National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) is something that most of us old school bloggers looked forward to every November. We published a new post every single day during the month and, just as importantly, we read the words written by our friends. Blogging has changed a lot since those early days (monetization had a hand in “killing” it, as did Facebook and other elements; don’t get me started). Over the past couple of years, I’ve asked who wants to participate in NaBloPoMo with me and the number of respondents has decreased dramatically: so much so that this year I didn’t even have it on my radar. (Probably also because 2020!)…
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Community Yesterday, Today, Always.
I’ve been thinking about “community” a lot lately. Rather, I think about it all the time but lately I’ve thought about it more than usual, probably because it was conference season and my main job is to maintain and inform the BlogHer Conference attendee community on Facebook. I spent hours upon hours (as I have for the past four years since we started the group) reassuring “newbies”, what we affectionately call our first-time attendees, that they’re going to learn/make friends/have fun/come away inspired. In part due to my involvement and in part due to our conference veterans being the best, most helpful people ever and in part due to other…
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I Know Neen. Do You Know Neen?
Once in a blue moon I lure you here only to send you to read my writing elsewhere. This is one of those occasions. My friend and 2016 LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER CHICAGO alumna Nina Vallone asked me if I wanted to participate in the second annual 30-day Gratitude Series on her blog You Know Neen and of course I said, “Heck yeah! Thanks for asking!” Then I proceeded to get busy with life and Jim’s accident and I totally missed her deadline by a mile but I apologized and asked her if I could write something anyway, and if she couldn’t use it I’d just post it here. She…
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Friday Fun
What a week, am I right? It’s finally Friday, and I’m shutting down the laptop early in order to get started on the weekend. Here are some great things I read/saw online this week that you should definitely check out: When You’re Feeling Lost, on Houseful of Nicholes We’re Tired, on Smacksy 18 Totally Real Conversations Obama and Biden Have Had Since the Election, on Buzzfeed This Chicago Cubs cartoon that will make any true Chicagoan reach for the Kleenex All about “Chalking the Bricks” at Wrigley Field (my own pics to come soon!) We Are the Role Models. Us. Not Them, on Two Cannoli How to Disagree, by Kid…
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#NaBloPoMo: 30 Days of Back to Basics
I celebrated my ninth blogging anniversary last Friday. Well, “celebrated” isn’t entirely accurate. I literally noticed that it was the anniversary of my first post, mentioned it on Facebook, and whispered to myself, “Yay me!” That’s it. Nine years of blogging is nothing to sneeze at, however. It’s a pretty nice accomplishment. Sure, I don’t blog nearly as much as I did in the beginning or even five years ago, but I still love to write here when I can. November is National Blog Posting Month, or NaBloPoMo. During NaBloPoMo a bunch of us crazies make a commitment to ourselves to post something every single day. (November is also National…
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Blogging Like Nobody’s Reading.
Blogging like nobody’s reading. I just posted it as my current status on Facebook and the “likes” are rolling in from all of my blogger friends. We’re closing out 2015’s NaBloPoMo tomorrow and, more than ever, this one has been truly about blogging for one’s self. Besides the fact that many people don’t blog as much as they used to, many people (including me!) also aren’t reading as much as they used to. We’re busy! Or is it just my community? Or is it just me? Hmmm. We returned home late this afternoon from our Thanksgiving trip to Tennessee and as I was thinking about what to write this evening,…
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Read, Share, Listen.
I find myself unable to think about writing anything this morning other than a post about the current racial tension in America, while at the same time I can’t seem to locate the words to do that. I thought I’d go ahead and provide some links to posts written by people who are much more eloquent than I. Please read and share. Arnebya’s post, Again. And Again. And Probably Again: “Until we change the mentality that rights are distinguishable by race, that black boys are subpar citizens who should automatically be feared, we change nothing.” Keesha’s post, Dear White Moms: “I need to know that you are not merely worried…
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Sunday Reading
After getting through my personal crisis yesterday (thanks, Internet!), Jim and I took the evening off and then spent much of today tying up the rest of the pre-Thanksgiving loose ends that needed attention. Roxie spent today doing the same thing she did yesterday, which was pretty much this: Sigh, what a life. Anyway, here’s some Sunday Reading for you. Enjoy! I absolutely adored Angela’s beautiful tribute to her youngest child (Number Four!) over on Jumping With My Fingers Crossed. The post was chock-full of love and positivity and sweetness, and you should go read it right now. While there’s technically no reading to be done in this case, my…
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Sunday Reading
I’m super happy it’s Sunday for many reasons, not the least of which is that today being Sunday means that tomorrow is Monday, and Monday is the day Roxie finally gets her stitches removed so we can put the Cone of Shame away. It’s been a long week and a half. As much as I wanted to give her breaks from her post-surgical collar, she couldn’t last longer than thirty seconds before making attempts to lick where her stitches are. So annoying (for BOTH of us, I get it!). On Friday night I took the collar off and distracted her for a good twenty minutes by giving her a much-needed…
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Catching Up.
What I love about NaBloPoMo is that many of my friends are writing way more often than they usually do. What’s difficult about NaBloPoMo is keeping up with it all. My Bloglovin’ feed is in a constant state of growth and although I try to read from it daily, I don’t have the time to get through everything during the week, especially when I’m trying to leave comments. I use the weekends for catching up. Sitting here all comfy on the couch with a cup of my favorite tea, I zip through a hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty (I KNOW!) posts, enjoying every second of this ritual. And the…