Are guilty pleasures really a thing? I guess. Maybe stuff no one else in my family is interested in that I feel out over.

I’d say YouTube rabbit holes, same with TikTok, the shows Lonestar Law and Louisiana Law, which follows the field and wildlife state police — which is wild because I’m the most indoorsy person you’d ever meet. Wordle. Freecell. Looking up every trivial thing you could think of. Of course, IMDB. Reading Grey’s Anatomy weekly comments on the episode. That’s probably it. If I think of anything else, I’ll update.

I have to say, this is an odd one. I wouldn’t say I have online friends. I have friends from life that I chat with online and exchange phones, memes, and TikTok videos.

If I wanted to meet anyone, it would probably be the guys from Pod Save America of Crooked Media. There are four of them, but I’ll take three if we had together or what have you.

I can’t pick a favorite. Sushi. Queso. Stuffed avocados. Pho. Any of those.

Greater Houston suburb. Big house. High ceilings. Leather loveseat. Good tv.

Dear Lord, how can I pick? Oh, I know.

15 or 16 years ago, I was reading a circus/animal trainer’s blog that I found from a link from an article about the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey’s Circus’ treatment of their elephants. I know, my interests are VARIED. Elephants are my favorite animals and I’d seen in the news about an elephant killing a worker. So, I started reading this guy’s blog and it was great. Informative, talked about different zoos, circuses, trainers, and lots of history of those things. One day he ran about elephants and how male elephants only attempted to mount a female when she was ready or what have you.

Well, several years before that, my husband and I witnessed a male elephant literally chasing the two female elephants in their enclosure with a fully erect situation down there. It was more than large. It was shocking. The females wanted NOTHING to do with that action. This was at the Calgary Zoo, by the way. Now, picture this: the zookeeper was telling the crowd how the male elephant had been fitted with a metal prosthetic tusk because his had broken or whatever, but no one was paying attention to her because OMG LOOK AT THAT! Parents were covering children’s eyes and walking away — some disgusting men were saying “that’s right, get it!” to the elephant. It was a whole scene.

So, after I read that post, I decided to comment exactly what I witnessed. Well, that’s where I messed up. This guy retorts by writing an entire blog post with my full name in the title along with the word “penis” and attempts to school me, complete with photos. Oh, yeah. I replied, asked him to take it down or take my name off the post. He said no.

For a couple of years, if you Googled me, that blog post would come up after my own blog. If that’s not embarrassing, I don’t know what is.

Oh boy.

I pretty much stopped scrapbooking when I moved to Texas in favor of doing projects. I make canvases with typography and do multimedia treatments on them. I like paint and ink and stuff.

Writing is my thing. I’ve had a blog for over 20 years in different iterations. I’ve been blogging here every day for six years. I’m working on a book.

I read things and I watch lots of documentaries. I recently started slow embroidery. That’s about it.

Self care stuff. Take care of the hair, nails. Read, watch good movies no one in my family appreciates. Fun stuff.

Just like you — anything happening to my loved ones.

And owls.

I’ve been collecting typewriters for about 15 years. I have seven. There’s quite a bit that goes into choosing them. Here are my holy grail typewriters.

Did this last month. I’m too g to cut and paste. Sue me.

These are blogs I’ve been reading for several years. When I say several, that’s five-plus year’s or more.

Kottke.org — I love this blog. Jason Kottke’s “home of fine hypertext products” is the site to go to for your daily interesting find. You’ll see various links to articles, shops, sites, and essays to great things you might not find elsewhere. I don’t know how he finds these things, but I’m glad he does. 

Swiss-miss — Tina Roth-Eisenberg is a creative Swiss transplant who lives with her family in New York. Her blog offers lots of creative links. Some are inspirational, some fun, some lovely products, and advice for creative types. I’ve discovered lots of neat stuff there — and there’s always something happy. 

A Beautiful Mess — This one is a go-to for crafts, recipes, and DIY. I’ve followed since they were an itty-bitty site and they never sold out with a million ads on each page. These girls are super fun. You’ll find seasonal stuff to make or grow, if that’s your thing. 

Post Secret — I’ve read Post Secret most every Sunday for ten years. People mail in postcards they’ve made with their secrets they haven’t told anyone and they’re featured online anonymously. Some are heartbreaking, some wonderful. Everything from someone confessing that they physically hurt someone to lies about cheating in law school to a people discovering their purpose in life and pursuing it. It’s a real slice of humanity. 

Girls of a Certain Age — Kim France has written and edited Sassy, Elle, and Spin magazines and founded Lucky. She now runs Girls of a Certain Age, a blog mostly devoted to fashion and shopping. France uses themed, curated posts to give girls like me ideas and links to age appropriate outfits, jewelry, skincare, and more. It’s so cool to find on-trend things that aren’t designed for 20-year-olds. 

Have fun checking out these blogs. I guarantee you’ll like one of them.