"Porcelain Mary" and Other Etiquette Dilemmas

Photo from Miss Conduct's blog

I love discovering new blogs that I really love. (Overuse of the word love?) I stumble upon other blogs all the time, independent or sponsored by some other entity, but rarely find one I want to revisit often. And I love when the blog has been around for a while, providing me with lots of entertaining backreading as well. Today, I happened upon Miss Conduct's Blog during some research on the subject of "etiquette" for my business blog.

Miss Conduct offers some very good advice about everyday etiquette; according to her bio, she writes a weekly advice column for the Boston Globe Magazine. People ask all sorts of questions, and I mean all sorts, and she answers them. And she has her own humorous anecdotes to relate. I have been laughing out loud for the better part of half an hour already.

I haven't backread very far yet, but here are two of my favorite "issues" so far: Popcorn at the Movies and Toilet Decor. I also like that her blog is regional (and not my own region of the country) and at the same time, universal. Good manners are never out of style anywhere, right?

I'm adding Miss Conduct to my list of faves today.

Funny Weddings

I can't exactly post this on my 'business blog' but I really have to share this somewhere . . . The Return of the Funny Wedding Photos. I stumbled on this website while doing a Google search for something else, of course. These pics are SO funny and strange. It's really interesting what some people consider to be their dream wedding idea.

I particularly loved the faux wedding invitation at the end; OMG that could have been sent out by my own mother-in-law, only she wouldn't have been half that clever.

Blog Envy

When I first started this blog in 2005 (and yet I only have a handful of entries!), I'd only ever visited a couple of other blogs. Recently, I noticed that all of my recent 'Favorites' on my browser are blogs. Because *everyone* has a blog. It certainly seems like every stay-at-home-Mom has a blog! Every business (mine included) has a blog. There are fake blogs too. It's like everyone has a diary online and is begging the world to read it! I will say that I am impressed by the quality of writing on so many of these blogs, particularly the Mommy-written ones. Might English teachers throughout the country be breathing a collective sigh of relief that all is not yet lost?!

Today, while doing research for an upcoming Girl Scout meeeting with a music theme, I stumbled on this lovely site called Mama Lisa's World. In addition to free lyrics and MP3s of world music and stories for children, which was too hard to find online by the way, she has a great blog with great information about songs, books and other things for kids. Loved the discussion about American Girl dolls. Made me feel a little bad about having just bought one for my daughter!

There are blogs that I must visit regularly, even daily. Some are written by people I actually know. Check on Steve has been such a gift to all the friends and family of Steve and Tyra Damm, who are going through the toughest challenge anyone could ever imagine with such bravery. Steve was recently diagnosed with a lesion on the right side of his brain stem, and has handled it all so far with such grace. I am humbled by his courage.

I also read blogs by people I don't know. In fact, I read more blogs by total strangers than actual friends. I am particularly drawn to blogs by writers. I am loving former-actress-and-now-writer Meg Tilly's blog for its honesty, homeyness and awesome recipes. I have laughed out loud and also cried at her posts. Now how I came upon her blog in the first place is an entirely different and also interesting story! I will have to post that sometime.

I also love reading about the writerly life through the eyes of some kick-ass romance writers on Word Wenches. I found out about this blog because one of its writers is my all-time favorite romance writer, Mary Jo Putney. I actually know little of the other six writers, but I enjoy their blog posts.

I just discovered the funniest blog site last week, by a teacher and home-schooler who is also an awesome writer. I found out about this one from another blog, so it's a discovery-by-association kind of thing. Love that about the Internet, that free association of clicking from page to page, kind of like reading the World Book Encyclopedia as a child (yes, I was a total geek and I really did that) and going from volume to volume looking up the SEE ALSO: topics. But I digress, and Derfwad Manor is just too entertaining! And others agree because she gets in the neighborhood of at least 50 comments per post.

I just now realized that I only read blogs by women! Is that a crime?! hahaha I never thought about it before, but that's what I like to read right now-- the world according to other women. By the same token, my own hubby has never read my blog, so maybe it's a Mars/Venus thing.

So after discovering so many talented writers online, I know now that I will probably never be a writer, at least one who publishes anything that someone else would read! I envy those who write with such wit and candor and humor and honesty online, and I thank them for making my spare moments during the day (and middle of the night) richer.