five (and one with five) conversation-starters

1. What browser do you use and why do you like it?
   I use IE, because Firefox is oddly irritating to me. My next computer will be a Mac, and I will never suffer through this again.
2. Some people let it all hang out on their blog, while others keep it light, and still others fall somewhere in between. Where does your blog fall in that?
   I think that a reader could answer this question better than I can. My understanding of the blog as a whole is sketchy; I feel it more closely on a day to day, post-by-post basis. I probably let it all hang out and reveal too much, while at the same time being annoyingly vague about certain specifics.
3. A lot of people have themed blog like a deployment blog or a crafty blog or one just for memes (like Friday Fun!). What about yours? Do you maintain more than one blog?
   My main blog is this one, and it's all over the board. I know that A Certain Reader would like me to forgo the memes, but I like the free association component too much to give them up. Besides, it is a link between me and one of my very best friends (hi Cat!). And there are times when I want to write but don't want to think too hard about a topic. Memes are a perfect choice.
   And yes, I maintain more than one blog. This was the second; the first was the Romance Reader's blog that has since become relatively defunct. I still read them, but I don't review them in this format anymore. There is also a relatively private blog devoted entirely to positivity, which for obvious reasons I keep hidden from all but my closest compadres. I have a template-testing blog that hasn't been used very much lately, and another that was begun under false pretenses and could easily be deleted.
   Those are all under this login. There are two under another login, both extremely personal (yup, even more than this one). One is a recount of my journals from age 17 forward, and is so embarrassing that I cannot believe anyone would read it - but the hit stats are better than here. And the other is a sort of forum for some people who really needed a place to get some things out. Valuable at least for one or two of us, so it's worth keeping.
   And the third login is for my work blog, which is private and requires invitation to view. It was a lark designed to replace the inept "communication" that took place by my employer. Creation of the blog made me $25 and a firm enemy. (How can anyone oppose communication?! Welcome to my work world.)
   Finally, the fourth login is for a work-like blog that I've mentioned here before, upon which I post my own and my colleagues' book, movie, and music reviews. It is a huge pain in the ass, if only because I wish I could post to it every fucking day but my stupid job keeps me too busy. I hate my job.
   Um, did that answer the question?
4. I like to play online games, like the ones found at Yahoo Games. Do you play any like that? Share some links!!
   I play Text Twist occasionally, though I often just guess the 6-letter word and then let the time run down until the next level comes up. (Yes, that's a degree of perfectionism - or something? - that isn't healthy.)
   It's incredibly (argh) stupid, but I sometimes play the egg game at work, just to clear my head.
5. There are forums to chat on about just about everything under the sun. Do you belong to any and what are your favorites? Links, please!
   I belong to no official fora. Wait, does LibraryThing count?
6. Shopping time! What are your 5 favorite sites to shop at and what would you recommend I check out?!
   
   1. amazon.com, of course
   2. J.Peterman, because their clothes are (on the whole) too weird, but some of them are absolute perfection. And the descriptions make me laugh.
   3. Silvermoon Jewelry, which is less expensive than Blue Nile but no less lovely. They have an Amazon shop, and deliver more quickly than I would have thought possible.)
   4. Chukar Cherries. The one place in Seattle (besides the one that goes without saying) that I want to visit. The White Chocolate Berry Truffles are confection perfection. Seriously.
   5. Finally, Levenger. I can't afford it anymore, but that doesn't mean that I don't want it.

[The Cat led me to this amazingly short survey]