Hello November first. This is the day on which there are two kinds of bloggers: 1. I’m doin’ it!! and 2. No. Way. You are all insane. It seems like there’s no gray area when it comes to National Blog Posting Month, and I’m fine with that. Really, no matter where you stand on the issue of blogging every single day during the month of November, you can’t deny that the event is a great unifier. I THINK I have done November’s NaBloPoMo every year (all the way through) since I started blogging in 2007, but I’m not sure and I don’t want to go back and look. It doesn’t…
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Our Gang Was Her Gang, But That’s All I Know.
Shirley Temple died a couple of days ago at the age of 85. The news of her passing (from “natural causes”) was sad, naturally, and I spent some time that morning contemplating what I know about her life. First of all, she was one of the most famous child stars of all time, making more than sixty films (features and shorts) over a seventeen-year period. Her most famous song? This one. After working in television during the 1950’s and 1960’s, she left show business and became politically active, eventually becoming a U.S. Ambassador. She was a breast cancer survivor. I posted this on Facebook, after reading about her death: A…
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Monkey See, Monkey Draw
Every now and then, magic happens on Twitter. It’s more rare these days because just about everyone (myself included) is tweeting out lots of links and not always engaging as much as they (I) used to, but still, magic can happen. I have found that the best Twitter interactions for me are the ones that either stem from or lead to something that happens IRL (in real life). With that in mind, some examples of my favorite Twitter moments, in no particular order, are as follows: 1. The roadtrip known as Momo’s Meat Wagon played out in 2009 over Twitter with so many of our friends chiming in and having…
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Blogrolls: Everybody, Meet Everybody.
Get comfy; I want to tell you a little story. Actually, it’s a big, long story; that’s why you should perhaps make yourself a snack and put on your jammies and then come back. I’ll wait. When I started blogging nearly six years ago, the way that online communities were formed was very different from how it is today. Facebook was still relatively new to the general public and for the most part, nobody was on it yet. Twitter started the year before but wasn’t “a thing” yet either. When I was a newbie blogger*, I found other bloggers by going to the Google Blog Search, throwing in some search…
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High School Talent Pool
I wanted to call attention to the blogs of two of my friends from high school. For some reason–I can’t figure out why–I think it’s hilarious that all three of us are blogging. I know: it’s not funny at all. Maybe hilarious is the wrong word. Cool? Interesting? I don’t know. All I do know is that we were good friends who were in the same AP English class senior year and now we’re blogging. I wonder how many others from that class have blogs. Okay, not really. I have never wondered that, ever. Anyway, Cyndi writes a blog called Intrepid Mother. Cyndi has nine children (Yes, N-I-N-E) and is…
- Friends, I've Got Mad Skillz, My Friends Have Mad Skillz, Spreading the Bloggie Love, Too Funny To Ignore, Travels, We Are An Awesome Couple
Flat Sue Goes To #BlogHer12!
I have attended the BlogHer conference four times now: Chicago ’09, New York ’10, San Diego ’11, and, just this past weekend, New York ’12. When I tell non-blogging friends about these weekends away, I get a goofy grin on my face and say things like, “These have been some of the best weekends of my adult life.” It’s totally true. Say what you want about any online presence you might have; it’s when you connect IN PERSON with friends–old and new–that really solidifies relationships. Sue from As Cape Cod Turns was my roommate for the first three years, and was unable to make it to New York this year…
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That’s What Friends Are For
I guest-posted for my buddy Momo last night, on account of her entire neighborhood (city? I don’t know. Huge area) being out of power for the weekend with NO ELECTRICITY IN SIGHT for another week. Seriously. The post is pretty funny if I do say so myself. Figures I’d be “on fire” on someone else’s blog. I work really well under pressure. If you don’t already read Momo’s blog, WHY??? I mean, check it out here.
- Amazing People, Best Thing Ever, Fun in Chicago, I've Got Mad Skillz, My Friends Have Mad Skillz, Pretty Pictures, Proud Moments, Shameless Promotion, Something That Could Change Your Life, Spreading the Bloggie Love
About Last Night
I’m having a little trouble. I can’t really wrap my head around the whirlwind that was LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER CHICAGO last night. I can’t keep using the word “amazing” and expect that 1. People will continue to take me seriously 2. People will believe that yes, I’m a writer …but the fact is, everything about this experience (well, not everything: there were a few snags in the planning process but everything shook out in the end) WAS amazing. I tend to be long-winded (or whatever that is in terms of writing), and although I can think of thousands of things to report to you about last night, I think…
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Hot Off The Presses
In an embarrassment of riches, I am the featured mom on two other sites today. (Well, technically one of them went up yesterday but I’m still within the 24-hour window.) I’m featured as a “Real Chicago Mom” on Family Travel with Colleen Kelly. Colleen has a travel show by the same name that is debuting locally on Chicago WTTW, Channel 11 this weekend. It airs: Friday, May 4 at 8:30pm Saturday, May 5 at 11:00am Sunday, May 6 at 5:30pm Her first episode is all about Chicago (yay!), and of course she’s hitting some other great destinations in Season 1. Follow Colleen on Twitter @familytravelck and on Facebook by clicking…
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Social RevUp: Join Us!
Back in July, I attended the 2011 Brands and Bloggers Summit here in Chicago. It was a fantastic day of learning, and I enjoyed being in the same hotel ballroom as so many of my midwestern blogger friends. Well, I’m going to get all up close and personal with next year’s Brands and Bloggers Summit (July 21, 2012 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Chicago!), because of a new venture: I have partnered with Chicagonista’s MJ Tam and Healthier, Happier You Reviews‘ Dwana D. to launch Social RevUp! We’ll be producing custom-made events for the purpose of connecting bloggers with brands (and vice versa). The 2012 Brands and Bloggers Summit…