blogger love

I love my new blog. you know...this one I'm writing to right now. it's not exactly new, I've had it since December, but I still feel like I'm just starting to find my way around here. I used to keep a livejournal, but there was always too much stupidness on my "friends" list. and there were too many people there that I knew in real life, which made it even more annoying. so I'm trying to stay away from it and spend more time here, where I am happy and not annoyed.

I love blogger, and blogrolling.com and all the people whose blogs I read daily. actually, I say "daily" but it's more like two or three times a day. at least. I can't seem to stay away. I read waaaaaay more than I write but you all are just so interesting and/or amusing and/or kind. I can't tell you how honored I am that anyone reads this thing, but the people who stop by on a regular basis are just the best! and I want to thank each of you individually by telling everyone else why you are so awesome. thank you for inspiring me to keep writing and sharing and for giving me a minute of your time once in a while.

the list is in alphabetical order, with the exception of my thanks to my friend Ian.

Ian is the one who convinced me to start this blog, as I have said before. he is always at least two steps ahead of me when it comes to this kind of stuff and blogger was no exception. we used to work together, a hundred years years ago, and I consider him one of my best friends in the whole world. he knows me better than almost anyone, knows a lot of my deep dark secrets and is still my friend. he never judges or criticizes me, he has always been supportive and understanding and he always makes me laugh.

I read his blog every day. it's my way of keeping track of what he's been up to and how he's feeling now that we don't see each other five times a week anymore. he was recently diagnosed with Huntington's Disease and has been using his blog to document his feelings and symptoms and thoughts and progress, among other things. I admire and respect him so much for the way he has accepted his diagnosis and for the changes he has made in his life since finding out about it. he makes me cry on a weekly basis but I am so grateful that he gives me these glimpses into his everyday life. and I am honored to be his friend.

I found Raehan's blog via Michele Agnew's site of the day. her blog is very unique-looking and her post were entertaining so I was immediately hooked. I added her to my blogroll the first time I visited her site. I tried to be one of those lurkers who just reads all the posts and leaves an occasional comment but when she made an effort to include me in her "Collecting Favorites" post, I knew that this wasn't the place for that type of reader. Raehan welcomed me to her blog so warmly and sincerely. she is one of my favorite reads.

Average Mom/Yukon Mom was another site of the day, I think. I love the way she writes, it's so descriptive, and the way she refers to her kids as Boy Terror and Girl Terror, and the fact that she is so obviously proud of her so-called terrors. and she posts adorable pictures of them, too!

Ben is one of those people that I've known for years without ever meeting. we met via Ian, who used to run an independent music magazine that I used to write reviews for (I sucked). Ben was one of the people whose music I reviewed. I love Ben. he is incredibly talented and just a really nice guy. he doesn't post as often as I would like but when he does post, he usually includes a new song of his. he is also good for a picture or two.

Captain Picard's Journal is high-larious. I found him when he left a comment on my site as a part of Michele's meet 'n' greet a few weekends ago. I haven't spent a lot of time reading his older stuff but if you are a Star Trek fan, you should definitely go have a look around.

I found Cathy using that "next blog" button on blogger. I think hers was one of the first blogs I started to read on a regular basis. her blog is full of family posts and pictures and she is always so amusing. you all probably missed the post where she painted her pregnant belly like an Easter Egg. it was quite...uh, graphic but also quite beautiful.

Fidget was another "next blog" blog and quite a find! she is a talented artist, loving mother and wife, and damn hilarious. hell yeah, she will post about body odor and poop and being on medication for depression and her love of spatulas! and I guarantee she will make you laugh out loud.

the girls at Go Fug Yourself are always good for a snarky post. since they never visit me, I don't really know much about them. but I do love them, in that gossipy, catty, bitchy girl way.

Jootastic was a blogroll link that I stole from Fidget. a lot of my links were stolen from other people. because I'm lazy like that. I liked her blog right away because there was a picture of Lisa Simpson right at the top. and after reading a few posts, I knew she was a keeper!

I think I stole Last Girl on Earth from panthergirl at The Dog's Breakfast. she is an inspiration, a girl who is pursuing her dream of being a professional musician and actually succeeding without losing her sense of humor. she has probably met more famous people than anyone I "know" and I am completely honored that she graces my blog with her presence occasionally.

Micah World is a fairly new discovery. I think he is a link from panthergirl, one of her Wednesday's Child recommendations. I blogrolled him because he is just silly and funny and he gives away prizes sometimes. he lives in Ohio like me, he quotes the Smiths songs, he posted pictures of hot girls on his blog, he wears a cowboy hat...what's not to love?

every blog I visit seems to have a link to Michele Agnew and once I read her blog, it was easy to see why! if our little blogosphere is a party, then Michele is our host and everyone is invited. I love, love, love the way she encourages us to be a community and the way she entertains us with her questions and games. it's just fun finding new blogs to read through her site of the day posts.

Christine at Mommy Matters is a great writer. she's so entertaining, her children are beautiful and her stories are always funny. she loves tea and They Might Be Giants, she hates facial hair and men with big egos. her blog is so pretty, I just love everything about it!

Carson at Mommylogue was another site of the day, I think. if not, she should have been. her most recent post is about how she doesn't like people and she does go on to say "that probably includes you." her husband is referred to as "Whatshisname" which I find quiet funny, and she has two adorable children. her daughter is four and plays the violin. how impressive is that!

is anyone noticing how many mommies I link to? me neither.

Chick and Dick are linked as Mostly Chick on my blogroll, although Dick does a good amount of posting when he's up to it. I stole them from Fidget and was intrigued by their blog description "...a male & female point of view...We are two former coworkers who share similar ideas on what's absurd...or just plain funny...thought we could offer a unique view on life & stuff..." so yeah, that reminds me of Ian and me back in the day when we worked together. they, and the people that visit them, are hilarious. Chick always seems to be involved in some adventure and lots of crazy things seem to happen to her.

Betsy at My Whim is Law was a site of the day too. she posts lots of stuff about her kids and their activities. her daughter is referred to as Drama Mama (I have one of those too!) and her son is The Mogul. the children have blogs too, which is really cute. Betsy is also a big music lover so we have that in common. you should check out her 80's pictures. she looks so cute!

Not Your Typical Southern Belle has the blog design that I would have if I had thought of it. seriously, show anyone who knows me her blog and mine, ask them to guess which one is mine and they would probably pick hers. so how could I not link to her? plus we seem to have similar interests and I love the way she says whatever she feels and doesn't let people make her feel bad for it.

Annie at One Thing I Hate About Today has a beautiful blog. I love the colors and graphics. she and I are both (as she calls it) serial brides, we both have issues with our mothers, we both love our darling husbands, we both have curly hair! damn, we may even been twins. she seems to be another person who doesn't let people push her around. I really admire that about her.

I found Psychobabble's blog through Blog Explosion and she immediately won me over with a countdown to the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince right at the top of her site. plus you can change the skins on her blog (I chose the Fairly-Odd Parents). she is another mommy with a blog and her kid stories are cute and funny!

Quirky A. Chick (the "A" stands for "Assed" according to her) was a site of the day. I love her bright red blog and love seeing pictures of her son, Quirky Boy. this is her description of herself: Short, loudmouthed leftie (both in politics and handwriting) Catholic chick of French-Canadian descent whose life has its occasional moments of poopiness. Nonetheless, if asked, I'll tell you that I've never been happier. And I'll mean it when I say it, too. it fits, and she is great.

Scott-o-rama has been on my blogroll for about a week. I found him on Blog Explosion and linked to him right away. I love his blog design. it's so retro and awesome. the first post I read on his blog was a guest post, since he was in Las Vegas at the time. it was titled "Harajuku Girls" and made me laugh out loud at work. I hope to find some time to sift through his archives soon. and hope that he finds some time to stop by my blog for a visit.

Alli at Sixty-three Days has the most addictive blog in the whole world. I am always impatient for a new post. it's all about her time at one of those troubled teen boot camp places where kids were abused and died. don't visit her for the first time unless you are prepared to read her posts from beginning to end in one sitting. it's that compelling.

I either stole Supervelma from Chick and Dick or Fidget, I can't remember which. the first time I went to her blog, she had a picture of the back of Marge Simpson when she had those really huge knockers and flashed all the boys so they wouldn't shoot Stampy. so yeah. her posts are always so clever and funny and sarcastic. I love them. and her blog template is that argyle one that's so cute.

my most favorite blogger in the whole blogger world is Ginger at Sweet & Somber Fairytale. not only because she designed by lovely blog for me but also because she always seems so bubbly and cute. she's also quite funny and sometimes a little snarky and I really admire her for being a high school teacher (I have high schoolers, believe me, she deserves tons of admiration). and she posts lots of pictures, which I always love.

the mysterious Complimenting Commenter found me. and gave me a compliment! and really, who doesn't love someone who says nice things about you? his or her blog seems to exist soley for the purpose of saying nice things to everyone. sometimes you can even nominate a fellow blogger for a compliment. too nice.

panthergirl at The Dog's Breakfast is just amazing. I want to be like her when I grow up. except that it's too late because even as a kid, she was cooler than me. it is worth a trip to her blog just to read her 100 things. seriously, this woman is incredible.

Therese (pronounced "TUH-Rez") from The Origins of Shoeism was the first blog I started reading on a regular basis, except for Ian's. I found her with that "next blog" button and I flat out love her. she posts about her friends and their misadventures and she always makes me laugh.

Thoughts Outside My Head is another Blog Explosion link. her blog is so, so pretty! Indigo is a fellow thirty-something from the Midwest but unlike me, she has great stories, an iPod and she participates in 5K runs. wow. I haven't been reading her blog for very long but I'm definitely going to spend some time over there soon!

Cara at To Whom It May Concern was a site of the day, too. she is lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom to her two children. she posts Tuesday is Chooseday questions that I never answer but should and lots of stories about her family. and sometimes she starts debates about controversial subjects but she doesn't allow anyone to be criticized for their opinions. I really respect that.

Todd's Random Meanderings are nice little updates about his family or his life or his movie projects for the people who know him or for people like me who know people who know him. we are good buddies on livejournal and I consider him my friend even though we've never met. I'm sure we'll get around to it sometime. probably at a cookout!

I love Zach Braff. and Scrubs and Garden State and his blog, which isn't updated very often. I think he is one of the funniest people in the whole world. he is the only famous person whose blog I read. except for Ian's.

Zinnia is in the middle of writing a book and is posting chapters to her blog as they are written. it's a really interesting story and it's kinda' neat to get to read it as it's being written. her blog title is "Real E Fun - tales from a non-religious funeral celebrant" which is funnier to me that it probably should be. tee hee!

so that's my list so far. I'm sure I'll be adding lots more to it some time soon. thank you all again for being so great!