The Monday Interview - The Fount of Useless Information

The Fount of Useless Information is best descibed by CK, the guru who runs it;

The Funniest Site on The Web Written By An Obsessive-Compulsive Microbiologist

And this is probably true. CK is not a regular commenter at Angry Chimp, but he does pop in on occasion. Likewise, I am not a regular at the Fount, but everytime I do drop in I wonder why I don't more often - especially on Tuesdays for 'Trivial Tuesday' - an absolutely fabulously simple, but fun idea (coming up again tomorrow, hopefully)

But on with the interview -

1. How long have you been blogging?

Since January of 2005. I was kind of late to the game.

(CK's first ever toe in the blog here)

2. Why did you start blogging?

I had misplaced a friend's phone number and was trying to google him to find it. Instead, I found his blog. I read for a while and had to register for a blogger account to leave a comment. Once I registered for the account, I figured I'd give blogging a try. The OCD took over from there.

3. How many posts have you written to date?

The dashboard says 168

4. Which post are you most proud of and why?

This one is really hard for me. I really like my two running diary posts. They are a lot of work, but they end up being a lot of fun. (The Locusts running diary also got me my first Angry Chimp comment.) The running diaries amuse me, but don't mean too much.

(the genius that is the running diary CK refers to Locusts: A Running Diary Incidentially, this is something you guys will see here soon - I'm stealing the idea.)

On the other hand, there are the posts that reveal just a little bit of who I am without becoming too intimately personal. The Fount of Useless Information Exercise Program was one (well, actually three) of these, as was An Obsessive in The Produce Section and a few others.

Of course there are also the stories. Whether they are about bats flying around the house or old women stalking me at the grocery store, they are always fun to write.

The problem is that I obsess so much over these that I find things I really dislike about all of my posts.

5. Who was the first person to comment on your blog – outside of friends/family?

I started to say Laziest Girl, but she was my second commenter and my first regular. My first commenter was a random high school student that wanted help with homework. (you can find this comment on CK's first blog - again here)

6. What would you rather have – less visitors but more comments or many visitors but no comments?

I love seeing the sky high hits on statcounter, but it doesn't mean too much without other people contributing. I'm going with more comments.

(CK's post on Statcounter here.)

7. Is there something you would like to post about on your blog, but haven't yet?

I often try to post about things that are more meaningful and more serious, but I end up deleting those posts before they see the light of day. Whenever I attempt that I always come off as pretentious, trite or both. So, I'd really like to be able to post intelligently and interestingly about actual issues, but I guess I've got to stick with what I know.

8. Where do you get your inspiration from for a blog?

My life. It could be TV, movies I've seen, books I've read or things that happen during my day. While my blog isn't a true journal, it does follow my life relatively closely.

Sadly, when I reread my posts, I can also tell that I get inspiration for my style in various places as well. If I've been reading too much David Sedaris my posts come off like a really bad impersonation of his writing.

9. Do your friends/ family read your blog?

Apparently. A few people knew to begin with. More and more have been learning about it. I find it a little frightening to be honest.

10. How many blogs are there in your links list?

At this moment there are eight, but I have several that need to be added.

(hmm.... CK, hmmm....)

11. Which blog do you check out first and why?

Other than Angry Chimp, you mean? Honestly, I'm a little obsessive about this too. It all depends on the time of day. Who would be most likely to have updated since I last looked. That means when I get up in the morning the first blog I look at is Laziest Girl since she's on the opposite side of the globe and the clock.

12. Do you always leave comments at blogs you read?

Only if I have something useful to say. And by useful I mean snarky.

13. What do you most like about other blogs?

I enjoy being able to get just the tiniest glimpse into how other minds work. As bloggers we all get to show this one little section of ourselves to the world. Typically it's the part we like best or are most comfortable with, and I like to see what part of their personalities other bloggers like to show off.

14. What do you most dislike about other blogs?

I have to go with two things. I really dislike the blogs where someone has (poorly) designed their own template and made it utterly unreadable.

(Example here)

Even worse, however, is the blog that consists entirely of posts that appear to be written by ADHD teenagers on crack: "OMG! Tommy looked at Julie in Spanish class today! He's totally gonna dump Susie."

(Example here)

15. What single thing would you like to improve about your blog?

I'd love to make it better, but that's really dodging the question. I'd have to say that I'd like to improve the consistency. There's too much unevenness between the subjects, styles and quality of the various posts. That way, when someone comes to visit The Fount, they will know what to expect and never be disappointed.

(CK - People do know what to expect, very funny posts, great book reviews and film reviews, of not-so great movies)

16. In a conversation about your blog, how would you like it described?

Ideally, I would want my blog described as amusing, intelligent and worthwhile, but I'll settle for any one of the three.


And that's fair enough. Hopefully, you guys who haven't visited before will now - Angry Chimp certainly recommends it. Cheers CK.

The Fount of Useless Information