How to Blog Tidbits

If you follow blogging experts mine breaks all the rules. 

When I started I thought I was going to blog 7 days a week once each day. I did not care about pictures. I also was not sure what direction I wanted to head in with it all. 

Finally now that I have 2.5 blogs I think I have things pretty figured out. My blog is a hybrid if you ask Jeff Goings. More personal than thematic or business but not strictly just about me. 

I feel more like a reporter even if I am telling the story of my own life. I have a beat, it’s Sacramento and the surrounding area. I have underlying convictions which would be like loyalty to an employer if I were working for pay. 

Here are some things I have learned: 

Readership drops off on the weekends so you can post as little as 3 times a week. 

If you get inspiration for all three at once write them all. Schedule them to fall separately in the future. 

Find a community to share with. I recommend Facebook groups and Twitter. 

Use pictures. You can make your own or get them free. 

Small paragraphs. Give the readers eyes a break, often as in every 3-5 lines. Not too dark or hard to read. Larger print. We are already staring at our screens don’t make us squint. 

No guilt and have fun!

Write from the heart. If that is sparked by current world news and events all the better. 

Use links to add information and depth to your posts. 300-500 words is average and ideal. If you have more to say sometimes 600 can be ok. Often I edit to keep it under or one post turns into two. 

Reply to your commenters. It lets them know you notice and care. 

Follow a few good blogs if you can find them. 

Comment on interesting and informative blogs. 

Check your stats but do not let them define you or how you blog. 

It is ok to do it after midnight. hahahahaha 

Don’t fake or force it. 

People are nosy and want to live vicariously. 

Blogging can be a place to vent and release after some of the narly things that can befall us each day. 

If you have a pet we want to see it/them. Same with crafting ability. 

Some people like to repost a link to their newest blog post multiple times a day. Others like myself will wait until a subject that we have posted about comes up in social media before linking others over and over again. 

A tip: Please do not say “New Blog Post” that is SO generic. So what? Who should care??? If the post has a title use that. If it has no title but it has a theme go ahead use that. 

If you can’t figure out what any of that means you can still say A Random Gathering of my Thoughts today instead of “new post” #ImJustSayin

Vinegar Egg Yolk Pie Crust

I use a variation of a fool proof pie crust recipe that is running around online. I have it written in an old cook book I was compiling as a teen or even pre teen as it were. Yes that is how old this recipe is for me but it works.

2 Cups Flour 

1/2 Cup each shortening & cold butter
1.5 Teaspoons of Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1.5 Teaspoons Vinegar
1 Egg yolk
1/4 Cup ice water

This time of year my mother would be calling me saying I was in charge of desserts for our holiday get togethers. My dad's favorite was apple pie. Hers might be pecan but I think we had sweet potato more often.

Mom did not like pumpkin...

In latter years I started trying to eat better. I bought whole wheat bread and flour. I found a nice recipe using whole wheat flour butter and apple juice or apple cider, sea salt optional. I cannot recall if I added the egg and vinegar. It has been so long since I baked like this.

What I came to respect about the process for getting out a perfect dough is the following:

Use cold butter and ice water.

Rest dough in the refrigerator 20-30 minutes.

Do not over work.

Do not touch with hands. I use wax paper.

Cut the butter into the flour etc. moisten with the liquid and mix thoroughly. Round into a ball and chill.

Roll out and bake as directed.

It's Movember

Such is the life of us single girls. Even Christian singles girls. We like a little pg man porn every now and again if that even makes any sense.

What I mean is this: I dislike facial hair on a man. There I said it. Who says women cannot be visual from time to time? It is probably about the same as men liking women who get err umm plastic surgery.

Even my daughter knows the dirty little secret about facial hair. It's itchy and scratch to have rub against you.

As much as I love a clean shaven face, thank you Hollywood, it is indeed Movember. The month when men sign on to grow their fuzzies in support of their safety and fight against disease and other modern day maladies.

The fun thing about facial hair is men have it and I like men. I am not at all above lurking where they like to show off pictures of their...'staches, goatees and beards because very often lovely faces lurk beneath them. I am definitely a girl who is a sucker for a pretty man face.

I think I first heard about this idea while looking up a hilarious seeming new show I saw advertised on cable. 

Have you heard of Whisker Wars? Hahahahaha I stay away from stupid humor and slap stick most of the time. There was just something about seeing these grown men with serious whiskers preening and battling it out in a commercial clip. The pictures on the web site are a trip. 

My dad wore a mustache all of his life that I can remember. My daughters father fluctuated between wearing his and not especially knowing I was not a huge fan of them. I applaud everyone who rocks it out as an individual what ever their personal style. 

If you have noticed some familiar mugs strangely decorated this month maybe now you know why.

Coffee & Crisis

Well I have been saying

All I want for Christmas is a car. Dear Lord I need it early so I can drive myself to all the parties.”

This idea became exasperated when I dropped by the bank on a whim the other day and realized I was close to over drawn. When school funding came out this fall I thought I had budgeted well enough to hold on to around double my rent in cash and put it towards my next vehicle.

I need a miracle. The funny thing is I am better off than I have been in years. Last fall when we moved into this remodeled rental condo we are in I put money into a savings account for the first time in over a decade. 

I wish I had realized that as I stood in the bank trying not to panic the other day. 

Instead I came all the way home on the bus to grab my cash instead of just transferring some funds. Over draft protection? I had all but forgotten what that is but it should have kicked in too if I needed it.

Like I said things were looking good last fall. I had no idea my car was going to die a sudden death.  I could never have imagined I was about to go through another season of bus rides and car pools by force.

The further irony is I know some mechanics and folks who work on cars now. If I had known them then my car might have been able to be preserved. What it means now is if I find a car that is not running or needs work there are affordable options. 

My daughters would be BIL is one of those who I could call on. He needs a car himself. They are homeless and jobless with a toddler.

They stayed with us for a weekend which would not have seemed so bad if my house was toddler proof. 

Yikes lol One morning my cat was pacing in my bed waiting for me to get up. She was not pestering me more than that so I felt no rush but wondered what was wrong.

When I finally wandered down stairs I saw that her water dish was filled with soggy cat food. Right now she asleep on the back of my couch. This would be ok except I have on a short sleeve and I brought a sweater down stairs knowing I would need it. 

I threw the sweater on the back of the couch. Guess where the cat is laying? Did I mention it is an L shaped leather couch? Of all the spaces you silly feline! Move hahahahahaah

Now oh yes back to the inspiration for this post. So Anderson Cooper and Wolverine were on tv sharing a cup of coffee. Someone twittered a link where viewers can buy the brand of coffee they were drinking.

If I was going to do a tree this year and filling out a wish list Jampit Estate and Taman Dadar would certainly be on it!

Thanks for reading.

Diaspora for the People

Diaspora diaspora… So yesterday the founder of this relatively new social networking site died. An apparent suicide. That is a post for another day. Today I just want to talk about how excited I get when I see open source social networking.

The word diaspora means to disperse. The software is available for individuals to use and share. If that is over your head do not worry. 

The fact that you are reading this blog means you know as much as you need to know about social media to come on over and check it out. If you are reading this blog I will bet you have a Facebook and or LinkedIn account. 

The bold progressive few might also have a Google+ profile. Why on earth would anyone need one more social networking site? We will not even discuss Twitter. 

The social networking concept of Diaspora is all about conscious social networking. The benefit to humanity is privacy and ownership. Keep the rights to your content. They do not try to tell you how to present yourself. Use a name you make up, have a non self icon whatever you like. 

All things Facebook and Google cannot say to their gaggle of sheeple. Yes I am signed up everywhere but only because it’s where the people are. I am too social to be a web site/host snob. Still those of us who have been around a while know great ideas when we see them. 

My crafty friends wish we could clone our favorite Code Monkey and introduce him to MZ and the other web site leaders that be. We love how the site Ravelry runs. 

Diaspora looks a little like G+ with it’s streaming. Which someone said reminded them of Twitter and Facebook. This means you should be able to navigate with out too much confusion. You can even integrate your FB profile with the site which will then grab your name and photo icon.

It has a little of that best kept secret feel. The people seem friendly and active. There is no sense of big business or Big Brother looking over your cyber shoulder. Maybe for me it will be a place to hide.

Hidden in plain sight has always suited me well. I like that diaspora offers me the choice to be private and keep things to myself. I like the option of sharing only what I want with whom I want, the way I want. I always love the idea of empowered community.

Preemtive Outrage

Today is Move YourMoney Day. Waa waa waa I can’t participate because I am not a sheep. I am a leader ahead of my time. 

To that end there are quite a few things I just never get to be a part of because I have managed to keep myself out of them instead.   

Anyone else like me?  

1. Never used a big bank

2. Never been trapped in a relationship

3. Never taught myself to smoke

4. Never weighed more than 18 lbs over my target weight (1996 while pregnant)

5. Never tried drugs

6. Never been drunk or even tipsy

7. Never been addicted to retail therapy ;>

8. Never thought "they" were out to get me

9. Never tried to hurt anyone

10. Never been fake or image over substance.

I must watch too much television. There are shows for people who need to lose weight, shows for bad girls who like to be that way, shows for hoarders and shopaholics. 

People need years of therapy to get rid of their addictions and unlearn destructive habits they have been using to cope with life. God bless the modern age for all it has to offer to come to their aid. 

Where is the love for the rest of us is all I ask???

I am only outrageous by my normalness which might be so rare as to not be normal. 

Yes I do have problems. No I am not perfect. I did get pregnant by my own ignorance and misplaced trust. I did get my heart broken by a woman. I have made mistakes with credit. 

In all sincerity I am happy to have avoided all the pit falls that I did. This reminds me of the day Oprah did a bra show. She had all the women in audience measuring themselves and getting fitted for proper sizing. Somewhere in the last few decades as we went away from customer service and tailoring women have forgotten or forgotten to teach how to bra shop.

The measurement is to be taken from under the breast. Measuring across them is for shirt making.  So women who had been measuring and buying improperly went down in the number and up in cup sizes. Boy were they excited and HAHAHA up lifted! I could not resist...

For me nothing changed. There went my reason to head to hit clearance racks and bargain bins I love so much.

Play Blog Tag

Happy Weekend! Anybody want to play Blog Tag? You answer 7 questions with posts from your blog and link-tag 5 friends. Find out more here. 

Enjoy!

Most helpful post - How 2 Twitter 

What post has the best picture(s)? Trash 2 Treasure Shoes!

Which post is most popular? News and Scandal ...

Most controversial post? Brainy Girls?

Most surprising response post? Latch Key Parenting

Most unloved post? Head Bumping

Your pride and joy post? Acting Black

Those questions and answers could be misleading but I hope you have fun. Stats can be so awkward... hahahaha

Okay so for friends to tag, this was harder because I do not really follow other peoples blogs. Shhh keep my secret but I might be a blog snob. lol I am also just too busy between school and social media. I flitter around to whatever catches my eyes.

These folks are from Twitter mostly but I think they know each other. 

A Sac Food Blogger @Ms_Munchie

Someone Frugal @TheNonConsumer

Someone my age @MidLifeBloggers

A friend @FigTreeAlley

An interesting stranger