Fabulous Miss S.

Winner, Answer to your questions

Congratulations, Talking Budgie was the winner of the contest I ran to celebrate my three years blogging.  (In dog years that is 21!)  I sent you an email to send me your address and what gift card you would prefer.  We'll work it out soon.  Thank you to everyone who participated and left either a mention about a favorite entry and or a question.  A special thanks to those who left both, because, let's be honest, I'm am overachiever myself and I would totally do the same thing!

I plan to answer all the questions in an upcoming entry but to get started, I am going to answer the one left by our winner who asks: Why did you start blogging?  

You would think I might have a special and simple answer for that question, but really, I didn't start with any lofty intentions.  In fact, I read an article in a local magazine about another local blogger, she was about my age too.  I went to her site and started reading and reading and reading.  I liked her style and the comments too. I wasn't too familiar with blogs before then and I saw a conversation and community developing around her and others.  People seemed friendly enough too, so I thought I would join in.  I looked into Typepad and I started my own blog thinking it might be a fun way to kill time while sitting at a boring desk job doing nothing so I wrote my first posting. And then I was hooked.  Three years later, here I am. Writing it all down.

Errors in Internespace

Have you ever typed out an email that was perhaps a little angry in tone, suggestive in a flirty way if you know what I mean and I think you do, or just a note saying Hello! I'm looking forward to lunch with you tomorrow! and then realized you sent it to your boss instead of your coworker, your father instead of your boyfriend or the person you canceled plans with because something better came along? 

The Internet is NOT very forgiving when it comes to retractions and everyone knows to think twice before hitting send but sometimes our fingers move faster than our brains and we cause an eruption of SNAFU proportions.  I know I have sent incorrect messages on many occasions. Just this week I was writing a posting on someone else's blog and before I signed out I left a comment for another blogger and didn't realize I was signed in as NOT ME.  That was benign compared to this:

In college I briefly dated an older man. I was 21. He was 30.  That fact alone was exciting and his compliments and worldly attitude were attractive after dating meat-heady NCAA athletes for a few years. Well, one meat-heady athlete who to his credit was rather brainy too. At the time, the older guy worked for The State Department.

This was about eight or nine years ago when email was more archaic, you know, back in the mesozoic era.  I sent a flirtatious message to this guy whose name was David Schmaltz. (Not his real name.) So I wrote this email to D.Schmaltz @ Whatever.gov and about twenty minutes later I got a reply from a D. Schmaltz, a different D. Schmaltz.  It was some much higher up, much more important, possibly even a diplomat-type who had a similar name.  He wasn't too impressed by my email. Even though he couldn't see me and didn't know who I was I wanted to crawl under my desk, pull up the carpet and use the floorboards to smash my head in shame. 

How about you, what's your worst Internet accident?

Links for November 18, 2008

I'm working on several postings for several of my sites right now and trying to calm a teething baby whose top front teeth are taking their slow sweet-ass time to cut through my son's tender puffy gums.  

In the meantime I am starting a new weekly LINK post where I'm going to highlight a few of the sites and entries I am currently reading and enjoying.

SwopeFiles:  I first came across this blog this past summer when she started blogging and reading me. I think her writing is fantastic ... seriously, it never fails to FLOOR me.  Plus, I met her at BlogHer DC and she is a very awesome gal.

Diana is probably a little less caffeinated than usual right now because she has been documenting, with a precise, um ... reality and humor her current path to conception and pregnancy, via IVF.  She's a fun lady and we've shared wine together. She takes pictures of those horrid gyno-office invasive machines and then tells stories about them.  Does it get better?

You probably already read Zoot, but in any case, please go leave a nice comment, the Zoots are missing a close family member right now and can use all the good cheer you have.

Blog Birthday and CONTEST!

As of this month I've been blogging for three full years.  Wow.

At BlogHer DC, The ReachOut Tour someone said that blogging years are like dog years, so that means I've really been at this here for about twelve years! 

But really, Jodifur just had her Blogiversary!  Happy Blog Birthday Jodifur!  (She calls me DINOSAUR because I have and prefer a paper/notebook address book instead of a hand-held electronic gizmo dealie.  I love her really.  She helped me get into this awesome group of bloggers. And most recently, she loaned me some dresses so that I can go to my husband's holiday party in style, as opposed to wearing some fake-velvet sheath that I swear to god I bought at Ross when I was in high school, early in high school.

I've also written here, where my name is now up there in lights (without comments I might add, please, someone leave just ONE comment) with some great bloggers and writers. 

And of course, I continue to write for 451 Press, here, here and here.

I've also spent the last year as a MOTHER.  One year ago this week I was told I was in pre-term labor and got sent home to "rest" and take Terbutaline to stop the contractions I was having at 32 weeks pregnant.  Now, one year later, I am celebrating three fulls years of blogging and almost one full year of being a mom to Noah, my son who has taught me more in one year than I could ever have imagined.

To help me celebrate one year of posting, I am having a contest, leave a comment asking a question or telling me your favorite entry and you will be entered in a drawing for an iTunes, Safeway or Starbucks gift card  - your choice.  The winner will be notified by email, so leave a valid email address.  Contest will remain open until 11:59pm on Friday November 21, 2008.  Winner will be picked at random, and all questions will be answered in follow-up posts, and I will link to your site if you would like.

Zoo Days

While Marc was out of town this past week I took Noah to the zoo for some FUN! And ANIMALS! And FRESH AIR GODDAMMIT!!

It actually turned out to be a very nice day.  He napped. He saw animals. He sat still for a diaper change and long enough to let me wash his hands after he graciously ran them ALL OVER THE PUBLIC CHANGING STATION TABLE.