BLOGROLL

Updated April 30, 2015

1. SQUIRRELS IN THE DOOHICKEY

Diane Holcomb
That's the name of a blog written by Ms. Diane Holcomb (subtitled "...and other profound observations of the absurd".) The title, she explains on her ABOUT page, is "a phrase the cable guy delivered after climbing up the telephone pole to determine why my television was losing channels."  Her ABOUT page is marvelous, by the way, and should be the first stop on your tour of her site.
Squirrels in the Doohickey becomes inner and outer metaphor for her blog's theme; whether the article look introspectively into her own squirrely sleep habits (THREE A.M. AWAKENINGS, and other insomnia related posts), confront the Bates Motel that is the peeping tom's mind (I HAD A VISIT FROM A PEEPING TOM), or the intrusions of the myriad dystopian particles that dope our otherwise pleasant world (MY TWO CENTS AIN'T GONNA LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD.)
Before proceeding any further, I hasten to emphasize that this post is not a review of Diane's blog. This piece is commentary and intended as a recommendation to my readers.  If I didn't like the blog, I wouldn't bother writing about it.

Diane's writing style is breezy, easy to read, and her word choice and phrasing are splendid, all the while speaking plain English. She has a punchy cadence too, in that she makes liberal use of one-sentence paragraphs, which is unusual in anywise except dialogue.

Do yourself a favor and follow the links to her blog that I have sprinkled herein. I believe you will find yourself taking her up on her offer to subscribe.  I did, because I am interested in hearing what she has to say next.

2. BY ANY OTHER NERD


Lance Eaton
Some people are as sublimely ridiculous as they are awesome. Lance Eaton, author of the subject blog, cuts just that silhouette in the background of the blogosphere. By Any Other Nerd is in itself a nearly complete library of Western Literature. In 2014 he read 365 short stories and posted articles on them. In 2013 it was 365 books. And those projects are but two little corners of his Frankenblog.  Is he a masochist? When does he have time to tend to his epistle-mania? He must have exited the space-time continuum.

By Any Other Nerd is the only blog an avid reader will ever need. The rest of us writers may as well log off our sites and settle in with Lance. In fact, I'm tempted to leave off here.


Lance's quest seems almost Quixotic.  Has his mind been kidnapped by books on blog-errantry? When I tab over from his blog to mine, I want to cry. I feel like Sancho Panza. "You obviously know nothing of the adventures of blogging !"

The rabbit warren that is By Any Other Nerd is fascinating to explore. My favorite way to navigate is by using his tag cloud, because he offers the joy of discovery, but he also has a search box if you have some idea of what you would like to find.

This blog punches well above its weight. I implore you to check it out. If you are a reader, I can almost guarantee you will love it.

3. SKINNY AND SINGLE

I've mined another gem of a blog that I really like.  It's called SKINNY AND SINGLE and by gum it's my kind of blog! The author, Laura McGowan, describes herself as "sexy in a ripped sheet."  I have no idea what that means, but I gather she's Canadian, so I'll let it pass. She's funny and bright, and she will throw a sharp elbow now and then, but always says sorry afterward. I'm not sure how sincerely. It could be like the Imperial Japanese politely apologizing after seizing your Pacific island paradise.

Ms. McGowan has done very well for herself in the blogosphere.  She has a jillion readers. And look at this list of accolades:
  • Social Influencer - BlogHer
  • schmutzie.com 2014 Canadian Weblogs Award Nominee
  • Nominated Site: 2014 Great Dating Blog Awards
  • Several other nominations...
Okay, maybe friends and family are putting their thumbs the scales for the nominations listed on her home page. Still, that's quite a trophy shelf for someone who has been blogging for less than a year.

Here's the fun part for me. This blog, both in writing style and content, more closely resembles mine than any other I have come across to-date. Her posts are short, breezy, humorous, and for the most part off-the-wall. Her layout is clean, simple, and easy to read.  Okay, she uses the more powerful Wordpress, while I use Google Blogger; and she has better features on her page than I do, but in principle, we seem to be like-minded.

It gives me hope. If her blog can be such a smashing success, maybe mine can be too?! She sets a precedent, I pray. Of course, I'm not Canadian. If that's the deciding factor, I could be doomed.

You must add Ms. McGowan to your reading list. And for me, here's another for my blogroll.  I swear to Hades I'll get around to adding that Page someday. Google Blogger makes that embarrassingly easy.


4. HAVE WATERCOLORS WILL TRAVEL

Who paints a daily watercolor and posts it to the world wide web? Maria Elena Sandovici for one. Are there two or more who do such a thing? Not that I've discovered, although I'll admit I haven't looked that hard. Specifically, these watercolors appear on blog #4 Have Watercolors Will Travel, the next addition to this page. Although she seems to have some favorite subjects (Galveston Island, walks on the beach, European Vistas, dogs), her imagery is unfettered by any fetishes. Most of her pictures are free-wheeling, but many are carefully drafted and executed and I suspect were not done in a day. One of my favorites is the Hotel Monteleone (easily found in her Archive list on the right of her Home page.) I wonder how she translates her quotidian watercolor into electrons. Does she scan them? Does she take photographs of them? How do they get from paper to my iFad? The lady has a secret.

As for blog rolls, I've adopted the singular habit of actually offering an opinion of the blog rather than just posting a simple list as most sensible bloggers do. But I've learned something interesting by doing that and Ms. Sandovici's blog is a good example of my epiphany. You may find you have more in common with somebody than at first you thought if you take some time to cipher on it.

The first time I thumbed through her watercolor blog (which I was led to do by the event of a mutual Twitter follow), I didn't perceive anything kindred about it, other than we both use Google Blogger (you know, blogspot.com), and we both chose the same simple template. Very superficial commonalities those are. Actually, we seemed to be very different people and bloggers.

But I did like her watercolors. Because I did like them, I started considering adding her to my BLOGROLL page, which on My Irrefutable Opinion means a write-up. So I visited her blog again to piece together her story. I noticed something. She paints, and I draw (cartoons.) She is evidently more interested in content than jazzing about with the features of her blog. Here, here. Me too.

She writes. Why, so do I. Not at her level though. I dabble in short stories. She's just completed her second book. More about that later. The point is: it resonates.

I got lucky too. On her blog, at the behest of a friend and/or colleague, she addresses a list of questions about herself in a post and I hit the jackpot. Like me, she does not blog about her profession (she teaches comparative politics.) Say, my background is academics too, although I currently do things that are allegedly of practical use. Let's not go there. I too choose to blog creatively instead.

Here's the kicker though (extracted from her blog):

What everyday thing are you better at than every one else? What's your secret?
... I'm a good cook. I can be creative even with limited ingredients, and I can make things that are healthy and yummy.

Well, bonk me on the head with a silver hammer and call me a Beatle! I resemble that! I do that routinely. Who woulda thunkit? And to think that when I first encountered her I assumed we were separated by a moat.

To be sure, we have our differences. She professes to be very comfortable doing serious writing using the notes app on her iPhone. Not me. Not fat fingered me. Not Mr. Magoo me.

Now, about her books, which I haven't had the opportunity to read. Her first book, Dogs with Bagels, is "a story about the American Dream gone bad." You can find a full synopsis by following the link. Now she has a sequel coming out, called Stray Dogs and Lonely Beaches, and you will find her at a book signing in Houston on May 9 (see her blog for details.) Congratulations!

Yes, there's been a lot of Michael in this post about Ms. Sandovici's blog, but that's because I learned a lot when preparing my opinion of it. Her watercolors are terrific. I wish I could tell you more about her books. but I definitely recommend her blog. It's the only place I know where you can get your daily watercolor. You can also keep up with her by following her nom de Twitter: @sandoviciME.

Posted April 30, 2015

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