Will somebody please tell me...

What makes a blog site or post entertaining for you? I have such a wide range of sites I visit...despite my small list noted on my blog page. There is such a disparity in what I find interesting or attractive about my favorites. One of them, Mary's Blog, I visit because it's my sister. I think she is funny and smart. But that's not why I like her blog.

I like her blog because it seems so real and is accessible to my real life. Not because she's my sister either. She's younger than I am so I get to see a younger POV of the stay at home Mom. I stayed at home with my kids too and it's interesting to see the differences and the similarities of how she deals with those challenges. She has an interesting mix of people who hang out there and I love that.

On the other hand, I like Karen's blog because it makes me feel connected to other women who enjoy the same sorts of books I read. Everyone there has strong opinion and I love the feeling of belonging to a community of women with opinions...about absolutely everything! It is often funny, frequently irreverant, and most of all honest. I wouldn't miss a post...and the comments are just as enlightening and entertaining.

Of course, I've mentioned Jennifer Crusie here many times. Now she and Bob Mayer have formed a collaboration to write books together. Their first book together, DON'T LOOK DOWN, comes out in April and I can't wait to read it. Ms. Crusie just tickles my funny bone. Because we are of a similar age she presents a familiar frame of reference. Besides how could I not like someone who watched ANGEL? I thought I was the only closet 40-something watching it. It was my guilty pleasure. Then there was Spike...

See, there I go again completely off topic. Anyway, she and Bob have a web site together Crusie/Mayer and are doing a blog He Wrote, She Wrote as well as her own Argh Ink. On their collaborative blog site there are more frequent posts (almost every day). I find their adventures a hoot and a great escape at lunch hour to transport me away from my work doldrums.

And while I can see with my new work schedule it is going to be harder to post very often myself. I'm so grateful for all the places that I can visit with the click of a button and be so enriched, enlightened and entertained.

Is that too much sucking up?

Just when you thought it was safe to go out...

I was over on Jennifer Crusie's blog, Argh Ink and reading her January 1st post. At the end of the post she says "say something nice to yourself in the mirror every day". Now I've heard this espoused before. I have even (picture me with pink cheeks now) tried doing it...out loud no less.

Sometimes this works amazingly well and other times, not so much. Most days I see myself in the mirror and wonder who that person is. I'm still surprised to see that I'm aging. Hey, I'm not complaining. Aside from my weight issues, I have a pretty decent gene pool. No excessive wrinkling or frown lines. But gravity is definetly evident. I have circles under my eyes. I have on occasion mistakenly thought they were remants of poorly removed eye makeup from the day before. Yeah...NO!!

Can you believe that I would rather beleive I left old mascara on my eyes the night before than believe that I have circles under my eyes? I just can't believe how dark they are sometimes.

What was my point, I know I had one...just a sec while I scroll up...oh yeah. Saying something nice to myself in the mirror. You know what I finally figured out? The something nice doesn't have to be about how I look!!! Duh!!! You have no idea what a relief this is! No pressure. Yippee!!

Although, now I have to ponder why I'm so shallow and vain that for nigh on these many years I've been only thinking about saying nice things about myself that had to do with how I look. Gad zooks! I'm a silly, vain, middle aged woman. Or, I'm a fabulously happy, oversexed middle aged woman who is passionate about the people she loves and the world she lives in. Yeah, I think I'll go with number 2. Fab-u-lous...fab-u-lous...fab-u-lous...I can do this!

Jennifer Crusie - Shameless Blog Plug!

I have her link on my page at the right. If you haven't read her blogs you are really missing out. Go take a look!

With all the sorrow this past week, I really have enjoyed the humorous respite these blogs and the one I linked below, have given me.

WHY CAN'T I BE FUNNY?

To say I'm jealous of those gifted with "funny" is an understatement. I go trolling along out there in the blogosphere reading and laughing my way as I turn pea green with envy. Oh what I would give for that wacky, witty, wonderful way of looking at life!

I read the funniest blog at Argh Ink Jennifer Crusie's blog site this afternoon. Of course as I've already mentioned SEP is one of my favorite authors so this blog was particularly amusing for me to read.

I sent the link to my sister and whined how I wish I could be that funny! You know that naturally funny where you "think" funny. You can tell it's just how that person views life and copes. Anyway, the post just before the one on SEP Ms. Crusie speaks about a recent medical diagnosis she received.

While I could identify with both the ice cream and wanting to hit someone with a shovel, I don't think when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis I could have written about it with such humor. In fact when one knows it isn't fatal and that by making some adjustments one can live a relatively normal life you feel ridiculous complaining...except I wanted to complain and bitch about it alot.

Those near and dear to me know so...don't ya!

What I didn't do is write anything clever about it. I am thinking of buying a shovel though. I'm going to stand it in the corner of my bedroom. So the next time I feel sorry for myself I will remember...I can bash someone with a shovel or...eat ice cream.