Monday, October 23, 2017

It's My 15th Blogaversary! Ask Me Anything :-)


Well, how cool is this?  Today is my 15th anniversary as a blogger.  Fifteen years ago, waaaaay on back in 2002, I decided to try starting my own blog.  This very blog you're reading now, Hamlette's Soliloquy.  I've called it that since day one.

Back in 2002, blogs were kind of a new thing.  I read about them in a newspaper one day at work and decided it might be fun to have an online place where I could share my thoughts and random things I wrote.  I'd been out of college for five months and married for four, and at the ripe old age of twenty-two, I was convinced I had lots of stuff to say that people would want to read.

But truth be told, I had about ten readers and knew most of them personally.  In fact, for about ten years, I really didn't interact with a lot of other bloggers on any kind of a regular basis, DKoren excepted.  But in 2012, I started to read a lot more blogs, and in 2013, I joined two blogging events that really got me out into the blogging world.  The first was the Period Drama Challenge hosted by Old-Fashioned Charm. The second was the Literary Heroine Blog Party hosted by Accordion to Kellie.  Those two events introduced me to so many wonderful bloggers!  And from then on, I was a much more social blogger :-)

Now, the title of this post says "Ask Me Anything," so... ask me anything!  Within reason, of course ;-)  I mean, if you ask me for the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow, I probably won't have a great answer for you.  But you probably know how AMAs work, right?

And actually... depending on the questions I get and how much time I have (and if I can get it to work), I might try my hand at something new!  Like... a vlog post.  A very short one.  Maybe.  We'll see.

29 comments:

  1. CONGRATULATIONS! Such an amazing blogoversary. <3 Wow.

    So...questions.

    Who is your least favorite superhero?
    A book you consistently recommend to people?
    Favorite Glenn Ford movie? Role?
    How many adult coloring books do you own?
    What's your favorite sound?
    What's your favorite Bobby Darin song?

    Have fun!

    ~Eva

    ReplyDelete
  2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail! I so got the quote.

    So, CONGRATS!!!!!!! How cool! 15 years, that is crazy and awesome all in one! Congrats!!!!

    Least favorite movie?
    Least favorite book?
    Favorite post you have done?
    Favorite book you've written (Mwahaha)?
    Favorite blog party you've hosted?
    Favorite hobby?
    Fun fact about you?
    Least favorite LotR book (Mwahaha, there isn't one!)?
    Have you ever read the Chronicle of Narnia, if so favorite one?
    If not, favorite series?

    Okay, now you are tierd of me. Congrats, again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MC, high five for getting the Monty Python reference!

      And thanks :-) Yeah, fifteen years is like... wow, I've been blogging almost as long as our oldest niece has been alive.

      Good questions!

      Delete
  3. If you had 20 Alan Ladd movies, and one friend took 10% of them, and another friend took 20% of them, how many friends would you have left?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quiggy! Math is so not my favorite thing.

      Seriously, though, that's going to be fun to answer.

      Delete
  4. Wow! 15 years?! That's awesome! Congratulations:)

    - What is something that is considered a luxury, but you don’t think you could live without?
    - What is something you do the "old-fashioned" way?
    - What fictional place would you want to live in?
    - Do you have any hobbies you enjoy? If so, what are they?
    - What is you favorite old (like b&w old) movie?
    - Just because I'm curious: Did you like Fantastic Beasts better than Harry Potter? Why/why not?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. P.S. That Holy Grail reference cracked me up!😂 Well done.

      Delete
    2. Thanks, Elanor!

      Yeah, whenever I pop out some random little bit of knowledge or trivia and somebody asks how I knew it, I tend to shrug and say, "Well, you have to know these things when you're a mom, you know." :-D

      Thanks for the questions!

      Delete
  5. Happy Anniversary, Rachel. Your blog is fantastic, and I am so happy to have stumbled across it.

    If you could have written any novel, which one would it have been and why?

    What are some of your favourite classic era films?

    Which is your personal favourite post that you have written here over the years?

    Maddy

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congratulations on 15 years of blogging! What a cool achievement. :-)

    I LOVE reading Ask-Me-Anything answers. I will try to keep the questions to a minimum, teehee.

    1. You are at Elizabeth Chambers' Bird Bakery. What do you order? (And more importantly, which Armie Hammer movie do you watch afterwards? ;-)) I grew up right by Bird Bakery and have been missing it dearly lately, hence the question. :-)
    2. What classic novel have you been putting off reading?
    3. What movie has taken you by surprise and become an unexpected favorite?
    4. What is your favorite Rufus Sewell film/role? (I may or may not be rewatching clips of his from Victoria right this second...)
    5. What is your favorite Christmastime recipe?
    6. What's on the top of your "dream vacation" list?
    7. You have just been put in charge of creating a new adaptation of Persuasion. Who do you cast?
    8. What is your favorite television show episode of all time?
    9. What's the best movie you've seen so far this year?

    Happy blogaversary!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Claire! I will go into this more in the answers post but duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude. Bird Bakery is on my bucket list. Just so you know.

      Delete
    2. Did I ever tell you that I MET Elizabeth Chambers there once? She was at the bakery and I was amazed that I kept it together just telling her how big a fan I am. (Armie Hammer came in that day, too...twenty minutes after I left. Still kicking myself about it.)
      It's my favorite bakery of all time. I hope you make it there someday!

      Delete
    3. Claire, that's so cool! Wow. I have met a few famous people, and yeah, I have a hard time being coherent. Mostly I just get super quiet and shy. Like, more quiet and shy than normal.

      Unless I can rehearse what I'm going to say, like when I knew I was going to have my picture taken with William Shatner at the Star Trek convention. Then I spent like two weeks rehearsing one line: "Thank you for everything, Mr. Shatner." Totally worked. I managed to say exactly those six words in a coherent manner.

      Delete
  7. Is that an African swallow, or a European swallow?

    :-P

    One of the first movies I ever saw; and the source of many an in-joke at our house. My parents love that film; they used to watch it when they were dating, I think.

    Questions:
    1. What's your favorite color to see in a movie? As in, what's one color or shade (of scenery, clothing, sets, whatever) that makes you REALLY happy when you see it on-screen?
    2. What is your favorite thing about fall? (assuming you have a favorite thing?)
    3. Which character in The Chronicles of Narnia do you relate to most, and why?
    4. Meat for breakfast: yea or nay? (that'll be a 'nay' from me ;-) )
    5. What do you wear on your feet most often? Sneakers, or dress shoes, or just socks, or what?
    6. How do you name your fictional characters? Where do you tend to get the names from, in general, and how do you figure out which fits with which person?

    That's all I can think of for now :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jessica, I'm excited you got that reference! I got introduced to Monty Python in college, and hands-down the Holy Grail movie is still my fave of theirs. (I do love a couple skits of theirs a lot too, though, like "Spanish Inquisition" and "Buying a Bed." Mostly I like the latter because I performed it in a college talent show with a bunch of friends.)

      Thanks for the questions!

      Delete
    2. I did! I got it right away ;-) (I need to re-watch that movie. It's been too long.)

      Delete
    3. Jessica, same here! I picked it up on DVD at the thrift store a while back, so one of these days, I'll visit Camelot again, even though it's a silly place.

      Delete
  8. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAMLETTE'S SOLILOQUY!!!

    A vlog would be such fun. But AMA posts are always fun no matter how they're done. :) So yay! Here are my questions:

    -Do you have a favorite fantasy animal? (Unicorns, dragons, etc.)
    -If you could, would you rather meet a fictional character or a real-life historical person? Who would it be?
    -Which author's books do you prefer: Charlotte Bronte or Jane Austen?
    -A little known book you love that you think deserves more popularity?
    -Do you like musicals/Broadway shows?
    -Would you rather have a week long, all expenses paid trip in the American West or in New Zealand?
    -What would you rather be (hobbit, elf, dwarf, human...) if you were a character in Middle-earth? If human, would you rather be from Gondor or Rohan?

    Congrats again!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Natalie! I'm thinking right now that I will try to answer one question from each person in vlog form, and the rest with text :-) We'll see what I can work out!

      Delete
  9. Wahoo! Congratulations! 15 years is definitely nothing to sneeze at. :D

    I don't have time to read everyone else's questions, so I'm sorry if I repeat some. I'll just jot down a few as I think of them:
    1. What do you normally eat for breakfast?
    2. What is a memory that makes you laugh?
    3. Is there a characteristic about people that really attracts you (eg. witty humour, good with kids etc)?
    4. What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?
    5. How tall are you?
    6. What does being a Christian mean, for you, on a daily basis?
    7. What book changed your perspective on life (whether big or small)? (The Bible is a given. ;))

    Can't wait to see the answers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Gabby! I know, it's a number that astonishes me. Thanks for the questions!

      Delete
  10. 15 years? That's quite a feat!! Congratulations!

    As for the questions:

    - Have you ever read a book that changed your view on the world? Which one?
    - What are some books everyone should read to call themselves cultivated human beings?
    - What is your dream travel destination?
    - Coffee or tea?
    - What's your favourite movie genre?

    Looking forward to the answers;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Okay, I've been away from the blogging loop but I can come up with a few questions before I sink into oblivion once more...

    What are five things on your bucket list?
    What are some of your favorite character names that you haven't used yet? (Unless they're too good to share and then choose secondary favorites. ;))
    If possible using your phone or iPod (or whatever you may have), put it on shuffle and tell us the first four songs that play. (I didn't come up with that question...I saw it somewhere and thought it sounded cool).
    What's your favorite music to listen to while you're writing...that is, if you listen to music while writing...
    What color do you use the most when you're enjoying your coloring books?

    ~Cordy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the questions, Cordy! It's always nice to have you pop by :-)

      Delete
  12. Whaaaaaaaat?!?! HAPPY LATE BLOGIVERSARY, HAMLETTE!!! I'm soooo glad that we're blogging buddies, and your blog is one of the best!! <3333

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Olivia :-) I'm glad we're blogging friends too! And thanks for the compliment :-)

      Delete

Agree or disagree? That is the question...

Comments on old posts are always welcome! Posts older than 7 days are on moderation to dissuade spambots, so if your comment doesn't show up right away, don't worry -- it will once I approve it.

(Rudeness and vulgar language will not be tolerated.)