…the almost right word

Since I have been recently awarded the Brilliante Weblog Premio by two very lovely bloggers (Knaphrodesiac and Half-Deserted Streets), I felt it was time to return the love (though clearly the award could use some design-tweaking). Below you’ll find the five bloggers to whom I’m passing this award, in addition to a few lines about their blogs, written by them. Enjoy!

• SoMi ¦¦ learning :: exposing :: sharing — Not only has Nilsa done an awesome “Issues” series in honor of the upcoming election (and allowed me to guest post as part of said series), but she also got married this past weekend! I figured this could be a wedding “gift.” And she certainly deserves it. Nilsa writes, “Learning about the world :: Exposing things previously unknown :: Sharing with blog- readers :: How a seemingly random set of experiences and observations thread themselves together.”

• Not a Girl, Not Yet a Wino – Kris offers her readers thought-provoking posts that are well-written and truly inspiring. She’s also got a sense of humor as snark is a regular feature. Kris writes, “I started this site three years ago as an outlet for pent-up creative energy. During that time, it’s become a good friend and a most attentive lover.”

• Cleveland’s a plum – Alexa’s Featured Blogger Friday series makes me laugh out loud every Friday morning. Alexa wrote, about her new series, “every friday i will be featuring a blog that i love by having the featured blogger fill out the survey below. it’s all sorts of wrong, potentially inappropriate, and i love it. i’m all up for making people uncomfortable! it’s still fun though. i hope you all enjoy the feature and learn a bit more about each other in the process.”

• Chelsea Talks Smack – Chelsea has recently wrapped up an extended journey through Europe. Her stories have been amazing — the kind that inspire you to pick up and go. Here is an excerpt from a recent post on her adventures: “Notes from the Road: People smoke, drink and guzzle caffeine like a motherfucker….we’re downing smoothies, vitamins, 8 gallons of water and staying “smoke free” and we’re still unhealthy. I wonder if our health has more to do with our minds than our bodies??“

• Nicopolitan — In addition being handy when it comes to tech-help (as I know, from personal experience), Nico’s blog is often laugh-inducing, particularly his latest post entitled “It’s Twitter, Bitch.” Nico writes, “I break and reconstruct this blog all the time.  Blogging is already a popular and practical publishing platform for what I do and for that in which I’m involved.  The only way to learn constructing and reconstructing is to dive headlong into it. And the personal stuff?  That’s just good fodder for practice.  After all, there is a real person behind this username.“

You can check out my second-ever guest post at Nilsa’s blog, SoMi ¦¦ learning :: exposing :: sharing. It’s part of a series on 2008 Election issues — I wrote about Trade (Free Trade). Nilsa has covered three other issues herself: Immigration, Taxes and Women. The series is inspiring — Nilsa has done an impeccable job of offering multiple perspectives on these subjects. She encourages discussion in the comments section, if you’re so inclined.

I’ve also taken part in an interview of sorts at Fuel My Blog.

It was not until yesterday that I understood Schmutzie’s (of Five Star Friday fame) strange, numerical and poetic posts. They are a part of the x365 blog movement in which “people all over the world are making a list of 365 people they’ve met during the course of their lives - people who left an impression and whose name they remember - then they’re randomly writing a set number of words about someone on their list. They’re doing this once a day - for a year.”

The idea not only appeals to me, it inspires me.
I’m not ready to commit to such an endeavor, but I’m certainly intrigued to read others.
Read how it began here and how to begin a list of your own, here.

You may or may not notice a new link in my sidebar — the Link Analects page will act as an extended blogroll. Check it out for some good reads and let me know if I missed anything!

• Over 3,000 visits!
• Featured blogger on 20something bloggers!
• First guest post: Testament #16 over at Half-Deserted Streets
• the a.r.w. wishes to thank all readers, commenters and lurkers

Today I am guest posting (for the first time EVER) over at Half-Deserted Streets as part of the award-winning Testaments series. The series is about relationship experiences, told by bloggers across the interwebs. I decided to write about a different kind of relationship. Go on by and check it out.

When it comes to celebrity buzz blogs, What Would Tyler Durden Do is the way to go. We all know the name comes from Brad Pitt’s Fight Club character. The man behind WWTDD is actually on MySpace, though his profile picture is questionable. His description of the site, however, is right on: “”What Would Tyler Durden Do” is a blog focused on bringing you the latest gossip and news about rich and famous celebrities.  And then making fun of them.  Why?  Because fuck them, that’s why.” Perez Hilton has got nothin’ on this guy.

I’m going to jump on the band-wagon and tell you about “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” (be forewarned: that is only the beginning of this post’s extensive linkage). You may or may not already be familiar with this latest craze in web-series — It’s a Joss Whedon project. Whedon is most well-known for his role as Writer, Producer, and Director on the hit series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” As a much-deserved side note, I would like to mention that I laughed heartily while mocking this show before I finally gave in to watching it. It is, as many claim, genius, whether you’d like to admit it or not. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is more than just a story of a badass, blonde, SoCal chick who uses the word “like” in every sentence. The series is thought-provoking, smart and hilarious.

But back to Dr. Horrible.

Whedon began this project during the recent Writer’s Strike. Despite the trend of unsuccessful web-series, the Whedon family stood by Dr. Horrible:

“Dr. Horrible,” you see, has the Internet cooked into its DNA. Rather than being a top-down, studio controlled production, it began earlier this year as a kind of dinner table brainstorm between Whedon, his brothers Zack and Jed, and Jed’s fiancée Maurissa Tancharoen…“We’re family, and we’re sitting here doing nothing,” recalled Tancharoen. “So let’s get together and write something, whether it’s for $100 or whatever it turns into.”

Little did they know that Dr. Horrible’s premier would crash the server, leaving people across the country impatient and disappointed. Fortunately, the series can also be seen on Hulu, as well as iTunes. But hey, Hulu is free.

As I’ve mentioned before, I have great disdain for spoilers, so I’ll make this quick — “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” begins with a video blog featuring Neil Patrick Harris. Harris is cast as Dr. Horrible himself, singing his woes away. Nathan Fillion is Captain Hammer, Dr. Horrible’s nemisis. Harris’ character struggles to be evil, to be a menace to society. However, his heart clearly belongs elsewhere — Penny, a long time crush, becomes Dr. Horrible’s laundry buddy. One can say that she clouds his judgement in the fight for evil. “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” is wacky, silly, and near perfect. My only complaint? It’s too short.

…and hijinks ensued tagged me with a meme. As you’ve probably already realized, I’m not a big fan of the whole meme-movement, but I’ll play every now and then…I guess.

Continue reading »

Contrariwise.org was originally a website used for the owner’s high school photography assignment. Today, she maintains a series of literary tattoo photographs — “tattoos based on books, poems, lyrics, and many other things.” It appears that many tattoo fans like Kurt Vonnegut, The Little Prince, E.E. Cummings and Walt Whitman. This site is literally tattoo inspiration for the literary.

♦ On the subject of tattoos and blogs, check out The Tattooed Mama’s All Things Cupcake blog which features a page of cupcake tattoos!

Editorial Postscript: Apparently I am not the only one noticing this blog! Paper Cuts, a NYTimes book blog, just published a post about it, as did the London Telegraph and Gawker.

A friend sent me an article, published by New York Magazine, titled “Au Revoir, New York ‘Literary’ Scene.” The article is about a blog post that caught the mag’s eye — The Revolution will be Tumblrized, written by a 20 year old NYU student, Jessica Roy (of this blog). She’s a typical indie kid — dark eyeliner, a headband on her head, blogging about “stuff.” This girl, however, “had just recently suffered her first really demoralizing New York media experience.” She wound up at a New York-writers party in a “multi-million-dollar brownstone in Brooklyn:”

A part of me longed to be absorbed into that elite circle of Ivy-educated literature nuts who have co-opted what it means to be a writer in New York. Because these days, if you’re not with them, you’re being mocked by them. I have thin skin, so I figured the former would be my best bet.

Until the other night, when the people whose Internet personas I had admired appeared to me in the flesh…

It just was all so fucking fake. These people that I had admired my entire New York existence — they all disappointed me. I don’t understand how people can exist in such a dishonest way and still call themselves writers. Isn’t it the responsibility of a writer to be honest? And why would you uphold a conversation with someone whom you’re going to talk shit on while walking back to the G train? They’re living in a box, where they only talk to others who have read Gessen’s book and think it sucks but will tell him it’s brilliant because they need his approval.

I did not move to New York to return to high school, but that’s exactly what it felt like.

In a sense, she appears to be Emily Gould reincarnated. In case you’re just tuning in, Gould is a blogger who published an article (months ago) in the New York Times Magazine entitled, “Exposed,” in which she publicly reevaluated her career and her participation in the controversial Manhattan gossip site known as Gawker. Although I notice similarities between Jessica Roy’s article and Gould’s, Roy actually notes that Gould was at this disappointing New York writer’s party — She is mentioned in the article as someone who was part of the “demoralizing new york media experience.” Roy’s article isn’t nearly as long as Gould’s NYTimes piece, so…read it.

I recommend it because I get it — I have always believed that I would have to move to New York if I wanted to become a “writer.” I believed I could never “make it” anywhere else. I’m only recently abandoning this concept, and I admit that it’s an ongoing struggle. Obviously this girl, Jessica, feels similarly: New York = Success. Unfortunately disappointment can be a big part of this so-called “success.” I know it, even though I haven’t quite experienced it. ::side note…I guess I should give myself some credit for actually having published my writing (thanks to the SFReporter and The Santa Fean). Sometimes I forget that I can call myself a writer, but I guess that’s a different story, for a different time::

Of course, Jessica Roy is heading to Paris in an effort to escape New York before it poisons her. Me? Yeah, I’m jealous.

P.S. Yesterday’s post at Jessica’s Blog is titled About that elephant in the room (a la Emily Gould herself who, after her NYTimes article, acknowledged the “elephant in the room” in a blog post. Isn’t there a contradiction here? Isn’t Jessica claiming that Gould is part of the poison?). Jessica’s post is a retort to all the petty assumptions one can make after reading the NYMag piece — mighty bold of her, if I do say so myself.

i have great respect for websites that highlight quality writing on the internet. indie bloggers (r.i.p.) was about just that. it appears fray does the same. the site has recently morphed into a quarterly series of independently published books. the website states: Fray is the web’s original storytelling magazine, telling true stories online and off since 1996. the first quarterly was titled busted! true stories of getting caught in the act. the website offers a few of the published stories for your sampling pleasure. i particularly enjoyed how i blew it in the 80s and ropeswing season. it appears that their second issue is titled geek: stories of people taking things too seriously which sounds rather intriguing. plus, the artwork on the site is really unusual.

thanks to the random reader viewer in crete, nebraska
you were number 2,000
sorry, i have no prizes to offer

dear readers,

you’ll notice a new fancy badge-button at the bottom of the sidebar. you know what it means? it means i’m one of the cool kids!

alltop is a website that gathers the top stories from around the web. they’ve placed this blog in the “twenty-something” category. i have to say…i’m honored. proud. excited. consider this the first of many great achievements at the a.r.w.

sincerely,
and with great appreciation,
your humbled narrator

miss gould’s book proposal has now been “leaked” to the press. i actually discovered this on gawker’s home page, a site i have never looked at, until today (seriously); yes, that’s the website that she spurned in her nytimes article (not that i blame her). gawker actually links you to a new york magazine article on her upcoming book — and the heart says, “whatever.“ the article’s introduction is on the verge of brutal:

Oh God. We seem to have gotten a copy of former Gawker editor–recent Times Magazine cover subject–chronic-oversharer Emily Gould’s book proposal, And the Heart Says, “Whatever.” We’re not going to pass judgment, not even about the title.

she obviously has something in her writing, or in her writing style, that attracts people — i’ll read her book (which is a “fictional memoir” — i think that’s the best way to describe this “new genre.” it certainly is an accurate description of our ole pal, james frey. and david sedaris is now discussing his own creative embellishments). an image of one paragraph from the gould mauscript was published by new york magazine. most of the comments are rather…negative (yes, i know i should not be surprised).

i just don’t feel ready to pass judgement based on one paragraph.

i’m not a big meme fan, but i am a big fan of oleoptene, and since she tagged me….

the rules:

1. write the title to your own memoir using 6 words.
2. post it on your blog.
3. link to the person who tagged you.
4. tag 5 more blogs.

my memoir title, though cliché:

• continually stepping forward while falling behind •

and now, i will tag (and i apologize ahead of time):

1. marGOt to bed
2. when life hands you lemons
3. distracted spunk
4. …and hijinks ensued
5. half deserted streets

due to the worst sore throat i have ever had in my life (which i am hoping is not strep for the ninety-thousandth time), there will be a brief pause in my posts.

stay tuned….

for now, i entice you: if you’re on facebook, then you should seriously consider becoming a fan of the a.r.w. on its very own facebook page!

we’re quickly approaching the 1,000 mark here at the almost right word. in fact, you may be the 1,000th reader at this very moment! if i could kiss you, i would.

i just had to express my excitement and appreciation for readers, new and old.
…a more substantial post will come later, i assure you.

until then,
un mil gracias,
the a.r.w.

editorial note/postscript: we did it! yay!
(image added in celebratory glee)

dear reader(s),
today, the almost right word may be able to reach 1,000 visits!! for a fledgling blogger like myself, this prospect is quite exciting. so i implore you, add me to your blogroll, recommend me to your friends…help me reach that wonderfully round number!

yours truly, and with much appreciation,
the a.r.w.

i could never tell the entire story of being diagnosed with scoliosis. i could never explain all the feelings associated with that experience, the feelings i had when i saw a new doctor every week who would tell me something different, something more scary.

i recently discovered a blogger who wrote about her experience, in detail, and actually had the corrective surgery. i commented on her post, and in that comment, i was the closest i have ever been to describing my experience:

i was diagnosed in high school. i had grown up seeing regular physicians, so my parents were immediately stunned that the curve in my spine could’ve been overlooked.

we spent a full year, perhaps more, consulting with doctors and monitoring the progression of the curve. every week, i was taken out of school early to see another doctor. we discussed surgery, the back brace, the possible effects of simple exercises. some doctors told me that surgery was the only way for me to go.

i saw a specialist at ucla medical hospital and he was the last doctor i ever saw about my scoliosis. he told me that i had stopped growing (i’m not even 5 feet tall) and thus, the curve would not worsen.

i’m lucky that it hasn’t. i never had the surgery or wore a back brace. i haven’t even seen an x-ray of my back in years. i have no idea how bad the curve is now. i have no pain, except for the memory of being thrown to doctor after doctor with tales of this “necessary surgery.”

i admire you for having had the surgery, and i admire you for writing about it.