I came across this meme over at Pens, Paper, and Ammo (I love that title!) and thought it interesting enough to consider myself tagged...

1. Why did you start your blog?

Hm. Good question. I think it's a cross between a journal/diary and a chat conversation, with the convenience of the reader being able to "tune in" on their own schedule (kinda like email).

Because I tend to be rather....wordy (NO! Really?), I figured this was an easier way to share some of my goings-on---both internal and external.

2. How did you come up with your blog name?

I knew that ferrets and knitting would be my most talked about topics, with my writing possibly sneaking in there from time to time---if I kept up with writing, that is. I originally thought "Purls, Tales and Tails, but dropped the Tales from the name. I'm just not sure where I want to go with my writing any more.

Anyone interested in purchasing a PDF of a short story? I've been debating putting them up for sale and seeing how that goes...

3. Do your friends and family know about your blog? What do they think of it?

Yep. Mom and her betrothed, Ron, have stopped by to leave comments on occasion---especially when it's ferret-related. (They're the reason I'm hooked on ferrets. It's all their fault!*grin*) I'm sure my father knows about this blog...whether he's actually visited it is anyone's guess. My sister is so busy, she probably has 300 emails she hasn't read! I think my father-in-law might have stopped by once or twice, but I'm not sure.

I've actually made more friends through my blog, so they definitely read! *grin* Some of my (hmmm, seems wrong to say "Real Life" here....) friends I've interacted with in the non-virtual world read as well.

I try to find the right blend of privacy (for those around me) and open-ness (for my own journaling needs), so there's as little conflict as possible.

4. How do you write posts? It varies quite a bit. When I'm "shooting from the hip", I just create a new post and start typing. When I'm done, I preview it and re-read it for typos and spelling/grammatical errors (I hate those!). Then, I submit it.

For other posts, I may need to do quite a bit of formatting or layout (I work in HTML directly, no WYSIWYG editors for me---they make a mess of the code!). In those cases, I'll create a text document (like I'm doing right now for this post) and write it all up. Then, I'll copy/paste and do any clean-up needed (line wraps are a pain in the ass!). Once again, I'll go through the preview/edit routine and finally submit.

The hardest part is when I think I'm just gonna "whip up a post" and it ends up being something longer and more complex....and I lose it 'cause I wasn't working in a text file!

5. Have you ever had a troll or had to delete unkind comments?

Hmmm. No, not really. Just spam comments. For a while, I had comments moderated, but that was a pain, having to delete them all. So, I installed some captcha modules which would give a variety of methods (I thnk it's reasonably compliant for anyone browsing my site with special needs). That's been the best thing I've done for the blog. I love Drupal!

6. Do you check your stats? Do you care how many people read your blog?

Because I'm on my own domain, hosted from our own servers and we're our own admins, I'm not exactly sure how to get statistics. Back in the nascent days of the worldwide web, I had statistics on my web page; they were pathetic and I found them so demoralizing. Why? I guess 'cause I tend to be very competitive? I don't know. So, I've tried to not care about it.

I'd rather have 10 quality readers who comment and share and interact than 10 thousand readers who just absorb my words into the ether and return nothing.

7. What kind of blogs/posts interest you?

For blogs, I like personal blogs which aren't afraid to reveal anything. I like the risk those authors take, putting their personal state out there for readers to see. Why? Probably because it makes me feel like I'm not alone in questioning everything about myself---I'm 38 years old and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up! It's nice to see I'm not the only one seeking answers.

For posts, I like a range: humour, reality, memes---they're fun for both reading and being tagged or snagging for my blog.

8. What do you like and dislike about blogging?

Like: That I can do it any time I want to. That I can link people to each other---I love showcasing a new Etsy shop or artist I've found that I think others who read my blog might like. I can share my favorite authors and books with others. I can show off my ferret children, my human child, my knitting projects and I'm not annoying people (like the mother/grandmother pushing you to look at their latest baby photos, which you lost interest in after the first 1000 pictures).

Dislike: Lack of reaction? Unless someone leaves a comment, I don't know if I'm being heard. I don't leave comments on all the blogs I read, so I'm not expecting each reader to say something each time....but it's like standing on a stage, blinded by the lights aimed at me, wondering if my microphone is on....

I also dislike those times when I really don't have anything (interesting) to say. Sometimes having a blog makes me feel like I need to be funny/smart/interesting/ something at all times.

There. Another "insightful" look into the mind of...me. *grin*

I don't like tagging people 'cause they're always busy with other stuff (*sheesh* people, can't you work around my schedule! *grin*), so if you want to, consider yourself tagged. Or do what I do and save this for a day when you want to blog but don't have any idea what to write about!

A couple weeks ago, I posted my questionnaire for Favorite Color Swap 3. Since that time, I've been shopping for my pal's gifts. Oh, boy did I get a challenge! I doubt anyone else would have the color(s) she listed, so I'll have to keep my shopping details rather coy, but I've had fun.

I found some of her items at Michael's. And that lead me to shop around on Etsy for some complimentary items. In particular, I was able to find just what I wanted at Beth's Boutique. I also found some neat things for my pal at Prossack Designs which I really hope she likes---I know I'm going to have to go back for something for myself there soon! (As for Beth's Boutique, I was smart and ordered for myself there at the same time!)

In the process of shopping on Etsy, I may (or may not) have purchased from Ialuna and Little Projects. It's a darn good thing Etsy doesn't show who bought sold items! So, I feel safe in revealing my Etsy identity as "whichcraft".

And I haven't even mentioned any of my shopping on Ebay!

Now, I recall the post title mentioning a contest.... I've been tossing this idea around since so many people have had trouble staying within the bounds of their spending limit. That's it's own kind of "Swap Angel"---doing more for your pal than you're really supposed to. So, I'd like to have a contest. Here's the rules:

1. You must be a member of Favorite Color Swap 3 to enter.

2. You must post in the comments to this post the following information:

• Your name and blog
• The difference between your spending limit and the amount you spent.*

3. If you want (and the timing is right), you can reveal your Spoilee.

On the 1st of May, I'll check the comments for the most "over-the-limit" Spoiler.

Here's the challenging part of the contest: since FCS3 is open to crafty people of all types---and in reading some of your blogs, it's clear I know nothing about some of those crafts---I'll need some help assembling the winning prize. I haven't heard any suggestions for a prize yet. What about a gift certificate to Etsy (do they do those?)? Any other suggestions? You can leave a comment here or email me at the address under my picture up on the right.

* I think this is the best way to be fair to those who were in the various levels of spending this Swap offered.

I've been wanting to do this since I saw it on Saving Nine earlier this week....and suddenly, it's Friday!

So, better late than never, here is...

Ten on Tuesday
1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie (or from memory).
3. Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. Looking them up is cheating, please dont.

1. So what's more likely? That an all-powerful, mysterious God created the Universe, and decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that He simply doesn't exist at all, and that we created Him, so that we wouldn't have to feel so small and alone?

2. I want to tell you a story. I'm going to ask you all to close your eyes while I tell you the story. I want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to yourselves. Go ahead. Close your eyes, please. This is a story about a little girl walking home from the grocery store one sunny afternoon. I want you to picture this little girl. Suddenly a truck races up. Two men jump out and grab her. They drag her into a nearby field and they tie her up and they rip her clothes from her body. Now they climb on. First one, then the other, raping her, shattering everything innocent and pure with a vicious thrust in a fog of drunken breath and sweat. And when they're done, after they've killed her tiny womb, murdered any chance for her to have children, to have life beyond her own, they decide to use her for target practice. They start throwing full beer cans at her. They throw them so hard that it tears the flesh all the way to her bones. Then they urinate on her. Now comes the hanging. They have a rope. They tie a noose. Imagine the noose going tight around her neck and with a sudden blinding jerk she's pulled into the air and her feet and legs go kicking. They don't find the ground. The hanging branch isn't strong enough. It snaps and she falls back to the earth. So they pick her up, throw her in the back of the truck and drive out to Foggy Creek Bridge. Pitch her over the edge. And she drops some thirty feet down to the creek bottom below. Can you see her? Her raped, beaten, broken body soaked in their urine, soaked in their semen, soaked in her blood, left to die. Can you see her? I want you to picture that little girl. Now imagine she's white.

3. I need that wedding. I need some beauty and some music and some placecards before I die. It's like heroin.

4. I don't know what he wants, I don't understand what he's trying to say. Don't you get it? You walk to school every day with all these children who are normal. I can't talk to my son! I don't know what he wants or what he thinks or what he feels. I can't tell him that I love him, I can't tell him who I am. I want to talk to my son! I don't care what it costs, I don't care what the stupid doctor says it's right or wrong. I want to talk to my son!

5. "Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho."

6. Jesus said... the Kingdom of God is inside you, and all around you, not in mansions of wood and stone. Split a piece of wood... and I am there, lift a stone... and you will find me.

7. Now... where was I?

8. Welcome to the desert of the real.

9. One cannot be betrayed if one has no people.

10. Love. You can know all the math in the 'Verse, but take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells ya she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her home.

Bonus Quote ('cause I couldn't narrow it down any further): I have issues with anyone who treats faith as a burden instead of a blessing. You people don't celebrate your faith; you mourn it.

Actually, I had a hard time narrowing it this far. There were a lot of good movies that I just couldn't find a non-give-away quote for!

I was over on Ariel's Knitting, another participant in the Favorite Color Swap 3 and she pointed to a contest over on Happy Handwork for Malabrigo yarn!

Go tell Cinnamongirl93 your favorite flower in her comments before 25 March 2008, 1900 Central Time and you'll be entered in her contest for some Malabrigo! If you tell her I sent you, I get another entry too! Yay, Malabrigo!

(Okay, now I'm gonna have the "Macarena" song in my head the rest of the night...only with "Hey, Malabrigo" instead.)

This is Anne's husband, Randy.

Her blog looks a bit strange because I am upgrading her to the latest and greatest version of Drupal.

Hopefully, it will be back to its old self in a couple days. in the meantime, the site should still function, it will just look... strange. :-)