My eyeballs are hurting. I’ve been scouring various “best of blogs” websites this week because I thought it would be fun to write a blog about all the blogs out there. The other day I realized that I started writing this thing a couple of months ago without doing much research at all on what other people are doing out there on the internet. So plowing through the blogosphere this week was fun for a while, but in the end it left me overwhelmed by the quantity and underwhelmed by the quality of it all. And my starting point on this adventure was thebestofblogs.com! I can only imagine how dismayed I would be right now if I had been scouring the average or below average sites. So let me share with you some of the good, the bad and the ugly…
The good: Stuff White People Like a delightful read and the author really knows how to gently poke fun at people whose ancestors hail from Caucasia. I loved his take on topics like hummus and marathon running. This site is a real treat!
The bad: I’ll Run For Donuts was the winner of “best sports blog” on thebestofblogs.com and I can’t imagine why. He does have a snazzy banner that looks like the Dunkin’ Donuts logo, but the rest of it is drivel. This week’s post features a pic of his clean toilet and endless chatter about the minutia of his life. Oh, and his posts on how he trains for his five and a half hour marathons are even more boring. It left me screaming like Nancy Kerrigan after she got hit on the knee, “WHY?! WHY?!! WHY?!!!!”
The ugly: Temporary? Insanity, the Egomaniacal Ramblings of a Mildly Deranged Housewife is well written but it’s downright creepy. I stumbled on to this one and read the 12/03/08 post entitled “An Addiction”. Here the needy, pathetic blogger/guru is discussing her inner demons and threatening her faithful readers with the ultimate form of internet suicide: hitting the delete key on her blog. It’s fascinating to read the responses from her sycophantic friends and fans in the comments section of this post, but in the end you feel bad about the unhealthy trip these people are on. Maybe there are happier posts in this blog, but the ones from the first week in December were rather dismal, in my opinion. My advice: go outside and get some fresh air and exercise instead of spending all those hours glued to your computer.
But I have a weird side, too, because a couple of weeks ago I started a second blog! I’m a huge fan of rock trivia and I’ve won well over a thousand dollars worth of concert tickets over the years with my musical knowledge. My favorite contest is called “Stump the Sage” on KBCO FM in Boulder. Bret Saunders, the DJ, channels the spirit of a crabby know it all and answers questions from the audience. If you pose a question he can’t answer, you win the prize. So I put together a fan website hosted by MY alter-ego, a caustic genius monkey with psychic powers. It’s called “How To Stump The Sage At KBCO”. I’m pitching the concept to the program director this week, because it might just be a good ad for my business. I’ll keep you posted.
And speaking of business, here’s our latest mug design! We’re rolling a bunch of them out of the kiln on Tuesday….
Can’t say I like being described as The Ugly, but I suppose there’s worse name calling that goes on.
You know what? The reason Kim’s readers love her is that she “bares her soul.” As you say, she is a wonderful writer who causes us to take a closer look at ourselves, to appreciate what we have, to recognize we’re not the only ones who feel a certain way, and sometimes to learn to appreciate our differences.
Everyone doesn’t have to love her blog, of course. But it’s scary how careful you have to be about what you post!
I’m in agreement with LisAway, but I also wonder what you find ugly in baring your soul? Personally, I find it ugly to run around bashing on other people on your page. Why not keep things positive, even if you don’t like something you see?
Look guys, we doubled his comment count. Snort.
You Palin bitches need to calm the fuuuck down!
That Noah is a really sweetheart. If you’re writing for people like that, I can only commend you for your at least trying to keep your criticism a somewhat intelligent.
You for sure haven’t heard enough from me, so I’ll just add that I love displaying my OWN intelligence by referring to your criticism as being “a somewhat intelligent.” GO ME!!
(and this time I really WILL go! Bye!)
Um, I think that Noah was making a joke. You know, not serious? Funny? And just by putting your writing out there on the internet, you are inviting criticism. Especially when the title of the blog so proudly proclaims self-obsession and insanity.
Everyone has their ups and downs. I personally love Kim’s blog because she’s so honest and she’s not afraid to share it. Her musings provoke a lot of thought and I truly enjoy her writing. I appreciate that you added the perspective that perhaps there are some happy posts in her blog…there are a lot of them and they far outweigh the melancholy. Interesting post topic though, I like the title.