Aberdeen Tramps And Ither Weel Kent Fowk

Aberdeen Tramps And Ither Weel Kent Fowk
From the blog:
Welcome to Aberdeen Tramps and Ither Weel Kent Fowk! Make yourself comfy on that park bench, grab your bottle...Street entertainers will be will be recognized at last...tramps will no longer be forgotten...

Comments:
I feel a little strange, but this is the second bog I listed from Scotland. This blog, however, is exceptional I believe. The wonderful writing takes you on a tour of Aberdeen as it is known only to the home folk. (Or is that ken to teh home fowk?) This is one of the best balanced, best designed, and most inviting blogs I've come across. And the characters! They literally come to life. (I just wish I could write like that.) Anyway, I enjoy visiting Aberdeen about once a week just to see what's new.

DeepBlog.com: An Easy Guide & Portal to Great Blogs

DeepBlog.com: An Easy Guide & Portal to Great Blogs

From the Site:
Beyond popularity DeepBlog.com investigates each site for content, insight, facination, uniqueness, and usability in order to highlight quality sites for quality time.

Comments:
This is a site you should definitely bookmark or add to your favorites. It is a must have portal to dozens of great blogs and reference sites. After finding this site I was able to eliminate dozens of bookmarks from my browser and now I just go to this well-designed "cheat-sheet" with links to over 150 quality blogs on a myriad of subjects plus over 100 links to various reference and news sites. GO VISIT THIS SITE AND MAKE IT A FAVORITE.

The Iceland Weather Report

The Iceland Weather Report

From the Blog:
Cooler Than Thou. On Some Days.

Comments:
Commentary with a little Icelandic flair. A bit of daily life, news, entertainment, and whatnot plus a weather report for Reykjavik. And all provided in a warm and inviting manner. What more could you ask for? Plus you get to learn about Iceland.

A visit here is like having a pen pal from a far away land. You're always glad to get a letter from them.

World Wide Words

World Wide Words

From the Site:
Michael Quinion writes about international English from a British viewpoint.

Comments:
OK. OK. I know this is not a blog but it's interesting. If you've every wondered about where some common saying comes from you should check out this site. You can find the history of unusual words or sayings from abracadabra to zilch. And if it's not there you can submit your own request. Mr. Quinion frequently debunks unfounded theories of the origins of some common sayings and provides the reasons they are likely wrong. He also includes some comments and analysis of "new" words or sayings entering the language. All his answers and articles are delivered in the kindly tone of a good-natured uncle explaining how something works.

If you are inquisitive about such things this site is always good for a short break away from a hectic schedule.

The Blog of My Father

The Blog of My Father

From the Blog:
History and histories of the patriach of the family...texts, poems, paintings, music...day-by-day of an octogenarian...

Comment:
Blogs can inform you, make you laugh, make you mad, or maybe just entertain you. But, the ones that can touch your heart, they are the special ones. This is one that just may touch your heart.

I know this blog will not be for everyone. If you do not read Portuguese do not expect to breeze through this blog. It takes work. (If you have trouble read the comments below for suggestions.)

Even with the less than perfect translations, the warmth and love float off the page and into your heart. I'm sure the writing is beautiful in its original Portuguese, but to me the phrasings of the translations adds a softness and sincerity that transcends mere language.

I feel certain that only a few will truly enjoy this celebration of life and love. For those few (and you will know who you are after a short visit) I would suggest that you go back and start at the beginning. And don't be in a hurry. Take time to reflect.

MEBlog

MEBlog

From the Blog:
The latest happenings, ramblings, and musings from the Mike Estep Band.

Comments:
I don't know this band. I never even heard of them. Nevertheless, I think I would like to go to one of their appearances. They hail from the Central New York area. (Syracuse, etc.)

The blog is primarily music related with a little bit of the band's activities and music/entertainment news slanted more toward rock-n-roll. They also throw in a few comments and links from the lighter side of the current scene on everything from car racing to sports to beer to women. You never can tell what is going to pop up. They also have a website with more info on the band if you're interested.

I like the light, breezy attitude where you can just sort of drop in and catch up on what's going on with these guys. (Maybe you can tell I always wanted to be in a rock band. Chicks always dig the band!)

My Neighbours Are Hoors!

My Neighbours Are Hoors!

From the Blog:
Yup. My neighbours are Ladies of Negotiable Affection...and it's TOO INTERESTING not to share.
...mainly about the brothel on the ground floor and what what its occupants get up to....Sometimes...the goings-on are just too enjoyable not to go down in writing!

Comments:
I fell in love with this blog the first time I visited. Many of the postings are a bit "adult" in nature with some strong language. (It doesn't bother me but some might find it offensive.) It's not often that I read something and laugh out loud, but here's a blog that does it. I even went back to the beginning (Nov 03) to catch up. (It's best if you know the players and some of the ongoing situations.) And read the FAQ for more background.

The location is "A Tennement in Scotland" and the dialect gives the posts a very personal air. The posts are not about the detailed lives of the Hoors, but only the funny comings and goings from the neighbour's point of view. You know, police visits, customers, strange encounters, and the like. I just wish (selfishly) that it could be posted daily, but then I know these episodes don't happen on a regular basis as they do in sit-coms. Not every post is a gem, but that's OK.

This is someone I would love to see at the pub and ask "So, what's going on with your lovely neighbours?"

Either you will think it's nonsense or you will think it is hilarious. You should give it a try.

Wigderson Library & Pub

Wigderson Library & Pub

From the Blog:
A little Wisconsin wisdom on politics, baseball, football..and whatever else springs to mind. This is an experiment. This is only an experiment. If this were not an experiment there would be psychiatrists involved. Or at least more alcohol.

Comments:
As he warns, a bit on sports, politics, and what springs to mind about current events and the household. And usually with a bit of humor. The political slant is to the conservative side but he doesn't try to ram it down your throat. He just states his strong opinion without a lot of ranting and raving. His posts are concise and to the point.

Based on his profile I think I would like this guy. For me, anybody whose Favorites Lists include Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Electric Light Orchestra, and books by Heinlein and Solzhenitsyn has to be all right. (If ELO was just a joke then that's OK, too.)

An Invitation

I have been reading blogs for some time now, but most were about politics and other current events. Although I do have strongly held opinions, my contributions to the blogosphere have been limited to occasional comments on various blogs. I've found that there are many people who can express my general point of view much better than I can and I have no desire to start blogging my take on the state of the world or the state of me.

Eventually I found myself cruising around the blogoshere at random to see what people were blogging about. So far it has been an interesting trip. I've found that for me only about 1 in 50 blogs that I visit even appeals to me.

A few general rules:
1- I generally don't like blogs that have the words "bored" or "boring" on the first page.
2- If I see "..." more than 7 times in the first 2 posts I'll move along to a new blog.
3- Forget blogs with every other letter capitalized or those written in some text messaging shorthand. If you don't have the time to write it out why should someone take the time to read it?
4- I like poetry but I'm not going to read 5,000 lame poems to perhaps find 1 that I might like.

It's like that old saying "You might have to kiss a lot of toads to find your prince." I'll let someone else kiss some of those toads.

In general the blogs I like are, in my opinion, interesting and well written. I especially like a bit of humor thrown in. The exact subject matter isn't necessarily important. I have varied interests.

I decided that since I have a blog I might as well list and comment on a few of the blogs that I find interesting. These are not typically the "high-ranked" blogs. And some don't necessarily represent my point of view, politically or socially. I just think they are written by people I would like to have a conversation with. I go back to visit them regularly just to see what's going on in their world. Perhaps you would like to visit them, too.

Day one. More to follow.