Some nifty sites for bloggers; some are tools, some are content, some are tips. Some have been around for quite a while, others are newer; some are home-spun, others are more professional; but they all have some good stuff to offer. If you’re a blogger and haven’t checked them out yet (or lately), Blogtober is a great time to do so!
Blog Herald
Mandarin Design
Blogging Pro
Technorati
A-Z of Blogging
Topix:Blogs
BlogExplosion
How To Blog
Blogger
WordPress Codex
WP Plugins Wiki
WP Plugins
WP Themes
WP Theme Viewer
Stupid WordPress Tricks

blogtober blog sites blog tools

And how do we celebrate Blogtober? There are lots of ways!

1. Create your own “Happy Blogtober” button or graphic for your site (or use mine!)
2. Get one of your buddies to become a blogger
3. Invite some guest bloggers to post
4. Spotlight a blogger that you admire, and tell everyone why
5. Implement some nifty new blog-tool or plug-in
6. Give some pointers about blogging so new bloggers can better understand what it’s all about
7. Explain why you are a blogger: what it means to you, how it has affected your life, and such

The important thing is to celebrate being a blogger and take pride in your semi-geeky hobby! All month long, I will be posting some of the things that I have learned about or while blogging, blogs that I particularly enjoy, Deep Thoughts about the meaning of blogging, and so on. So now it’s your turn - take part in Blogtober!

blogtober october

The re-design itch hit me hard recently, so I installed a nifty new Theme over at the Big Sky Blog called Vistered Little. I love the tiny stars and the floating boxes and the click-easy tiled backgrounds! Oh - and Happy October to everyone! October is nearly a perfect month, for many reasons…I’m sure some of you recall at least one or two of those reasons, don’t you…?

big sky blog vistered little

When “feed readers” first came into use several years ago, I didn’t really understand them, nor did I think that they were of any value to me. Oh, how wrong I was. Now, after nearly two years of using it, I can’t imagine life without Bloglines - even more so since two weeks ago they incorporated (partnered with?) the way-cool Skweezer folks. I’ve been using Skweezer on my cell phone since December, and have occasionally dreamed that Bloglines and Skweezer would one day team up. So now, the result of that partnership is that when I am catching up on my reading on my cell phone, and I click on a link in my Bloglines feed, I get directed to the “skweezed” page instead of the full page. Ah, geek nirvana! But…several months ago, I did give the Google Reader a spin but was not impressed; compared to the sleek, small, and always-works Bloglines, there didn’t seem to be any advantage, as noted by Techcrunch at the time. But the last few days has seen quite a lot of praise for the New & Improved Google Reader, and after giving it a second chance, I’m much more impressed. It’s accessible from my cell phone, too, which is one of my primary concerns. Do I like Google Reader better than Bloglines? No. Not yet, anyway. But I will be giving it a spin every few days to see how it stands up to repeated use and if it “grows” on me. It would take a lot to move me from Bloglines; does Google have what it takes?

bloglines google google reader

I just love Homer’s expression when he finds his chili-boots.

boots chili homer

Well, since the discussion below has turned to Buffalo, New York: about two weeks ago, as part of a promotional/good-will campaign, we had two of the “Buffalo Jills” (cheerleaders for the NFL Buffalo Bills) come visit us at Malmstrom Air Force Base. Jenica and Jamie - very nice young ladies, and they posed quite happily with many of my co-workers for pictures. One of my co-workers, Ed, is from the Buffalo area, is a huge Bills fan, and has a large (fake) bison head mounted on the wall in his office, and of course the ladies were kind enough to pose with the critter. I’ll tell you this: these gals are professional “posers” — they positioned their hands, their chin, their legs in just the right way for every picture. I can’t help but imagine that they get tired of the non-stop smiling and posing, but they sure don’t let on - nothing but good cheer and smiles for everyone.

buffalo jills cheerleaders

Read a blurb or two in the press about the new NBC show called “Heroes,” and it sure sounded interesting. My first reaction was that it sounded very similar to “The Tomorrow People,” a Brit show that I enjoyed back in the 70s (remember “jaunting?”). The premise of both is that young people around the globe suddenly realize that they have unique powers: teleportation, telepathy, etc. They are introduced (to some degree) as being the next stage in human evolution. Wait, that sounds familiar, too: kind of like a pre-cursor to “X-Men.” The difference between this new series and the other two, it seems, is that in “Heroes,” none of the characters know each other, or have any idea that there are others like them (mostly), or have visions of dressing in spandex and saving the world. Either way, it sounded promising, and after watching the premiere just now, I think I’m hooked. (more…)

heroes heroes tv show

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Yeah, you heard me. And for all of you grammar geeks out there, check this out.

I just love the word “buffalo.” The word, that is, not necessarily the creatures. I do, however, love bison, and if you think that they are the same thing: they are not. I also like the scientific term for bison: Bison Bison Bison!

bison buffalo buffalo buffalo

Yeah, the title of the post is pretty cool because it starts with the letter V and ends with the letter X. Tell me where you can find any other entry on any other blog with THAT spiffy feature! Uh-huh, I thought not.

So…speaking of the Vernal Equinox, here it is: the first day of Autumn, aka Fall! Oh, how I love Autumn! The crispness in the air…the chill that creeps closer every day…the darkness slowly overtaking the sunlight…the holidays just around the corner…the majestic colors on display…the smell of furnaces and chimneys…ain’t it great?

And to celebrate the beginning of Autumn, there’s a new header up on top - take a look and tell me what you think. Happy Vernal Equinox, Everybody!

autumn fall vernal equinox

OK, just two things to rant about very briefly:

The phrase “price point.” Just say PRICE, dammit. For instance, in this headline, why the f*** don’t they just remove the word “point” - the meaning remains the same. Grrr.

The sappy music that is featured on shows like “Gray’s Anatomy.” I guess it’s supposed to be somehow “meaningful” because it’s played over a montage of meaningful scenes and melancholy faces. Grrr.

music price point

Until last weekend, I had never seen a picture of a cat carrying a dead snake around. Now I have, courtesy of Sarpy Sam, whose cat named “Biscuit” apparently got the better of a slithering snake. And Sam has a few other fluffy critters, too, that enjoy helping out on his cattle ranch. And if you’re hankering for a tour of the beautiful country that Sam calls home, check out the rest of his albums.

cat montana sarpy sam snake

The live-action “Fat Albert” movie was pretty neat. It’s very good-natured.

The voice of Bender on “Futurama” is great; just about anything that Bender says is funny, if only because of how he says it and how it sounds.

The “Eucalyptus Spearmint” line of products at Bath & Body Works. The scent is quite refreshing while also calming.

When the word “chicken” is abbreviated “chix” when I order chicken strips from the local pizzeria.

bender chix eucalyptus spearmint fat albert