Have You Ever...? (or, Love those blogs!)

This past month I've been poking around the Blog-o-Sphere quite a bit. Mostly just to see what's out there. Have you ever found a blog you liked, that you want to visit again, and then you couldn't find it the next time around?

Well, there was this one blog that I really enjoyed reading. Thing is, I can't recall who wrote it, how I found it, nor anything specific enough to do a blog search for it. I think that it is written by a woman in or near Stilwell, Oklahoma. Can't recall her name. I believe she was a Native American because she talked some about tribal matters. I was intrigued.

I should have taken notes. Anyone out there know which blog this might be?

One of the things I truly enjoy about blogging is that it's fun to gain insight into the everyday life and ideas of people all over the world, our own nation, and even in our local regions. When I came across the mysterious Oklahoma blog, it was like I had a window into a sub-culture of our nation. It is a personal opportunity. These kinds of things don't come easily to a Mom immersed in a 8-5 job and a home the 'burbs. I really hope I find it again.

In the meantime - and in no particular order...

I love reading Zirelda's blog - she shares stories about her art, living in Colorado, and being a Mom to a pre-teen girl. She reminds me to keep an eye to the beauty right before my eyes.

I love reading Aiko Annie's blog, for she is my muse. She is how I might have lived my life had I been raised in San Francisco (where I was born) instead of moving off and away with my military family. Divergent paths... one never knows...

Then there's Just Eat Your Cupcake, Maria blogging in Nebraska. Maria is a gifted writer, and I try not to miss a single post - good for a chuckle and occasionally a tear.

Gina's Just Another Day is a study in humor by a woman raising a son and a husband while navigating the past of her family and her husband's family. I never miss a post.

Terroni is serving time as a medical student in her (what is it called?) first internship. She has been rotating her new-doctor duties through different disciplines in a hospital. She just finished her ER rotation, and is now doing a psych rotation. If she weren't so gol-durned tired, I'm sure we'd hear from her more!

Then there is English blogger, Ruth, who writes Meanwhile, Here in France. I've been following her blog for a couple of years now. She's a professional musician (cellist) and her husband is an artist - a painter. I love the photographs she often uses to illustrate her posts. She writes thoughtfully and metaphorically. A treat to be sure.

You know, I have been "on the net" since the very early eighties when all it connected was participating universities and some companies. I have been on email lists of hundreds of people - precursors to the forums of today. But the innovation of web-logs (blogs) has really turned personal communication on its head - and I am continually amazed at just how far we've come in such a short time.

Ya gotta love it, right?

There are more blogs than I can write about. Please forgive me for not naming you all.

Yeah, yeah, I know what I said...

Yes, I know. I said the blog was closed. But, I missed all of you.

And, you wouldn't believe the grief I've been getting from neighbors and friends. Oddly enough, the family doesn't much care. Oh well. Here's a short update on what has been going on around here.

Katie Rose started middle school this year.
Megan started 4th grade.
Kandy is off to Capitola for a weekend with friends.
I got contacts.

But, I can't see. No, that's not right, I can see, but my eyes are getting used to things. One eye sees distance, the other sees close up. Sometimes I feel as if I'm one of those lizards whose eyes move independantly in all directions.

This too shall pass.

Work is sucky, since the we're moving from public to private. I can't wait to see how that pans out.

All is well, and we'll just have to see how this blogging thang goes...

On Holidaze....

Taking a bit of time off from this blogging thang...

Back in a week or so! Y'all take care now, hear?

Sunburned Butt-Crack

Terroni asks: " Whatcha been up to Deb?"

Welllllll... Let's see... My butt-crack got sun-burned on Sunday. Little did I know that my shirt was creeping up and my pants creeping down as I diligently worked out in the flowerbed installing a drip system Sunday. The morning sun was rising in the east, and my backside was warmed most luxuriously by those fine rays.

Unfortunately, it really didn't feel all that warm. Until later that day.

OwWWwww!

Kandy says it looks like I have wings on my backside. And, no, there are no pictures.

You'll just have to take my word for it.

And, yes, it still hurts!

Comment Complaints

::Sigh::

I just don't know what to do about the problematic commenting cookie problem. It's not all that tasty, is it?

Some of you are still experiencing the cookie issue WRT attempting to leave a comment. This weekend I will try my best to discover the dasterdly doer of the evil cookie droppings.

My humble apologies. Please do keep trying. I can't sleep at night if no one comments on the blog. I'll feel as if no one loves me.

Grrrr! Comments- Is this thing working????

Some of you have left comments that it is hard to leave a comment. Well, I must commend those of you who have persevered! I will see if I can figure out WTF is going on, and fix it.

If not, I'll turn off Haloscan comments. Thing is - I don't have any issues!

Could someone email me with the Exact error message (you could send me a copy of the screen as a JPEG or GIF if you like)?

Thanks EVER so much!

Tagged! Meme: Why I Blog

Maria, over at “just eat your cupcake” tagged me for a meme a while back.

meme (mēm)
n. A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.

I’m not much of a meme kinda girl, but this is a topic I am more than willing to write about. So, Thank You, Maria, for tagging me – I think.

However, I had been in the throes of family and work obligations, so I put off responding to the challenge until this weekend. Besides, I had to ruminate on the question somewhat. (Hey, these ol’ brain cells need time to let the ideas bubble up to the surface.)

Five Reasons Why I Blog

First, what is the definition of “blog?” – This is from WordNet dictionary.com:

blog (blŏg) n. A weblog. noun1. a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies; "postings on a blog are usually in chronological order" [syn: web log] verb1. read, write, or edit a shared on-line journal

The word “blog” has been around about 10 years now, but my Microsoft Word 2003 application doesn’t have that word in its lexicon. Hate that. Software should have updated usages installed, don’t you think?

But, I digress. Here are some of the reasons I blog:

1) I have always, always, always been a writer, from at least Junior High on. (It wasn’t called “Middle School” w-a-a-a-y back in the Olden Days.) Back then, writing was an outlet for me, along with singing, writing music and poetry, playing guitar (Hey, it was the Sixties – I lugged a guitar around wherever I went). Writing, first and foremost, has always been my means of expression. However, I’ve come to realize that blogging is a different beast altogether. I write a Blog to fill a need to be creative, but that creativity is different than song-writing or letter-writing. In the beginning I wrote a Blog just for myself. But my needs have morphed, and now I blog for the fun of sharing with my friends and family.

2) Blogging actually enforces a bit of discipline on this writer. It’s not a diary; it’s not a letter to a special friend. It is more like writing a column in a newspaper, but without the stuffy editor hovering over your shoulder, merrily slashing whole paragraphs willy-nilly.

3) I discovered that when I shared about family life, friends and family could easily enjoy the repartee, if in vicarious fashion, and still feel as if they know what has been going on. I write few, if any, letters these days. Instead we exchange emails. It’s hard to say enough in emails, so the Blog helps convey what has been happening. I love sharing pictures, I love writing “articles” on topics that interest me, even if they have nothing to do with Life as a Parent.

4) Blogging is a funny beast, as I’ve said. In a Blog about parenting, I touch on a lot of subjects, some not having much, if anything to do with parenting. Discipline in blogging usually means not giving away too much personal information. We all know that the Internet has made our world much, much smaller, and by way of an inverse relationship, it increases the potential for danger as well. I try to balance that out by not being too specific, protecting my loved ones, while still showing the pride I feel with their accomplishments and our love of our hometown and friends. Sometimes I wonder if I have been protective enough. I hope so.

5) Lastly, it was a surprising revelation to me to gain Blog Friends. Blogging friends are somewhat like what pen-pals used to be. You’d write to your pen-pal in a far-away place about your life, your hopes, your fears and your aspirations. I see blogging as this and so much more. Not only can you share about your life, you can exchange political ideas, humor, recipes, photos, and yes, web links. Ha! Not only that, I have gained real, in the flesh friends from meeting other bloggers. I found out that one such blogger lives only a few miles from where I grew up, and where my Mom lives. We met, and laughed and exchanged stories one rainy winter day last year. It is comfort to know that the world holds a lot of friends, not just at home, but anywhere.

That is why I blog.

Why do you blog?

A Comment about Comments

There's a subject near and dear to most every blogger's heart: Comments.

Every blogger loves comments. Heck, I even know bloggers who live for the comments they get on their blog(s). Some bloggers claim that they don't care if someone comments on their blog or not. I don't believe them. Not at all. Why would they bother with a site meter? Heh.

Me? I'll admit to it - I love your comments. When you comment, my day brightens. Your comment lets me know what you, my reader, is thinking. That's important to me. I like the exchange of comments, too. It's a kind of clipped conversation. It's not meant to go deep, but more of a touchpoint. I feel as if I can get to know you just a little bit better, and you - me.

Today I have changed the format of the comments on this blog. Instead of using Blogger's default comment format (which has been annoying to me - what can I say?), I am now using Haloscan's commenting system. I don't know if I'm going to like it - well, I do on other blogs - so we'll see how it goes.

If you have left a comment here in the past, those comments are not currently available for viewing. I am not pleased about this, and I am sorry for this unanticipated side-effect of the change.

I look forward to reading and exchanging comments with you...