The other night I was laying in bed and couldn’t sleep. This is common; I get too excited about the next day to do something as mundane as sleep. As usual, I sneaked out of bed to get my phone and see what you guys are up to. I subscribe to all blogs via email, that way I can easily scroll to where I left off or delete posts that don’t look right for me. Not to make it weird (it’s weird), but we’ve all been in my bed together. I know that Alicia often posts her Friday 56 on Thursday nights. I know that if I’m up past midnight, I’ll be the first to like and comment on Pages Unbound, which is uncommon (so many people love it there!). I know that Jen reads really fast, and if I get behind, I’ll be commenting on several posts in one night. These are the times I have my phone on the lowest brightness level so I don’t wake my husband and I type out each comment at a sluggish pace.
Then there’s the bathtub. Does anyone else blog in the bath? I guess this means we’ve all enjoyed a splish-splash together, but it’s not weird, right? The funny thing about the bathtub is I always take a book and my phone. The phone is there so I can check the time (I’m mega blind without my glasses), but I always end up wondering what you guys are up to. Has Fiction Fan read anything that scared the porpentine lately? Did Anne make a video review, because if she has the bathtub is the best place to listen to it! I can’t do audio reviews in public. Does Amal have something to add to the legal craziness in the United States that’s scaring me right now? Did Jackie finally fix her blog? Is Ami going to leave California and move to Colorado?? Is Bill going to get back together with his ex, because I think that might be a thing?!
And I wonder why I only post one review per week.
I almost forgot to mention that I talk to you. Remember how I said I type comments at a sluggish pace? Most of my comments are written by the talk-to-text function. My neighbors may overhear me enunciating to Karen, “Don’t feel bad you hadn’t heard about the praised novel no read SEMICOLON I speak for all Americans when I say we haven’t read it either PERIOD I would throw David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest into the pot of books no one really read PERIOD.” Then I find out talk-to-text doesn’t know what a semicolon is and have to delete the word “semicolon” and add the punctuation in. You wonder why my comments are long? I’m talking at ya.
-
What does it look like when you’re blog hopping? Where are you, what time is it, what device or method do you use to comment?
-
Do you get caught up in bloggers’ personal lives like I do?
Grab the Lapels 
My old phone would say on the front screen how many new emails were waiting, so that was always the first thing I would look for in the morning. If I commented early on one of your posts then I might have 20 or 30 emails, nearly all comments posted by Americans overnight on your blog, though, as Western Australia is 2 hours (3 hours in summer) behind the east, I would have early Australian comments too.
Not so much fun now I have to enter my pin and scroll through, but I still check every time I stop for a break. I really must get voice to text function so I can ‘write’ while I work. Anyway, glad we all keep you entertained.
LikeLike
I make sure that I DON’T follow any comments via email. It gets confusing really fast and clogs up my inbox. I always check notifications on the app and get new posts in email to keep them separate.
LikeLike
Didn’t mean to ignore your comment, but I don’t think the Bill and Milly situation will change any time soon.
LikeLike
Awwww. IT’S LIKE A SOAP OPERA.
LikeLike
Glad to keep you entertained. I have three ex-wives whose stories will all come up sooner or later, not to mention a pregnant high school girlfriend (with whom I am once again friends).
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know just what you mean about catching up with bloggers! I don’t, I admit, blog in the bath, but I do the same thing you do about getting posts in my email, and going through them. I do that first thing when I get up in the morning. It does get to be a sort of rhythm, doesn’t it?
LikeLike
Absolutely! Right now I should be eating Cheerios, but I’m throwing off my own game 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
😆
LikeLike
This is such a sweet post 😊 I check out a lot of blogs whilst in bed too; between insomnia keeping me awake into the wee small hours, and liking to start my day by catching up with what’s been happening in the blogosphere.
LikeLike
Thank you, Callum! The tough thing about phones in bed is the light prevents your brain from knowing it’s dark out. There are so many articles about blue light.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed, it’s a vicious cycle of trying to distract yourself because you can’t sleep, and then probably not helping the problem by looking at a screen. I always put my phone down and listen to music once I feel tired enough; that usually helps me drift off eventually 😊
LikeLike
I think there’s also a setting or app to make you devices filter out blue light.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I usually blog hop when I eat breakfast in the morning, since it’s a nice way to feel productive without actually doing all the homework that needs to get done 🙂 Love this post!
LikeLike
Thank you so much, Holly! I’m so glad to see you over at Grab the Lapels. Everyone has recommended your blog to me, so I was hoping we could be friends. Plus, anyone who is hula hooping in their profile pic has to be fun! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awww, absolutely! ❤
LikeLike
I’m sitting in bed, drinking coffee, taking a little time to start my day before the kids are awake. That’s my preferred blog reading spot but some days I try and sneak some blog reading in while the girls are distracted by snacks or toys!
LikeLike
Wait, so either your girls don’t wake up at the crack of dawn like most kids, or you wake up even EARLIER than the crack of dawn!
LikeLike
Ahh this post is so great!! (It’s not weird but it’s weird 😂😂) I admit I don’t have a specific time of day I blog hop, it’s just a matter of when I have a few minutes (or more) to spare and I’m not looking to delve into my book for whatever reason. I use the WordPress reader to scroll back to the post I read the longest ago and then work my way back to the most recent, clicking through to the posts that look like they will appeal to me most.
LikeLike
I used to use WordPress reader to scroll back, but if I missed one day, it was a lot of scrolling. Then, after I read one post, the reader took me back to the top again. Thus, subscribing by email fixed all that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That would be frustrating! My reader usually holds the spot after I’ve read a post so I can’t say I’ve had that issue so far.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this! I just read blogs at my computer, but I do read in the bath. If I used a phone, I would probably be reading way more posts and would never get anything done.
LikeLike
The nice part is talking to write! It saves LOADS of time. But if you don’t have a phone, you’re also not getting distracted by Reddit, Twitter, etc.!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That would probably save a lot of time. But I do believe I would spend too much time doing everything but reading.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is such a brilliant post. Love it!
LikeLike
Thank you, Cathy! What kind of blog hopper are you?
LikeLike
I try to be the studious kind. I have a set time in the evening when I go through my WordPress Reader for the last 24 hours. Or that’s what I’m supposed to do!
LikeLike
That’s a good goal!
LikeLike
I blog throughout the day. Again, I’m chaotic in my ways. I should be organized. I pass out at night and am up very early. I write my posts in the morning but blog hop between books. I try to get my walks in between and go to the library too. Oh, and I eat dinner and help my daughter with awful algebra.
LikeLike
Algebra is the worst! I asked a guy in the PhD math program at the University of Notre Dame what algebra is for AND HE COULDN’T TELL ME.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nothing. Like nothing
LikeLike
Okay, let me begin by saying that I don’t like maths. At all. But, I think algebra is strangely useful. We just get to a point where we do it in our heads. For example, calculating how many gallons I can put in my gas tank with the $10 bill I have. Or to figure out how much I Venmo my friend who just bought movie tickets for 4 of us, plus a large popcorn and pretzels to share. Or to figure out how to cut a recipe by 1/3. Or when I’m figuring out a currency exchange in my head.
…
So, yeah. Algebra is useful. We just don’t think of it as algebra. *shrug*
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmm I just never think about it I guess.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think of that as division. Did I get it wrong? 😬
LikeLiked by 1 person
No– it depends how you think about the problem! So, if we think about how weight affects cooking time — I have an 8 pound turkey I want to cook. I needs to thaw 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey. 5/24 = 8/X — which means I need to defrost the turkey for 38.4 hours.
LikeLiked by 1 person
MIND. BLOWN.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This post is hilarious! I love it! 🙂 I also follow blogs via email – it’s so much easier to keep track of! But I rarely use my phone to check out blogs. I like to use my laptop to check out blogs (I go to the actual site instead of using the WP reader). I usually only can do that at night, or on the weekends, and I’m seriously behind on my blog hopping!
And I’m still debating that move … it’s such a big decision! I don’t feel California is right for me anymore, but I’m not sure that Colorado is where I should go – which is really too bad, since my parents & brother are there and money-wise it makes a lot of sense. We’re actually going to drive up to Oregon in November to check that out a bit, and I’ve got family that just moved to Idaho, so I want to check that out too. Who knows what the future holds!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for updating me, Ami. I noticed that other people didn’t responded to what I said about them. Maybe I said something….weird? 🤣
I use email to keep track of blog posts, and when I click on the email link it takes me to a browser, so I’m never reading or commenting on blog posts in the WordPress website or app. I just typically RESPOND to comments in the app, like I’m doing right now.
Good luck with your trip in November to check out Oregon. I hope you find a permanent home very soon!
LikeLike
This is so funny and very intimate. I post all the memes I participate in the night before because I live on the west coast and by the time I get up the next morning, I’d be way behind. My blog hopping includes ten thousand tabs open at once, ambition that was much more enthusiastic at the beginning than at the end, and a need for a screen break afterward.
LikeLike
Oh!! I never thought of you being in the west coast! I hope you aren’t affected by the fires in California like Ami is!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve always lived at least a ways away from these areas that I’ve never had to evacuate. But they get close enough where smoke is an issue. When I was younger, we got a week off of school because the smoke was so bad. There is also a lot of people who commute where I live and fires have been known to jump the freeway. I live more of a valley area right now, but the mountains/hills are near enough where the fire can put on a show for us.
LikeLike
That is just terrifying. Does it bother you, or is it part of life now?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just a part of living in California.
LikeLike
Hahaha. This is one of the most entertaining posts I’ve read in a long time. You are so brave to bathe with your phone! I would be terrified of dropping it in the water. Heck, I’m terrified of dropping my BOOK in the water! This is why I want an Oasis. Oh man, do I want a Kindle Oasis… Then I can read in the bath without a constant state of low-level anxiety. XD
I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about my blog hopping process. I used to try WP Reader, but I find it’s too challenging to keep up with the people I want to keep up with, and their blogs aren’t always the most effective for that platform. My process is weird. I use Outlook Tasks. I have a recurring task for each blogger I want to follow closely and I use them to check out their posts. It feels so ass-backwards. XD But, it works for me!
LikeLike
Have you tried subscribing by email? And then the email takes you to a webpage? Or is that what you mean when you say something blogging sites don’t work for you? Or do you mean nonWP blogs?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am TERRIBLE at responding to emails. I tried subnscribing that way for a while, but I just couldn’t keep up and I didn’t care. I need to be more meticulous in culling the blogs I hop- I don’t have time for all the bloggers I want to interact with.
As far as blogging sites not working for me, I specifically mean the WP Reader. So many of the bloggers I adore are self-hosted. You can read their blog post on WP Reader, but to comment you must go to their actual site. Which is fine! But it makes the WP Reader not a great tool for reading posts for me. I don’t like all the clicking.
Instead, just Outlook Tasks and a laptop work for me. XD
LikeLike
That’s cool. I haven’t heard of doing it that way, so you’ll have to show me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s not as high-tech as you might imagine… 😉 But I’d love to demonstrate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
OMG this post was adorable, thanks for the shout-out! I must admit I’m not the best at blog-hopping these days because I’m so darn busy, but I subscribe via email to a few of my favs so I don’t miss out on a post-yours of course is one of those that shows up in my inbox! Now that I know you enjoy my video reviews, I will try to do more!
LikeLike
I feel like your saucy personality comes through on video.
LikeLiked by 1 person
haha thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not nearly good enough at keeping up with everyone’s blogs, and I am currently still just using my WordPress reader. You are brave looking at your phone in the bath – I’d be way too worried about dropping it!
LikeLike
Life is about being brave in ways that don’t matter! Or maybe that is what I tell myself in that bath tub moment…
LikeLike
I’m catching up on my laptop on an ISLAND at the moment (shhhh don’t tell) but it’s usually on my Feedly aggregator on my PC, just after breakfast or on a weekend. I mark the ones I want to read later then go through my Read Later folder. However, I think Feedly has just lost a day or so’s posts!
LikeLike
I used Feedly for a hot second because my husband told me to. Which island? I thought you lived on an island?
LikeLike
That made me laugh as I don’t think day to day of Great Britain being an island! We were on the Isles of Scilly, way down in the South West off the far end of Cornwall.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hehe, you’re an island, GB.
LikeLike
Well that was…. interesting lol When I am blog hopping, I am on my couch with my computer. It is usually a whole-day affair since I get way far behind and only get to blog hop twice a month. When things slow down, I’ll ideally blog hop once a week!
LikeLike
Holy moly. You need a bubble bath and a lock on your door!
LikeLiked by 1 person
If only… Maybe in 13 years when my youngest is out the door lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this post! And I feel like I have so much to say about it – the way I blog hop has changed so much over the years. In the early days, I kept up really well, but then I followed more blogs and got to know more of you and it became much harder to keep up. I still managed about once or twice a week to visit everyone I wanted to visit. But then I get a part time job outside the house and got involved in a few new things, and now I really struggle to keep up with blog-hopping. Even my favourite blogs get left behind sometimes.But certain times of the year are busier than others, and this is one of them. I remind myself, though, that it’s a nice problem to have – so many friends and fun conversations and books to read that I just can’t keep up with them all! 🙂
LikeLike
That is a nice problem! I also try to cut down on following blogs that don’t want follow me back or have conversations. Very few people have a blog that’s interesting enough for me to follow just for the sake of reading their posts and having no interactions. Those people are often famous by the time I find them anyway.
What job are you doing outside of the house? Do you like it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I work part time at the library. I love it!
LikeLike
Wait, are you allowed to talk about books? Remember my post “Big Changes, Big Feelings” when I talked about how libraries surprised me?
LikeLike
I remember – and I *am* allowed to talk about books! It would be very dull otherwise.
LikeLike
I’m so glad!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this post. It’s so fun and I have to admit I’ve been blog-ligent (negligent). I have not been able to share anything recently and I feel annoyed by that (write reviews list is growing quickly) so I need to clear my head and get back into a routine.
I have been trying to read blogs I follow (like yours) and leave some meaningful comments. This was such a fun read. I’m inspired to write something now….I just don’t know what yet.
LikeLike
I’m glad! Have fun with it; that always gets me back in action. Sometimes it’s silly gifs. Sometimes it’s a snarky attitude throughout a review.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the reminder! The GIF was hilarious too (The Office was a funny show when Michael was on there)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve tried various dictation systems.. The first programme would absolutely not recognise my voice (accent) and kept saying it couldnt hear me even when I had the stupid microphone practically in my mouth. Then I tried a system where you wrote with a stylus on a pad. It kept jumbling my writing. I gave up!
LikeLike
Oh, no! I take it you have a fairly strong Welsh accent then? Does the accent get stronger or softer on folks depending on where they live?
LikeLike
Years of working with people from other countries have softened my accent a lot to the extent that I’ve had other Welsh people look astonished when I say I’m Welsh. Now I don’t have those connections and my encounters are almost exclusively with welsh people I suspect it will come back. It does get stronger on the phone so that may be the explanation
LikeLike
I wonder how the phone changes your accent. That’s interesting! It used to drive me nuts that people couldn’t tell my mom and me apart on the phone when I was in high school.
LikeLike