Category Archives: blogging about blogging

More Immediate Feedback To The State Of Splotchy

Sure, Twitter is fine and all.

Those who want to read my stray thoughts are welcome to “follow me” there or peruse my Twitter block on the right sidebar of this blog.

So, the blogs cover my general musings, and the Twittering covers the gaps between blog posts, but what, my friends, fills the gap between my Twitter tweets?

Well, I’ll tell you.

I am currently devising a dynamically-growing database of status codes by which I can inform visitors of this blog of my current state. This database will be available not only for me, but will be shared with the blogging community.

Sure, some social networking sites have dabbled in “Moods”, foisting unpleasant emoticons on website visitors.

My system will instead use a terse, four-digit status code which will correspond to a particular physical/emotional/spiritual state.

I encourage other bloggers to suggest new codes and new blogger states. After being vetted by me, you may find your own suggestions incorporated into the definitive Blogger State Repository (BSR)!

The BSR is not fully operational at this time, but I can give you a taste of what is to come.

Here are a few sample codes to describe Blogger State.

PNTS – Wearing pants
NPNT – Not wearing pants
DRNK – Drunk
NBSH – Angry about something George W. Bush did or said
NPOL – Angry about about something else political
HRNY – Experiencing a heightened sense of libido
WKYS – Can’t find keys
FRFD – Ate too much fried food
GMNG – Playing videogames
WRKG – Working
LZYB – Too lazy to update my state all the time. C’mon, I have a *life*

The following statuses from Falwless have been approved for use.

CSPT – Constipated.
NJAL – In jail.
INFO – Watching infomercial.
WTGG – Watching The Golden Girls.
LNCH – On Lunch Break.
HGRY – Hungry.
THST – Thirsty.
DEAD – Deceased.
SXPR – Having sex with prostitute.
HFMA – Having fun making BSR Acronyms.

Some more approved additions, from Cowboy the Cat:

SGCC – Thinking about Space Ghost Coast to Coast
CAFD – Caffeinated
NCAF – Needing Caffeination
REKA – Excited about a new discovery

One Zero Zero Zero

Hey, it’s my 1,000th post on I, Splotchy!

I’ll use this entrance into quadruple-digit posting to share some goodness that blogging has brought me.

For one, my brain is more alert. I used to (and to be honest, still do) suffer from Zombie Worker Syndrome, where during the week I am one of the undead going from home to work, work to lunch, lunch to work, work to home, home to bed. It’s an easy rut to travel in, but it’s not what I would call the apex of living. This blog has made my brain much more active. The juices flow. I can’t say I don’t stagger through my day from time to time, but I believe I’ve shed at least a portion of my zombieness.

Starting my negative space signage blog has pushed me out of the house on a self-created scavenger hunt. There have been some nice side effects of being on the hunt — I’ve noticed lots of interesting architecture, and have wandered a lot of neighborhoods and cities I have never been to before.

A Blog Of Notes has made me more alert to the sound environment we all move through on a daily basis. Yesterday my train was sitting still, and I noticed a freight train next to us start moving. The wheels of the train starting making this high-pitched musical squeak. I immediately pulled my audio recorder out of my backpack and recorded the sounds. During the two minutes the train went by us, a really eerie, haunting song unfolded for me, and it was all due to the fact that I was being alert and listening.

Eerie Freight Train

Link

And of course, I am very grateful for all the people I have connected with since starting this blog. I initially met people through Bubs, and then over the course of time I somehow knew a lot more people. It was neat how it just sort of organically happened.

Along the way I have realized how connectedness is something really important to me. A lot of the things I try out, whether it be 60 Second doodles, collaborative mix tapes, or adopting actors all have a way of connecting me with other people.

So, anyways, I don’t know that I’ll be doing this forever, but it’s been fun so far. I’ll try and hold off on doing one of these posts again until I get to One Zero Zero Zero Zero.

Please Don’t Be Alarmed If Chunks Of My Blog Go Missing

Occasionally I’ll write a post I think is good at the time, then I’ll see it again and it’ll bug me so much I’ll delete it.

Who knows what will trigger this deletion? Maybe a seemingly condescending tone of voice, a generally stupid ramble, perhaps even misspelling the town name “Petoskey”.

It could be anything.

Just remember, if a part of my blog goes missing, please don’t panic.

Pointers of Self-Interest

Hi-de-ho, I just want to direct your attention to some other blogs I contribute to, ’cause interesting things are afoot there.

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Tim and I have completed another month’s worth of found notes at A Blog Of Notes. I was honestly slacking this month, but Tim came through with some ridiculously awesome sounds. Tim has also just posted an excellent series of mixes of the April compile.

If you have the technology and inclination to look for musical notes in the world around you, Tim and I are always looking for sound geek contributors.

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The lovely and talented night photographer Remi Thornton, who is also a contributor to my blog The Signage Of Negative Space, recently returned from a trip to Chicago, where he took some pics of signage here and here.

This was kinda neat, in that I had previously taken pictures of these same signs. It’s kind of cool to compare and contrast our pics, and see how much better a photo can look when someone like Remi is behind the camera! It’s definitely made me step up with my “A” game (which relatively speaking is more accurately called a “B-” game).

We’re at about 150 instances of negative space signage, but would love to get more geographical regions represented that I’m certain are oozing with negative space signage — the NYC/California area, large urban centers across the world, etc.

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Who’s In Charge Here? continues to chug along. Our current band is Belle and Sebastian. Vote for the leader of the band, based on the photo I have included, but please be kind, they are sensitive folk.

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That’s all the self-pimping I have for you today! Excelsior!

Blogs Are No Good For Sneakiness

I know blogs are websites moving through time. I know this.

And posts are more disposable than some old-skool webpage from the mid-90’s. Those pages had permanence, baby.

This is an alert to you, dear readers. I am occasionally sneaky.

Like Sweet, Sweet Empty Space.

Looks empty, don’t it?

It’s not. Press your mouse button down and drag your mouse across the Empty Space post. I like doing stupid stuff like this. Now, I don’t know if people didn’t figure out my sneaky attempt, or they just found my attempt not particularly sneaky or interesting. I would prefer to think the former — after all, Manx, the only person who answered my questions, had to be prodded with a sharp stick to notice the text.

So, this is me telling you, all out in the open and stuff, blatant, explicit.

I AM SNEAKY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

I try to make this blog fun, and having the occasional easter eggs for my readers is just another fun thing (to me, at least).

Wow, it’s been months since I did that “Sweet, Sweet Empty Space” post. I reckon I’m probably due for another bout of sneaking. Or maybe I just did one.

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