Archive for the ‘blogging’ Category
schmoozin’…on a sunny afternoon
First I want to thank all of you who commented on yesterday’s post Weighty Issues; I love this sort of dialogue, and I hope we can do more of it around here. If you have any topics you’d like to throw out, I’m all ears–send me an email if you don’t want to leave it in comments.
I’m still catching up on all your contributions, so bear with me, but on that note:
Behold the Power of Schmooze! 
Karina at Candid Karina and Meredith at Poppy Fields have both called me out as a blogger who manages to, and I quote:
effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello – all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.
Well shucks, I sure am touched. Grazie mille!
**This just in: Jessica in Rome has bestowed this wonderful honor upon me as well. I’m *such* a winner today!**
I truly enjoy getting to know all of you through my blog, your blogs, your comments, and emails, and I do hope that you feel there is a community here you can come and visit–where, uh, everybody knows your name (at least your screen name). Or something like that.
For those of you who haven’t commented or emailed yet, I rather enjoy you too, and I hope you’ll consider chatting with us soon.
I’m going to pass this award along to some of my favorite Internet sparring partners, all fellow expats in Italy:
(1) Michelle of michellanea;
(2) KC of Niente di nuovo avviene sotto il sole;
(3) Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy;
(4) Shelley of At Home in Rome; and
(5) Cherrye at My Bella Vita.
While we’re on the subject, as I was preparing this post, I saw that Sara at Moving Right Along tagged me with the Thoughtful Blogger Award, created by Christy Z. at Writer’s Reviews, and it is:
[f]or those who answer blog comments, emails, and make their visitors feel at home on their blogs. For the people who take others’ feelings into consideration before speaking out and who are kind and courteous. Also for all of those bloggers who spend so much of their time helping others bloggers design, improve, and fix their sites. This award is for those generous bloggers who think of others.
Again, thank you so much for the honor!
As Sara wrote in her post accepting this award, there is definitely a place for blogs that aren’t so interactive, and I certainly don’t fault anyone who doesn’t respond to every single comment and/or email–these awards just serve to offer a little recognition for those that do, to say thanks, and to urge you to keep it up!
I am passing along this award to:
(1) somepinkflowers at somepinkflowers;
(2) Wanderlust Scarlett at from the shores of introspect and retrospect;
(3) Michelle at Smoochdog;
(4) Michelle at Scribbit; and
(5) Kimberly at Temporary? Insanity.
Also, I know that some of you don’t really “do” these bloggie award thingees, so please don’t feel obligated to pass along anything on my account. The honor is yours to do with as you wish!
Did anyone else notice, though, the prevalence of Michelles here? I’m one too, you know, so all I can say is…hmm….
Now just for some Friday fun, and in honor of my fellow Italian expat bloggers Shelley (At Home in Rome) and Sharon (Respiri di Vita) who have both won prizes through the Late Show with David Letterman Top Ten Contest, I thought I’d share:
The Top Ten Rejected Titles for this Post
10. I’m a Schmoozer Baby, So Why Don’t You Kill Me?
9. Blue Suede Schmooze
8. Schmoozy in the Sky with Diamonds
7. Schmoozin’ Ain’t Easy
6. If the Schmooze Fits!
5. Woo-ee Baby, Won’t You Let Me Take You on a Schmooze Cruise?
4. Schmooze ‘Em If You Got ‘Em
3. Fo’ Schmoozle My Boozle
2. All the Schmooze That’s Fit to Print
1. Lollapaschmooza 2007
Buon weekend!
Gone Bloggin’
Not much going on here today, so go check out my post about trolls in the blogging world over at She Who Blogs.
If you don’t know what the H-E-double-hockey-sticks I’m talking about, all the more reason to head on over to:
on 
Comment here, comment there, comment everywhere!
I’m really interested in what you have to say about this issue as it’s becoming increasingly important in our little Blogosphere; I do hope you’ll share your thoughts.
Also, the Bookworms Carnival Edition 1: Novels that I mentioned last week is up and running at Dewey’s the hidden side of a leaf:
Great reviews there, of course, but be sure to check out Dewey’s entire site for an astounding number of quality book reviews. I’m thinking she likes to read or something.
And if you haven’t yet, please do take a moment and fill out the fun meme I posted yesterday–thanks so much to all who’ve commented so far, as each and every one of you has made me smile!
Buon weekend a tutti!
let the answering begin!
A few days ago, I asked you what you would like to know about me so I could fill out the 8 things meme that JennieBoo tagged me with, and you responded. Big time.
Thanks! And now I will begin answering.
There ended up being (as of this writing) 21 questions, give or take, considering some had parts a/b/c/etc. Crafty questioners!
In my ongoing anal quest for order, I have grouped them somewhat by topic, and I’ve decided that today I’ll post the first part of the answers–the non-Italy or non-blog-focused ones, essentially.
More answers will be posted as the week continues, so stay tuned!
I truly hope this re-organization doesn’t offend the early questioners, especially NYC/Caribbean ragazza who has been waiting quite a while already for her answer. Mi perdoni?
Here we go!
1. Erin, pulling out The Book of Questions (which, incidentally, I also have, and love, and had just packed away the day before), and asked “If you could have free, unlimited service for 5 years from an extremely good cook, chauffeur, housekeeper, masseuse, or personal secretary, which would you choose?”
Let me put them in order of my preference:
Housekeeper: Ding ding! We have a winner! This one I would *definitely* appreciate. Oh to never clean a toilet again!
Personal secretary: If this means I’d never have to see the inside of the post office, sign me up.
Masseuse: Mommy likey. Is Raoul Bova available?
Chauffeur: Would be nice, I suppose, but I don’t drive anyway, so I’m not sure that it would make much of a difference in my daily life. Unless s/he is paying for gas, that is.
Cook: I actually enjoy cooking and so does P, so this would be the least useful to me, although someone to simply clean up after I or P cooks would be lovely (back to that housekeeper thing, eh?).
2. Giulia asked if I have a deep, dark secret, and if so, whether it eats at me that I can’t spill it or whether it doesn’t bother me to keep it in.
Interesting question. I have two secrets, I’d say, and to be honest, neither of them really eat at me on a daily basis. I’m actually quite good at keeping secrets, mine and others’–I kind of put them somewhere in a safe place in my psyche and forget about them. I think, indeed, sometimes I literally forget them. So, in other words, I’ll never tell….
3. Giulia also asked what I thought of the Zapruder film, that of JFK assassination fame.
This one’s easy. I wrote a little about my feelings on this whole thing here, but specifically on the Zapruder film? I think it clearly shows that Lee Harvey Oswald was not only *not* the lone gunman but also that he was not even the man whose bullet(s) killed President Kennedy.
From the direction JFK’s body jerked after being hit (away from the grassy knoll, implying that a bullet came from that direction) to the “Umbrella Man,” there really doesn’t seem to be any doubt that there was more than one person involved in the actual shooting or its planning.
On a personal level, it makes me physically sick and teary-eyed every single time I see clips of the Zapruder film, for its gruesomeness, yes, but also for the fact that an American president was killed in the middle of the day in the middle of a city surrounded by Secret Service officers over 40 years ago, and we citizens still don’t know the truth.
4. Wanderlust Scarlett asks a rather straightforward, easy-to-answer: “What next? Do you want to keep things as they are? Do you want to do anything more? What dreams do you have for the days to come?”
Personally, I’d like to get settled in our new house and then begin thinking more seriously about children–hopefully to arrive within the next 2-3 years. Up until that point, I’d like to travel around Italy and Europe a bit. I’d also like to better my Italian and learn another language, possibly French, learn to knit and crochet, further develop some other artistic talent (painting, drawing, journal-making), and learn to play the guitar.
Just to name a few things I have in mind.
Professionally, I’d like to develop a few more long-term relationships with clients in my freelance writing pursuits as well as publish something book-length, whether it’s a novel or something non-fiction. Other business ideas (from internet café to raising rabbits) are floating around as well, although nothing is past the dreaming stage, so I’ll refrain from boring you with the (lack of) details.
5. Jennie Boo (bless her heart) threw me a softball with “What’s your favorite scent of shampoo?”
To be honest, now I use just about anything that’s on sale, but the old Salon Selectives’ apple scent will always hold fond memories of high school for me. I also really like Pantene.
6. Tui asked if my personal journal is paper or digital, and if it’s digital, whether I use journaling software.
I keep a paper journal, although it’s definitely been neglected since I started blogging. I don’t know that I’d really get into doing a digital one, as I like to look back on my handwriting in the old journals as well–tells me a lot about how I was feeling when I wrote. If it was steady and smooth, for instance, I was probably calm, but where it’s erratic, well, internally I probably was too. I also like to see how it’s changed over the years, becoming, scarily more like my mother’s every day.
Bonus factoid: I almost always use the same color pen (black) except for one SARK journal that I had in which I used every color pen and pencil imaginable. That was fun!
OK, that’s all for today folks.
Now it’s your turn–what are *your* answers to these questions? Don’t be shy!
—————
[tags]jfk, john f. kennedy, president kennedy, conspiracy theories, zapruder film, goals, personal goals[/tags]
it’s all on you
My fellow She Who Blogs-er Jennie Boo has tagged me to write another 8 things about me, and darn it, I’m fresh out of Sognatrice trivia.
So…I’m asking help from you, faithful readers.
What would *you* like to know?
I’ll answer the first eight questions you post in the comments in response to Jennie Boo’s tag, but I promise to eventually answer anything you ask–while reserving the right to offer up a “No Comment” or an “I don’t recall” just like any remotely public figure, of course.
Fire away! We’re waiting….
(Photo by P)
————–
[tags]dogs[/tags]
because you can never know too much
Here are 8 random facts about me, inspired by Sarala of Blogaway, where you’ll find an awesome collection of photos–I especially love those of one of my favorite cities in the world, Chicago.
OK, back to me. Random. Eight. Go.
1. When I was younger, probably from the ages of 8-13, I wanted to be an astronaut. In the middle of those, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, and I wanted to be an astronaut more than ever (I’m guessing my parents *really* hoped it was just a phase).
2. I got myself a small telescope by selling cards and stationery with a company called Olympia or something like that. Anyone remember this? You got so many points for each dollar sold? The telescope was red and black and oh how I loved it so. Summer nights were the best.
3. My favorite constellation was, and is, Cassiopeia. For a class assignment, we had to invent a constellation by poking holes through a piece of black construction paper and then connecting the “stars” with chalk. I modified Cassiopeia so that it had a face to go along with what I thought looked like ears and named it “Cattiopeia.”
4. Not surprisingly, it was my dream to attend Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.
5. Also not surprisingly, there wasn’t enough stationery in the world that was going to make that happen. As compensation, my mother bought me sweatpants and a t-shirt from either the JC Penney or Sears “Space Camp” line. And I wore them. For far too long. In fact, I kind of wish they still fit me.
6. On a night that Jack Horkheimer told me there would be a shooting star show, I set up camp with a blanket and snacks in the back of my grandfather’s old red and white pick-up truck–and didn’t see a one.
7. In fact, I don’t remember seeing any shooting stars until I came to Italy, and now I see them quite frequently–and make a wish every time.
8. I have no vivid recollection as to why I scrapped the whole astronaut idea, but it probably had to do with all the math and science. Just a guess.
Still want to know more about me? There are 100 things, another 100 things, a photo meme, and a bunch of stuff in the “meme time” and “me me me” categories.
Now here are the rules for anyone who’d like to play (I’m not tagging anyone, but if you’d like to share some secrets, I’m all eyes):
* Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
* People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
* At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
As you can see I’ve broken the rules, so let’s go one further. Even if you only share your randomness in the comments here, you’ll make me happy.
You want me to be happy, right?
OK then. In the words of my favorite Star Gazer: Keep looking up!
—————
[tags]memes, 8 random facts about me[/tags]
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
