I remember reading about the Mug Swap last year . . . last year, I was still writing over at my old blogspot blog, knowing that I wanted to do more with it, but, really, having no idea what direction to take or what to do. However, I was very active on The Twitter, and all of my friends were joyous in sending and receiving their mug.
See, Liz from A Belle, A Bean, & A Chicago Dog sets up this little thing between bloggers. She played the Ninja Santa – setting a wicked web of bloggers & friends. You create a mug of your own blog, and then ship it to whomever you get assigned.
Last year, I was jealous . . . but, really, I wasn’t much more than a wiseacre on Twitter. I did post, occasionally, but they were few & far between. But, I’ll admit that watching the mugs travel around planted the sugarplums seeds of what you see here. A year later, I have my own domain name, I’m publishing intermittently regularly, I have seven followers!
Actually, though, last year, I had a tool to use to get myself up & working out more. Now, I have a corner of the web where I actually can call my own . . . so I joined in the mug swap.
First, I got the name of my partner . . . only, well, it was a name that I already knew. There are only a few people that I interact with on a regular basis that I actually know their real name . . . and, well, The Mad Woman behind A Diary of a Mad Woman is one of those that have gone from someone whose blog I would stop by every now & then, to someone whose blog that I had to visit after every post, to someone who I stalk someone who I’m happy to call a friend. If I had received a partner who I hadn’t read regularly . . . well, I might have half-assed the mug. But, for the Mad Woman, I couldn’t do that.1.
When she received her mug, though, I went into overdrive thinking who might have had me. I have a small following compared to any other blog out there, including the one that your grandmother set up in 1999 which she posted out-of-focus pictures of her cats sleeping to, but hasn’t updated since 2003 most other people in “the blogosphere.” I had assumed that I’d be introduced to someone new.
So, imagine my surprise when I opened the box from Zazzle to find the name of a blog that I had just recently started following myself. Tonya from Letters For Lucas, which just happened to have been a blog that I just started subscribing to. So, yay to reinforcing new friendships!
If you don’t read Tonya, well, you should . . . she’s smart & captivating, and is managing a whole “Dear Sophie Lee” with a public face . . . it really is a marvelous blog.
Of course, I just shipped my mug by itself . . . in fact, I had it shipped directly from the factory over to the Mad Woman. Tonya, however, turned the unveiling into a whole-family present . . . she filled the mug with Hershey’s Kisses . . . and, well, I don’t think she knows about my chocolate deficiency, but my wife & kids love her for being thoughtful.
Such a fun idea for an exchange. I’m glad you were able to participate this year – and chocolate? I can be lured to any blog with chocolate. Go Tonya!
It really was a fun little thing – you should hop in next year 🙂
Getting mugged was so fun, right?
So fun – especially once I got over my nerves and actually created the mug…I was really afraid that I’d procrastinate to the point where I’d have to, literally, “throw things together.”
Hooray, you! Love the mug and Tonya! 🙂
Yeah – lovely mugs & lovely people are wonderful combinations 🙂
I love that this mugswap is a metaphor for your whole blogging experience so far.
Kind of.
(Okay. I just really like metaphors so I’m making this post one.)
Also chocolate is really good.
Sorry.
XO
Oh, the #mugswap2011 was, totally, a metaphor for my blogging experience. It used to be that I was on the outside, looking in, because I barely ever posted anything. Then, I was on the outside, looking in, because I’m one of a few male bloggers in a sea of females.
Then, I realized that I kind of liked being among a whole bunch of hot women, so I wasn’t on the outside anymore — it’s going to take a lot for you gals to get rid of me 🙂
You have to make the marshmallows now, to honour Tonya and her mug.
Oh, totally — I think I’m taking a day off work next week to do just that.
Thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it.
I’m SO sorry I didn’t know about your chocolate aversion (I promise to get caught up soon)! You poor thing, but glad your wife is enjoying the Kisses.
It was so fun to be apart of Mug Swap 2011 and I’m with you on reinforcing new friendships! 🙂
Thanks again and happy holidays!
There was no way to guess the chocolate issues I have . . . I read, somewhere (I can never, ever find the sources for the stuff I reference in comments, and it pisses me off) that chocolate may be the most universally accepted flavor.
More people “like chocolate” than those who “like pasta.” Which is just craziness, if you ask me.
I absolutely love my mug . . . it serves me my coffee at the office, daily.
Yay for mugs and yay for growing blogging goals and extra yay for community.
My son also hates chocolate. It can be hard for him. Especially at birthday parties 😉
Birthday parties and Halloween.
My next-door-neighbors were, essentially, my grandparents . . . every year, Mrs. Nichols made me a great big chocolate cake, and I never had the heart to tell her that I didn’t like it . . . so I’d eat as small a piece as I could get away with and smile while trying not to gag.
As I said before, you + Mad Woman = a social media match made in heaven!
It seriously is 🙂
I so wanted to get mugged in the non threatening, warm and fuzzy way and totally missed the mug … ack …
next time 🙁
Yes, next time – it truly is a lot of fun. I’m, honestly, surprised that I was playing the guessing game as to who had me as ardently as I was.
I totally need to get in on this shit next year. I love my blogosphere.
Yes, Jessica, you do — your eye for art would have the Smedette mug a cherished treasure.
How fun! Can we all get mugs of your blog? Because how cool would that be??
I just created a zazzle store — I’ll have links up in the next few days to open things up for purchasing.