Alive in Wonderland

How to Host A Practically Perfect Blogger Event

At this point, I've attended hundreds of blogger events. Marcy and I have hosted many of them through our blogging group, SoCal BlogCrush. Nearly every month for the last two years we've organized get togethers--big and small--for our fellow bloggers at area restaurants and local venues. 

Five years ago when I started blogging it was a much different environment for bloggers. We weren't invited to much of anything. Then slowly bloggers came on to PR professionals' radar as companies realized our value and the invites started to trickle in. But even then, there were times when I felt like my presence at media events was an afterthought--PR professionals not knowing exactly what to do with a blogger. 

Note: Disney is the one and only shining example of a company that embraced bloggers from the beginning, read about my experience here. 

Fast forward to this past summer. I couldn't keep up with the events--all calling out for bloggers to come eat, play and learn about things ranging from cars to cupcakes. And though I'm thrilled that blogging has taken a solid place within the media, the learning curve is still playing out--for both bloggers and PR folks. 

When OC StyleWeek came to town a few weeks ago, BlogCrush partnered with Jane Gillespie, who is a PR professional for the Irvine Company.  Jane knows how to make bloggers feel welcome and gave us what we needed during the event to then go home and post on our blogs. Marcy and I could even say: Jane Gillespie hosted a practically perfect blogger event. 

If you're a PR professional looking for tips on how to get bloggers to not only attend your event, but to write about it, Marcy and I noted these things Jane did that worked: 

Media Passes: When the bloggers arrived, we checked in at the media center and we were given media access passes. We like that. It's a good idea to give bloggers the same access as traditional media. This takes some vetting on the PR professionals part, but it's worth the effort.

Designated Blogger Area: Giving bloggers a place to do our thing is important. Jane offered us our own Blogger Lounge. We had a table to spread out our equipment, we had access to free WiFi and lots of space to work. Bloggers are usually versed in many different media--photography, video, writing, live reporting--we need some elbow room to reload and get our material out. Remember bloggers often start getting their message out in real time, during an event.

Quality Time with Major Players: Allowing bloggers access to interview and chat with key people in the company will help bloggers put together a complete story. We often ask PR professionals to scope out the blogs before the event and help tailor the blogger's experience with the right interviews, photos ops and video opportunities. 

 

Social Media Information Easily Seen: This sounds so simple, but it gets missed almost every time. 

Twitter Wall!: No one loves a Twitter Wall more than me. The first event I attended that had our collective Tweets projected on a wall, held together by a short, simple hashtag, I fell deeply in love. Me and the Twitter Wall are planning a June wedding. 

Feed The Bloggers: It's just good manners. At our StyleWeek event Jane had set up adorable boxes, provided by Nordstrom Cafe, packed with water, chocolate cake and probably the best roast beef sandwich I've ever tasted. In this case, the dinner in a box provided lots of chatter for Nordstrom Cafe on our social media channels (and here). 

Photo Ops: Though some will cringe when they hear this (I know my journalism professor would), but bloggers are usually part of their stories. Think about it: it's usually our voice, our personality and our views that have made our blogs popular. It's taken a while for PR folks to realize that bloggers would like a photo of themselves experiencing whatever it is they are writing about.  It's one of the biggest differences to note when working with bloggers rather than traditional media professionals.

Other ideas for a great blogger event...

Follow Up with Photos in Accessible Formats: Marcy and I usually create Flickr sets for all bloggers to easily access the photos they would like to use.  Here are ours from StyleWeek.  Some PR people will send us home with jump drives or logins to FTP sites to download photos. 

Video Options: If you would like bloggers to make and post videos about your product or even, read my post: "Top 10 Tips for PR Professionals: How to Get Bloggers to Make Videos About Your Product or Event." Clever title, no?  

Keep inviting bloggers to events! If you need help choosing the right blogger for your event, contact us at BlogCrush. We will help you put together the right blogger for you. 

 

 

Mom Bloggers are the new rock stars

Need proof you say? Check out me and five other OC Mom Bloggers dorking it out in this lip dub.

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Sheesh! Mom bloggers are sure getting a beating in the traditional media and online world lately. With articles like this one from the New York Times and the following comment and commentary bloodbath that followed, you'd think we are advocating tossing our children into a rushing river, instead of simply reaching for our dreams and expressing ourselves--in small and big ways--through our blogs. Who knew creative, smart, driven women could be so divisive? (Said with sarcasm, naturally.) 

I believe in the power of the mom blogger. I think blogging is revolutionary for women. I honestly do. It's radically extended the reach of some women who before blogging, didn't have much of a voice. I'm proud as all get up to be a mom blogger, because I've seen first hand how it's transformed the lives of women--in a positive way. In an empowering way. Again, sometimes in little ways, like giving her a creative outlet or building a community of support, and sometimes in larger ways, like leading to a new career. It's all good stuff and all equally important in my opinion.

Here's the thing, as moms we have more things in common than we have differences. I try to embrace the differences and then get all giddy and syrupy when I meet (read) a mom who has the same struggles, triumphs and burns with the same hatred for laundry as me.  Blogs can function as a conduit for these connections.  

So, now you know my stand on mom bloggers and you've been properly primed for this video. Six OC mom bloggers, including moi, dorking it up in a lip dub we made to "Our Lips Are Sealed." Because whenever a PR person or brand representative asks me, what's the best way to reach moms, I always tell them the same thing: '80s music.

The bloggers in the lip dub are:

 

Andrea from the blog Hip Moms Who Work.

 

Marcy from The Glamorous Life Association and Publications.

 

Beckey from Hippo Brigade.

 

Roxanne from Me and My Monster.

 

Kara-Noel from Eli's Lids.

 

Me from here...and here.

**disclaimer: 

These bloggers may or may not share my ernest opinion of mom bloggers.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

 

I wish you all a holiday season filled with comfort and joy.  I'm taking some time off, as I do every year from Christmas to New Years.  I'll be back Jan 4th when life gets back in full-swing again.

I have posted my Whrrl Reports Widget at the top of  this blog so if you want to check back and see what I'm up to, you can.  I seem to have fallen head-over-heels in love with Whrrl and I'm filing them every couple of days or so for OC Family.  You can also read my blog there, since I still will be posting there this next week.  (Here's the newly created Hyperlink.)

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Vision

 

 My husband is writing a business book right now and I was helping him this morning flesh out some ideas.  We sat at the kitchen table talking about some concepts;  the first one was how important vision is to a company.  As we talked  I realized that I really don't have a vision for this space.  This blog.

Now that I have Alive in Wonderland over at OC Family (so very thankfully), I feel myself floating in no-wheres-ville over here.  So as I took the day to clean out my office a vision started to form--still kinda blurry, but I feel much more inspired for this blog now. 

Though I will still post things I'm doing in my professional life, I want to share what inspires me personally here: the people, the photography and the stories that move me or make me laugh.  It's not big news, but forming a vision has helped point me in a direction.

 

(Anthropologie display from last month.)

So, maybe I will just post a little idea that will sprout into a bigger story or just one silly notion that springs to mind that day.   I've been talking to other bloggers a lot lately about what it was like when we first started blogging--what motivated us back in the beginning. I want to work my way backward to get that fresh feeling again. 

 

(Snow White's wishing well at Disneyland.) 

That's my new vision: Going backward.  

 ****

The Scientist by ColdPlay

"Oh, take me back to the start."

Saying goodbye to the OC Register

This is my last post at The OC Register's Mom Blog. Thanks to everyone who left nice comments there for me. 

Stay tuned for more news.

 

"We all love your blog here at the Register." 

That's the e-mail I received from Theresa Walker, a editor of the Life section of The Orange County Register, over two years ago. (I saved it.) She was commenting on the "citizen blog" I was writing on the Register's website. Anyone can have their own blog on the site and I signed up and started blogging ... and blogging ... and blogging, hoping someone would notice me. 

I was thrilled when I received her e-mail. We met for lunch and that's when Theresa asked me to be one of the bloggers for The Mom Blog -- again, THRILLED! I had been a stay-at-home mom for three years and had started blogging after a heart-to-heart with my husband over dinner one night. He told me he thought I was a creative person with no creative outlet and suggested I search for my calling. Then I told him I had this hair-brained idea about starting to blog. He was all for it. 

We launched OC Moms in February 2008 and I kicked off my blog, then named "Mommy's Mind is not a Toy," with this post "...and all the germs laughed." 

Since then I've made a lot of friends here in this space and connected with a lot of O.C. Moms. But, now it's time for me to move on to other writing adventures that have come to me in cyberspace. I'm enormously grateful to The Orange County Register and my editors, Theresa Walker and Roxanne (don't call her Roxy)  Hack, for the opportunity, support and friendship they have given to me. They have helped make the dream of a stay-at-home mom to become a writer come true. 

If you're a mom with a dream, whatever it is, and you think that laundry, brain-numbing children's TV, and exhaustion will keep you from ever achieving it, I'm proof that you can do it. I know that sounds a little corny. But, I don't know one mom who's not trying to figure out how to carve out a little creative or intellectual life for herself within her family's hustle and bustle. It can be done. I promise. 

So to all of you O.C. moms out there who have a dream, to quote the line from Herb Brook's speech in one of my favorite movies, "Miracle": This is your time! Now, go out there and take it!  

(Like I could not reference hockey in some way.)

*******

Have you seen this video of a 4-year-old's rendition of the Miracle speech? So cute and pretty impressive that he could remember the whole thing. Hey, I'm happy if my son just remembers to zip up his pants.

 

Love it!

Love it!

Alive in Wonderland was voted Reader's Choice for OC's Favorite Local Blog!

(Me and Kirsten. Me and Marcy. Me and Debbie.)

I attended the "You've Just Been Spotted" OC Blogger Awards last night.  Thanks to everyone who voted for me--Alive in Wonderland won Reader's Choice for Favorite OC Local Blog.  

Kelly and Coleen from Just Spotted did a great job putting the event together. In true new media style at 8 PM they Tweeted the winners from every category.  I would tell you a didn't teared-up a little when I read I won, but they have me on video weepy and grateful.  

You can go to the Just Spotted blog to see who won what and also to get the lowdown on everything that's happening in Orange County. 

Thanks to everyone who voted for me.  I'm humbled and inspired.  Blogging is my passion and it's gratifying in so many ways that people appreciate what I do here. 

The best part of the night was meeting bloggers I hadn't met before and chatting with old friends.  Capital Photo Booth provided the pictures above along with the background for this photo of Marcy.  

We took pictures together. The proof is in her hands, but I promptly lost my copy because I was juggling two camera, my iPhone, and my faithful Flip.

You can see our Whrrl Photo Story here...

✺✺✺✺✺✺

If you're new to my blog. 

Here's a sampling of what goes on in this blog...

Tell Orange County Stories.

For example:

 Sometimes  I wish that I could stop you from talking.

✺

Talk about the '80s. 

For example:

  I think you're a total babe...wait, no I don't.

✺

Fabricate completely untrue stories for my own entertainment.

For example:

Breaking News, Irvine Mom Admits She Can't Afford Something.

You make me feel brand new

Got my new look on. Thanks to...

Kirsten of Wright Creativity gets every ounce of credit for my newly designed blog. I think she exemplifies the word creative: Resulting from originality of thought, expression, etc. It's the "etc." that made working with Kirsten a pleasure. 

I sent her some very, and I'm exaggerating this even,  sketchy description of what I wanted to do to this blog's design and she took what I sent and did this!  Doesn't it look great?  

I wasn't going to redo my banner, but she said she was just "feeling creative" and put this one together.  I think it's so rare to find someone who takes that extra step just because they feel inspired. (MARCY is like that, too.) 

Kirsten is available to work her magic on brand spankin' new blogs or if you feel like your blog needs a make-over, you can CLICK HERE to contact her.  She works in Typepad and Wordpress, and is also available to do the odd button (see mine to the right if you want to take it for your blog), Twitter backgrounds or logos for you.   

I looked into several other blog designers and was put on a long wait list, then it occurred to me to ask Kirsten--who is a BLOGCRUSHER  and I read her BLOG faithfully. She did everything in two days.  It's like that saying "I say it here and it comes out there." (That's a saying, right? I didn't just make that up...) She was that easy to work with...and she's as sweet as pie, which is nice, too. 

✷✷✷✷

Neil Finn last night at Largo was simply phenomenal.  Seeing him for the first time in a small venue (100 seats) was beyond expectation.  He stood on the stage at one point and  the audience just shouted out what they wanted to hear...and then he played their requests.  What an amazing night.  Thanks  to Clonizelo.-- my accomplice and true Finn companion. 

Orange County Blogger's Ball, 2009

I'm going to let my video tell the story of this year's Orange County Blogger's Ball. 

Orange County Blogger Ball 2009 from Suzanne Broughton on Vimeo.

I would like to express my deepest thanks to Ms. 110%, Marcy from "The Glamorous Life Association."  Everything she does, she does well and with style.  Thanks, Marcy.

(Marcy is cropped out of this photo on the right. I didn't receive the mandatory photo 

approval from her before posting. Let me know if you give it your "okay" Marcy and I will add you.)

Next, I'd like to thank Nikki from Prose and Converse for showing up as a surprise guest.  We have been reading each other's blogs for years and hadn't ever met in person.  We both confirmed each other's status of FIRL (funny in real life) midway through the night (and on tape), which is nice...and she has that whole "lights up a room with her smile" thing going, too.  Which is also, very nice. 

If you're an Orange County Blogger and would like to join BlogCrush, click here to get to our fan page on Facebook.  We have meet-ups once a month in an effort to unite OC Bloggers in real life.  

New blog: Orange County Daily Photo

“Photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution.” Ansel Adams

Creating an Orange County Daily Photo Blog has been on my mind for a while. I used to post a daily photo right here on Alive in Wonderland, but it became too difficult to keep up with it regularly and I felt it infringed on my writing time. But the desire to share Orange County through photography was still there, so I started this collaborative blog that launches today:

Orange County Daily Photo

The photographers include Marcy, Jeff S., Chris, Jeff D., Tracey,  Susan, and moi. Head over and take a look. We love Orange County and hope to show you why with our photography and stories.

You can also follow us on Twitter:  OCDailyphoto.

Orange County Bloggers I'm crushing on you

"A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men."

Gene Wilder 

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 

Are you a blogger? Do you live in Orange County? Has your family banned phrases like "If you read my blog, you wouldn't have asked me that" or "I'm so blogging this" from leaving your lips? Do you take pictures of your dinner? When you start to talk about your blog does your best friend (IRL) start to dig around aimlessly in her purse? Are you up late at night writing your insights on '80s music or the redeeming value of Target? 

I've got the group for you. 

BlogCrush is a group I created for all OC Bloggers. We meet-up once a month in a safe environment where we can talk freely about page views, Flickr, BlogHer ads, and the wonder of Twitter without the fear of non-bloggers roller their eyes at us or threatening to never comment again. 

Last month we got together on a warm weekday night at the Veggie Grill at the Irvine Spectrum.  It was great to meet blogger who I have been reading, some of them, for years. I gave each and every one of them a hug and it wasn't weird at all (for me) because I felt like I knew them--they were my friends. 

It was a little bit of nonsense on a Wednesday night. It was eating sweet potato fries and drinking fruit tea. It was a bunch of people who had a common passion sharing it with others. It was awesome. 

If you are an OC Blogger, please head over to BlogCrush's Facebook page and join us or if you're not on Facebook (gasp!) you can email me at suzbroughton@yahoo.com and I'll keep you in the loop for the next meet-up. 

Our hope is that we can grow a strong, loyal, and supportive blogging community in Orange County that's way better than any group in Los Angles that will inspire and enrich our county. Really.

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These are the bloggers that pulled themselves away from their computers long enough to meet-up at The Veggie Grill:

(Here are some of us are now. I swear there are boys in the group.)

Marcy of The Glamorous Life

Marcy also designed the BlogCrush logo. Thanks, Marcy.

Julie of Angry Julie Monday

Dana and Jeff Sipper

(Note Jeff is a boy.)

Elaina of Restore

Kristin from Meringue Bake Shop

Stacey of OC Food Mommy

Roxanne of Me and My Monster

Aracely of Day Tripping Mom

Jeff from OC Metroblogging

(Note Jeff is also a boy.)

Kara of Eli's Lids

Sara of Ducks and Pucks

Jen from Tiny Oranges

Kirsten of Wright Creativity

Debbie from Peace Love and Momminess

Martha from Melody Gibbons

Sandra of TolduOC

Suzanne of Twenty Four at Heart

Becky from Happy Hour Mom

Tracy from Tracy Clark

Lorna of Calif Lorna

Auckland Daily Photo: BBF

I have started to read a lot of photo blogs lately, especially other Daily Photo blogs. One of my favorites is Auckland Daily Photo. So, I was super happy to be given a "Blogging Best Friend" tag from Lachezar of that very blog.

I have always been fascinated by New Zealand--springing from my Split Enz/Neil Finn/Crowded House adoration (read a little about that here), then lasting due to New Zealand's beauty--and his blog brings me a slice of that beautiful country daily. His pictures are simple and precise, truly an inspiration.

The rules of the tag are below, I have chosen the following blogs in part based on the rules, and in part because I haven't ever linked to them before and I wanted to introduce them:

Big Hair Envy: : Her own tagline says it best "Confessions of a former spiral perm addict." I don't know where she is, somewhere country-ish. Where are you?

The Mental Pause Chronicles:: Serious fun and she never, ever talks about shoes, chardonnay, laundry, football,, how best to clean your kitchen...or llamas., she never talks about llamas. She kicks out the humor from this place called "Connecticut."

Dry as toast:: My newest follower. She is a young writer living in New York. I just want to squeeze her she's so adorable and then get all bossy every time I read her posts.

I love retro things: : After reading Amy's blog I feel like I have just chatted with a friend. She's also in New Zealand.

Yankee in Belgrade: : Bibi's daily photo blog is like going to Serbia daily, without the jet lag or language barrier.

If you have the time, feel free to respond to the tag--I will still be your BBF, even if you can't do it.
1. Only five people are allowed
2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog
3. One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world
4. You must link back to whoever linked to you

Make that four...

Being patently bossy--especially when it comes to things I know a little about--I have coaxed not one, not two...fine, four people into starting their own blogs. They are, in order:

Marcy at "The Glamorous Life."

Andrea at "Bakers Love."

Carrie at "Splendid Press."

and now, Jenny at "Brain Bunnies."

I have also given my long-winded, moderately inspired, coffee-got-cold-while-I-was-talking opinion to the following people about their already fantastic blogs:

Chris at "Dharma Bum."

Lisa at "Lisa Mertins Life Illustrated."

Nannette at "Girl Friday."

To be noted: Personal "advise" has been handed out to countless bloggers in comments, direct messaging on Twitter, and via email.

Marcy's not so glamourous life

My dear friend Marcy over at The Glamourous Life (read in sarcasm here over use of the word "glamourous") is having a G.I.R.L. party on her blog. G.I.R.L as in Glamourous In Real Life.

Bloggers can join in by sending her posts that detail their domestic goofs and blunders or just send embarrassing photos. We love those. If you have a blog, this is a fun and painless way to get connected with other bloggers.

I submitted my Lessons of The Earthquake Cake. If you've read it, you know it hits the mark on all three of the criteria listed above.

The bonus for Marcy? All the strange and slightly questionable google searches that "Girl Party" will bring to her site.

(I begged her not to use this drawing of me cleaning my house, but I suppose she couldn't resist.)

Please excuse me while I slip my new look on

Thank you to the outlandishly creative Heather at Bluhm Studios who is busying herself right now with the important work of making my blog look fabulous.

The blogging result of being a geek

I wrote a "Friday Five" that consisted of five snail jokes. I have a private collection of snail jokes that I tell when I'm asked (which honestly NEVER happens) or I feel the party is in need of a little light snail humor.

If you must, you can see the orginal post: Here.

Now, I get THE most hits to my site from people "Googling" snail jokes. Who knew there was such a ardent need for snail jokes?

Just to show you how silly it has become, I Googled "snail jokes" and this is what comes up. Yep, my blog comes even before snailjokes.com!

You have to be three kinds of geeky to get that kind of traffic.

My blog's birthday

My blog is one year old today. I thought I would celebrate by reposting the very first thing I wrote here. It was email correspondence between me and my friend, Vicki. Everyone should have a friend like her.

Thanks for reading me! I am just as bewitched by blogging as I was when I started and haven't even thought about giving it up-- which is unlike me (see Earthquake Cake story below to get up to speed on that whole issue).

Posted Sept. 3 2007

Movie trailer voice man:
"It started out innocently enough, just a simple girl looking for a simple hair cut, what comes next is a dizzying string of senseless emails that pulled them away from the people they loved and the work they tried to avoid"

From: Suz
To: Vicki
Subject: Ideas for haircut

Hi,
If you have time can you send me some ideas for my shorter hair cut. I can't find anything particular
that I want. I want it short in the back but I don't want it to be short in the front. That is about it for ideas.
I always wear my hair in a pony. It would take me AT LEAST an hour a day to make my hair look "non frizzy" I love my hair, but I don't even devote that much time to my husband. let alone a beauty regime.

Love your blog....

From: Vicki
To: Suz
Subject: hair

Hey Suz
I think something like these. You have think, wavy hair, just thin it out, lots of layers and let the waves do what they want.

Something easy where you can wash it and put some product on it and go, let it either air dry or just lightly dry it.

I think that Meg Ryan has really wonderful hair and I think yours has curl / waves like hers. Any of the following would look great on you.

If you don't like these tell me so I can find some others.

From: Suzanne
To: Vicki
Subject: Re: hair

K- Your last email was in my junk mail.......now Yahoo! is
making judgment calls on my friends, great.
I like the last one.

From: Vicki
To:Suzanne
Subject: RE: hair

Tell Yahoo! I am not JUNK!
But I think that the last one is too straight without a lot of work?
It is a very cute cut. What happens if you put product in your hair and let it air dry?

From: Suz
To: Vicki
Subject: RE: Hair

Think Gilda Radner, 1979.

From: Vicki
To: Suz
Subject: RE: Hair
No it's not that big and frizzy -
You just need the right products and you'll look just like Meg Ryan.

From: Suzanne
To: Vicki
Subject: RE: Hair
That is the EVIL LIE that has filled my bathroom drawers with an endless supply of products and emptied my wallet of much needed cash.

Listen sister, you can come over and look at ALL of my products. I could have bought a horse with the money I have spent on flattening, defrizzing and calming hair products. My hair can't read labels and therfore, doesn't know it is suppose to be sleek, shinny and flat. It just does what is does best, be a frustrating time suck.

All you good hair people are the same, "air dry"... please!!!!!!!

From: Vicki
To: Suz
Subject: RE: Hair

I don't want it to be sleek or flat.
It should be crazy, wild and sexy just like you.

From: Suz
To: Vicki
Subject: RE Hair

While this is so true, I forgot one of the most important aspect of my hair problems, I hate to have
my hair touching my face. I really really hate it.

It gives me the hebby jeebies......wild would touch....

To: Suz
From: Vicki
Subject: RE: Hair

Geez - just get a buzz cut and be done with it!

The resulting hair cut...

Charles Leadbeater at Ted Talks

Awesome discussion addressing an issue close to my heart: journalism and the blogger. Even more exciting, the idea of amateur professionals (Pro-Ams), creative people committed to doing things well and with passion.

Leadbeater's idea of the new organization models sounds like OPPORTUNITY. There are still rules, just new ones.

Today's snapshot: Right back at 'ya Foolery

So, this is the classic blog photo: A shot of the blogger, taken by the blogger in their mirror. Almost every blog has at one time or another sported this picture. My guess is it's because:

A. blogger has been banned from mentioning blog ever again to friends, hence, hindering ability to ask someone to take picture for blog
B. always the dead of night while blogging and everyone else is fast asleep
C. blogger likes the natural diffusion that usually occurs in one of these shots due to glare
D. blogger thinks they look cute that day and no one is at home to take picture

I took this picture to post as a tribute to Foolery, one of my favorite blogs. She uses it as her profile picture but I suspect her reasons are much more interesting and less petty than the ones listed.

If you are a fan of Foolery, or have another reason (see A-D above) please post your own obligatory "Blogger in the mirror" shot.

Miss Cellania

There are some blogs that have been there with me from the very beginning. I first met Miss Cellania when she linked to my "Note found in the fridge" , way back when my blog was an itsy bitsy baby. Miss Cellania has links, doctored-up photos staring Miss C. herself and YouTube videos from anywhere and everywhere on the internet.
If it's funny, you'll probably see it first on her blog.

Since our first introduction I have sent her, "The sad lonely life of a mom's coffee cup", "Shameful things I have eaten as a mom", "A hypochondriac's Twitter chain" and probably a few others that she has linked on her site.

Thanks Miss. C.

Miss Cellania is a good site to add to your Google Reader/Bloglines so you can check in with her daily. Her posts are bite-sized and every once in a while she'll write something herself, which is always 'ilarious.

It was her support when I first started writing that encouraged me to stay up nights typing-away. There are some people out there that if they think you're funny, you can safely think, "Hey, I must be funny."

Go ahead and send her things that you find on the internet that make you laugh or even things you have written. (She will usually link back a "thanks" if she uses it.) She is always looking for good stuff and she can't see EVERYTHING!...or can she?

Email your own or lifted funny stuff to her at radiofox@gmail.com.

Thanks again Miss C for your support, example and encouragement! You rule the school and I don't say that to anyone over 10 years-old unless I truly mean it.

I got nothin'

I don't know if it's summer, the heat, my new bangs, but I am feeling uninspired. I have been here before and I know it will pass.

Because I'm basically an optimist, I think this must just be a refueling time for me. I'm still storing up ideas--just have no desire to spill them onto my Mac. You know what it is? I feel like more is going out than coming in. So, I need to read, watch some movies, talk to old friends, learn something new and just sit for a while.

Let's see where this goes...

Picture lifted from My Folk Lover on Etsy.