My dilemma and the $100,000 Onigiri Challenge!
It's another caffeinated late night here at knitty knitty bang bang, so I've decided to mix things up a bit. Everyone likes a little variety right?
I have been quite conflicted lately. Before I came to Japan a little less than a year ago, I started this knit blog. Then I started a Japan blog. Why bore my family and friends with my knitting or bombard knitters with relatively mundane details of my daily life, I thought. Now it's pretty obvious to me that there is a WHOLE lot of overlap, and with my BROTHER'S comment on the KNIT BLOG (!!!) today, my mind has been thrown into overdrive! Well, the caffeine from tea class might have something to do with it, too.
What is a girl to do!? Do I combine them and sacrifice Morry's identity for the sake of my poor readers who are trying to keep up with two blogs? Or do I keep up the split-personality?
Sometimes I hesitate about where to post some ramblings that are neither knitting or Japan specific. The knit blog doesn't have to be ALL knitting, ALL the time!* The following post is sort of Japan specific, but it is just too riveting to keep from all those knitbloggers out there. So here is a peek at into Morry's head...
This blogger has a little anti-meme thing going on and it's called show and tell Friday. This week I got to pick the theme! What's on your TV? Will you show me? If not, that's OK, but I thought you might want to see what's on mine. (WARNING: The suspense might be too much for the weak-hearted). Get ready for...
THE [approximately] $100,000 ONIGIRI CHALLENGE!
The contenders.
(Onigiri are small, round or triangular rice balls that make a great snack, or a few make a tasty meal. There are many varieties, and they often have tasty surprises buried in the middle. Pickled plums, raw fish, tuna salad... you name it, they'll stuff it in these babies!).
The esteemed judge.
In one corner...
...and in the other.
Check out this close-up. I can almost TASTE it, can't you?
It's going to be a close one, ladies and gentlemen!!
Oh, what? You thought it would be resolved that quickly? No way, this is Japanese TV. The results must be overly dramatic, dragged out, and of course after a commercial break.
AND THE WINNER IS!
This lovely old woman. She'll advance to another round, or something. This has been going on for at least a month or so, and I'd be lying if I said I really understood much about the details.
Well, that's all from here. Now will you show me what's on your TV? Hi Mum, hi Dad! I think you're the only ones that actually read to the end. Later!
*Speaking of knitting, I, uh, realize that I have some explaining to do when it comes to Secret Pals, current knitting, swaps and more. I'll get around to it someday, I swear.
Comments
Good question, of which I don't have any input. I think it all just depends on you. I know I'd read of knitting blog with lots of Japaneese content, and I bet people who read your other blog would tolerate some knitting.
Sorry couldn't be of more assistance.
Posted by: Rebekah | May 13, 2005 01:49 AM
Man, combing the two worlds has not been easy for me. I find that I wait to post until I have some sort of knitting content because I feel guilty posting without. But, then again I seemed to set that trend at the beginning and it is up to me to change it. Everyone who reads my blog is cool with everything as I imagine most people who read your blog would be. I love your Japan blog! So....I say throw it all together and save yourself the time and energy of updating two blogs! They are both super and they would compliment each other nicely.
I love Japanese food. I want to eat it all the time. Right now I am starving and those rice triangle ball things look soo good. I don't care what is in the middle. I want one or two or twenty. I need to eat more Japanese food...
Posted by: Sarah | May 13, 2005 03:18 AM
i read all the way to the end - but i have to do my best to distract myself from the shelves and shelves of beautiful yarn that i'm not technically supposed to pile in the floor and sleep in, but i'm starting to think that maybe just a LITTLE pile will be ok... ;)
Posted by: maeve | May 13, 2005 03:34 AM
i feel your pain on the conflictedness. i used to have five different pages with text on them on my site. now i only have two. eventually i will probably have one. it's traumatic.
Posted by: carolyn | May 13, 2005 03:51 AM
Since I know family members who only read the Japan site, I'd be inclined to vote to keep them both. Knitty Knitty for projects and bloggy things (memes, 100 things, etc.), AoSA for uniquely Japanese adventures, with overlap when you feel like it.
Saw you online tonight but figured you'd forgotten to put up an away message when you went to bed. Forgot it was ocha night. Yikes...don't they make decaf? ;-)
Posted by: Mom | May 13, 2005 04:06 AM
I read both your blogs - I knit, and I will be visiting Japan for 5 months, this fall. So, I guess I like having 2 views of you and your world. I think you'd leave things out if you were only doing 1 blog.
Posted by: lizabeth | May 13, 2005 04:43 AM
Awesome. Just an awesome idea! "whatisonmytv" meme. That should be on flickr!!! A "whatamiwatching" or "whatsonmytv" tag. Have you surfed the "whatsinmybag" http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/whatsinmybag/ ?
Anyhow. I think a merge could be a good thing, especially if you have categories. I like rolling mine into a ball so friends and family who don't knit can knit vicariously. And those who knit can get a sense of what else I do. After all, I live one life, so I have one blog for visitors. Then again, I have probably 5 readers. Half who knit, some who put up with it, and a boyfriend expected to visit me vicariously via blog.
Posted by: freecia | May 13, 2005 07:43 AM
I LOVE the idea of the onigiri challenge! Was it to see who made the best one or who would eat one with something disgusting in the middle?
I'm starving and could really use an onigiri right now. North America doesn't know what they're missing -- the ultimate convenience food.
Posted by: megan | May 13, 2005 07:46 AM
I say put them together... we all know how to skim, right? I love all your entries, but if on the off chance I wasn't interested in the topic I'm pretty sure I could just scroll right past it.
Posted by: Dawn | May 13, 2005 08:42 AM
THAT is too funny. Love those pics!!!
Posted by: Jenny | May 13, 2005 10:32 PM
I say put them together. Knitter's are WHOLE PEOPLE right? Hopefully there is more going in your life than only knitting (although I can understand that knitting can be a BIG part) I love reading knit blogs, I love hearing about the other non-knitting things people are doing/thinking about. (I read both your blogs) Keeping different categories could be a happy compromise... Some knit blogs talk about everything else but knitting, but I still read them, because they are interesting to me.
Posted by: evonne | May 14, 2005 03:58 AM
I think you should merge the two blogs. I like blogs that have knitting and other content... and I personally don't think I could keep two blogs going.
Mmmmmm... onigiri! Pickled plum paste is my favorite.
Posted by: Eva | May 14, 2005 08:08 AM
Hi there! I just linked my way here from....well, I'm not sure. I'm quite a few links away from where I started.
Great blog! Did I read right that you are in Japan and your folks flew out of Detroit? Are you a former local gal? My dd is getting married and moving to Okinawa in July. We're in northern MI, formerly downriver...
I love seeing some of the culture (okay...yarn) you have over there. I'm hoping my daughter will be willing to trade hair products for yarn. (She wants to know if Okinawa has yarn shops. So far I haven't turned anything up.)
I've got you bloglined...I'll be back!
Blessings,
Susie
Posted by: Susie | May 14, 2005 08:23 AM
I am amazed that you are able to update both blogs consistently with good posts! I struggle sometimes with just one blog!
Not sure what is the best solution for you (which is the most important thing) but the way that I solve this problem is to have one blog and have multiple categories for posts. So if it is about knitting, you can put that. I like having a more well rounded blog myself- not just dedicated to knitting- because I find those more interesting to read. (I mean, who cares about someone's sock that they knit if you have no idea who they are?)
just my 2 cents :)
Posted by: frecklegirl | May 14, 2005 08:49 AM
Having the EXACT same problem here with the duo blog thing. We have a separate site with photos and a journal thing for family and friends from home - then there's the knitting thing which is totally mine (meaning: CoPilot doesn't write on it), and none of my family or non-blogging acquaintances know about it.
Sometimes, as I'm posting similar info twice, I wonder why I don't combine... but then again, peppering info between the blogs is interesting. Knitting content on Morry; life-in-Japan content on Knitty Knitty.
Good luck... and can't wait to see that Lucky Clover sweater!
Posted by: Meg | May 14, 2005 09:27 PM
Where else would I be able to see a rice-ball game show contest?! I LOVE IT. I would watch the rice ball show every day -- and I would refer to it as the rice ball show.
I love japan.
Posted by: blackbird | May 15, 2005 05:58 AM