That’s right folks, it’s Halloween. The time of year when some of us, myself included, turn out every light in the house, lock the doors and pretend we aren’t home. I’m not ashamed. If a little kid were to knock on my door-I’d have nothing to give the wee one. Unless the parents wouldn’t mind a cigarette and a can of Slim Fast. Thankfully, due to the fact I live on a hill and the driveway is a little long, trick-or-treaters have rarely visited. I’m not taking any chances. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with Halloween- I don’t want to be bothered every 10 minutes by getting up off the comfy couch, grabbing a bucket of candy and assisting in the obesity and hyper activities of young children. Maybe I should pass out cigarettes. Throw in a can of Bud Light and a Playboy magazine. I am a little different, after all.
I tried to stop him, but he was upset over having a candle stuck up his butt and lit. It’s a shame. Funeral is Friday.
Newgie is a news portal, still in Beta, which shows a lot of promise as a source for bloggers and news junkies. Based on user activity and interest, news stories are sorted by “newsiest”, allowing the reader to quickly view the most popular stories. Although I’m not a fan of news items being rated simply based on the preferences of other users, Newgie offers a different way of presenting the information. News portals I have used in the past, more often than not, would show articles/stories people would rate-not by the worthiness of the news itself, but, by interest alone. The approach with Newgie: as a user, you read a story and then decide if it should be recommended to other users. A choice of emailing the article and adding it to a community is also available.
With more of a community feel, Newgie.com offers a plethora of services other news portals do not. What services, you may ask? As a user, you can submit news stories, create and join communities, choose the news categories most relevant to you and subscribe to feeds of popular news organizations via RSS. Instead of going to each news site and subscribing to the feed, all feeds can be managed through Newgie-this feature alone is worth joining, since I currently read several news sites via feeds. When sign-up is complete, as a user, you aren’t left hanging as to what to do next. Step by step instructions are provided-a definite plus. You are shown how to subscribe to a community, recommend articles, creating and updating your profile and which stories you have viewed. All within one page. Very easy to navigate and understand.
The one issue I can see keeping users from using the service is the fact sign up is required as well as validation of the email address used for sign-up. I have no problem with this, however, a lot of people shy away from providing information in fear of spam and personal information being available. But, and there is always a but, once all of this has been completed you do have the option of turning off certain notifications sent via email. To keep with the community feel, however, I wouldn’t turn off the option to allow others to contact you through private messages. As for the public profile, again, you do have the choice of the information others view.
Since I’m in the process of starting a new blog with one section dedicated to strange news, I will use Newgie as a resource. Pros: All news stories in one place, be it via feeds or communities, easy to navigate, great community feel and control over the content. Cons or ways to improve the site: I personally, at this point, have no problems with how the site it set up. As a bonus, I’m inserting two screen-shots from my own account to show the easy instructions and what is shown on my public profile. If you’re a news junkie- check out Newgie.com-it’s worth a look.
As I was doing my daily surf through on BlogMad, I came across a blog discussing the reasons why people don’t, or won’t leave comments. I was once told by a fellow blogger the reason I don’t receive many comments is due to the fact people might feel what he or she has to say would be stupid compared to others, or compared to the post itself. What? I am a strange person, hence the entire reason for this blog. I’m far from being someone to judge whether or not the contribution of a fellow blogger is up to my standards. I have no standards. I try to write entertaining, informative posts. Note the word try. I’m not a professional writer-I write what comes to mind, or real happenings in my life. I too, read blogs in which I feel I have nothing to say in response to certain posts. This doesn’t mean I don’t read-and I do leave a little message just to let the author know I stopped by. How do you feel about comments? Are blogs judged by the number of comments received? If you come across a blog with no comments, do you automatically assume the blog isn’t worth reading?
I promised a post about my adventures Saturday evening, at what I am calling, “The Redneck Jamboree.” This celebration has taken place twice a year for the last 3 years. I was unfortunate enough, (or fortunate), to have missed the Spring version, which isn’t much different than the Fall version, with the exception of the temperature outside. I received the call late Friday night, from my mother, the new Redneck Matriarch, informing me I was invited to, and I shall quote, “A cookout at the shanty.”
A little background information: The shanty is an old trailer, I’d say a 1960s model, her man-friend converted into a little retreat-complete with a port-a-potty and outdoor barbecue pit. The only way one can get to this palace on the mountain is by 4-wheel drive. The ride on top of the mountain is the most exciting part of the whole experience. The following is my survival guide if you are ever invited to partake in a Redneck Jamboree:
- Dress for the occasion. No heels, skirts, or good clothes. You will get dirty whether you intend to or not.
- Bring your own food. Trust me on this- I knew ahead of time what was being served, something man-friend likes to call Brunswick Stew. The ingredients of this concoction consist of items from your refrigerator that are about to go bad. Pork, beef, chicken, assortment of vegetables-you name it, it’s in the stew. I brought my own package of all beef Ballpark wieners to roast. I’d rather eat cow ass smothered in ketchup than something hours away from expiring.
- Carry a dust mask- the kind carpenters use. Why? Because when standing beside a blazing fire, with wind gusts in excess of 30MPH, if you have nothing to cover your face-you’ll smother. Be prepared to smash burning chunks of wood falling on your clothing as well.
- Impress the rednecks by purchasing massive amounts of alcohol, preferably beer and boxed wine. Both will be consumed within an hour. If you actually pack the alcohol and wine in a cooler with ice- you’ll achieve a God-like status.
- Don’t wear perfume or cologne. For starters, you’ll stand out because everyone else smells like a liquor store and a deer processing station. Not to mention-bugs are attracted to sweet smells. You’ll spend the entire night slapping the side of your face and neck.
- Be prepared to listen to tall tales of hunting escapades. 40% of these stories are true, 30% are drunken versions, and 30% are outright lies. Also-this year’s Jamboree took place on opening day of bow season, (deer), yet for some odd reason, the state’s department of hunting and fishing or whatever, decided it would be a good day to allow kids under the age of 16 carry guns. There is nothing like seeing a 12 year old boy-OR girl, carrying a rifle, while the adult is stuck with a bow. I’m putting my money on the 12 year old.
- Don’t stay long. I have found 2 and a half hours is plenty of time. Remember, in order to get down the mountain, you have to find someone with a 4-wheeler or 4-wheel drive truck. Have your person picked as soon as you arrive. If not, you’ll be walking a mile and a half, down a steep, mud-packed mountain in the dark.
- As soon as you return to the safety of your home-remove all clothing and wash in hot water, shower and shampoo hair. Why? Because you will smell like a forest fire. Your entire body will smell. 2 hours of standing in front of an open fire will also leave you with tiny burn marks on the uncovered parts of your body. Don’t worry about these, they go away in a few days.
This is how I spent my Saturday night. I missed Cops due to this shindig. I know I lead an exciting life.
Footnote: The above is meant to be a tongue and cheek version of events. My mom and her man-friend’s family are great people, or, I would have nothing to do with them. They know I make fun of them and they’re fine with it. However, if you walk into a cabin one day and see my head mounted above the fireplace, you will know I took the joke too far.
