Edgy Mama

Me winning the “Best Writing” award and a cool, but decrepit Smith-Corona designed by Carmen Ghia!

Yes, the huge annual, multi-syllabic blogger party is over. My bad photos are here (my excuse–most of these weren’t taken by me as my position as awards gift giver and hugger of all winners precluded photography).

Unlike Aric, I didn’t have any actual party wounds, but I’m wiped out after an unusually happening weekend.

Read all about the party at Blogasheville.  I’ll give you the lowdown on drinks and debates with Steve Almond later.

Nap time!

in Blogasheville’s annual best of the bloggers! Go here to vote.

EM has been nominated in three categories: most likey to make money blogging, most likely to make you LOL, and best writing.

I don’t think you have to vote in all categories.

If you’re in Asheville, I hope you’re planning to come to the annual blog party: Sept. 27, 6 p.m., behind Top Floor Studio downtown.

More dets here. Thanks to whomever nominated me. Thanks, in advance, to whomever is kind enough to vote for me. See y’all at the party.

It took me over a year and a template change, but I finally updated my blogroll. You may have noticed I’m not good at housekeeping tasks like sidebar management. Have I mentioned how I long, nay, pine for an assistant? Preferably one who loves housekeeping tasks, understands Wordpress, likes kids and dogs, and will work for minimum wage? Just thought I’d throw it out there.

Anyway, if I haven’t listed you on the blogroll, let me know in comments. And maybe if you buy a T-shirt…once I add my Paypal button. Seriously, though, check that your link is correct and let me know if you need changes. I might get to it in 2009.

Here we are. I believe this is the fourth-ever Edgy Mama template. I’ll be rearranging the sidebar, adding linkees, etc. Still tweaking. Let me know what you think. All feedback appreciated!

Happy Monday!

Thank you all for the e-mails of concern and despair. For the past two days, clicking on edgymama.com has taken you to a website for golf carts. And not just any golf carts, but those marketed only to fluent Latin scholars.

Needless to say, my transfer from Blogger to Wordpress is not going smoothly. Server problems, possibly Charter problems, DNS transfer delays. You understand. The Internets, she is a fickle mistress. And I prefer men.

Soon, I hope, the new Edgy Mama will emerge–smoother, cleaner, and with more cowbell.

Thanks for your patience and for letting me give notice here. Stay tuned. xoxoxo

(Kind of crossposted from Blogasheville.)

Me in early 2005

So, I just realized that I started this bloggie three years ago today–with a dead dull post about the problems I was having starting the blog.

In three years, so much has changed and so little has changed. Blogger is now owned by Google. I’m about to move to Wordpress anyway. This blog has gone through three templates. One major redesign. One minor.

I’ve transformed from at-home mom typing with a three-year-old in my lap to having both kids in full-time school. One of the nice things about having kids is that they change so much in such a short time–it makes the years seem longer. When I think about the lisping three-year-old who was attached to my right thigh, and I look across the room at the little boy reading actual words and jiggling his first loose tooth, I’m wowed. My girl child now reads novels and does multiplication in her head. Double wow.

I’ve gone from occasional part-time work (head hunting, freelance writing, nonprofit consulting) to having two consistent weekly freelance writing gigs, including a column that arose from this blog. I still have an entire unedited novel in a drawer and 15,000 words of another on this laptop. I’ve got some newish short stories that I haven’t pimped hard enough. But my writing muscle has been stretched, exercised, strained, massaged and pushed. This makes me incredibly happy.

I have darker circles under my eyes, more wrinkles, bigger triceps (not because they’re drooping, but because I’ve worked those babies), and slightly more drag on the behind. My trick knee has gotten trickier. I’ve given up on dropping my last five pounds of baby weight gain.

I’m still in the same house, in the same town, with the same fam–plus Biscuit the Dorkie Poo, who joined us in May. And I’m still blogging. Some of you are still reading. One of the biggest changes in my life has been the incredibly cool people I’ve met and friends I’ve made through this bloggie. You guys are what’s kept me here and kept me writing.

So happy blog day to me and to you. What’s changed for you in the past three years? Will we still be here three years from now? Talk to me.

The OC Register (Orange County) is running this note from the editor at the end of its on-line stories:

“From the editor: Many of you have expressed concerns about some of the harsh anonymous comments from readers. To remedy that, we are introducing new features. You can create your own blog, publish your news and share your photos with the community. Once you fill out a simple form and leave a verifiable e-mail address, you can set up your profile page. It will display all of your contributions and allow you to track issues and easily connect with others.

We want our site to be a place where people discuss and debate ideas that foster stronger communities. We built this for you. Please take care of it. Tolerate broad thinking, but take action against obscene or hateful material. Make it a credible and safe place worth preserving and sharing.”

After seeing some of the anonymous comments left on the Asheville Citizen-Times and Mountain Xpress websites, I’m liking this direction.

As one blogger panelist at NC Writers’ Network con said: “You have to moderate comments. Otherwise, you’re opening your site up to spam and haters.”

I’ve often had people say things to me on-line that I doubt they’d say to me in person. I have more respect for those whom, even when they’re being nasty, give me their name in the process.

There’s been lots of discussion in the blogosphere and, even, in the Asheville blogger community about anonymity versus non-anonymity. There are some cases where, I think, bloggers have good reason to remain under the radar. As perhaps, some commenters do as well. But not if they are using the medium to spread hate in any form or vent on others.

What do y’all think?

I was about to go take a recovery nap before the fam gets back from church, but I had to vomit instead. No, not from Blogapoolozathon-induced party flu, but from the chipmunk guts strewn across my living room.

As I was reviewing other bloggers’ party roundups, I realized that something behind me was Not Right. I could hear the puppy chewing, so I turned, expecting him to be mouthing one of the kids’ toys, only to see splattered dead chipmunk hanging from the pooch’s canines. Houdini was lounging nearby, affectionately watching his protege rip his gift to shreds.

At least it wasn’t a prairie dog. When I lived in Colorado, we had a school cat where I worked who used to catch prairie dogs that were bigger than he was. He’d drag them into my office and dismantle them under my desk. That cat loved me.

So, back to the party. Ash and Jennifer have comprehensive reviews, and Gordon, despite being partially blinded by this gorgeous Fall day, posted the Blogger Award winners at BlogAsheville.

I was gifted with a plastic alligator, which my son immediately co-opted, and a leather-stamped letter opener, which I wore stuck in my bra for most of the evening (gotta emphasize the pushup bra-enhanced cleavage somehow). So thank you to whomever provided the thoughtful giftees that I received for being “Most Likely to Make Money from Blogging.” The big bucks should start pouring in soon. After the awards, I discovered that Don Mak is paying his mortgage with the proceeds from his songwriting bloggie, which makes my freelance paycheck, which basically pays for half my monthly gasoline, seem meager.

Kudos to Ash and Fliss who won big and well-deservedly. I love Hangover Journal but I am typically one of only about four people who leaves comments on the bloggie, so I was under the erroneous impression that not many folks read Fliss’ ironic and hilarious take on life. But then she doesn’t really ask for comments or seem to need them. At least not the way I do. My favorite part of blogging is the interactivity. Okay, and the big bucks.

Highlights from my night last night were discovering that my favorite new blogger, She Who Eats, is someone I already knew; flirting with the fabulous Diana; receiving metaphorical pats on the back from folks regarding my Mt. X column (including from Jon E, the big ed there); flirting; catching up with Mulder and zen and Helen; helping Uptown gift the award winners; meeting Genie and Jennifer and Petulant; flirting; and forcing people to taste the nasty peach malt beverage that Bruisin’ Ales gave us.

Your highlights in comments.

We will be celebrating Saturday night, somewhere in West Asheville, from 4 p.m. until god knows when, and you’re all invited. E-mail Gordon at scrutinyhooligansatyahoodotcom if you want directions.

In the mean time, whether or not you will attend the par-tay, you must vote for the Blog Asheville Bloggie Awards.

Here’s the lowdown from fearless leader Gordon: “There are two pages of voting. If I find that people are voting for one page but not the other, I will glare sternly and remind you that your favorite blogs are also nominated on the other page. I used Survey Monkey, and they only allow ten questions per survey. So work with me here people.

UPDATE: *stern glare*

Your favorite blogs are also in Part Two of the Survey. If you took Part One without taking Part Two (and so far eleven twenty-one of you have), then you’re missing out on voting for more of your favorite blogs in the second half of the voting.

BlogAsheville Awards 1-10
BlogAsheville Awards 11-20

Voting Will Close at 8pm on September 29th. The multiple choice responses are randomized, so they’ll appear in a different order for each voter. You can vote only once, so take your time and enjoy it. The answers at the SurveyMonkey pages aren’t hotlinked. Take a minute to take a look at our nominees below, and click away. Thanks to everyone who submitted nominations!”

To make it easier for you, I’ve listed the categories that really, truly need your vote:

Most Likely to Make Money by Blogging
Edgy Mama
Scrutiny Hooligans
Brainshrub

Blogger you’d most like to see naked
Ashvegas
syntax/Arratik of Scrutiny Hooligans
A Girl Who Wears Glasses
What The Hell?
Thunder Pig
Edgy Mama
Charm Of The Highway Strip

Best Writing
Scrutiny Hooligans
Ashvegas
What The Hell?
Hangover Journals
Edgy Mama

Best Overall
Ashvegas
Hangover Journals
Jennifer Saylor
Scrutiny Hooligans
Edgy Mama

If you’ve ever wondered who some of my local blogger buddies are, and more importantly, have a burning need to answer the question “Who is Ashvegas?,” here’s your chance, in this fun article in local alternative newspaper Mountain Xpress.

Happy Monday. I think.