Monday, June 29, 2009

Some Bloggy Stuff

Summer, for me, is clean-up time. During the school year, my house slowly grows into a whirlwind of marked papers, well-worn books, assignments never quite brought to fruition, household projects that eventually get marked for "summer", etc.


Anno speaks of the massive summer projects she undertakes with her husband - planting 400 trees, putting in a vegetable garden, building a new heating element.

I'm proud when I get my desk cleaned off.

Part of this summer clean out is working on all things blog. Learning about new blogs, thinking about my own.

Each summer I feel I'm going to overhaul the site. Um... we'll see.

What I have been doing is finding out about some wonderful new blogs, and trying to update both my reader and my blogroll.

I have one major frustration:

I absolutely can't comment on some of my favorite new blogs. I'm not the only one in this boat. There is a major bug via Blogger and some of us are just plain blocked when we try to comment in Blogger comment formats where the blog owner has chosen the "embedded below post" option in their comment settings. I've been all over bulletin boards, etc., about this topic and there only seems to be one "fix" - switch to pop-up or full page comments. Once this happens, the stupid "user id" thing disappears and then folks can comment again.

I know, I know, you blog owners are already getting comments - yes, but you might be getting even MORE comments if we could all actually access your blog!

(And, of course, these are bloggers who don't include e-mail contacts on their profile and/or their e-mail contacts don't seem to work).

It's your choice, obviously, but just sayin'.

There are three blogs, in particular, that I read every. day. but can't comment on, so if any of my regular readers know a way to bring this to these folks' attention, I would be very grateful:


WaystationOne - Brian shares his frequently brilliant writing and thoughtful comments on raising his sons and on life in general.


Hungry Like the Wolf Rita and Lola cook up San Francisco delights in their tiny, NYC dorm kitchens. These young women can seriously cook, and they provide great commentary as well.


Tales from the Fairy Blogmother So this is the most ridiculous - I can't even comment on Shan's blog - and she's the host for What's Cooking Wednesday! She's also a bang-up cook, wonderful craftswoman and has many interesting insights and all I can add to her blog is my Mr. Linky links.

Okay... enough of that. And if anyone can help me in terms of those of us with the "Blogger bug" or who can contact these three bloggers and let them know of this dilemma, I would be extremely grateful.

Secondly: generosity.

Lola of
Aglio, Olio and Peperoncino has graciously bestowed the following lovely award on me:



The Splash Award is given to "alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive and inspiring blogs".

I'd like to bestow this award on some of my recent new finds in the blogging world:

I'm skipping
WaystationOne, because Brian already received this from Lola. I'd certainly send it Lola's way, but obviously, she already has one, too.


To Lola and Rita of Hungry Like the Wolf for all the reasons listed above.

To Jackie of Pham Fatale. Jackie is a French-Vietnamese, Paris-raised, San Franciscan who lives with her Indian husband. Just looking at her pedigree, you know her recipes are out of this world. Her blog is also beautifully designed, and she really takes you through each recipe step-by-step.

To Michele of My Italian Grandmother. Michele started her blog as a tribute to her Italian grandmother, who passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 98. She taught many cooking secrets to Michele, but she never measured nor wrote down her recipes, so this is Michele's attempt to recreate those recipes, as well as add many of her own. Michele's on a trip right now, so if you visit, just check previous entries.

To Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums. I think many of you already know Rosa, but I was only recently able to find the time to go check her out thoroughly, and what a lovely blog she has! Fabulous recipes, adorable cat pictures and extraordinary photography, both of her cooking projects and of her Geneva, Switzerland surroundings. I feel like I get to take a vacation every time I visit her.

To Laura of Lolalina: Find Your Sweet Life. Given this time of great difficulty worldwide, isn't it nice to find a little corner where everything is lovely? Laura dedicates herself to finding the sweetness in life, and she has a beautiful aesthetic sense, as well. Another great "vacation" spot for me.

To Myra Klarman of Relish: Life. Work. Pictures. Myra is an extremely talented professional photographer from Ann Arbor. Myra gives her unique visual take on various events in and around Ann Arbor, and I am in awe of her ability to capture our city and our people with such clarity and love.

To Noelle of Simmer Down (a food lover's blog). Noelle is a musician who loves food and loves sharing her passion for food through the beautiful recipes and events captured in her blog. She also hosts a virtual culinary book club called "Chew on This!".

I hope that you all enjoy these blogs as much as I do. Happy reading!

34 comments:

noƫlle {simmer down!} said...

Thank you Jen! I was just thinking to myself that I don't stop by others' blogs as often as I would like to, and was trying to make a point to do so today, especially those who have been regular commenters on my blog. The support and appreciation is much appreciated!!

Thistlemoon said...

I didn't realize this was happening! I hope you get a chance to be able to comment on the blogs!

Hope you have a great summer and I can't wait to see what is in store for your blog! :)

Luisa Perkins said...

This frustration is one of the reasons I switched to Squarespace; I'm so sorry that it is causing you stress.

Thanks for the intriguing links!

Jen said...

You're very welcome, Noelle! I truly love your blog and your various creative abilities.

Jenn - I forget whether Hungry Like the Wolf was one of your Finest Foodie Friday picks - but if they were one of those folks who haven't joined the Foodie Blogroll yet, this may be because I couldn't contact them. If you can, that would be great!

Luisa - as you know, I'm looking into squarespace ;-)

Anonymous said...

Aw, thank you so much, Jen! You just put a big smile on my face :)

Laura said...

Ack! Didn't really mean to be "anonymous" - must have hit publish on accident! Anyway, thank you again for including me in the award! :)

Jen said...

You're very welcome, Laura! Thank you for a very sunny place to visit!

Anonymous said...

I am constantly amazed at how you find the time to read all these great blogs, let alone comment on them!

Not sure why this happens but it seems my summer projects always end up being school related---arrrghhhh; new syllabi, read new editions of text books (albeit in the sun), writing the 2nd edition of my book..I cannot WAIT until next year when it will be ALL OVER! Then maybe I can become human like my other non-professor friends. Looking forward to seeing the changes you develop!

WIDNEY WOMAN said...

I get an error when I post on Shan's blog every time. On most blogger's blogs, actually. I hit the Publish Your Comment button, wait for the error message and hit it again. It works then. I just posted to Shan's blog. Try this. It should work. I have a message at the top of my blog comments to this effect, I think, as it has happened to my faithful readers. Can't upset the faithful!!

Mariposa said...

I've slowly visited some of your fave blogs...and so far I love What's Cooking Wednesday! I'm sure I'm going to love the others...will check on them later.

anno said...

Congratulations! So glad to see someone I love receiving such well-deserved recognition. As always, I'm looking forward to exploring your list of links... thanks!

Shiona said...

Congrats on the award! And thanks for the awesome links. I will check them out for sure.

Eleonora Baldwin said...

Congratulations :)

I will now head over at the blogs you mention and make new friends. Thank you so much for your kind words and for linking to my site.

I've posted your request over at Brian's btw.

Ciao
Lola

Goofball said...

Hi Jen,

I posted at Brian's site and Rita & Lola's about the commenting problem. I also seem to have problems accessing Shan's website at the moment.

Always nice to discover new blogs!....although I really try not to expand my blogroll since I still want to be able to read it all and leave comments when I do.

Jen said...

Ack! I got behind on returning comments...

Hotmama - I'm in the same boat, but I divide the summer between class prep and other writing/cooking projects. And, I don't have a published textbook to revise ;-)

Widney - thanks so much for the suggestions - tried them, but it still doesn't work for me. The only "fix" I've found is switching formats. Ugh.

Mariposa - Shan's site is wonderful, isn't it?

Anno -thanks for the kind words and I think you'll have a great time with some of those links (in between your massive summer projects!)

Shiona - thanks! Also, as you know - yours was another blog I couldn't access and now can - thanks SO much for switching your commenting format!

Lola - thank you not only for the award, but for your lovely, lovely blog. AND for letting Brian know about my dilemma. ;-)

Goofball - thanks so much for posting those notices for me. I really appreciate it! And I agree with you about the blogrolls, but summer is a good time for me to expand a bit.

Momisodes said...

I had no idea this was happening. I will surely check out some of these wonderful blogs. Looking forward to it!

Susan @ SGCC said...

I've had commenting issues too. Glad it's not just me! I also hate it when you click on someone's Blogger profile and it says that it's "private". How can you find out where their blog is then? Also, when Blogger emails you notification of comments, why can't they include the commenter's email address? The "noreply@blogger" is so annoying! I don't know how or if it can be changed.

Congrats on your award! It is well-deserved!

Virtualsprite said...

Weird... I haven't been having issues commenting, but some blogs won't open on my PC. My mac has no trouble.

Thank you for the links! I'm going to have to check them out.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the bloggy tips - I know what you mean about those embedded comments. I just hope my pop up comments allow people to leave comments (Though you being able to leave them is a good sign) :)

Thank you for commenting on my blog. The market I usually go to is the Dupont Circle market which is every Sunday in Washington, DC. It's truly a lovely place.

Also, I thought you were on my blogroll, but apparently not, so I fixed that just now :) Happy Tuesday!

the twins said...

thanks for the great award! sorry about the comment problems, i changed the setting and hopefully everything works now. i love your blog too, by the way!

Jen said...

Momisodes - these are all great blogs, but I think you, in particular, might love Lolalina - such beautiful images!

Susan - thanks so much for the kind words! I'm also glad to know it's not just me, in terms of the commenting problems!

Virtual - that is weird, indeed. I only have mac access, so I haven't been having pc problems, obviously.

City Girl - thanks for the info on Dupont and OY! My blogroll is SO out of date - I really, really have to update. Most of current faves aren't on mine, and some that are on my blogroll are now defunct.

Twins - the award is very deserved for both of you and I'm delighted I can actually comment now!

Brian Miller said...

Thanks so much for the mention and for reading! Had a couple people bring it to my attention today after reading your post. I adjusted the comment format so hopefully that helps. I'll pop my email on there in a bit so if it still happens let me know and i will try to work it out.

I'll be back when I can peruse a bit later this evening. Smiles.

glamah16 said...

So glad you found Rosa. My issue is that I cant even get to read all my fav blogs lately.

Brittany | the Home Ground said...

I was having issues with this commenting thing. But then, I updated to the brand new Safari. I have a Mac, but you can download Safari for free on a PC, too. Might be worth a try? It's a fast browser and is the best one for images!

Jen said...

Brian, I'm delighted I'll finally be able to leave some comments for you - thank you!

Glamah - yes, she really has a lovely blog. Just charming.

Brittany - I hadn't thought of trying Safari, but the issue seems to be a Blogger bug from what I've read on the boards about it. I might try that if there are others I can't comment on.

Ivy said...

Congrats for the award Jen and it is surely well deserved. Are you sure this problem is a blogger problem, because I'm with Wordpress and I get e-mails from friends saying that they cannot comment? I thought that this was an Internet Explorer problem and I really don't know what to do. I'll check the comments again and see if I find some help here as well.

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

I had no idea about the Blogger issue either. How annoying! But thank *you* for pointing us to some new great blogs :) And happy summer cleaning so to speak!

Jen said...

Ivy - I don't use Explorer, but there are probably many bugs out there. I *do* know this is a Blogger issue in part, because I've read it on Blogger help boards, but there may be other wordpress issues instead.

Michelle - Of course, you know I found Lolalina through you! It's so much fun to have the leisure to go "exploring!"

Shan said...

Thanks for the heads up about this Jen. Everything should be in order now.

Michele said...

That is sooo sweet of you! Thank you so much Jen!!!!

Jen said...

Shan, thanks so much for fixing that! I love being able to comment now.

Michele, you're very welcome! Thanks for providing such a homey, wonderful blog!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Thanks ever so much for the award and kind words! That's so nice of you...

Have a great weekend and cheers,

Rosa

Jen said...

Cheers to you, Rosa!

Myra Klarman said...

Thank you, Jen, for including my blog in your generous tribute. I hope we get to meet sometime soon!!!