever he needs a break from the great drug rehabilitation center in the sky, George Carlin reads my blog and comments directly to me in my head. He explains that in the great after life - yonder way - comedians, artists, and poets want me to channel their thoughts on my blog, and the line forms behind da Vinci. I can hear your mind reeling.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

The best thing about being a blogger is waking up in the morning, making my first cuppa Joe, and sitting down to visit my cyber friends. I get my head screwed on straight, and I'm ready to face the tired old world in a brand new way. My cuppa Joe is pretty important; I named one of my kids after it. It's not easy being a boy named Cuppa. Just ask my son, Joe.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

My advice to newbie bloggers is: "Don't listen to anyone tell you how to run your blog." It's like Ricky Nelson said, "You can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself." Your blog is your venue - so create your own garden party.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

Two gems stick out in my "mind's eye" (eternal egomaniac, Shakespeare, is whispering in my ear that I should ask everyone whether or not they know that phrase came from him). The first post that affected me in a profound way was The Secret by Meredith Teagarden. Another was A Different Flame, written by Aussie medical doctor Maithri Goonetilleke. You sent me to both blog posts through your Post Of The Day series, where you showcase the best posts. I believe in stream of consciousness and blogging reinforces it. I have a blog roll in my sidebar listing the bloggers I regularly follow whose lives, curiously, seem to parallel mine in one way or another. I consider all of the bloggers I follow significant.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

The most meaningful post I've penned was Almost Empty Nest. It's a Shakespearean sonnet with a parenthood theme that I also call "A Cautionary Tale." Probably my overall best post was a joint effort with Fireblossom was called FlyDay The 13th. The ultimate Pouty Lips mini-movie masterpiece is Happy Blog-iversary Baby.

What it's all about for me is learning what's really important in life. My Dream Weaving blog is dedicated to the process of taking risks and trying to figure it all out. It's meant to be an encouraging read especially for those of us who struggle with life's challenges. If I can make you crack a smile in the process, all the better then.

Thanks, David, for giving me 15 minutes of fame.


Today's Sunday Roast with Susan is the 78th in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

The Sunday Roast

No, It Ain't Standard Operating Procedure

This week's interview is with the blogger Kirti Patel,
who writes the blog K The Blogger

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

It's funny because before this year, I had NO IDEA what blogging or bloggers were. If you had told me about the blogosphere before I probably would have said that it sounds like a bunch of people who have no lives ...LOL... And now, I'm one of you!

I started blogging earlier this year after I went to a conference for aspiring writers. Someone there suggested that I start blogging as a way of breaking into the writing world. So, adventurer that I am, I came home and jumped right in! I have discovered that blogging keeps me motivated to write and I think it's helping me become a better writer, too. Most importantly, it helps me keep my sanity--it's my refuge from the world! Here's a post I wrote on this topic: Sunlight In Our Japanese Maple.

What's the story behind the blog name?

My blog started out under a different name (The Birth of a Notion) but then I changed it to 'K' after a conversation with a friend. I was telling her that I thought my blog was all over the place with so many different subjects (family, kids, recipes, books, art, fashion, etc) and that I was worried that I was scaring people away with all the scattered topics. So, she asked me "Well, if your blog was a magazine, which magazine would it be?" That turned out to be such a great question!

After a little deliberation, we decided that it was closest to The O Magazine (by Oprah) because of all the various topics it covers. So, I thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be funny if I called my blog 'K'?" I think it works because I actually tell people to call me 'K' in real life because my first name is hard to pronounce (Kirti). Here's the post I wrote the day I changed the name to K - aka the Blog Formerly Known As The Birth Of A Notion.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

Hmm ... there are a LOT of great things about being a blogger. I guess the best thing is that I feel like a real writer now. I now have a small group of followers that keeps up with my writing regularly. I have no idea why they would care, but I'm glad--it's nice to have a little audience that appreciates my stuff.

And, for the first time in my life, I feel like that book I've been dreaming about writing will actually get written someday. In the few months that I've been doing this, I've written over a hundred posts and thousands of words. There is a book in me -- I just know it!

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

Just do it! The way to learn is to just get in there and do it. Don't obsess so much about every post. I know that's easier said than done, because I obsess over my posts, too. Just remember that no one is reading it as closely as you are, so RELAX! I keep reminding myself that too. It takes the pressure off so that your words can flow better.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

I have read so many great posts by so many different bloggers! The blogosphere is a wonderful world full of great minds and great inspiration. In my humble opinion, one of the very best bloggers out there is my friend T.'s blog How A Plate Of Broccoli Got Me Thinking About God. I am always impressed by her writing. I actually find her blog extremely intimidating because she is so smart and insightful.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

I guess the most significant blog post I ever wrote is probably Wealthy, which I wrote for my mom for her 60th birthday. I managed to get that published in a magazine, too, which was a great thrill and also a great present for my mom. I actually think I had some beginner's luck with that one because it was the first story I ever submitted anywhere and it got accepted. (It's also going to be published in a book of short stories that's being developed by a company called Metaphorical Ink.)

Thank you, David, for this amazing opportunity! You have been a great help and inspiration to a newbie in the blogosphere.


Today's Sunday Roast with Kirti is the 77th in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

The Sunday Roast

This Talented Grand Dame Brings Us Deja View

This week's interview is with Moannie,
who writes the blog The View From This End.

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

When I was about ten years old I went to spend some time with my Aunt Margaret and Unca Harold. He was a lovely man, big and bluff and happy. When he wasn’t smiling he was laughing. His hands were large, the finger tips square, the skin scarred from his work as a tool maker. On the landing at the top of the stairs, in a corner against a wall was a ham radio and, every evening after supper Unca Harold would sit in front of this, to me, massive machine and those large square fingers would turn dials infinitesimally until, emerging from the crackling static would come a voice, from Africa or America or Australia with their call sign and a brief conversation would ensue, fading sometimes so that he had to move the dial a millimetre and the disembodied voice would return in time to say "’til next time Harold, over and out."

He was linking around the world, to people he would never meet, hearing brief snippets of their lives and sharing his own. Linking. This is what we do in the wonderful infinite space of the Blog Abyss. And my own fat fingers tap my way into the lives of so many people around the world and they are welcomed into mine.

What is the story behind your blog name?

I had no name as I wrote my very first post on being reminded, by the death of yet another friend, of the fragility of my own mortality. I ended the piece saying that I had no intention of going just yet and that meanwhile I would ruminate on "the view from this end" of life, and that was it. Moannie is of course short for Mollyanne.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

I am sure that blogging means different things to each of us-for me it is the fact that whatever I write may touch another person. And every day I am moved, amused and sometimes maddened by posts I read.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

I am hardly an old hand myself, barely a year has passed since I first ventured a comment, but the advice I read in just about every Sunday Roast is to read as many posts as you can-and comment too, we all love to receive comments. One day you will read a post that inspires you to write one of your own ... and you are off and running. Don’t badger anyone to "come and visit you"; if you have written a comment that is friendly, witty, apt and interesting, the blogger will return the visit.

What is the most significant post you have ever read?

Everyone seems to have trouble with this one, don’t they? There are so many I cannot list them all. Saz at Fat, Frumpy And Fifty of course, as it was she who set me on this path; You, David, are our ferret hound; Suldog who is even better than he thinks he is; Erin who is the Woman In A Window whose writing is a wonder to behold; Halo at Beautiful Spectrum is bitter-sweet, Lime at House Of Lime, well, I "heart" her ... there, you see, I knew I shouldn’t have done that ... I have left out so many.

What is the most significant post you have written?

Papa, Can You Hear Me?, simply because ...? Because I am now quite old and he died seventy two years ago and I cannot think of him, of what I have missed, still miss, without that old familiar lump in my throat.

Thank you David for this honour, it has taken me an age to write.


Today's Sunday Roast with Moannie is the 76th in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

The Sunday Roast

CEO Of The Lost And Found Department

This week's interview is with Braja,
who writes the blog Lost And Found In India.

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

I started to blog as a kind of "writers yoga," to exercise my writer's muscle and get into some daily writing routine, pressured by that little "Publish" button ... I wanted to write after not having done so for two years (working as an editor pushes the writing to the back ...), and I wanted to get a book that I'd started on finished and published. I achieved all those things by December last year. But now, I blog because I love to be in touch with the hundreds of people I've met online, who reciprocate so much, and in some of whom I've found good friends.

What's the story behind your blog name?

We decided to move to India almost eight years ago. The first days you arrive here -- even if you've been here plenty of times before -- you're lost :) There is so much to adjust to culturally on a daily basis that it's blinding. But the purpose for coming here was to find some deeper spiritual and philosophical foundation to our lives. And we did. In the end I realized that daily I'm lost and found again, in every way possible. Repeatedly. And joyfully :)

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

Definitely the people, the relationships, the sharing ... it's unbelievable how many people I've been in touch with, come close to, been helped by, given help to, laughed with, at, for, and in spite of :)

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

Never fear that what you -- your real self -- displays and expresses on your blog or with others will be rejected; despite our numerous faults and misconceptions, bloggers are also people doing the same thing as you, taking the same risks, expressing the same nervous truths perhaps...they can relate to you, will accept you, and embrace you, giving you strength to go to greater heights...so just don't fear....go for it.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

Wow ... soooo many. I'm not being polite .... there are so many. Grandpa at Word Mechanic is unfathomably talented in terms of poetry .... he's an extremely gifted, heart-rending poet, and has been a writer all his life. A wonderful writer. His poems have touched me the most, especially On Taking First Communion In Hospital. Then there's Vodka Mom,who is known for her humor, but her depth and heart-rending posts have been beautiful.

But it's so hard to categorize it all to one mood: so many I read touch me in different ways ... and I love that. I also admit I love your Verse and Worse ... it's lightness, ridiculousness, and consistency all impress me :)) And I realize I've just named three people who are writers: two of you professionally and long-term, and Vodka Mom who has taken it up only recently but who is a natural. Her posts will be back up soon by the way ... don't fear :) As a writer, I'm drawn to writers ... and as a writer, I'm drawn to people who aren't writers but who are fearless in writing and expressing. It's wonderful out there :)

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

Are you serious? All of 'em :) Well ... for me anyway :) As far as the comments and responses go, I'd say two are equally special to me and have also affected my readership in a way that I didn't expect. The first is a recent one called Changes, which is a rather deep expose on how things have changed for since my husband and I suffered a violent road accident six weeks ago; the second is a rather special one that brought my readers to the point of changing their views on cows, and changing their calling of cows to Cow-babies :) You Know How I Told You I Loved Cows.


Today's Sunday Roast with Braja is the 75th in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

The Sunday Roast

Canada's Pride: The Best Bar(n) None

This week's interview is with Aims,
who writes the blog Big Blue Barn West.

Okay, Aims, so I'm still gasping for air after fits of laughter brought on by seeing a) your wig and b) your choice of reading material as well as c) the fact that you have echoed one of the themes of the novel by holding a cup of tea. Now that I'm starting to breathe again, here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

Many times I’ve wondered the same thing David – so I’ve thought a lot about this. I blog because it gives me someplace to tell my story as a "published" version has so far eluded me. Telling my story gives me a chance to tell abused people that they aren’t the only ones out there and that it’s okay to talk about it. The header at the top of my blog reads: When I was growing up my parents told me that they beat me because they loved me. This is a true story about a life of abuse – both physical and mental – and my long journey to find ‘true love’.

I have been telling ‘The Man Tales’ – taking people from my childhood where I was abused into a six-year relationship where I was beaten every single day for ‘the fun of it’. I have tried to show that parental abuse often leads to a person seeking out an abusive relationship as they think that is love. I am slowly making my way through my story where I eventually do find true love in a relationship that doesn’t involve beatings.

It also gives me a chance to talk about suicide and depression. Having spent time on a psych ward as a patient – I feel that with blogging I can show people that I’m not only a real person, but one who has disappeared into that hell and come back out the other side a better person. When I finally started to get better from my mental breakdown I swore that I would always try and help others who have been through or suffer from these issues.

From the inside of a psych ward where I was on 24-hr suicide watch – I could see how easy it was to fall through the cracks and end up alone on the street or in a relationship where abuse happens. I could see the stigma that is attached to mental illness and abuse. I wanted to make my own small dent in that stigma and blogging gives me the opportunity to do so. If I can help one single person with my experiences then I am happy.

What's the story behind your blog name?

Almost 15 years ago I went out on a limb and bought a rundown big blue barn. It had sat empty for 4 years before I bought it and I’ve spent all these years renovating it. It’s very important to me because of the amount of effort I’ve spent doing the renovations myself with the help of my brother and nephew and The Man. It is part of the original farm that the town where I live was built around.

Eventually everything I did used the words ‘big blue barn’. When The Man and I were setting up my blog and he asked me what I wanted to call it – Big Blue Barn was the first thing I thought of and of course we added ‘West’ because we live in the west of Canada.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

Of course the best thing is the blogging community. I’ve met so many people in blogland and have developed some very lovely friendships because of it. I also enjoy watching bloggers evolve from newbies into people who want to show you more of themselves as time goes on. Watching the first few tentative steps blossom into the person behind the blog is exciting. Just being able to reach out and touch these people with a comment is very satisfying as well and to have others reach back makes my heart swell.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

The key advice I would give is to just be yourself and to write from your heart – not for others but for yourself. I’d also say be true to your blog. Go with how you want to be seen and stick to it. Even though we are all multi-faceted people – when we sit down to write we usually have a consistent form. Stick with that.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

Like nearly all of the people who have been asked this question I have to say that I too have read so many significant posts that it is hard to pick just one. However…

In 2008 I was nominated for The Best of Blogs and fell into the category ‘Best Inspirational Blog’. During that competition a blogger I read was nominated for Best Mommy Blog. The competition was fast and furious and we were all trying to run campaigns for votes. One day Caroline at Laughing Along In The Dark posted that she wanted anyone who was voting for her to throw all of their votes to Punk Rock Mommy who had cancer. (The post was called Punk Rock Mommy Rocks.) She wanted Punk Rock Mommy to win Best Mommy Blog because of the lift it would give her as she fought this insidious disease (a fight she lost). I was inspired by Caroline’s unselfish attitude and by Punk Rock Mommy’s raw and vibrant words on how to live a life. The unselfish hearts of these two women – joined by blogging – shed another ray of light on my own journey. They made the mountain not so high and the path not so steep. The significance of what they both did has stuck with me ever since.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

This of course was a tough one David because I’ve written about abuse, mental illness and grief. All subjects I have plenty of personal experience with. However – I have to go with my post entitled Let's Talk About Depression And Suicide. This post gave me the opportunity to tell people what they could do for someone who was depressed or suicidal. It is often a very taboo subject and this post gave me the chance to bring it out in the open and to help inform people what it is about (for some) and how they could possibly help. It also showed that people can fall back time and again into a depression and are never completely cured. You never know what is behind a smiling face and you shouldn’t let someone push away your efforts to help them. You have to keep trying or quite possibly lose them forever.

You saw this post, David, and made it Post Of The Day. I was very grateful for that and for this as it gives me the chance to reach some who might never read my blog and who I might be able to help or inspire in some small way. Thank you, David.


Today's Sunday Roast with Aims is the 74rd in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.

The Sunday Roast

Espousing The Cause Of The "Heard" Mentality

This week's interview is with Mojo,
who writes the blog Why? What Have You Heard?.

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

Well I originally started this blog to meet chicks, but then it got all serious. No, I'm kidding of course. I suppose I have the same reasons as anyone. Blogging offers a platform that's uniquely mine. No editors, no publishers, no advertisers, no board of directors or shareholders to satisfy, just me. More to the point, I never get rejection notices from myself (I'm good that way).

What's the story behind your blog name?

"I Could Tell You But Then I'd Have To Kill You" wouldn't fit on a t-shirt, so I opted for my second favorite all-purpose response to any question: "Why? What Have You Heard?". There really isn't a story behind it, it's just something I say. Not very exciting I suppose, but you'd be amazed at the number of people who leave comments saying they love it. Well, I'm amazed anyway.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

I'm almost tempted to copy and paste my answer to #1, but that would be cheating wouldn't it? And while it would be true, it wouldn't be the whole truth. This platform gives a voice to people who might not otherwise have one. When you write for a publication, you're always going to have to compromise.

There will always be the disclaimer that "the opinions expressed here may or may not reflect the views of management, etc". When you're writing for your own blog though, all of that is stripped away. You're the management, you're the editor, you're the publisher and the opinions expressed damned well do reflect those of the "bosses". At the end of the day, the only person who has to be satisfied with my content is me. Of course, it's helpful if my readers enjoy it too, otherwise I'm talking to myself in the biggest empty room in the known universe.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

Lesson the First: I can sum up my best advice in two words: "Be. Genuine." Because if you're not, it will show and you'll find yourself talking to yourself in the biggest empty room in the known universe. (See how I tied that together? Neat, huh?) Find a direction that's important to you. If you do that successfully, you won't care if you're read by 10 or 10,000. And in the beginning don't be surprised if you look at your Sitemeter reports and find out that both of the people who read your post today were you at work and you at home. Chances are -- unless you're an ace at self promotion -- you're going to start out that way.

Lesson the Second: Find other bloggers who share your interest and focus. Visit them, read them, leave comments for them. Visit their regular readers -- chances are you have the same things in common. Find your segment of the blogging community and make yourself at home. Even if you're in a niche that's made up solely of left-handed, vegan practitioners of Santeria there are others out here that share your interests. There are roughly 70 million blogs online, with new ones being launched every day. Believe me, in that number there are at least a few left-handed, vegan Santeros to share your stories with.

Lesson the Third: Resist the temptation to pen a Great Epic in every post. First of all because you'll find yourself not posting because it's just too much like work. But more important, you'll find you're not getting read because... well because people don't read Great Epics. If you really have that much to say, break it up into blog-sized chunks and publish it as a series. Five hundred words is good, 700 is pushing it. Three hundred is probably better still.

Remember, the people who are reading you are also visiting 10, 20, 50 others today and if you put a 3000 word article in front of them, they'll say "I'll come back when I have the time to read this". Which will probably be "never". Because tomorrow will bring another 10-, 20-, 50-visit tour of Blogaritaville. (Of course, that rule goes out the window when you're answering questions in an interview. *wink*)

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

This is a tough one, because I've read some very powerful posts. In fact, I read at least two significant posts every single week at the blog Violence UnSilenced. Because there's not one single post on that blog that isn't significant. I'd nominate that whole blog for "Most Significant" and I'd be in good company. But since you asked for a post, not a blog, I'll have to go with the first time I heard the title of it on Maggie's (the author's) other blog, Okay Fine Dammit. Because it was that post that cemented my own commitment to support her efforts. But I can't do it the justice it deserves, so I'll ask you (and you, and you too) to see for yourself. That's not to say I haven't read significant posts on blogs that weren't related to either of these. I have. But this one affected me enough to get me moving, to do something. Pretty significant hai na?

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

This should be a slam dunk, because I don't write all that much, and even less that would be called "significant" by most. Especially when the authors I mentioned in #5 have set the bar so high. But out of the nine hundred and change that I've either published or scheduled to date, I can think of two posts that had a direct, measurable and positive impact on some person or group.

The first was my contribution to Mimi Lenox's BlogBlast for Peace last November. No, if it had brought about world peace I'd think we'd have heard. That kind of thing usually makes it into the news somewhere between the winning lottery numbers and the latest Wall Street scandal. (At least unless Sarah Jessica Parker has a wardrobe malfunction at the MTV Movie Awards or something.) But it did have a big impact on some people very close to me as a side effect. Wasn't a bad piece in its own right either.

The second one I didn't actually "write", although I did "storyboard" it. Just as Violence UnSilenced launched, I was working on a promotional YouTube video for it. The day after VU went live, I published it with an apology to my readers whose comments had been largely ignored with the explanation I'm Not Ignoring You, Really I'm Not... But I've been busy working on this. The video took off and has apparently been turning up on blogs and FaceSpace pages all over cyberspace. Who knew?

And now, since I'm already at better than double the recommended word count from my newbie lessons, I think it's a good time to practice what I like to call "The Art of Shutting Up".

Today's Sunday Roast with Mojo is the 73rd in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.