About Me…
36
Hey… welcome! My name is Amy Irene, and you have wandered into my personal blog at http://www.xenogirl.com. The name “xenogirl” stems from the Greek word “xénos” which means “stranger,” “alien,” “foreign,” “strange,” or “guest.” The moniker speaks to my chronic sense (undoubtedly self-imposed) of never quite fitting in coupled with my love for exploring all things new. On my sillier days, I also like to pretend it is my superhero name.
As a proud Gen X girl who just hit her 40′s, I was recently struck with the cosmic equivalent of a 2×4 as it dawned on me that I have most likely reached the mid-point of my life. Although the first half of my life has been quite noteworthy, I have since decided that the second half shall be lived in a manner that finds peace in the simple routines of daily living, life-changing friendships, eye-brow raising adventure, an over-indulgence of laughter, and an excess of late night storytelling. I am destined to become an old woman with a few scars and no regrets.
In addition to staring at my keyboard until the wee hours of the night, I teach technical writing, write grants, and share life with my husband and two hilarious pugs here in northeastern Wisconsin. Lately I have been plagued with delusions of a career transition into wordsmithing of the more creative sort.
I am a strange mix… perhaps best characterized as a paradox of sorts. Mostly I suffer from existential angst and wanderlust, the latter a condition which has compelled me to travel to some of the most exotic places on earth for both work and pleasure. I love all things absurd, ironic, quirky, philosophical, and satirical. You can usually find me near a computer while deep in thought, either contemplating the meaning of life or planning my next great adventure.
Since reaching middle-age, I have come to understand that blogging would be the most logical output for the endless cogitations grinding away in my head and also provide a medium with which to share my unusual adventures. So pour yourself an adult beverage, pull up a comfy chair, and rummage around my brain for something that piques your interest. I bet I can surprise you.
Hey, just wanted to say I thought you have an amazing blog! So much so that I nominated you for this award!
http://introspectionsduringquiettime.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/award-2-the-very-inspiring-blogger/
Wow thank you!!! I am new to the blogosphere, so your nomination is extra special! I will follow up and pass this on. Thanks again for making me smile. :)
I really like your blog. I am also new to blogosphere so welcome on board!
Regards,
Daniela
Thanks Daniela… somehow this comment snuck past me. I have enjoyed following your blog!
You are most welcome and hope my comments and congratulations on your wonderful achievement have reached you!
Daniela
Hi,
This is just to let you know that I have nominated you for the beautiful blogger award. If you chose to participate, (I understand completely if you do not wish to), please pick the award and rules from here: http://wp.me/p2v1s2-ph
Best of Luck!
Daniela
P. S. Now that I know there is a Croatian blood in you … -:)!!!
Thank you so much Daniela for thinking of me! I will be sure to acknowledge your blog… best wishes with your writing. You are off to an amazing (and quite envious) start with your Fresh Pressed status! Congratulations!
P.S. My great grandparents came to the United States from the former Yugoslavia… I grew up listening to them and my grandmother speak Croatian. Someday I would love to learn the language for posterity’s sake… and of course visit the beautiful “motherland.”
I hope you’ve seen results in your self-awareness since beginning the blog… I know that I sure have since beginning mine! Thanks for stopping by my blog :-)
The blogging process has been so eye-opening for me! Thank you for reading. I look forward to following your blog. :)
You could be describing any number of us – I too share the same wanderlust and thoughts and desires. We all are really no different – relatively with the same experiences, the same locations discovered, the same doubts. You just write it better :)
Well we all have our own journey which can only expressed in our unique words. I find comparing myself to others is the first step in stifling my creative voice. I doubt if I write better, I just write differently. Thank you so much for reading Mischa!
Wonderful blog, good luck with your writing.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment!!
hi, i love reading your latest ideas! you’ve inspired me to write a blog. it’s nothing like this of course but i’d like you to read it. http://www.thoughtorchardblog.wordpress.com
Thank you for reading, and best wishes in your writing! I will check out your blog. :)
Hey Xenogirl, I’ve nominated you for a blogging award: http://wp.me/p1dHNL-1SPRHh
You can pay forward the love by following the 3 rules listed, or not — either way I just wanted to give you props. Hope it brings you a few new readers, you deserve them!
Thank you French Frye!!! So honored… Will be sure to acknowledge you and your blog.
Love this. And I am so right there with you…looking forward to seeing where the journey takes you.
Thank you Deanna! Likewise, I look forward to following your blog.
I’ve nominated you for the Reality Blog Award. Check it out at my post at:
http://exceedingspeed.wordpress.com/2012/09/22/sincere-thanks-if-a-bit-belated/
It’s a no-rules award. Have a great weekend! Exceeding speed
Thank you! I will be sure to acknowledge your blog!!
I saved your last post to re-read every now and then. Thanks for that. I just wanted you to know that I nominated you for One Lovely Blog Award. Thanks for having a great blog! Have a wonderful weekend.
Thank you thank you! I am a bit behind on this… will be sure to acknowledge your blog!
I nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger Award. You totally deserve this :)
Please check it here: http://readstuffwithme.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/beautiful-blogger-award/
Thank you! I am a bit behind on awards… but I am so glad to know you have enjoyed my blog!
I was searching for “ways to capitalize on being freshly pressed” and came across your post about not wanting to obsess anymore about getting the honor. At first, I was confused because I saw you had a “freshly pressed” badge on your sidebar. Then, I found out, you got the nod only a few days after the original posting. Too funny! Congrats on the feature. I’m only now beginning to realize the impact of this whole thing. Two days ago, I had no idea such a thing as “freshly pressed” existed. I only started the blog not even six days ago! And the post that got the nomination…it wasn’t even mine! It was a guest post! Talk about your dumb luck. Oh well, I’m happy for the traffic. I just wish I had more content for my new followers. I’ve been reading your blogs. You are a very talented writer. If I had a magazine, I’d hire you in a heartbeat. Are you working on anything right now? Do you write novels? You have a great voice. I’d love to collaborate with you on something in the future. You wouldn’t happen to have any connection to addiction and recovery, would you? This is what I’ve primarily been writing about. (I’m a recovering alcoholic.) Anyway, looking forward to reading more of your content. Keep up the great work.
-Andrew
http://portraitsofaddiction.com
Wow Andrew… congratulations on the early Freshly Pressed status! Thank you for your kind words and for taking an interest in my blog. A girl like me can’t hear enough of “you are a very talented writer”… (blush). But seriously, thank you. I really look forward to following your blog. I find that writing genuinely from the heart, even when it hurts or makes one feel vulnerable, is the key to the very best writing.
You have a very neat site with a great mix of personal reflection and humor. Most awesome.
Thank you so much for the wonderful compliment! I look forward to following your blog.
Hello Xenogirl, what a great blog you have here, I have enjoyed your posts on Pre Freshly Pressed and Post Freshly Pressed and had a few giggles at your frustration! But congrats on the award!
I also wanted to thank you for following my blog, I hope you really enjoy the posts.
I am intrigued about a few things though (like you, I enjoy the numbers game watching the site stats). At the top of your page it says you have 1738 followers, yet in one of your posts you say you have 36. I have noticed a few other sites that also have thousands of followers and this puzzles me! How did you/they get that many in such a short time??!!
Hi Madoqua! Even though this is a personal blog, I do work daily at building my readership (I have love-hate feelings about this fact as you probably picked up from my posts). By far the biggest boost I had was when my post was “Freshly Pressed.” Thousands of new readers appear along with all sorts of followers. After the dust settled on that, I started to daily read, follow and comment on new blogs that I like. Bloggers love to support each other! I also started to build Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ pages and then connected and promoted my blog on them. I also put my posts out on StumbledUpon, Pinterest, etc. It’s a slow process and I am definitely still learning. Thank you so much for reading and I look forward to following your blog!
Thanks for the reply, I am going to follow you too, and look forward to reading your posts.
The more time I spend on your blog, the more fascinating pieces I find to read. I really hope you manage to publish a few books one day soon. I am sure they will be equally interesting to read.
Thank you so much… it amazes me how words of encouragement like yours can mean so much. I have been floating around in a bit of a post-NaNoWriMo writing funk. Your words bring a smile to my face… thank you!
Huh. Some eerie coincidences here–but instead of 2 pugs, I have 2 young boys. Not sure who needs more cleaning up after…I found this through another blog and am intrigued. Will be back for more.
So sorry I missed this post… thank you for reading!