Saturday, October 07, 2006

OH THE PLACES YOU'LL GO


Striped, originally uploaded by Delineated.

As we all know, blogland is a teeming, dynamic city. You may think you know your way around pretty well, but one false turn and you're in a new and alien country where everyone is doing a dance you've never done, and talking about things that aren't in your lexicon. Some of them make you angry; others cause you to laugh so loud you scare the cats.

There are people you feel like you know, people who are unlike anyone you've ever met, and a few you hope you never encounter. They come and go with a click of a button. How strange. How very, very amazing.

So today I decided to take a walk down blogstreet. I made it a game, and these were my rules:

I started with the third blog on my blogroll. Then I chose a link from her roll that I had never visited before, and continued on in that way till my head spun with all I'd seen and read, and my virtual feet were weary.

From each blog, I visited, I chose one sentence that seemed to capture the spirit of the place, and in the end, I chose one, which I'd like to visit again and added it to my blogroll. (On this particular trip, I suspect I'll be checking out a few of them again.)


1. Blog #3 from my blogroll: Bloglily:

"I wrote two scenes today and it was so much fun."

2. From her blogroll: The Book of Marvels: (Who could resist that name?)

"The Plain Dealer ran an article that made me weep about the tiny and intimate details that are recorded in logs of death row inmates' final days."

3. From her blogroll: My Novel on Toast:

"Writing is an extreme sport."

4. Then on to the exciting world of cabby blogs with New York Hack:

"Have I mentioned that I hate not only driving a cab, I hate driving at all."

5. A few streets over, The Hungry Cabby was dealing with a different challenge:

"I couldn't tell if he was on coke or he just had the kind of personality that makes a guy seem like he's on coke all the time..."

6.
By then I was getting a bit weary of all the driving and was grateful when The Hungry Cabby dropped me off at The Paupered Chef:

"I'll have to admit the real reason I bought a ten pound ham was to have enough meat to make as many ham sandwiches as I could possibly stomach in a week."

If the idea of eating ten pounds worth of ham sandwiches doesn't appeal to you, the photograph of the French ham sandwich, called a "Croque-Monsieur" surely will. It almost made me crave one and I haven't eaten ham in years.

So that, friends, was my Saturday night stroll on Blogstreet. If anyone else wants to brave all the clicking and linking, you could even call it a meme!

21 comments:

Lorna said...

I'm just catching up after a few days of not-blogging, and I read your latest post with such envy---after getting rid of the guilt I felt at the previous one. It seems like such a long time since I just meandered in blogland. Thank goodness I can keep up with my own blogroll and I'm anxious for the day I can do what you did last night.

Anonymous said...

Oh, what a fun game!

Seems like the number three, or the third position, is figuring highly in your games lately. (Third day book club, third on your blogroll...) Any idea why? Or will it have to happen three times in a row to really be a trend?

(And have I spoiled it by mentioning it? I hope not.)

paris parfait said...

What fun! Fascinating game. But I´ll have to wait until I´m back in France, since internet usage here is 3 euros per hour. Am off to catch up on your other posts.

robin andrea said...

What an interesting journey into the unknown corners of blogland. I must try it and see what I discover. I like the lines you chose from each blog.

Kristin Ohlson said...

Hi, Patry. How odd that I came here to find out what you were up to-- and found a reference to myself. Slightly disorienting, quite pleasing!

By the way, I love these little escorted tours into blogland

Anonymous said...

What a lovely reminder that I have been neglecting blogrolls for a long, long time. For awhile there it seemed like everyone (everyone I read, anyway) had identical blogrolls and I stopped looking and now just a quick glance at yours shows me some some unfamiliar names. I'm almost afraid to play, though; I have a hard enough time keeping up with the wonderful blogs I already read!

rdl said...

Reminds me of a t-shirt: Too many men, not enough time or was that women and i changed it? anyway too many blogs not enof time. but fun idea.

Zhoen said...

Dr. Seuss would be so proud of you.

Patry Francis said...

lorna: Meandering is one of my favorite activities--whether on blogstreet or even on the roads at home.

anon: I noticed that three thing, too. Hmmm...

paris: I might get a lot more done if I had to pay 3 euros per hour to be on the internet! Good to see you around here again though.

robin andrea: It was fun--especially on a day when you don't actually feel like writing something.

k-oh: I was disoriented when I found myself on your blog, too! I didn't even know you had one--another reason why it pays to travel out of your familiar orbits.

diana: Yes! A lot of the blogs I read had similar links, too. That's why I like to venture a little further into the unknown--even though I always come back to my old favorites.

zhoen: He should be! I've probably spent a fourth of my life reading his stories aloud to various children--

Anonymous said...

Wow, I didn't notice when I posted it, but Blogger changed me to "anonymous." That was me with the three thing up there. Sorry.

(I think Blogger has it in for me.)

Patry Francis said...

sara: It didn't sound anonymous, so I was wondering. You were one of three suspects I had in mind.

Anonymous said...

what a great idea for a post! blogstrolling is one of my favorite pastimes but i've never thought to blog about it . . now i shall . . . thanks ms. p :)

gerry rosser said...

I call it blog surfing, and I think it is how I found you.

I think one could do it endlessly, I read that there are some 30,000 more blogs created every day (or hour, or something).

Patry Francis said...

kate: The amazing thing about it is that you don't have to go far before you land in an entirely different world. I started out in some poetic writing blogs and soon landed in the mean streets of various cities, as seen through their cabbies' eyes.

gerry: Sometimes I wonder how we find each other at all with all blogs out there. But we do. A kind of kismet, maybe?

Anonymous said...

I so enjoy a stroll down blog lane. I freguently make detours along the way and am thrilled when I make a friend or share a thought.

Patry Francis said...

coll: I think I found you exactly that way!

Anonymous said...

And THAT is a great meme! :)

Patry Francis said...

marilyn: Does that mean you're going to try it?

Kristin Ohlson said...

One of these days, I hope someone will tell me what a meme is.

Dave said...

Great post, Patry. I really admire your generous spirit, and wish others in Blogland would follow suit.

Anonymous said...

Patry, How sweet you are to include me in this fun game. I love looking through other blogrolls. It's a surprising and interesting way to see what else is out there. Best, BL