Upon entering Counting Sheep, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Blog descriptions are something I usually appreciate, as this blog had none, I was left to a silent reverie on what it might contain. The diary of an insomniac maybe?
In any case, a simple, easy-to-the eyes, blue-beige design greeted me. Nothing spectacular. But nothing to complain about either.
As I scrolled down I encountered some pleasant surprises.
The much appreciated “About” section I found to be very complete, you can tell the author feels comfortable revealing facts about herself: Jo is a 30 year old woman married to a “Brit” (her words). She lives in Massachusetts and works as an applications developer. She goes on to mention the characters that have a say in her blog (Cast of Characters) and she finally ends with a paragraph on her hobbies and interests. More information on Jo I found in the “Some things you might want to know” section. She lets you in on the fact that her husband is older and she probably will not have children plus some other things of interest. Immediately a type of intimacy is created between the reader and the author. The blog also features a gastronomy site with her recipes (she is a marvelous cook) and another site dealing with her gardening. This is the type of blog which could never be criticized for lacking information on the author. The rest of the sidebar includes links to other blogs (many of them), a photo album, what she’s listening to and reading, recent posts and recent comments.
Then it was time for the archives. I dived right into them (the oldest archive was February 2004). As I read Jo, I felt pretty much at ease. Her writing is precise, intelligent and flows naturally. She discusses issues that range from house decorating to amusing stories on her husband’s hard time with American idioms and expressions. She opens a door into her life and we learn of her plans to travel, her views on work, anecdotes of her marriage, her ancestors, and her opinions on music. Jo is a well-read woman who knows how to deliver. The lengths of her entries vary from very long ones to some that contain barely a few lines. In my opinion, she is usually at her best when she speaks of “husband” (as she so tenderly calls him), her home, family and work life and her thoughts on music. Some of her other posts on random issues such as news, the internet, etc. (which are difficult to describe as they deal with miscellaneous topics) I found to be rather uninteresting when compared to the highlights I mentioned above.
I finished reading her blog with this thought in mind: “What would it be like to be Jo for a day?” I seldom ask myself this question when reading blogs. But Jo has painted a very unique picture of a simple, peaceful life with husband, dog, music and cooking. I give Jo a 4.5. A good, out-of-the-ordinary, well-written blog. If it hadn’t been for the shorter posts, where I sometimes felt lost and/or disappointed, or the fact that I never really did understand the name of her blog, I’d have given her a 5. But 4.5 is really good anyway. If you like intelligent and tenderly amusing blogs, I suggest you give Counting Sheep a try.