Let's talk about me for a minute

In the circular fashion that is blogging, I got a poke from Jen to participate in a "bloggers talking about blogging" meme from a blog she reads regularly, mommablogsalot. And of course, mommablogsalot got it from another blogger, and so on, and so on... but it's fun so naturally I must play along.

Where are you blogging right now?
In the basement, watching Top Chef. I can barely remember to watch these days, much less blog about it. But Padma's funky green strapless romper jumpsuit tonight is compelling me to at least blog about HER, for crying out loud. And soon, she'll probably start showing that baby bump...

How many unpublished posts do you have in your ‘draft’ box?
A shocking number. 92. Really. That's pretty bad. A couple of months ago on the phone, I told Jen that I was behind in posting and I could hear the horror in her voice! Alas, 'tis true. They aren't all recipes, but probably most of them are... As I've confessed, it's best if I post quickly after cooking, but sometimes life just gets in the way... at least 92 times in the past year, it seems.

Whose blog inspired you to start your own?
I thought about starting one a couple of years ago and procrastinated... then my brother started blogging about their family vacation to Australia and continued on for a few months (he's back now!), and that was inspiring. But the kicker was getting reacquainted with Jen and reading her blog, and her insistent (and welcomed) encouragement toward blogging.

When do you usually publish your posts?
Any old time of day or night. Obviously not often enough...

In your guesstimation, how many blogs do you read?
Way way way too many. Some every day (Jen's, The Gift, noodleroux, dooce, nienie, among others) and some every week or so. I have a number of foodie ones, too, that always inspire and uplift. (FYI, nienie (Stephanie Nielson) was on Oprah today, which I happened to dvr and am now watching--she and her husband survived a plane crash a year ago, and her story is one I find inspiring every time I read her blog. Her courage is beyond words. She's just one example of bloggers having a larger impact on the world than just their little old words every day--while she was recovering in the hospital, her friends kept her blog going for her, updating her readers, and word of their tragedy and then recovery spread far and wide--that's when I discovered her.)

How long have you been blogging for?
I am coming up on my one-year blogaversary. I make resolutions to do better, blog better, be more consistent, all the time, and so of course as I turn a big 1, I'll have a little review of the year and see if I'm on track, what changes I'll want to make. (Uh, Sher? You could update your little old bookshelf over there to the right. Yup. And those blogs you follow, maybe update that a little? Sure.)

Why did you start blogging?
I thought it would be a good way to be accountable in my cooking--write it down, get it consistent. I had hoped to work my way through all the recipes I worked with while I was catering, and get a record of them... still sounds like a good idea, but in true Sher fashion, there are all these OTHER things I'd like to make, and new ideas come up every day... I think I need 12 children to feed, don't you think? (Don't tell Seth I said that.)

Why do you keep blogging?
I like it. It kind of changes the way one thinks about things--is it blog-worthy?--and how I approach cooking some days. I get encouragement from family and friends that helps keep me blogging too. That helps on days when the comments aren't rolling in. (FYI, I'm amazed at how many people will verbally tell me they like the blog, or will email me comments, or put them on facebook, but don't/won't comment on the blog. Comment, people. It's fun! Well, I like it when you do, anyway.)

If you could only recommend one blog to a friend, which one would it be?
Couldn't do it. I have my go-tos, but there are truly so many out there, and new ones to discover every day. Good blogs lead you to other good blogs, and so on. It's a wonderful kind of circular connection. Picture lots of people holding hands around the world. Yeah, like that.

If the internet was “turned off” for one month, what do you do with all the time you used to spend blogging?
Cooking, crafting and taking pictures so that when the internet was "turned back on," I could have 92 more posts in my drafts folder... Oh, and probably watching too much TV and gaining weight from all the cooking and eating. Good times.

So that's a little about me. If you blog, tell me about you. If you don't, you can still email me and tell me about you. I don't mind.