Friday On My Mind
On blog advertising...
Yawn!
Not sure how the previous throwaway post morphed into me being against people having ads on their own blogs. As befitting my long-standing philosophy of "live and let live," I really couldn't give a shit what other people do with their own sites. Want to have the Golden Arches pop up while "This is Our Country" blares in the background? Go for it. Far be it from me to snatch food out of a baby's mouth. All I was saying was that it's not for me. Capiche, kids? Let's move on.
On swearing...
Occasionally I have heard mention of my site as being inappropriate due to my casual use of profanity. Several readers have even e-mailed me and accused me of contributing to the coarsening of the English language. To those critics, I would respond that my discourse merely exemplifies the vaunted precedent of valorizing the oral vernacular. I would further add that language is a living tissue, which must occasionally suffer the rupture of subversion in order to convalesce with more structural stability. So to those prurient guardians of the linguistic gates who are offended by my occasional use of the F-bomb? Well, you know what you can do with yourselves.
On extreme sports...
I just got invited out to Colorado for a work-related event that would essentially involve hanging out with a bunch of professional extreme athletes for a weekend. These are guys who make their living flipping backside 540s at the X-Games so naturally I'm a little reluctant to hang out with them. Extreme sports are fascinating to a man like me, who screams like Fran Drescher in labor whenever I drive over a pothole with an open coffee container between my legs. In my defense, I may not be as adventurous as I used to be, but given the right set of circumstances, I am as hard-core as they fucking come. Like the other day, I'm cooking up a pot of my famous paella when I run out of saffron. So what do I do? Just for the sheer adrenaline rush, I decide to double up on the fucking parsley! Hell yeah! Balls to the wall, dude!
On flight attendants...
My mom was a stewardess when she graduated college. It was the perfect job for her. She spoke 4 languages and wanted to see the world. She was happy to have the job. However, these days, something has clearly gone amiss in the world of air travel. I just got back from a business trip and I couldn't believe how cranky and rude all the flight attendants were. Look, ladies, I get it. When you were 18-years-old, you made a horrible vocational choice. You sacrificed your entire future for some cheap airfare to Ixtapa. You haven't met Mr. Right. And right now, you're basically a waitress in a crappy restaurant at 30,000 feet in the air. But for fuck's sake, please pop some Thorazine and stop taking out your aggressions on young kids and toddlers, ok?
On the dearth of quality songwriting...
At some godforsaken hour this morning, the Peanut crawled into bed with me and the BossLady. After forcing me to read several books to her, she climbed on top of the BossLady and said, "Good morning, mommy. I just made a song for you. Want to hear it?" Curious (but still sleeping,) the BossLady replied in the affirmative. I'm just going from memory here but if I remember correctly, these were the lyrics:
"mommy! mommy! mommy!mommy! mommy! mommy!mommy! mommy! mommy!mommy! mommy! mommy!mommy! mommy! mommy!mommy! mommy! mommy!mommy! mommy! mommy!mommy! mommy! mommy!mommy! mommy! mommy!mommy! mommy! mommy!mommy! mommy! mommy!mommy! mommy! mommy!"
Hopefully, emo really is the music of the future!
On summer blogging...
My buddy Laid-Off Dad always kids me about the sheer number of blogs that I read. I always reply that I'm a speed-reading insomniac whose idea of a fun Friday night is sitting on the couch with an 8-ball of cocaine, an RSS reader, and bloglines.
Anyway, as I mentioned recently, the blogging world seems to be humming with the ennui of long lazy days unfettered by anything substantive. Is it me or are things just boring out there? Maybe we're just all in a collective slump. Like Ben Affleck, Johnny Damon, and Moby. Whatever it is, I think I need some new blogs to read. This is where all of you come in.
Any of you discover a cool new blog lately? Start a new blog recently? Find a post somewhere that you thought was amazing? Go ahead and pimp it out in the comments. Doesn't have to be related to anything. I just need some some new reads. Pimp away!
Am I really first? Am I really, really first?
I'm such a dork.
I got back from vacation and discovered this site: http://icanhascheezburger.com. Lots and lots of funny cat and animal pictures with hilarious captions, guaranteed to bring a smile to your face every time (and entertain small children for hours!).
Posted by: Deanna | July 20, 2007 at 02:44 PM
Would love some blog company. Drop on by...
Posted by: Wicked H | July 20, 2007 at 03:05 PM
What's a blog?
I mean what's a fucking blog, sorry.
Posted by: whit | July 20, 2007 at 03:06 PM
simonmetz.blogspot.com
a witty, sometimes profane, always insightful look into the life of a new yorker in LA exile with 3 young kids and a job in tv.
written by a very handsome, urbane, funny gentleman - who happens to be a good cook, excellent driver and angelic singer.
he also has epic man boobs.
Posted by: moeberg | July 20, 2007 at 03:11 PM
You calling me dull, punk?
Posted by: Krissy Poopyhands | July 20, 2007 at 03:20 PM
LMAO! That swearing bit was FU-NEE! I mean what the fuck, right? As for running out of saffron, "Balls to the wall" would have been mixing parsley and cilantro ... fucking rookie. Have a great weekend MD
TG
Posted by: Tommy | July 20, 2007 at 03:23 PM
I'm not going to assume that I have, by some miracle, made the bloglines cut already, so witness the unadulterated self-promotion: Read ME, MD!
But, in response to your actual question, I love http://indexed.blogspot.com/ .
Posted by: RA | July 20, 2007 at 03:27 PM
Damn you, MD! Now I can't get the wailing sound of Fran Drescher in labor out of my head. Somebody hit me with something heavy!
Posted by: J-dog | July 20, 2007 at 03:32 PM
I can't believe you called your mom a "stewardess." Did she teach you nothing?!?! Did our marriage of 6 years teach you nothing!??!
Posted by: BossLady | July 20, 2007 at 03:50 PM
My blog isn't interesting, really. Now, I'm mostly using it to update friends on our high-risk pregnancy and the baby.
I like to think that the blogs I read are pretty good, so if you'd like to come over and check out my links, that's cool.
Posted by: Aimee | July 20, 2007 at 03:54 PM
Please feel free to read my blog! People describe me as the female you (Korean, vulgar, achingly beautiful), and I have to begrudgingly admit that we're kinda doppelgangers in a fucked up way. Some main differences: I have an AMUHRRICAN bulldog, I have two (adorable as fuck, even you will admit it) bebes, and I represent the WEST COAST, baybee.
Oh, and I'm on MySpace, so please pardon the seizure-inducing ad at the top, it feeds Tom's lovechildren.
http://blog.myspace.com/juliekang
Posted by: Julie | July 20, 2007 at 04:03 PM
final word on the advertising thing---read that post of yours 3-4 times. couldn't find anything offensive about it. you clearly stated that you weren't passing judgment on people who had ads. guess bloggers have thin skins. anyway, saw this online and thought you'd get a kick out of it.
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_6407910
Posted by: eric | July 20, 2007 at 04:06 PM
Hi MetroDad! I love reading your posts on your life in the city (and Peanut, of course). I moved to New York a year ago and started a blog about my life in New York: www.gracenotesnyc.com. I would love it if you stopped by!
Posted by: Grace | July 20, 2007 at 04:29 PM
Replacing saffron with extra parsley? You are so very wild. I believe I need a nap now, the excitment is too much for me.
Posted by: Woman with Kids | July 20, 2007 at 04:30 PM
"Live and let live." I wasn't sure anyone knew what that meant anymore. Thanks for brining it back.
Posted by: NG | July 20, 2007 at 04:35 PM
On blog advertising: Sounds like some people got defensive over nothing.
On swearing: People are concerned about you saying "fuck" every now and then, but not that the leader of the free world can't pronounce "nuclear." Screw that shit. Priorities, people!
On Extreme Sports: I'm awesome at extreme snowboarding. At least, I am when I play SSX Tricky on our PS2.
On Flight Attendants: Fly the ennui skies.
On Songwriting: At a young age, the Peanut's songwriting effort already has more emotion than most of the dreck on the radio today. Fergie, meet the Peanut. Someday, she will take home the Grammy, not you. AND quite possibly the People’s Choice Award, too.
On Summer Blogging:
It's not new, but Go Fug Yourself kills me, and they update almost daily. I recently discovered Culture Bully, and that's a pretty cool blog about music. Anyone who blogs about the coolest music videos featuring puppets knows their shit.
Posted by: Pattie | July 20, 2007 at 04:37 PM
I second www.icanhascheezburger.com. I tried to resist for the longest time, but it's just too damn funny. I'm totally loving www.wwtdd.com, too.
I'd tell you to stop by my site (and of course, you're welcome to), but...as if ;)
Posted by: velocibadgergirl | July 20, 2007 at 04:50 PM
As to the swearing in one's blog bit, I sometimes catch myself feeling like Jay of the Jay and Silent Bob duo when I reread some of my posts. And then I say fuck it and hit Publish.
Posted by: Holmes | July 20, 2007 at 05:18 PM
you are a brave, bold man for doubling up on the parsley. i was totally not suspecting that. lol. as far as blogs go, i check out dailypuppy.com because i'm a girl who loves puppies way too much. i'm tragically unhip to the blogasphere.
feel free to check mine out. sometimes i get lucky with a good random post and you may even smile just a little.
Posted by: talda | July 20, 2007 at 05:40 PM
So. It's Friday night. I'm pimping.
Posted by: RachelW | July 20, 2007 at 05:40 PM
Why, MD, I'm so glad you asked. I just started a couple weeks ago and have been wanting to pimp myself but also not be pushy. Hope you like it because I LOVE yours.
Posted by: Gwen | July 20, 2007 at 05:48 PM
Well, I'd be DEEPLY insulted if I'm not already on your list but yeah... here's me raising my hands, goin' "Ooooh! Oooooh! Tight heeeere!"
Carol
Posted by: Carol Snider | July 20, 2007 at 06:11 PM
Read me - annanortong.blogspot.com I'm not very interesting, although I blog about being a Cuban Chinese American chick married to an Irish American. I'm a juvenile diabetic, currently pregnant with my first baby and freaked out about the whole thing!
Posted by: Annie | July 20, 2007 at 06:29 PM
I'll tell you what, just go to Colorado and take pictures of manly men doing whatever it is manly men do, frolicking, or you know...extreme sports and post them. How does that sound? I don't care if you participate at all, I just need pictures. :)
I'm new to this Blogging thing and you can read me if you'd like. Scroll down for my Nature's Porn post, if you'd like a good laugh. Besides my shameless plug for myself, I also really like http://graymatter-matters.blogspot.com/. She's a great writer and funny to boot. Hell she even knows or used to know Mom 101, in REAL life.
I'm a speed reader too. People either hate me for it or think I'm lying. I have 60 blogs I read daily at the same time as working and I read at least 4 books a week. I'd read more, but I enjoy people.
Posted by: Phoenix | July 20, 2007 at 06:32 PM
I always enjoy reading about your adventures with Peanut and Bosslady. My blog tends toward being mostly a parenting blog, where I report on many variety of amazing things my infant son is doing.
Before that it was a pregnancy blog, and in its original form, it was a bitch about life as a disillusioned 20-something blog. Moving on up, I suppose. Cheers!
Posted by: Katrina | July 20, 2007 at 07:40 PM
Oh man, serious self-pimping out there.
I can't believe people actually email you about your language. WTF? Can't they just close the page?
Posted by: KC | July 20, 2007 at 08:18 PM
I suddenly feel better about the fact that I'm home on Friday night with your blog to keep me warm (as Robin Byrd might say). Hey - does she have a blog? Now that would be worth reading.
Posted by: Mom101 | July 20, 2007 at 09:49 PM
Ok, here are some of my favorites (you asked):
Dear So and So...
http://www.dearsoandso.com/
Twaddle everyday rubbish
http://marmitetoasty.blogspot.com/
Yarn-A-Go-Go
http://www.yarnagogo.com/blog/
Amazing Trips
http://amazingtrips.blogspot.com/
Clublife
http://standingonthebox.blogspot.com/
Jonniker
http://www.jonniker.com/
Just Eat Your Cupcake
http://just-eat-your-cupcake.blogspot.com/
Sunday Undies
http://www.sundayundies.com/
The Psychokitty Speaks Out
http://psychokitty.blogspot.com/
Faster than Kudzu
http://joshilynjackson.com/mt/
L.A. Daddy
http://www.ladaddy.com/
Cute Overload
http://cuteoverload.com/
Go Fug Yourself
http://gofugyourself.typepad.com/
Sorry if I have listed some blogs that you already read, i.e. I got to your hilarious blog from L.A. Daddy, and to Amazing Trips from a link in your comments.
You are welcome to visit my blog, but I don't post regularly, I do love reading this blog and many others. This is just a sampling of my favorites.
Tina
Posted by: Tina | July 20, 2007 at 10:01 PM
hahahah fran.
most of my favorite blogs are ones that everyone reads anyway. but I thank you for giving me a new favorite - mimi smartypants. she's fucking awesome.
Posted by: momomax | July 20, 2007 at 10:15 PM
Do you know NOTCOT?
http://www.notcot.org/
It is a visual feast, and if you've never been there before, you will be amazing, inspired and entertained possibly for hours.
Might wanna get a new mouse for all the clickin' on the cool stuff you're gonna do. ;)
BTW, NOTCOT is NOT mine -- I just really like it.
Posted by: Kristin Gorski (KG) | July 20, 2007 at 10:30 PM
I'm relatively new to the blogging world, I don't know why. I've had my blog for about 6 months or so. Had to find a place to let off steam about my S.O.'s weird fambly.
*sigh*
Hell, I don't even know how I found YOU, MD! LOL!
I'm just glad I did.
I keep following links where I reply, looking for peeps to add to my daily reading list--as if I need more.
But I like people, and I LOVE people who can make me laugh.
Which is why YOU are still in my blog faves.
.
Posted by: Brat | July 20, 2007 at 10:32 PM
Had to put my full name on the typo up there... Now if there's anything people should be pissed at, it shouldn't be the f-bomb -- it should be TYPOS!
You will be "amazed" it should have read, and we all know that you are "amazing" at blogging. Heh, heh -- you'll let this one slide, right? We all know how you LOVE the typos. ;)
Posted by: KG | July 20, 2007 at 10:34 PM
Hey Metro Dad! Come visit. I dunno if anything I write will interest you but you're welcome anytime!
www.meangirlsneednotapply.blogspot.com
Posted by: NotAMeanGirl | July 20, 2007 at 10:55 PM
I enjoy your blog and, since you asked, - come and visit whenever you like.
Posted by: Jan | July 20, 2007 at 11:01 PM
You probably already read most of the ones I read...I have to skip the 8-ball 'cause I'm nursing.
I have a product review blog and a personal blog.
Reviews (and Friday Playgroup...maybe you'll find some blogs you like from our Friday links): http://www.Mamanista.com
Personal Blog: http://mamasaga.blogspot.com
Hope to see you there!
Posted by: Mama Luxe | July 20, 2007 at 11:32 PM
Metro Dad --
My wife is due with our first in November and it was fun to discover your site.
If anyone likes baseball, golf, and smatterings of pop culture, they can stop by my site. Advertising included!
Thanks again M.D., you've made me laugh on more than one occasion.
Posted by: Tom G | July 20, 2007 at 11:38 PM
This is going to sound like an oxymoron, but one of my favorites lately is a funny cancer blog --
http://spinningtumor.blogspot.com/
Oh, and I want you to know, I take your statement that "we're just all in a collective slump" very VERY personally. You really know how to hurt a girl....
Posted by: L. | July 21, 2007 at 12:37 AM
Just out of curiosity, who do you think is in the biggest slump? Ben Affleck, Johnny Damon or Moby? I think I'd have to go with Damon!
Go Angels!
Posted by: Vlad Guerrero | July 21, 2007 at 12:41 AM
OK, I'm on a roll tonight...
Now when I mentioned TYPOS in my previous 2 comments, I wasn't implying that you have them on your blog, or that people should complain to you about those. I just know that you've ranted on the sad state of grammar and correct usage and punctuation on the Web and elsewhere before.
So honestly, MD, I think it's time for another "grammar rant" from you. That, and the Filofax page post... ;)
OK, I'll REALLY stop commenting now.
Posted by: KG | July 21, 2007 at 12:55 AM
Wait, you were accused of singlehandedly ruining the English language? You, the self-professed grammar snob? I think that's pretty funny.
Posted by: enygma | July 21, 2007 at 01:25 AM
yeah... i think there isnt much happening out here which is why the blog ads post got so much drama from us :)
Posted by: the mad momma | July 21, 2007 at 02:18 AM
Are you saying I am boring?
Even all of the poop on Dora stuff?
(sigh)
You're right.
How many blogs do you read? I have an embarassing number of subscriptions. I've got at least 300 in my reader. Probably more.
Posted by: Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah | July 21, 2007 at 08:31 AM
I've been lurking for a while. I, as with all lurkers, really enjoy your writing.
As for me, I share a blog with my wife over at www.thedailyburns.com. We cover the 4 c's: Coffee, Culture, Church, and Kids... wait, that last one is a K... oh well.
Posted by: mr burns | July 21, 2007 at 08:48 AM
what excitement are you all looking for? more nasty blog comment banter? isn't that like waiting for a race car wreck? just curious.
it's funny...this blog culture. i like observing it as it develops - the bad with the good.
Posted by: kathy | July 21, 2007 at 10:19 AM
Hi Metro Dad!
I don't know how I stumbled upon you, but I have been reading you here and there. My blog is The Coffee Table. Stop by sometime.
J.
Posted by: HoosierGirl5 | July 21, 2007 at 10:45 AM
Oops, that's www.coffee-table.blogspot.com. Sorry.
J.
Posted by: HoosierGirl5 | July 21, 2007 at 10:46 AM
I feel a need to pimp my own blog!
Longtime lurker, first time commenter.
Posted by: jodi | July 21, 2007 at 12:51 PM
I've commented here before, so you've seen my url, but I won't pass up an opportunity to pimp my blog:
http://talesfromthedadside.blogspot.com/
If you do stop by, leave a comment (or an email) so I know you came.
And if you're looking for less daddy-blogging, more social commentary, you can check out my other one at MBT:
http://mommyblogstoronto.typepad.com/daditorial/
Posted by: SciFi Dad | July 21, 2007 at 12:54 PM
How can anyone pass up this opportunity to pimp themselves? I too am a long time, first time. http://thisperplexinglife.blog.com
Posted by: Delton | July 21, 2007 at 03:53 PM
Hey Metro Dad,
I'd love to try your paella, by the way. I lived near Valencia last year (home of the original), and on Sundays, everyone would be out at the park making paella over barbecue pits for their families.
I've never actually met anyone who wasn't Spanish that could make paella well.
Anyway, if you're looking for a new read, you're always welcome at
http://spaindad.blogspot.com
Cheers!
Posted by: spain dad | July 21, 2007 at 05:38 PM