Where Did She Go? Where's That IWSG Post?

Hello! Yes, I know that it's been very silent here lately. I've been hopeless at blogging and at visiting everyone's blogs. There's some stuff going on in the background and some decisions being made. As part of that, I'm trying to figure out what to do with this site. I'll give you an update once things become clearer.

But, in the meantime, I've decided to move my monthly Insecure Writer's Support Group blog posts over to my author blog. Hop on over HERE to read this month's post and find out what Simon the Cat has been getting up to lately.

Thoughts On Being Boring & A Blogging Break

 
As I sat down to write a post for you all today, all I could do was yawn. And that wasn't just because I hadn't had any coffee yet. It's because life on our boat is pretty BORING lately. Tickety Boo is still broken and until we get her keel repaired, all other boat projects are on hold. No point in spending time and money on other stuff if we're not sure if she'll float again.

So that means that there's nothing exciting to report. Not that boat projects are all that exciting, but they're a lot more interesting than telling you all about what I've been working on in the meantime. {Spoiler alert: It's a Mollie McGhie prequel novella all about how she met Scooter at the roller derby. Yes, Mollie used to be on a roller derby team. Scary thought.}

Because I don't want to BORE you and I don't want to keep on yawning as I write blog posts, I'm going to take a little summer blogging break. I'll be back on Wednesday, August 7th for IWSG day. Hopefully, we have some forward momentum on our boat by then and I'll have exciting things to report.

Hope everyone is having a great summer (or winter if you're in the southern hemisphere) and I'll see you back here next month.

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi!

Have you read MURDER AT THE MARINA yet? If not, now's the perfect time as the ebook is on sale for only 99c/99p.

Pick up your copy of this humorous sailing mystery at https://books2read.com/MurderAtTheMarina

Find out more at https://ellenjacobsonauthor.com/

Random Thoughts In GIFs

I'm what you might call a slow adopter when it comes to technology. My cell phone is over five years old and I still can't figure out how to text more than one person at a time. I get excited about discovering new things I can do with my computer long after everyone else has - like adding GIFs to my blog. How cool is that!

Yeah, I see you out there shaking your head thinking, "Duh, Ellen. That's really old news. Kids master that skill be the age of three."

So, guess what? I'm going to subject you to a entire blog post full of GIFs that represent the random thoughts running through my brain.

I'm in the midst of rewriting my latest book. When Scott comes in to check on me and I'm stuck on a plot point, I do this. . .



via GIPHY

Does it count if you're cat is imaginary?


via GIPHY

I did wash this morning. Very disappointed to find only lint in the dryer and not an adorable cat.


via GIPHY


 I did a search for GIFs related to hating math. This is what came up at the top of the results. Oh, internet, you know me so well.


via GIPHY

Enough goofing off. I better get back to the writing.


via GIPHY

What are your biggest technological challenges? Do you like GIFs?

Ballroom Dancing With Two Left Feet

Someone sent me an email late last week which said:

"I think a post on ballroom dancing is in order. You can't passively mention something like that and leave your faithful readers wondering. Can you?"

My first reaction was:

"What the heck is he talking about?" 

After a few minutes, I remembered that I had mentioned ballroom dancing in my IWSG post on creativity last week.

Then I felt old. Honestly, I can't remember anything anymore. Thank goodness for Scott. He's like my human hard drive. I've backed up all my memories into his brain and when I need to remember something, he tells me what happened and when.

He told me all about taking ballroom dancing lessons when we lived in Scotland, and then later how we tried it again when we lived in New Zealand.

After a while, the memories came flooding back. Memories of having two left feet. Memories of constantly stepping on Scott's toes. Memories of barely being able to walk in heels, let alone dance in them. Memories of the instructor trying to tell me diplomatically that I shouldn't quit my day job.

Here's the danger of having a human hard drive - how do you know if what they're telling you is true? Maybe I was actually the star of the class. Maybe I was so good at ballroom dancing that I intimidated all of the other students. Maybe I don't have two left feet. Maybe. . .

Okay, maybe I should stop deluding myself. The fact that I routinely trip while walking on flat surfaces while wearing flat shoes should be a clue that I'm never going to be the next star of the ballroom dancing circuit. But a girl can dream, right?

Do you have a good memory? Have you ever tried ballroom dancing? What do you wish you were good at?

Hairless Cats, Living In A Simulation & Blogging Changes

Here's an important question for you all - would you want a hairless cat? Personally, I think cats need fur, otherwise, what's the point? Have a look at the Spynx kittens in this video and let me know what you think.

And now for a slightly harder question - are we living in a simulation? My mom sent me this article which posits that we're part of a simulation (think The Matrix). I've heard about this theory before and read a few sci-fi short stories based on this. Frankly, it's all a bit depressing, so I distract myself from such scary thoughts by playing The Sims. I wonder if they know they're not real?

 

Some of you may have seen Crystal Collier's post yesterday announcing that she's stepping away from her blog. While I'm sad to see her go, it's totally understandable that she needs to channel her energy toward her family at this point in her life. 

It reminded me that I should probably tell you about the change to my blogging schedule. I've mentioned a couple of times that I haven't had the same energy for blogging as in the past, probably because I've been focusing more on writing my cozy mysteries. I still love blogging and am going to keep on with it, but I'm only going to commit to posting here on Mondays and Wednesdays going forward. I'll still do the occasional Friday and Saturday posts when the mood strikes (like today), but those won't be regular posting days.

Do you like hairless cats? Do you think we're living in a simulation?

What You're Saying | Fun & Interesting Blog Comments

My friend Duwan had this great idea to do a blog post highlighting some of the fun and interesting comments you all have been leaving here on the blog. She has lots of great ideas - just check out the super cool and uber-frugal way she transformed Parmesan cheese containers into funky silverware holders using socks. Yep, you read that right - socks.

So here we go - some of the cool comments you all have left. I've left links to the commenters' blogs. Hop on over and say hi to them.

Talk Like a Pirate Day

On my post about Talk Like a Pirate Day, Alex J Cavanaugh said:

"Won't be dressing up but I'm willing to discuss salty seadogs with Simon."

What I love about this comment is that he's referring to my imaginary cat, Simon, who tends to make appearances on the first Wednesday of every month as part of the IWSG blog hop. Sometimes, I think Simon might actually be real and maybe I'm the one who is imaginary. Should I be concerned?

Loni Townsend at Squirel Talk made me laugh out loud with her comment on the same post:

"Arr! What be a pirate's favorite letter? Ye might think it be 'R,' but no, it be the 'C'!"

Go pay Loni a visit. She just did a cover reveal for her upcoming release. It's gorgeous!

Blogger or a Writer?

On my post about whether I'm a blogger who writes or a writer who blogs, Inka at Compass Heading 180 said:

"I think you must be some sort of a humanoid to be able to write as much as you do! For me it's an effort to even read as much, let alone write... I usually binge read your blog posts because I just can't keep up with your pace!"

I'm a ordinary human, right? Or am I an android who thinks she's a humanoid? Or a humanoid who thinks she's an android? Is Simon real or am I? I don't think I'm going to be able to fall asleep tonight - too many deep thoughts about what I really am and the meaning of life.

Inka is a Finnish sailor. She has some beautiful pictures of classic sailboats up on her blog right now. You'll want to check them out.

The White Shoes Debate

When I asked the question about whether or not it's okay to wear white after Labor Day, Sandee from Comedy Plus said:

"Fashion statement? I do what I want and at my age no one even says a thing. I used to go by these things, but no more."

Such a great sentiment! I'm of that age where I'm no longer worried about making a fashion statement. Sandee regularly features adorable pictures of kittens and puppies.

And Christine Rains cracked me up with her comment:

"... wear white shoes? All my shoes are black, so I'm good. :) I think these days no one pays attention to that fashion rule anymore, and I have no idea any other rules... as I type this wearing Captain America pajama bottoms and a T-Rex t-shirt."

I love her fashion sense! Where can I get a T-Rex t-shirt? Christine is an awesome writer. Hop on over to her site and check out her books.

* * *

Thanks for the awesome blog post idea, Duwan! I know that I've been slow to respond to them lately, but I love reading everyone's comments. I think highlighting what you guys are saying might just be a regular feature on the blog.

If you're a blogger, what are some of the fun and interesting comments people have left you?

A Blogger Who Writes Or A Writer Who Blogs?

Last month, I offered an apology for slacking off on responding to blog comments and returning visits to all of you lovely people's blogs. Someone left a really interesting comment saying something like "some people are bloggers who happen to write, others are writers who happen to blog and you have become the latter."

This blog used to be my main creative outlet, but I wonder if that's changed over the past year or so as I've focused more on writing cozy mysteries. Have I become a writer who happens to blog? I certainly haven't given this blog the love and attention it deserves, and I've even missed posting a few times (I usually post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday).

It feels like my creative well has been a bit tapped dry as of late while I've been working on my latest manuscript and The Cynical Sailor has suffered as a result. Do we have a limited amount of creativity and have to choose where we invest it?

On the bright side, I sent >>Bodies in the Boatyard<< off to the editor this weekend and am thinking of a publication date sometime in November if all goes well. (Many, many thanks to all of my wonderful beta readers!) So now I should have a bit more time for blogging while I switch gears and move into outlining the next book in the series.

Here's a sneak peek at the cover - kind of makes it real looking at it like that. You can find out more on my author blog here. There's even a post about alien abduction today over there.

Since my creative well is a bit dry at the moment, I'd love to get some ideas from you - what would you be interested in having me blog about? What questions are you dying to have me answer?

Happy Birthday Mr. Blog! Our 5 Year Blogging Anniversary & A Wee Break

Image via The Graphics Fairy

Mr. Blog turned five years old today. He's getting to be such a big boy. Can you believe that this is his 844th post? And that he has 1.6k Facebook followers? They sure do grow up fast, don't they.

Every year on Mr. Blog's birthday, I do a little reflection on blogging. On his first birthday, I had a look at how Mr. Blog stacked up against the criteria for a good blog. On his second birthday, I shared some random thoughts on blogging including wondering what type of blog The Cynical Sailor really was. On his third birthday, I talked about monetizing (or not) one's blog with Adsense and Amazon. I completely forgot about his birthday last year. Oops.

{If you want to see other posts on blogging tips and tricks from myself and others, check out this page.}

* * *

This year, I thought I'd talk about something a wee bit crazy that I did - starting a second blog over on my author site. Yes, it's a bit insane to manage not one, but two blogs, but I live on a sailboat which is the very definition of insanity.

I've talked before about how I wished we hadn't named this blog The Cynical Sailor because it really evolved over time from a pure "sailing blog" into, well, a blog full of a lot of random nonsense, some related to sailing and liveaboard life and some related to things like travel, cats, polar bears, and possible alien invasions.

So, when I decided I was going to become an author and publish books*, I thought it made sense to establish an author brand** and set up a website distinct from that of The Cynical Sailor. And here's why:

1 - Not everyone who follows this blog is interested in the writing side of my life. Although, I do post monthly on writing as part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) blog hop, feature books and authors on my Saturday Spotlight series, and mention my writing activity from time to time in other posts, I think I'd lose followers if that was all that I talked about. In fact, I think I'd stop writing this blog if that's all I talked about.

2 - Although my current book series is sailing-related, I've got lots of other ideas floating around in my head that have nothing to do with boats whatsoever. I'd like to be able to reach a broader audience in the future (not necessarily bigger) and a more "flexible" website seemed like the way to go.

3 - I wanted a static landing page and never could figure out if that was possible using the Blogger platform. It seemed a lot easier to use WordPress to set up my new site and not to try to monkey around and retrofit this one to work like I wanted.

4 - There was a certain appeal in starting off "fresh" and creating a website that wasn't as cluttered as this one has become. It's kind of nice to have simple, clean site that has a pure focus on books and my author activities.

5 - If we ever do decide to call it a day on The Cynical Sailor, I'll have another presence on the web already established.

Now that I've set it up, my new site is pretty easy to manage. I only blog there twice a month (the first and third Mondays) talking about the writing process (I'm currently doing a series of posts on the different aspects of publishing a cozy mystery from a newbie's perspective) and sharing tidbits about our life aboard a boat that might be of interest to readers.

While blogging twice a month might sound like a lot (especially given the fact that I blog here three times a week), it's actually quite manageable. I've re-purposed some content from this blog and my posts on the cozy mystery publishing process are basically write-ups of research I've already done. Plus, I >>love<< blogging. If you don't love blogging, you shouldn't be doing it. Otherwise, it's just a chore you resent.

If you're interested, you can check out my other site - ellenjacobsonauthor.com - and see what I'm up to over there.

NOTES:
*Saying that out loud still freaks me out - me an author? You've got to be kidding.
**I feel so pretentious talking about my "author brand." I think I've been listening to too many writing podcasts.

* * *

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it's summertime. For many people, summertime is about chilling out. I've noticed many bloggers are taking a bit of a break and I thought I'd do the the same thing. I've got a lot of work to get done on my next book during the rest of the month, so I'm going to take a blogging break until Wednesday, August 1st.

But don't worry, I'll probably schedule a blog post with a cat picture from time to time over the next couple of weeks so that you don't miss me and Mr. Blog too much.

What kind of blogs do you like to read? Are you a blogger? If so, how long have you been blogging for? Do you manage more than one site?

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi! 

Murder at the Marina - the first in a new lighthearted and humorous cozy mystery series.  "A dilapidated sailboat for your anniversary - not very romantic. A dead body on board - even worse."

Buy Links

Ebook available at Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple iBooks | Google Play

Paperback version available at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Books-A-Million

Find Out More

Check out my author blog, sign up for my newsletter, and follow along on Twitter and my author Facebook page.

February In Numbers

Clockwise from upper left: (1) Trying to get back to learning Spanish; (2) Valentine's Day candy; (3) When your computer breaks, it's time to do sewing projects; (4) Some of the sailing books I read; (5) Taking apart my laptop; and (6) Shopping for canned meat.

It's time for our usual monthly recap by the numbers. February was a month of moderation and frustration. After many parties and overindulging over the past several months, I decided to declare last month to be >>Febfast<<. No, I didn't fast. Don't be silly. I can't go more than four hours without something to eat. But what I did do was try to cut out red meat, booze, junk food, and sugary treats.

I succeeded on all fronts except the sugary treats. But, on the plus side, I only ate sugary treats that other people gave me - like cookies from my friend Jane and candy from my mom. Although, now that I think about it, I guess I ate red meat (in the form of corned beef) at our canned meat cook-off. But I didn't buy any or cook any myself. I also ate Spam, but who knows what's in that. Is it red meat or something else? Maybe it's best not to ask.

The frustration part came in, not because I was watching my diet, but because my computer died on me. I've learned that I can't live without my computer. Sad, but true.

So, enough with all of those words, here's the usual random nonsense recap by the numbers:

• 9 - Number of days I was without a working computer. First President's Day interfered with delivery of the replacement part. Then it turns out that Dell goofed up with the service code on my laptop and the part I ordered wasn't compatible. Add in ordering another part and time for delivery and it was a long nine days.

• $39.95 - How much a replacement heatsink/fan cost (including postage).

• 2 - How many screws I had leftover after reassembling my laptop. I'm gonna assume they aren't important.

• 14 - How many books I read as part of my Goodreads challenge. 4 sci-fi/fantasy, 3 mysteries, 2 thrillers, 1 general fiction, 3 sailing-related books, and 1 non-fiction. 

•  85F/30C - What the real feel temp has been like lately in Indiantown. Had to plug the A/C back in. Occasionally I text my sister and tell her I'm wearing shorts and flip-flops. For some reason, she doesn't find it amusing. 

• $4.59 - How much a 6" veggie delight costs at Subway. I haven't had Subway in years. Not too bad calorie-wise and totally fit into Febfast. I met up with some cruising friends (MJ Sailing) for lunch when they came back to Florida to pick up a new headsail. So nice to see them, especially as I wasn't sure if our paths would ever cross again. Such is the way of the nomadic life.

• 4 - How many posts I've written in advance for this year's Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Is anyone else taking part?

• 5 - How many new characters I've created for the next installment of the Mollie McGhie sailing mystery series. At least one of them is going to die. I feel rather evil deciding who isn't going to make it to the end of the book.

• 1 - How many parts I've had to replace on my Sailrite sewing machine - the retaining ring cap spring. It's a sacrificial part, so no biggie to replace and luckily I had a spare already. {Duwan - this is why you were having trouble using my machine. We should have replaced it when you were here.}

• 3 - How many nectarines I threw away. I felt so bad about wasting food, but they were really gross. So disappointing to buy fruit that looks wonderful, but tastes awful.

• 2 - How many eggs I used in my salmon cakes for the Spamageddon canned meat cook-off.

In case you missed them, here are some of our favorite blog posts from last month:

Spamageddon | Canned Meat Cook-Off at Indiantown Marina
Saturday Spotlight | Sailing Book Reviews
Cooking without a Fridge: A Week on Our Boat in New Zealand 

How did last month go for you? What are you looking forward to this month?

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - we'd love for you to pop by and say hi! 

The Call Of The Luddites Beckons, Or Technology Sucks

Sometimes, technology sucks. A couple of nights ago, a loud beeping noise interrupted my sleep. Here’s what ran through my head:

“Am I about to die from carbon monoxide poisoning?”

“Has the Dalek invasion started?”

“Is a garbage truck backing up into my boat?”

Turns out it was none of these things. My computer was just suffering a catastrophic failure. Which, I guess is *marginally* better than an invasion by the Daleks.

I think the fan is broken, causing it to overheat. I’ve ordered a new one, but it won’t be here until later this week. Hopefully, that solves the problem.

Then my cell phone became infected with some sort of bug. I thought I had that sorted, but it happened again. I’ve tried something else. Fingers crossed it works, otherwise I’ll have to reset the thing back to factory settings.

All of this had made me realize two things:

1 - I’m way too dependent on my computer. 

I was on fire working on >>Bodies in the Boatyard<< (the second book in my Mollie McGhie sailing mystery series), but without a computer, I’ve come to a standstill.

2 - The Luddites may be onto something. 

Technology isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Maybe I should just write the old-fashioned way, using pen and paper?

By the way, I’m typing this on an old iPad my mom gave me. It’s a real pain, so if I’m slow to respond to comments or visit your blog, that’s why.

Have you ever had technology problems? Ever been tempted to become a Luddite?

Hand-Knit Sweaters For Koala Bears, Or Strange Emails People Send Us

We often get emails asking us to advertise products and services on our blog. Usually, I send a quick reply back saying "thanks, but no thanks." After all, the person sending the email is generally some peon in a cubicle making peanuts.

But recently, I was tempted to send a more detailed response. Something along the lines of:

"Thank you for your inquiry. Before we proceed with advertising your product in exchange for absolutely no compensation for our time and effort, can you clarify which of our online businesses you were referring to? Was it the one where we sell hand-knit sweaters for koala bears? Or, did you mean our mobile unicorn grooming business?"

It all came about when I received this form email (the highlighting in red is mine).

Let's just dissect this, shall we?

First of all, she says that she came across our >>post<<. Well, the link she provided takes you to >>this page<<, where we have links to various posts on blogging tips and tricks. It's not an actual post.

Next, she says that it was >>super insightful<<. Uh, okay. What exactly did she find insightful about it? It's just a page with a listing of blog posts. Did she find it insightful that I know how to insert hyperlinks? I think what was supposed to happen here is that I'd be so flattered that she called it *insightful* and put a *super* in front of it, that I would jump at the chance of doing her bidding.

Then, she mentions the importance of >>online businesses<< and talks about my >>work<< later on. That's what got me thinking maybe there is some money to be made in hand-knit sweaters for koalas or starting up a mobile unicorn grooming business.

If she had actually looked at our blog for even a nanosecond, she'd probably have figured out that we aren't selling anything.* In fact, we don't monetize our blog.** {Yep, all of this crazy, random nonsense - it's all yours for free.} Something, she'd know if she had read >>this post<< I wrote a couple of years ago about annoying form emails we get from people wanting us to flog their stuff.

Although, maybe she did read that post as she didn't offer any sort of compensation for publicizing their web hosting guide. By the way, I'm pretty sure they make their money by recommending certain web-hosting services. Our share of that profit - zero. Unless, you count the fact that they'd be >>thrilled<< if we helped out as compensation.

Which leads me to the reference to >>web-hosting<<. Yeah, we don't pay anyone to host our site. We do things the cheap and cheerful way around here by using Blogger's free service. No domain, no hosting, nothing. So, why would we be interesting in talking about web-hosting?

What kind of strange, annoying and/or stupid emails or slow mail do you get? If you have a blog, do you monetize it? Ever knit a sweater for a koala bear or brushed a unicorn's mane?

*Disclaimer: In all fairness, I've had a link up here before for the IWSG anthology I had a story published in and I'll do the same when I publish my cozy mystery. So, I guess I am selling stuff. 

**Another Disclaimer: I did try Amazon Affiliates for a while, primarily with links to books I reviewed. We made a whopping $10. We're no longer part of the program. And, by the way, there's absolutely nothing wrong with monetizing your site. If it makes you happy and it works for you, go for it!

You can find links to our other posts on blogging tips & tricks on here.
 
Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi!

Seven Days, Seven Black & White Photos, Some Explanation

There's this black and white photo challenge going around Facebook. The instructions I got were:

Seven days, seven black and white photos of your life. No people. No explanation. Tag someone to invite them to join.

Surprisingly, I followed the rules and posted my photos without explanation. But I was dying to explain just a little bit. It was all I could do to restrain myself from adding words to each Facebook post. Because, I like words. Words are good.

So, here are some words which provide some explanation about my photos.

Day 1 - Winch Handles

I took this photo at a marine consignment shop in Stuart, Florida. In the cozy mystery I'm working on, one of the murder weapons is a winch handle. I'm thinking of designing some sort of nautical based Clue game. Something along the lines of, >>The Captain committed the murder in the galley with a winch handle.<<


 Day 2 - Indiantown Marina

We're currently living aboard our boat in Indiantown Marina, which is between Lake Okeechobee and Stuart, Florida. There are alligators, turtles, and armored catfish living in this water. We also get the occasional visit from manatees.


Day 3 - Killer Bunnies

This game is so much fun! It's called >>Killer Bunnies<<. Here's a top tip - read the weapon cards thoroughly before you play them. I didn't and ended up killing all of the bunnies on the table, including my own.


Day 4 - NaNoWriMo

I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month) again this year. It's an insane challenge in which you try to write a draft 50,000 word novel in November. My trusty Guardasaurus keeps an eye on me to make sure I hit the word count each day.


Day 5 - Schooner

Cute puppy, huh? Her name is Schooner. She belongs to Tracie and Steve from Sailing Saga Sea. On their way back to Texas from Miami, they stopped by Indiantown Marina to say hi. Always fun to meet fellow bloggers.


Day 6 - Spices

I walked up to the local grocery store the other day for a few odds and ends, including cumin seeds. I've found that the Hispanic lines of spices can be far cheaper than some of the other brands I'm used to buying. And as a bonus, you get to practice your Spanish while you shop. >>Mas semillas de comino por favor.<<


Day 7 - Chaos

If you live on a boat, you quickly learn this one simple rule - >>Anything important that you need will be located in the most inaccessible part of your boat<<. I needed to get my sewing supplies out of the v-berth. This involved moving everything out of the v-berth and creating chaos in the process.

If you had to post seven photos of your life, what would they be of? Do you prefer black and white photos or color ones?

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - we'd love for you to pop by and say hi!

Do I Really Have To Make My Bed? Or, The Mysteries Of Facebook

Image via The Graphics Fairy

Last week, I shared a post from Purple Clover on our Facebook page that posed the following question:

"Are there actually people out there who make their beds every morning or is that just myth?"

 
I expected that maybe a 100 or so people would see the post in their feed and that I'd get a few likes and maybe a couple of comments. What I got instead astounded me - the post reached over 13,000 people, has over 160 likes and there are more comments than I can possibly read in this lifetime.

For the record, the majority of people who commented make their bed every morning. Or their wife does. Some people even said that they make the bed if they're staying in a hotel.

Their reasons varied - it's a habit ingrained from childhood, you start the day off right by making the bed and accomplishing something, the cats need a nice place to sleep during the day, the house is more orderly, it's nicer to tuck yourself into a freshly made bed at night etc.

A few brave souls confessed that they don't make their bed every morning. For many folks, their reasoning was that it's healthier to air the bed out during the day. But my favorite reason was that an unmade bed has less bugs in it. I think I found my perfect rationale for not making our bed everyday.

And then there was this comment that cracked me up - "I made my bed once, then I remembered the old adage, 'You made your bed, now you have to sleep in it.' Climbed back in and missed a day of work."

So this all leaves me wondering why was this Facebook post so popular?

We only have 1.5k people who like our Facebook page and only a fraction of them probably see our Facebook posts in their feed regularly. What made this post so popular? Was it some mysterious algorithm that Facebook uses that caused this to pop up in everybody's feed? Is the topic of bed-making really that fascinating? 

By the way, if you're one of the folks who liked the bed-making Facebook post or commented on it, thank you! It's been so much fun to read everyone's comments. I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to respond to all of them. If I did, I'd never have time to make the bed.

Do you make your bed every morning? If so, why? If you don't, why not? What's been your most popular Facebook or blog post?

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi!

Mystery Blogger Award, Q&A Time & Three Things About Me

You've probably seen these blogger awards floating around out there. Someone nominates you for an award, you answer some questions and you nominate other people. Kind of like a chain letter.

I've been nominated for some of these before - like the Liebster Award and the Sunshine Blogger Award - but it's been a while. So when I got nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award, I thought, hey, why not go for it. Live a little. Have some fun. Procrastinate unpleasant boat chores for a while. You get the idea. 


The Rules

1 - Put the award/logo on your blog.

Done

2 - List the rules.

You're reading them.

3 - Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.

Thanks to Angela for the nomination! Check out her blog here. She's a neat lady and fellow member of the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

4 - Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well.

Check out Okoto Enigma's blog here. 

5 - Tell your readers three things about yourself.

See below.

6 - Nominate a whole bunch of people for the award.

I like to break rules from time to time, so rather than formally nominate anyone, I'll leave it up to all you guys. Interested in doing a post about three things about yourself? Then nominate yourself for the Mystery Blogger Award and share some fascinating facts about yourself with us.

7 - Notify your nominees.

Since I broke Rule #6, I guess I'm also breaking this rule.

8 - Ask your nominees any five questions of your choice, including one funny or weird one.

Question #1 - Are you a rule follower or rule breaker and why?
Question #2 - Do you write in cursive or do you print?
Question #3 - What's your favorite cookie? 
Question #4 - Do you believe in alien abduction?
Question #5 - What's the latest TV show that you binge watched?

9 - Share a link to your best post.

I don't like this rule either, so I'm going to ignore it. Instead, I'll give you a link to a page which lists all of our posts about our time living and cruising in New Zealand. Maybe you'll find something interesting there.


3 Things About Me

1 - I don't like sweet iced tea. I don't understand how people can drink it. Strange, I know, given my lifelong love of sugary treats.

2 - I don't like cartoons or animated films. Who is Nemo anyway? Why can't anyone find him? I'll never know the answers to these questions.

3 - I love roller coasters. We used to go to Geauga Lake and Cedar Point in Ohio every year as kids. Riding the roller coasters was the highlight.


Answers to Angela's Questions

1 - What's your favorite smell?

Chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. I'm sure that surprises nobody.

2 - If you could choose to keep one memory, what would it be?

Good question. This is going to require a lot of thought. Can I get back to you on this one? That is if I remember to because apparently all of my memories are about to be wiped out due to some sort of alien invasion.

3 - If you were put in charge of a meet & greet for our first alien visitors, what would your advice be?

Try a chocolate chip cookie. Just one bite and you'll be hooked.

4 - If you had to be a tree, which one would you be?

Uh, no clue. I guess one that has nice flowers. Or maybe a maple tree because I like maple syrup on my pancakes. But, how would I eat pancakes if I was a tree due to the lack of opposable thumbs?

5 - What was your favorite story book as a child?

I don't know what the name of it was, but it was a series of stories about children who lived in other countries. I didn't know what anthropology was at the time, but maybe that book sparked my interest in it and why I majored in it at college.

What about you? Want to share three things about yourself and answer my questions either in the comments or on your blog?

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi!

Bloggy Encounters On Boats

I've said it before and I'll say it again - blogging is a great way to meet (either in person or virtually) some really amazing people who share your same interests and passions.

Blogging is also a great way to procrastinate chores that you should be doing, but don't want to do, like cleaning out the bilge, raking the leaves or doing the dishes.

Fortunately, we live on a boat and not in a house, so I don't have to rake leaves. But there's a huge pile of dishes piled up in the galley and water and hair in the bilge which I really should be taking care of. So guess what I'm doing right now. Yep, you guessed it, writing blog posts.

{Random questions: Why do I shed so much hair? Why does all of it end up in the bilge? Should I start shaving my head like Scott does?}

After crossing the Gulf Stream from the Bahamas, we slowly made our way back to Indiantown Marina. We lazed about for a couple of days watching shows on the laptop, did a lot of cooking and spent a lot of time on the internet.

That's when I discovered that some folks I know through blogging were actually anchored near us. I've been in touch with Chris from Mangoes, Marley and Mermaids for a while now and she ad her husband actually keep their boat at Indiantown Marina, but we'd never actually met in person.

We had out dinghy up on deck and were too lazy to get it down and go over and visit, so instead of saying hello properly, we ended up "meeting" them on the water as we passed them heading up the ICW on our way back to Indiantown.

Saying hello while standing on deck was kind of a fun way to introduce ourselves and sort of exemplifies the cruising lifestyle to me - random encounters with fascinating people in the most unexpected locations.
 
 
Cruising Log | Thursday, 4 May 2017 – Sunday, 7 May 2017

4 MAY
Watched Empire Strikes Back in honor of May the 4th Be With You day. Tidied up boat. Cooked up a storm – hummus, curry chicken salad, onion bread and cookies. Bread not rising in oven. What’s the deal? Yeast proofed fine. First and second rising fine. Put it in the oven and you get something resembling hard tack at the end. S/V Radio Waves from Indiantown Marina came into the anchorage with their buddy boat, S/V Spirit. Nautical miles = Nil. Engine = Nil. Spending = Nil.

5 MAY
Rainy day. Binge watched Lost. Had to run the engine to power the batteries. Nautical miles = Nil, Engine = 1 hour 30 mins. Spending = Nil

6 MAY
Anchor up at 7:45 AM. S/V Radio Waves and S/V Spirit ahead of us. Noticed mysterious black ooze under one of the engine mounts. Reminded me of the X-Files. Anchored briefly in Peck Lake to check it out. Everything seemed okay, so we carried on. Checked out Manatee Pocket. Lots of boats and skinny water so we left. Anchor down at Pendarvis Cove at 3:30 PM. Made bread and cookies. Nautical miles = 37. Engine = 7 hours 45 mins. Spending = Nil.

7 MAY
Anchor up 9:10 AM. Good timing on St Lucie Lock – got there when they were just about to start lock. Anchor down on west side of the lock at 11:00 AM. Gas can started leaking in dinghy. Swell. Had to clean spill up and transfer gas to other containers. Made bread. Nautical miles = 6. Engine = 2 hours 15 mins. Spending = Nil.

Have you ever met a fellow blogger/vlogger/tweeter etc.? What was that like? Did you celebrate "May the 4th Be With You" day?

Internet connection has been really scarce lately while we've been cruising in the Bahamas, so apologies if it takes a while before we're able to respond to your comments and/or visit your blog.
 
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Flashback Friday | Random Blogging Tips

Today is Michael d’Agostino’s Flashback Friday. The idea is to republish an old post of yours that maybe didn't get enough attention, or that you're really proud of, or you think is still relevant etc. We started this blog three years ago and have lots more followers now then we did back then (thank you all!) so many folks may not have seen some of our earlier blog posts. 

I originally wrote this post on the first anniversary of our blog. It was a good opportunity to pause, reflect on what worked well and what didn't, and think about where I wanted to take the blog next. It's something I do now each year on Mr. Blog's birthday. {You can find links to more of my posts on blogging here.}

{This post was originally published in July 2014. You can find it here.}

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I can't believe that we started this blog a year ago and that this is our 177th post! It all started because of my mom. Bless her cotton socks. Like most moms, I imagine, she wants to know what we're up to and wishes I would email a lot more often. So when we decided to move onto a sailboat and start cruising full-time, I thought starting a blog would be an ideal way to keep her up to date on our little adventures. And as an added bonus, it seemed like a great way to organize our photos and keep a record of our travels. So two birds, one stone. {Random side note: Isn't that just an awful little saying to use to describe an efficient action? Death to birds = efficiency. Do vegetarians use this phrase?}

I'm surprised that I've kept this going for so long - I usually get bored of things much more quickly. But for some reason, I find writing up these random posts to be quite enjoyable and, at times, cathartic. And when we go back and read them, they make us laugh. Oh, the stupid things we've done! 

I really didn't know what I was doing when I started this blog and I still don't. So I've been having a look at various tips about how to write a great blog - such as this one on Blogher, this one from Bumfuzzle and of course this one from Windtraveler. After having a little review, here is how I think our little blog stacks up against some of their criteria:

1. Write about what you love

Tick. I love traveling, I love Scott and most of the time I love sailing. There are definitely days I don't love sailing. But I love writing about those days because it is cathartic. And people feel sorry for you - which I love.

2. Do good, don't bash others & don't be a "misery loves company" blog  

We try to tick this box, but yes, there are times when I write about the miserable days (see point 1 above). But on the whole, I try to keep things fun, not complain too much and bear in mind the golden rule. Because let's face it, we're lucky enough to go cruising, we have way too much to eat and we have a place to sleep every night - so really what is there to complain about? All you have to do is pick up the newspaper on any given day just to realize how darn lucky we are. 

3. Be different

Yeah, we probably don't tick this box. There are exactly 1,357,546,079 sailing blogs out there already. So we're not exactly different. And surprise, surprise - lots of people have sailed in New Zealand already. And pretty much everyone writes about the stupid things they've done on their boat. So, no, we're not different. But my mom likes our blog and has never read another cruising blog in her life - so at least she thinks we're different.

4. Post regularly

Tick. We try to post three times a week - Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays. Except, of course, when we have difficulties getting internet access or charging our computers. But generally, I write a whole bunch of posts at one time and have them all lined up and scheduled to go out. Which explains the alternative timeline and universe that my blog lives in - things often get reported in blogland a month or two after they happen in reality.

5. Keep it short and sweet

Nope, don't always tick this box. I sometimes write long, rambling posts with lots of weird tangents. This probably isn't going to change. However, when I write a day-by-day log type of posts, I try to do a shorter intro section which describes the theme of those few days so that people can just scan that and then move on to someone else who keeps it short and sweet. My mom on the other hand, is retired and has plenty of time so I expect she is reading all the way to the bitter end of each post. You are, aren't you?

6. Use pictures

Tick. One of the main purposes of our blog is a place to store our pictures, along with our stories. Scott is our camera man. He desperately wants a Go Pro and thinks this would take our pictures to the next level. I know that I love looking at the great pictures other people share in their blogs so I think this is a really important criteria. We even have a whole series of "Going for a Walk" posts of the places we've meandered, hiked and tramped in, which are mainly photos. (If you're interested in checking them out, click on "Walk" in the labels section on the right hand side and it will bring them all up. Or click on the New Zealand tab on the top and you'll see a list of all of them there too.)

7. Use social media & make friends

Maybe 37% of a tick on this one. I recently started a Facebook page for our blog - something I never thought I would do. Clearly some sort of demonic spirit possessed me, took over my computer and set it up. And then I got sucked into the world of Pinterest. Who knew how much fun pinning pictures could be? I'm still a little bit unsure about this whole social media thing and a recent experience has kind of put me off a bit. However, one of the best things about blogging and reading other people's blogs is connecting with folks through email, comments and, yes, even Facebook and Pinterest. We love hearing from you - keep it coming! What do you like about this blog? Let us know and we'll try to keep doing it.

8. Write like you talk

Tick, kind of. When I write a blog post, it is basically a brain dump of what all the weird little voices are saying to each other in my head. So yeah, it is kind of how I talk. Except when I'm working. No one at work really wants to hear you talk about demonic spirits or zombie wallabies. Instead, you're expected to use big words like "paradigm", "fungible" and "hegemony" and corporate phrases like "think outside the box", "it needs to be sticky" and "transformational change". No one really wants to hear nonsense like that in a blog. Especially Scott. 

So there you go - another long, rambling post to celebrate Mr. Blog's first birthday. I have no idea why my blog is a boy. But then again I have no idea why boats are girls. Blog just sounds like a boy's name. You wouldn't really name a little girl, Blog, would you? But it would be a great name for a cat. Blog the cat - it has a ring to it doesn't it. We're not getting a cat on our boat, so go ahead, you can name your cat Mr. Blog. Send us a picture though. Maybe I should host a Mr. Blog the Cat competition - best cat wins the opportunity to guest post on our blog. I better go check email now, I imagine the entries are flooding in. Better hurry and get yours in - email to thecynicalsailor (at) gmail (dot) com.

Random tangent now over. We'll see you back here on Tuesday.

What blogging tips and tricks do you have? What things do you look for when you read blogs?

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - we'd love for you to pop by and say hi!  

If You're Reading This...

If you're reading this, then that means that we've finally left Indiantown Marina, after ticking almost everything off of our boat project list, and are making our way to the Bahamas.

Pictures from the last time we were in the Bahamas. Inspiration to get the heck out of here ASAP.

Or it could mean we're still stuck at Indiantown Marina and I was too lazy (or busy) to change this post out with something else.

Hopefully, it means the former and we're anchored someplace checking various weather forecasts and waiting for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. Fingers crossed we get one soon.

Passage Weather - one of the weather forecasts sources we use.

While we're in the Bahamas, we'll have very limited internet access. That means that I probably won't be posting every Monday, Wednesday and Friday as normal. I do have some posts scheduled in advance (like this one) and I'll post others when I can. I'll probably have better luck keeping our Facebook page updated, so check over there from time to time for pretty pictures of beaches and the like.

I'll also have to skip the A to Z Challenge this year as I won't be able to readily visit other participants' blogs. I've really enjoyed the challenge, so I'm a bit disappointed by that. {You can see my "Nancy Drew Investigates" blog posts from last year here.}

I won't be able to respond to comments and emails as quickly as I would like, but I love hearing from you and will eventually get back to you, so please, please keep them coming.

Our intent is to head back to the States before hurricane season starts in July. We'll haul out at Indiantown Marina and do a number of major boat projects before putting the boat back in the water and heading off next season to the Western Caribbean and beyond. At least that's today's plan. Who knows what might happen tomorrow.

Are you participating in the A to Z Challenge this year? Do you keep an eye on the weather forecast?

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi!

Q&A Time | The Sunshine Blogger Award

 
Viki from Astrolabe Sailing nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. The Sunshine Blogger Award is given from one blogger to others who are “positive, creative and inspiring." Once you have been nominated you are given a set of questions to answer and then you get to “pass it on” to other bloggers that you admire and find positive, creative and inspiring.

Viki is a really cool sailor from New Zealand who blogs about all things nautical, as well as travel in New Zealand and abroad (check out her Destinations page). Even though I lived in New Zealand for five years, I never got to meet her in person. I really hope our paths will cross on the water one day.

Here are my answers to Viki's questions.

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1 - What is the best part about traveling and/or sailing for you? 

Experiencing new stuff, meeting new people and learning about different ways of life.


2 - What are the most challenging aspects of your adventurous lifestyle? 

I'm not sure our lifestyle is really adventurous as much as it is different from how many people live.

The thing I find most challenging about living on a sailboat are things that scare the crap out of me.

Like when the boat is heeled over so much that I think we're going to tip over and drown even though I know that the laws of physics promise that we won't. Or sailing at night and panicking that we're going to hit something or run aground. Or bad weather. Or running out of chocolate chip cookies.

I've written a number of posts on my sailing fears such as holding my breath underwater, sailing in the dark and feeling tippy, not tipsy.


3 - How do you fund your sailing and travels, and what advice would you give to others wanting to do the same? 

This is probably the #1 question people who are considering becoming full-time cruisers want to know - how do you afford it? For us, it's a combination of having saved up and living frugally. I was lucky enough to have been made redundant from my job in New Zealand and was given a lovely parting gift in the form of a check. That chunk of change pushed us to go for it now, rather than wait until normal retirement age. We moved onto our 26' sailboat in New Zealand for a season and decided to make the cruising lifestyle a permanent one.

Both of us have worked on and off since then to top up the cruising kitty, but our plan is to try to cruise as long as we can off of our savings and meager investments.
 
When we went to buy our next sailboat (Tickety Boo), we looked for an older one that we could afford and try to do as much work on her ourselves to save money.

We document how much we spend each month and things we do to live cheaply on this page.

I wouldn't even try to give advice to others on how to fund their sailing and travels. There's no one right answer and no one answer that fits all. Everyone needs to look at their own financial situation, consider their appetite for risk (in terms of quitting the full-time rat race) and think about what their long-term priorities are.


4 - What is the one off-beaten path location you'd recommend that we visit? 

Ray, North Dakota. Or anyplace in North Dakota really. Scott is from North Dakota and, to be honest, I probably would have never visited the Peace Garden State if it wasn't for him. I joke that I would never move to North Dakota because it's too cold there. Okay, that's probably not a joke. But I have enjoyed visiting there.

When people think about visiting the States, they think of big cities (like New York, Las Vegas or LA) or well know tourist attractions (like the Grand Canyon or Disney World). They don't always visit the heartland of America - places like Ray, North Dakota (population 729), where Scott's family is from and where he spent his early years.

If you happen to find yourself in North Dakota, be sure to make your way to the Northern Unit of the Badlands. The first time I ever went camping in my life was there. It rained 5" in one night and this is a state that gets less than 15" a year. I saw my first rattlesnake up close. I woke one morning to a bison snorting outside of our tent. And we saw about six 10-12 point mule deer bucks one night, followed by a dozen of them the next.


5 - If you have a book you re-read often, what is it? If not, what's your favorite book? 

It's kind of impossible to narrow down to just one book. I do find that the books that I have re-read are those I originally read  when I was younger which really made an impact on me, such as Frank Herbert's Dune, Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and C.S. Lewis' Narnia series. I definitely read them differently as an adult and take away new things from them. I've also re-read all of Octavia Butler's books multiple times, as well as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Iain Banks - let's put him on the list too (both mainstream and sci-fi). Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers' mysteries are always fun to re-read too. Okay, that's probably enough.


6 - What is the strangest thing you've eaten or drunk while traveling? 

Dracula's Blood in a tiny bar in Berlin. I don't think it was actual blood, but since I don't speak any German, I can't be sure.


7 - What do you enjoy most about blogging?

I enjoy three things about blogging: (1) documenting our adventures so that we have something to look back at when we're older; (2) using it as a creative outlet; and (3) "meeting" people virtually. I would have never met wonderful people like Viki if it hadn't been for blogging.

I've written a number of posts about blogging on topics such as monetizing your blog, the mistakes I made when I first set up this blog, what makes blog posts popular etc., which you can find on this page.


8 - When did your passion for sailing/traveling start and how did you make it a reality? 

I've always had a passion for travel. I remember reading a book as a little girl about children who lived in other countries. I thought it would be so neat to go visit those far away lands when I grew up. I was always fascinated by different peoples and their cultures (which probably explains why I studied anthropology) and see travel as a way to learn more about the incredible diversity of the human race.

As for sailing, I'm still waiting to develop a passion for it. I see sailing more as a means of travel, kind of like an RV on the water. I do love being on boats, watching dolphins frolic along the bow and sitting at anchor sipping on tropical cocktails while watching the sun go down, but getting excited about the technicalities of sailing and the thrill of racing on a sailboat kind of escapes me.

I've written a number of posts about how I ended up leaving corporate la-la land, getting rid of all of our stuff, moving on to a sailboat and turning our dream of living an alternative lifestyle on the water into reality including 10 Steps to Becoming a Full-Time Cruiser and It's Official - We're Full-Time Cruisers!


9 - What is one item you can't live without when you are sailing/traveling? 

A way to make coffee. A morning without coffee on our boat is a very unpleasant place to be. I drink two cups in the morning. Scott drinks coffee all day long. I can't imagine our life without coffee.


10 - Where are you from and what are some fantastic things to see in that part of the world? 

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. To be honest, I haven't been back there in a zillion years, so I can't really recommend what you should see now. I do have fond memories of the world-class arts and culture on offer, the Metroparks system which provides green spaces throughout the greater Cleveland area and the zoo.

If you're from Cleveland or have visited there, what would you recommend visitors see?


11 - What's the biggest lesson you've learned from your travels? 

 Have an open mind and expect the unexpected.

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Now the rules state that I'm supposed to nominate 11 other bloggers for The Sunshine Blogger award. I'm a rule breaker, so I'm not going to do that. The biggest reason why is how can I possibly choose just 11 bloggers? There are so many fabulous blogs I follow that I would never be able to narrow down the list.

So, if you want to play along and answer these questions on your own blog, please go for it and let me know so I can check your blog post out.

If you're a rule follower, here are the official rules:

1 - Thank the person who nominated you. {Thanks Viki!}

2 - Answer the questions set by the person who nominated you. {Go ahead and use the questions above, but feel free to tweak them if you like. For example, replace "sailing" and "traveling" with "writing" or whatever else you have a passion for.}

3 - Nominate 11 other people and given them 11 questions to answer. {Oops, broke that rule.}

4 - Notify your nominees. {If you decide to participate, consider yourself nominated.}

5 - List the rules and display the badge in your post. {It's a nice badge. Well done whoever designed it.}


What about you? Care to answer any of the questions above in the comments?

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