26 posts tagged “qotd”
Show us a music video that tells a great story.
Submitted by notreallylois.
What do you think is good blog etiquette and what do you want from your readers?
Submitted by April.
oo00OOPlz dOnT TyPe l!Ke ThIS CuZ iT ISnT kEwL. This just shows me that you are an iD!0t. Let us honor the guidlines set before us for effective written communication. These rules can be broken- always- but the complex system of the written language has been considered for centuries, and exists because it makes life easier.
Being passive-aggressive in a blog is baaaaaaad bad etiquette. This is why I quit using Myspace; my blogging neighbors were too involved with each other, too passionate in their writing about one another, and I was afraid to read them, only to find that yet another person was pissed at so-and-so. It is so immature; that's not why I'm here. When you are angry at someone, do not write a blog about it that you know they will read. Do not talk about how hurt you are, hoping that the person responsible will get the hint. DO NOT aim to hurt someone through writing. Oh, what a tangled web we weave through our cutting words and backhanded blogs.
I suppose a web-log is a diary of sorts, a log of events, feelings, writings, musings, thoughts, etc. So, anthing that one feels the need to log is appropriate. For me, it is a place to write. Writing is important; what you write is less important. Saying what you have intended to say is what writing is all about.
From those I read: Two things, really. I want to know what you're all about. You entertain me with your honesty and personality and creativity, and things another person finds interesting in their lives is worth the read. Also, I want purpose. Whining/griping multiple times throghout the day does not make for a good read. If you need to bitch at the end of the day, blogging is fine. I may or may not be interested in reading it, but I hope you write anyway. What I like to see is that someone has something to say, and they have supported what they are trying to convey.
From my readers: There are a couple of the simple exercises that I used to use with my students at The Writing Center when we read beginning essays that I would find particularly helpful in this context. We would read, then write on the following:
"I think you are trying to say..." (complete and elaborate.) This is to explore what you think the writer is really trying to get at, and if they are actually supporting it/saying it at all.
"I want to hear more about..." if there is anything that stands out, what is it, and why? This very well may be the strongest point in the piece, and the writer doesn't know it yet. Or, if they haven't yet explained themselves, this is a chance to give them feedback from the reader's perspective.
And, always ask why.
I think the best way to become a more effective writer is to write often and to share your writing with others (without shame! Without fear!) This is why I find blogging such a useful tool as a writer. So, if any of my readers happens to want to give any kind of feedback, of this or any nature, on my writing, I encourage you. Writing is never complete, and another perspective on the things I say would be much welcomed.
What was the best thing about your weekend?
She sat across from me, her strong legs propped on a wire chair stolen from the next table over, grinning from under her outrageously over-sized sunglasses. It was smoulding hot, and sweat trickled from my hairline, gluing curls to the back of my neck. I wiped my brow realized that we were alone out here- other patrons opted for more moderate dining atmospheres. But the patio beckoned, as did pancakes and Stella on this Sunday afternoon, and we answered the call like true Fresnans and endured the heat, and let the hours slip past unnoticed us as we satisfied the thirst of our friendship. Our glasses were refilled to delay heat stroke and we raised them in gratitude. Before long, I was reminded that there is more than one form of true love, and I drank it in.
July is national ice cream month! What's your favorite flavor?
Submitted by LittleWiseOne.
Mint chocolate chip, via Baskin Robbins. I love the fresh, creamy flavor of mint, and the delightful light crisp of the dark chocolate flakes, the simplicity of the combination. A scoop is filled with memories of going to the coast and getting a cone, summer afternoons following swimming, birthday treats...
However, it is hard to beat a really good vanilla. Boring as it may seem, a good vanilla is complex and satisfying, a classic that never lets down. A poorly balanced vanilla ice cream is either lacks flavor, is to vanilla-y, or artificial. My husband recently began working at a frozen custard store. (Frozen custard is apparently timeless on the East coast; we just have this single vendor in the West.) It is a rich premium ice cream, with more butter fat that soft serve, less air so it is creamier, involves egg yolks, and is served at 26 degrees as opposed to 10 so that your taste buds don't freeze. It is perfection-- the creamiest, buttery vanilla I've ever had. An unbeatable ice cream experience. I almost hate to put a topping on it, lest it taint the perfect balance in flavor that it already has. I took my parents- who used to have ice cream daily but are now the most health conscious people I know, who eat that non-fat, flaky, ice-cream wanna be stuff- and they almost died. It was hilarious to watch them savoring each spoonful.
And that bastard Chris gets it pretty much every night.
Have you ever broken a bone? If not, what's the worst injury you've sustained?
We always had our church picnics at someone's home on the river. They had this giant swing suspended from trees. There was a rope attached to the seat, and a team of people would pull you up a hill, let go, and you would swing waaaaay out over the river. It was outrageous.
I was only 9, and decided to give it a go. They hoisted me onto the wooden seat, and I unsteadily tried to stabilize myself on the swaying bench, seven feet off the ground. Those assholes didn't even wait for an okay before they started running up the hill. It jerked the seat from under me, but they kept pulling! Grasping onto the ropes that suspended the swing, I dangled for a moment before falling to the ground. Luckily, my right arm broke my fall.
The saddest part is that, because I could move my arm pretty normally and it appeared in tact, my parents didn't think it could possibly be injured, and I had to wait a whole day-- in pain-- before they took me in for x-rays. I ended up with a bright pink cast that I wouldn't let anyone write on. They still feel aweful about it.
However, I've sustained worse injuries. Yeah, like when I was seventeen, and jumped on the bed while talking on the phone to my boyfriend, and whacked my head into a full-speed ceiling fan, resulting in a lot of blood, stitches on my eyebrow, and a horrendous black and purple eye that lasted for weeks. Yeah, that was awesome. And not at all humiliating.
What's your favorite type of donut?
Submitted by tomatshonino.
Any donut from Tom's in my hometown pretty much takes the cake. I prefer glazed, maple bars, and chocolate bars. But only from Tom's donut shop in K-town. I have been spoiled by growing up with the perfection of Tom's.
Krispy Kreme can bite me. Their donuts are small, greasy, doughy, and lackluster in the flavor experience. Tom's has the best donuts in the damn world. They are big, fluffy, perfect in texture and glaze. They are fresh and fantastic. And, though I don't have donuts very often, I could eat a Tom's donut any time. Especially with a glass of milk or coffee. Mmm.
I've tried to find donuts of equal quality in Fresno and Clovis, but to no avail.
What are your first thoughts upon waking?
Submitted by Cher Cabula.
"Damn cat/cute cat."
"I have to piss so bad."
"What would happen if I quit my job today?"
And, in response to the title, "And give God the GLORY GLORY!"
What are your first thoughts upon waking?
Submitted by Cher Cabula.
"Damn cat/cute cat."
"I have to piss so bad."
"What would happen if I quit my job today?"
And, in response to the title, "And give God the GLORY GLORY!"
What are some of the best(and worst) things about summer?
Submitted by L33tchica.
Worst: Baking in the unbearable Fresno heat.
The inevitable AC burn-out.
Smelling like you've just sweat buckets. Because you have.
Shorts.
Bathing suits.
Sleepless nights due to unimaginable midnight heat.
Increasing electric and gas bills.
Rolling blackouts.
My office has NO AC!
Best: SUNSHINE!!!!
Summer fruit.
Summer fruit.
Homemade pie and ice cream!
Lemonade, ice tea, beer, and other beverages that taste better than ever.
Barbecue!
Long days.
The 4th of July!!!!!!!!!
Swimming (despite bathing suits.)
Camping trips! Beer and fishing!
Optimism.
What's on your "To-Do" list today? What are you most looking forward to and what are you most dreading?
1. Get through work without wanting to say "well, fuck you, then," to anyone. I'll even try to be happy about being at work on a pretty day.
2. Make it through the pile of admissions files on my desk before the weekend so that I don't dread Monday as much.
3. Write one poem. Or jot down some poetic ideations.
4. Walk to the farmers' market for berries, bok choy, greenbeans and whatever else strikes my fancy.
5. Either start doing some laundry, or start cleaning out the things underneath the bed.
6. Get my project ready to go for quilt club tomorrow morning, (in our new location- at a quilt store!!) so I'm not late again.
7. Fix my chipped toenails. Ew.
I am most dreading just being at work. Although I don't mind my job at all, I still hate that I am working in an industry that I don't care about and not persuing my passions. #1-2 on this list are surprisingly hard to accomplish lately.
I am most looking forward to the farmers' market. I like that is close enough to stroll to, and that I can buy enough fruit for the week on a few bucks alone. It is great to stroll through the stands amongst the crowds of people, tasting berries and beans, with live hokey music surrounding us all.
Now I have to go greet some people while trying to accomplish #1.
