Our New Featured Blog: pesky'apostrophe

Philly Future is thrilled to announce that pesky'apostrophe, written by the lovely and talented Mac, is our new Featured Blog. We sent Mac a few interview questions; please find her responses after the jump:

You've been blogging for a long time -- your archives go all the way back to 2001/2002. Do you remember when you first heard about blogs? What led you to start yours? Have your motivations for blogging changed over time?

It was completely accidental. I've kept a paper journal since I was 8 or 9 years old, and ended up keeping a typed journal after I got my first computer. Looking for a better way to keep the journal (rather than just a MS Word doc), I stumbled across Diary-X. I blogged there for maybe a year prior to buying my own domain. I don't think my motivations have really changed since then - I've always just wanted a place to vent in order to clear my head. But I have come to the realization that blogging has been a great way to network. If I need information or a tour guide in a specific city, I usually know someone through blogging who can help.

Are you really a hyper-kinetic overachiever with tons of hobbies and interests, or do you just play one on the internets?

If you walked into my house, you'd see my library to the left with tons of books on cooking, politics, gardening, biographies, spinning, art, knitting, sky diving, photography, triathlon, plus my huge collection of fiction books. And my collection of Nightmare Before Christmas coffins. And then you'd walk into my house and see my kitchen stuffed with gadgets, me screaming at CNN, the garden to the right of the house, my spinning wheel, art supplies, my yarn stash room, and camera and lenses. I don't think of myself as an overachiever, but I do have a serious problem with getting involved with new hobbies. I find myself unable to simply sit down and do nothing. And I'm a little anal-compulsive about everything.

What has been your best blogging moment?

There are two - when my husband and I were looking into buying a house, I was able to raise a bit of money by selling knitted goods to help with the down payment, and last Summer I was able to raise a couple thousand dollars for charity over the site when I did the dragonboat race.

You write often and hilariously about your personal and professional life. Has anyone described in your blog inadvertently seen one of your posts and confronted you about it?

No. I have no idea how it hasn't happened, but it hasn't. I should look for some wood to knock on for luck, but all I have is my faux wood desk. I try to stay anonymous, but not too hard.

What's the coolest thing you've ever knitted? Can you explain to a non-knitter why knitting blogs are so appealing to so many people?

The weirdest thing I've ever knitted is a uterus, but I think it's really cool to have someone ask me where I bought a sweater I'm wearing and I can say "Oh, I made it myself". I get a kick out of knowing that should society as we know it ever collapse, I'll be self-sufficient if I've got access to a sheep, some pointy sticks, and a vegetable garden.

I don't think I can explain to anyone who doesn't knit why knitting blogs are appealing. I mean, I'm sure that NASCAR blogs aren't appealing to anyone who doesn't watch NASCAR, right? I don't think driving around in a circle really fast is very interesting, just like mostly people don't get why knitting would be interesting. But I will say that knitters and spinners are usually incredibly cool people.

Which writers (online and off) have most inspired you?

Offline: Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving, James Morrow, Margaret Atwood
Online: http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/
http://mithras.blogs.com/blog/
http://purlewe.typepad.com/purlewe/

What are your three favorite pesky'apostrophe posts?

Every so often someone asks me about this and I can never answer. For starters, I post so often that even if I did have a favorite post, I'd never be able to find it again. But really, I just don't think I'm that funny or interesting - so when someone really likes a post I've written, I just feel lucky and baffled.

What's the best advice about blogging that you've ever gotten?

Write for yourself and don't let the trolls dictate what or how you write.

What post was the hardest one for you to write?

I don't know. I could say that my relationship with my family is weird and kind of difficult, but I think I've come to terms with a lot of it and I don't feel uncomfortable writing about it if I can find the words to say the things I want to say. Sometimes it's difficult to just put your thoughts into coherent form when your mind is trying to get a handle on things.

Or, I could say that the first post after the last Presidential election. Because that just sucked...and continues to suck.

Who is going to win American Idol this year?

Me. I'm going to win. I'm going to storm the theatre, stage a bloody coup, and serenade America with my terrible, terrible voice with We Are the World. And then I'm going to take Paula Abdul to rehab.

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We'd like to thank Mac for answering our questions, and for running such an excellent blog for such a long time. Here's to her American Idol run!

We trust that you've already bookmarked our previous Featured Blog, Young Philly Politics, where you'll continue to find some of the most passionate and informed commentary on the local political scene.