Just Curious...

Who the fuck submitted our site to be reviewed at another site?

That was a truly stupid thing to do. I'd love to know the IP address of the dickwad that pulled that shitty stunt.

WHATEVA! Moving on.

Any Apples

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Blog Being Reviewed: Any Apples
Reviewed By: Chatty Chicka

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At First Glance: Yuck. That's all I can say. Are the colors (green and red, and not in a good way) supposed to remind me of apples? They don't. Not even a tiny little bit.


Template/Design: I read on here somewhere that she's getting a new template. So she probably knows how crappy this one is. Since THIS template is all I have to go by, let me say this: GOOD GOD, WOMAN, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? One good thing. Kind of a "Thank God/Oh CRAP thing". There are ads galore on the sidebar, but at least she tucks them in at the bottom. So I can try to ignore them.

Content: Honestly, I don't know what kind of blog this is. She does pay-per-post, which I have to tell you, I abhor. There's like... a theme, or something, for nearly every day. Thursday Thirteen, Thursday Thirteen ANSWERS, Wordless Wednesday... Also, she has this "Apple a Day" thing. Basically, she lists a different type of apple each day, and tells a bit about each. I don't like it, I'm sorry. I don't give that much of a rat's ass about apples. But maybe some people do.

Sprinkled in amongst all the rest of the superfluous, meaningless, "I'm a follower, not a leader, so I'll post what EVERYONE ELSE posts" are some very good posts. Like this one. And this one made me laugh. I've been there, Frigga.


What is the first thing I would change about this blog?: Well, I'd scrap that awful template, but she's doing that so... Yay! So the NEXT first thing I would change about this blog is that I would stop with the apple crap and the MeMe crap and the Thursday Thirteens, and the Wordless Wednesdays, and start WRITING! But that's my own opinion, and maybe some of you LOVE the Wordless Wednesdays and Thursday Thirteens. I don't know, I surely hate them. And the NEXT first thing I would change is all those pay per posts, or at least, put them somewhere else.


What is the best feature of this blog?: Those infrequent views into the mind of Frigga. She's a sweetie, and she should write MUCH more about herself, and her life, and the people in her life, and less about apples.


Rating: 4

Feed Me Bubbe

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Blog Being Reviewed: Feed Me Bubbe
Reviewed By: Sexy Simone

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At First Glance: I'm not Jewish but I dated someone for 8 years who was, and I loved his Bubbe - so already it's looking good... except for the next section :)

Template/Design: NO NO NO NO NO!! Haven't you people learned anything? If you are going to have a standard blogger template, do not have the very ugliest one possible. I just won't be giving you a good rating! Can't we understand that yet? WHY must you do this to me? The colors, the sidebar, the links... everything just sucks! Man, why must you ruin my night night like this??

Content: It's like one big fucking advertisement with a few posts thrown in for good measure. There is like what 25 posts this year? And 20 last year? I hardly would even consider that enough for a review... but since I'm already here. If it wasn't for Bubbe and her funny videos I wouldn't even bother. Just make the whole blog a video of her and call it a day. Other than that - blah! I can't tell if it is a food blog, or a blog to sell shit. Either way, I love Bubbe.

What is the best feature of this blog? The only thing good about this blog is Bubbe - she is so freaking cute I could kiss her!

Rating: 2 - only for Bubbe

Asara's Mental Meanderings

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Blog Being Reviewed: Asara's Mental Meanderings
Reviewed By: Sexy Simone

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At First Glance: Where's the header? Where's the title? Where's the tagline? All I see is the colors :)

Template/Design: Unless you happen to link to this blog from somewhere else and already knew the name, I would be searching high and low for it. Well, it's not high, and it's not low - so basically it isn't there. Sure, I can look at my URL bar but why would I want to? I want to see the name of the blog - right smack in front of my big ass nose. The template is bright, but not altogether horrible. In fact it is more "okay" then anything else. It doesn't grab me... it's just sort of there, kind of like those frozen meals that seem to stay in your refrigerator for years until you finally move and throw them out. You see them, but you don't acknowledge them. That is how I feel about the template. It is a 3-column which I don't love, because to me, unless you put one on each side, it just sort of looks lopsided. This one especially does because the color is all on the right side, and just blank white pages on the left where the blog is. I'm just not digging it quite frankly.

*Edit* Oh Crap!! The person who designed this template is none other than the girl who did my personal template. Hail Queen Zoe - I am so sorry that I just had to bag this one - please accept my heartfelt condolences and know that I love your work 99% of the time. This just happens to be the 1% that I don't love. Forgive me??

Content: It's just a whole lot of blah blah blah crap. I'm not in the mood to read about finding your CD's, or Warcraft games, or Harry Potter. Dude, where is her blog? Where is anything meaningful? Interesting even? I'm sure you're a very nice girl, but again, I just can't dig it. I'm randomly scrolling hoping to find something - ANYTHING - I can say WOW too - but I can't. And quite frankly, if it takes me this long, then it isn't worth it to keep looking.

What is the best feature of this blog? That she has a lot of friends that do dig her crap, er... I mean blog.

Rating: 3 - You got the wrong person reviewing this one hon... sorry!

I Don't Know Where I'm From

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Blog Being Reviewed: I Don't Know Where I'm From
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: My computer crashed four times trying to access this site, and then Blogger crashed on the TWO attempts to write this review. Maybe it's a sign from above?

Template/Design: Standard layout, but I'm quite fond of the colors. Totally matches the brown pants she's wearing in the picture, so she's workin' it. Plus this isn't a story of someone's life that would warrant a pink and purple template with frilly flowers. This is a pretty dark story she's telling, and she picked a suitable template for it.

The brown text body paired with the tan font is a tad bit difficult to read, but we here at "So Many Blogs..." have seen worse. MUCH WORSE.

Two suggestions for the template. Move the "My Life Story" up to the very smack-dab top of the sidebar. It's always the most important part of any sidebar, and especially for this blog, in particular. So much more important than say, the awards she's won? Seriously, haven't all bloggers won an award of some sort? Hell, they are passed out like Jehovahs Witness flyers. Every blog has at least gotten ONE.

Well, except our blog.

But I'm not upset.

MUCH.

My other suggestion for the template would be to shorten the list of "chapters." Put it on a separate page and give your readers a chance to click on a link in your sidebar to "Start Reading." I assume you're going to keep this story going (at least I'm truly hoping you do!), so the list of posts will get quite long eventually. As of today, you're already on #64!

Loyal and Faithful Diva Dee Worshippers Readers, If you've checked this blog out yet, you'll notice this is one blog that "archives" don't suit very well, and neither does a list of "Previous Posts." This blog truly requires a reader to start from the very beginning and delve into the story of her life. (Plus it has the added feature of being able to click on "Next Post" at the bottom, making it easier to navigate.)

Content: Delving into the story of her life. That's just what I did. I spent my afternoon yesterday reading all sixty-four posts on this blog, and I loved it. Her "Life Story" in her own words:

Between 1976-1989 my family moved 18 times. I went to 16 schools K-10. Whenever I moved to a new place kids would ask me where I was from, and I'd tell them I didn't know where I was from, but I was born in San Diego, and then I would rattle off a bunch of places where I had lived. The next question would always be, "Are you an army brat?" The answer is no. The truth is my parents were on the run from a couple government agencies. Add to this bizarre tale living with alcoholic parents and it makes it very complicated. This is my life.

I was caught up in this story, and I waited on the next post with baited breath. It was like watching "Days of Our Lives" on a Friday afternoon, and when the final scene fades to black, you let out an exasperated "GAH!" because now you have to wait until Monday to see what happens next. That's how I felt at the end of these posts.

When I first started reading, I was curious as to if this was REAL or fiction, and I've determined it sure seems to be a true story. In my opinion, like that would matter!!! Because I'd still totally be reading this blog!

I'm not going to bother linking any of her posts to you people, because I have issued a June 27th, 2007 Proclamation:

YOU ALL ARE REQUIRED TO READ HER BLOG.

ALL OF IT.

NOW.

The only issues I had with the content were that some of it seemed a little James Frey-ish. If you've read his book, "Million Little Pieces" you'll know what I mean. Kinda jumpy writing-- that's the best way I can describe it. But I liked that book, and I like this blog.

My other issue was with the use of acronyms for people's names... I totally understand the need for privacy, but it made it a little hard to follow at times.

And the music and video clips? I LOVED THEM!!! It brought back so many memories for me, because we are almost the same age.

What is the one thing I would change about this blog? If I had to choose ONE, move the "Life Story" up... everything else is fine the way it is.

What is the best feature of this blog? The story, man! It's all about the story!

Rating: 9.5 - if any of you have teenagers, this blog should be required reading for them.

Miss "I Don't Know Where I'm From", Forgive Me

I haven't forgotten about you, my dear.

I've read your entire blog*, yet Blogger is preventing me from posting my review. So it's been deleted TWICE now.

I must now go get some caffeinated beverage, or a shot of whiskey, and take a break from the computer.

I'll try again later.

*YES, I really did read her entire blog yesterday. Y'all might want to study up before I give my review.

Ruth Speaks Up

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Blog Being Reviewed: Ruth Speaks Up
Reviewed By: Chatty Chicka

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At First Glance: **sigh** It's black. And plain. Really, really plain. I whisper to myself, "please, please, be funny, or creative, or brilliant, or bitchy or SOMETHING." Be anything that isn't boring and monochromatic like this BLACK.


Template/Design: Ruth, do yourself a favor: visit one of the many sites that Diva Dee listed a few posts ago, and pick out a new template. PLEASE!!! Because I gotta tell you, this one sucks. No offense. I don't know what happened to your sidebar, but somehow it got stuck down at the very bottom of the page, like a fat kid in an innertube. Oh, and please don't blog in different colors. It just makes my eyes hurt. Thank you in advance for never doing that again. Oh, and I've been wanting to get "Julie and Julia." Is it any good? But I digress...


Content: Ah, but the lady doth redeem herself, methinks... I started out expecting to be bored out of my skull. But I was pleasantly surprised. She's smart and funny, with just a touch of sarcasm, which Lord knows, I DO enjoy. But Ruth, dude, time to get that kid potty-trained. I mean REALLY. It's TIME. No offense. It is none of my business if you have to change your kid's diaper before he goes out on his first date. Ha!

Read this and tell me her father-in-law is not a fuh-reak! I will tell you that you are a liar. This one cracked me up. I could NEVER talk to the eyebrow-waxing-lady like that. I would have said, "Oh, that's FABULOUS!" and then went home and cried myself to sleep.

All in all, I like what she has to say very much. And I like how she says it.


What is the first thing I would change about this blog?: Get a purdy template, get that sidebar up where she's supposed to be, and move your archives closer to the top. That DNA thing is cute, but it's probably what is making your sidebar too fat.


What is the best feature of this blog?: I like the writing, I like the pictures.


Rating: 7

Things We Said Today

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Blog Being Reviewed: Things We Said Today
Reviewed by: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Pic's a bit blurry, as well as the title. We'll check it in something besides Internet Explorer and see if it changes.

Template/Design: No, still blurry-- even in Opera. And Firefox. Looks like it was a small graphic that got blown up. Sidebar is full of unnecessary stuff. Your Watkins hoopla should get rolled into one link, and move it off your main page. Archives are WAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY down at the bottom, and should be moved higher up. And I don't see one single thing in your sidebar that tells me who you are, or why you are blogging. Even your title doesn't say much to me, besides that it sounds like a group effort, and not a blog authored by one person. WHO ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU BLOGGING? WHERE ARE YOU FROM? You have quotes from other people, books you've read, and at least 3 different sidebar titles for other blogs you read. What about YOU?

The fonts? Can't you make it something a little prettier, and not so Blogger 1.0?
And why are people so gung-ho on adding funky things to their sidebar? For example, a Google search box is just plain freakin' silly. If I wanted to find something on Google, wouldn't I just go to Google's site? It's unnecessary and it wastes space.

Content: Let me start off by saying this is not the type of blog I would get into, so I'm having a hard time reviewing the content. She apparently homeschools, is a rep/distributor for Watkins products, and is religious. M'kay.

Do any of you know what a courting family is? I didn't either.

I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here, people. I don't like this blog. There are beliefs and practices in this blog that I disagree with, so will I get bashed for bashing HER and her beliefs? I'll be honest-- I am against homeschooling, I am a proud member of the Democratic party, I am 100% FOR stem-cell research, and I am pro-choice... the list could go on. I tried to find some posts in this blog I can link you all to showing things I LIKED about it, but I really didn't find any. I just flat out don't like this blog.

What is the one thing I would change about this blog? Burp-- I think I just saw a Pay Per Post ad. Gawd.

What is the best feature of this blog? I'm still searching for it.

Rating: I'm sticking with my personal opinion on this entertainment blog, and giving this a 3.

Wired for Noise

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Blog Being Reviewed: Wired for Noise
Reviewed By: Lexis Eldorado

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At First Glance: Is this an advertising site?


Template/Design: Well, it certainly is colorful, lol but it is cluttered a bit. I do see how she rearranged the three column template to lay it out differently by not putting the blog in the middle, but the actual blog gets lost - this needs VACUUMED really bad, lol


Content: Ok I hope the Author comes back over here because I need some clarification. Apparently my cognitive thinking skills went on vacation because I've been back twice and I can't find any archives deeper than the ones on the page. Did you just start this blog? Well I put on my logging boots and began to clear the 'brush' to get to some content and it wasn't so bad. Her 100 things could be 100 blog entries in itself. Quite intriguing. This is like a teaser blog - I see great potential, but she does have two very young children, so I'm sure blogging gets tossed by the wayside more than she might like.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Unclutter this bad boy!

What is the best feature of this blog? The potential this blog has based on all the previews I'll call them that I've read.


Rating: 7 out of 10

Northwest Ladybug

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Blog Being Reviewed: Northwest Ladybug
Reviewed By: Lexis Eldorado

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At First Glance: Another Template 101 and a dark one at that.


Template/Design: Well, she is using a basic blog template but one of the crisper ones. She has this international flair as evidenced by the flag roll call down the side. I think it adds a pop of color so it's okay. I am just neutral on the template - let me get into the meat.

Content: Who knew I had a sista of another shade, lol lol This was like reviewing my own blogspace and since I think mine is the shit - then SO IS HERS! I've said it before and I'll say it again - everyday life if conveyed correctly can be quite amusing and hers is just that. She also carries her camera around like me, lol The pictures whether taken by her or pulled from the web enhance the stories ten fold for example, here are some of my best posts: HERE and HERE and oh yeah HERE. I've already jacked her Meme's and for me it was just interesting reading. When she talked about if she could do 35 over again - my heart started racing - HONEY I FEEL YOU!

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Oh I don't know. She's from Seattle and the template color fits - sometimes you don't need witty or bursting with color or animatronics to make things work.

What is the best feature of this blog? The content. She's a great storyteller.

Rating: 10 out of 10 - Alrightyy then I've been passing this out like stickers at the Drs. office, I'm losing my damn edge and I started out sooo 'overdoing it' LOL. I guess I'm being biased because she's my Northwest twin - but oh well. I said I needed to branch out in my blogroll, and you are my maiden voyage.

Slightly Mordant

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Blog Being Reviewed: Slightly Mordant
Reviewed By: Chatty Chicka

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At First Glance: I love the header, hate the lack of color, throughout this blog. But the pictures on the header are mysterious and sexy, so I'm anxious to get started reading...


Template/Design: Again, I definitely think the blog could use some more color. But the header is terrific. The sidebar is a little fluffed up with unnecessary crap (damn those button thingies!) but I love, LOVE the option to view or hide the blogroll.


Content: Here's where we break down a little. He's a helluva nice guy, but "Mordant"? I had no clue what mordant meant till I saw the definition on his header, and I have to tell you, if you're gonna bill yourself as "caustic" or "sarcastic", then caustic and sarcastic you must be. But he's not. He's a slightly boring, seemingly very nice guy who enjoys his life and enjoys writing about it. I didn't really see strong emotion, good OR bad, on anything I read. Still, it's hard to dislike him. Unfortunately, it's hard to get interested enough to keep reading, either.


What is the first thing I would change about this blog?: I'd add some color, definitely. And maybe write about something you HATE, or something that makes you SAD. Inject some more emotion into your writing. I can't stress this enough, I want to see some PASSION in what I read!


What is the best feature of this blog?: Although this is not my idea of a GREAT blog, it's certainly not one of the worst I've ever read. He's intelligent, articulate, and refreshingly polite. Gotta love those English men, dontcha? As for the best feature, for ME it's those pictures on the header. Dude, I adore those eyes!!!


Rating: 6
Although it's not a blog that I would blogroll, I recommend you give him a read, and decide for yourselves. You may love him...

Hits and Mythses

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Blog Being Reviewed: Hits and Mythses
Reviewed By: Chatty Chicka

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At First Glance: A couple of things strike me right off the bat. I'm not diggin' so much on the template, and the first post I see is an announcement that he can no longer update his blog, "at least for the summer".

Template/Design: Somewhere out there, the perfect template is just waiting for this blogger to find it. The one he has Is. Not. It. I do like the way this blog is set up, and I promise you, once you start reading, you will forget all about the crappy template. It's a damn crying sad shame that he's on hiatus after only 5 months.


Content: Oh my gosh, I wanna marry Craig. Gee, I hope he's over 30, because if not, then I am a great big ol' cradle robbing pervert, but if loving you is wrong, dude? I don't wanna be right.... I've read every blessed word and I have to say YOU TICKLE MY FANCY. My husband would prefer that my fancy remain UNTICKLED, but hey, the damage is done already.

He's funny. He's sarcastic. He's a bit silly, but in a VERY GOOD WAY. What a fabulous sense of humor. And what a sick, sick mind...

Please do me (and Craig, of course) the honor of reading this. And this. Oh, and you HAVE to read this one. And check out the comments on his posts, because they are almost as funny as the posts themselves. And then GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES and beg him to come back!

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Well, I hate the template, but after reading the fabulous content, it seems hardly worth mentioning.....

What is the best feature of this blog? The myths. And the realities. Oh, and the comments.

Rating: 9
Marry me, change the template, and I'll give you a perfect "10". Seriously, Craig? Come back! I myth you.... (Oh God, I'm so lame.....)

Men's Underwear Blog

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Blog Being Reviewed: Men's Underwear Blog
Reviewed By: Chatty Chicka

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I've never done this before. In fact, I don't know if it's been done at all on this blog before, so bear with me. I have had a bad taste in my mouth since I did this review, and I just CAN'T let it stand as is. I just can't. You would never take seriously another review I ever did. I was so ashamed I nearly emailed Diva Dee my resignation.

***I hereby retract my review of this blog.***

I must have been on crack the day I reviewed it. It's the only thing that explains my high praise of this abysmal blog. I'll leave my original review, but will make amendments in red.

At First Glance: Icky template, but Oh My Gosh! Men in Underwear!! Lots and LOTS of men in underwear. It's a voyeur's dream.......

At first glance, I have to say, ICK. A "Sales Blog". And for men's underwear? While the men are great looking, the target audience for this type of blog can only be gay men. Who else would give a rat's fuck about men's underwear?

Template/Design: Standard blogger template, but so what? The purpose here is not to titillate your intellect. It's a blog about men's underwear, and where to buy them! And um... sales and promotional things and stuff... Sidebars link to other blogs about What Else? Underwear!! Also, links to underwear stores, of which there seems to be a gazillion. And also, did I mention that there are lots and LOTS of pictures of men in underwear? Like this one. And this one. And oh yeah baby, this one.

You know what? A blog SHOULD titillate your intellect. So, I was sidetracked a bit by the pictures. I've come to my senses and realized what a worthless piece of kangaroo shit this blog is. Forgive me, readers. But I, too, sometimes make mistakes. The template is standard blogger crappola, and I don't see anything on this page that redeems it.

Content: Apparently, there are people out there who want to know about all the latest and greatest men's underwear, and where to go to buy them. Me, I just wanna look at all the boys in panties.... Ok, so they're not panties. Still... yummies.... Who knew that I would heart men's underwear this much?

Oh the shame.... Me? Hearting boys in panties? God help me Jesus, let me live this down. The content of this blog is just as ridiculously inane as the template. BOYS.... IN PANTIES. There's a blockbuster read for ya'... It's crap, CRAP I tell you!

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Baby, I wouldn't change a damn thing...

Baby, I'd delete the motherfucker....

What is the best feature of this blog? Some might say the links to discounts, some might say the terrific TON of information on current sales and promotions, but "I" say: Me likes 'dem boys in panties.....

The best feature of this blog is the little link at the top of the page that says
"Next Blog". Click it, folks. ANYTHING has to be better than this superfluous drivvel.

Rating: 8

Rating: 1 I'd give it a 0, but I don't wanna be a BITCH.

(mercy, I feel betta' now!)

Where Can You Find a Free Blog Template?

So many people have commented on not having the ability to do anything "glamorous" with their templates, because they don't know how... and they don't want to pay someone else to do it.

Without further adieu... I'd like to direct you all to our little list of free templates (you sometimes have to search for the free ones, but they are there!) Granted most of them are Blogger templates, but give them a try. You can't beat FREE!

If you know of a site that offers FREE templates or linkware, please let us know so we can add them to the list.

Free Blogger Skins

2 Girls Design

Groovy Lizard

Joyful Heart Designs

Pink Design

Blogger Templates

Blogger Templates by Caz

Diaphaneity.com

WebSong Blog Skins

Splat Designs

Bitch & Moan

Painted Pixels

Final Sense

Blogger Buster

Ryn Tale's Book of Days

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Blog Being Reviewed: Ryn Tale's Book of Days
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Google Ads and a stock template. The writing better be good. Pfft.

Template/Design: stock template. I didn't complain about this in my last review, because they fiddled with the plain-janer a bit and at least changed the header graphic. This one is a lock-stock-and-barrel canned template. It's not horrible, but in my previous post, you'll see there's lots of places out there to find something a little more personal... You can edit the free ones too you know!

With that being said, I'll move on. Your sidebar is getting quite long, and I've said this several times lately, but it bears repeating. Shorten it up. You have some great information and content in your sidebar, but it's getting lost. Stick all that in a post titled "Blogs I Love" and "Information About Cerebal Palsy" (you get the idea), and then add THOSE links to your sidebar, getting rid of all the multiple lines of text.

And really... I love categories. BUT, when you have 46 categories for 110 posts? That's a little excessive. You might want to change that also.

Content: This blog is authored by Kathryn (Ryn) and it tells of her roller-coaster life with her daughter, Ellie-- lovingly termed "warrior princess." Ellie was born at about 27.5 weeks, and has gone through quite a bit in her short life as yet. She suffers from cerebal palsy, although I hesitate to use the word 'suffers' because she has these two great awesome parents raising her, and she seems to be a thriving 4 year old. This was evidenced by this post here.

I started this post wondering how I would give this blogger a fair review, because I truly have no knowledge on the subject of cerebal palsy or premature births. Still, I found it interesting. Sometimes it is helpful to see the other side of things. I see parents pushing their disabled children around in wheelchairs, or other such medical devices, and I wonder how hectic their life must be. Then you wonder if you should say something, or not. Should you look directly at them? Should you just walk on by as if they were any other person?

Ryn shows the other side of the coin. The parent of a disabled child. She freely discusses comments people make to her and Ellie. The looks she gets, how she and her daughter are treated. It's quite an eye-opener. She has insecurities just like all of us parents, she's just truly quite remarkable. As she says, it's just cerebal palsy... it could be much worse!

What is the First Thing I Would Change About This Blog? Probably freshen up the site with a new template.

What is the Best Feature of this Blog? Definitely Ellie. Ryn, your daughter is a doll.

Rating: 7.5

Shrike & Whozat

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Blog Being Reviewed: Shrike & Whozat
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: I love being terrifying. So when I see the very post is something like THIS, I giggle a little.

Template/Design: I'm going to somewhat overlook the boring blogger template. 99% of bloggers out there have a standard blogger template, and so I will refrain from bashing this one. But its gray, blue and white. Probably could stand to be spiced up a bit. Add some red hearts or something! I like the title, the tagline and the header pic, though. It's personal.

Content: Whozat is a 30-something native Texan-- and a self-proclaimed extrovert. She met her partner (Shrike) 9 years ago on the internet. This blog is the story of her (their) life. So what happens when you take a couple of lesbians, add in their wedding story, one of them trying to get pregnant, and lots more interesting stuff?

The result is a good blog. Perhaps a great blog.

I really like this blog. I could be redundant and exclaim that I LOVE IT... ok, yes. I admit. I love it. You people are all making my job way too easy--throwing out high ratings is easy when blogs are as good as this one.

I enjoy reading about their journey. I've gotten into reading about them moving to a new state together, and you can tell how excited they are at the prospect of starting a family together. They seem to have a wonderful relationship, it's very clear to see throughout the writing. I wish you the best of luck in starting your family, and many happy years together as a couple. You both seem like great people. And I have grown quite fond of the term "pee stick."

What Would Be The One Thing I Would Change About This Blog? The template is a little yawn-inducing.

What is the Best Feature of this Blog? The content.

Rating: 9

Dixie's Diner

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Blog Being Reviewed: Dixie's Diner
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: I pink puffy heart Dixie. I'll take some scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes, please.

Template/Design: Perfect! I love the sidebar titles that match the "Diner" theme... 'Your Waitress', 'the Cook Recommends'... great job!

Content: Crocs ARE the ugliest shoes on earth, and people with stuffed animals in the back window of their cars are morons. Right on, sista. We are already thinking alike, and therefore, your review score has increased exponentially.

And, sweet Miss Dixie...Forgetting your underwear? Shame, shame. Although anyone that can combine shower spiders and going commando into one post deserves a standing ovation. And I loves me some Kohls, too. We need to get together to shop sometime.

On a more serious note-- I love her openness about certain topics. She's a normal woman, a mom, and she's had some weight issues. Haven't we all? I won't link to all of those posts, but she's decided that talking about her struggles will help her hold herself more accountable to her plan. She knows like all of us, we used to be hot skinny young girls, and now damn marriage and motherhood has taken its toll. I applaud her efforts, and her honesty.

I love this blog. I feel like a broken record for saying it again about yet another blog, but I've been darn-tootin' lucky to get some great ones to review lately. I don't know if she is really writing the way she speaks, or if its an act, but I love it. I feel like I'm having a conversation with Ricky Bobby's second cousin with all the "Baby Jesus" talk and all. The southern slang alone makes me smile, because I can totally get what she's talking about when she's telling a story.

What is the one thing I would change about this blog? I don't think I would change a thing. I love it, and plan on spending some more time reading it today.

What is the best feature of this blog? Um, the whole thing?

Rating: 10

Petals of My Life

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Blog Being Reviewed: Petals of My Life
Reviewed By: Chatty Chicka

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At First Glance: There's a lot of really, really putrid yellow, which for some reason makes me want a hotdog...


Template/Design: Aside from the mustard-y yellow, the template itself is not so bad. I like the tree with the rainbow thingy. But in my humble opinion, the posting area could be MUCH wider, and the whole thing wouldn't look so crammed up together. The posts and sidebar are set up quite nicely, however. Oh yuck, I hate, HATE, HATE those button things all stuck together at the bottom.


Content: I'm immediately and completely turned off by the HUGE button that says "HIRE ME - A post on this blog is $5." I don't want to stomp on anyone's ability to make money, but it's very off-putting to me. However, when I clicked on "Daily Life" in the sidebar, I got to read much more about her and her life.

Now, I'm not being rude here, I swear. But apparently she writes in another language, and then uses some kind of translating thingy, which really is beyond my understanding, but sometimes the results are HILARIOUS. Like this statement: "My head feels like it has been runned over by a truck and the nose is not to play with." hee. That made me laugh out loud.


What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Change the ugly yellow to something more soothing, widen that blog posting area and make the font bigger so I don't strain my eyes to read. Also, and this is just my opinion, get rid of all the button things at the bottom, which are just nothing but clutter, and move that horrid HIRE ME button to the bottom. I would get all the hired posts off the main page and onto a linked page.

What is the best feature of this blog? She seems like a nice person, and of course, reading the sometimes wild translations is great fun. Relax, I'm not laughing AT you.... I'm laughing WITH you...

Rating: 4

L.A. Daddy

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Blog Being Reviewed: L.A. Daddy
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: I think I love you...

Template/Design: Um, yeah. I DO. Love you, that is. The template is wonderful. Wonderful as going to bed on freshly washed sheets. Or sipping a cold beverage on a hot summer day. Crisp, clean template. Lots of color, but not too much. Straightforward design, sharp corners. Nicely done-- graphic by Color Splash Studio, and what better picture for this title!

The one bad part of the page is the "Auction Ads"... why do your readers need to see those? I'd lose them quickly. The rest of the sidebar is getting a tad bit lengthy, so either add a tab to your header for your blogroll (which is getting quite long) or link to a separate post somewhere in your sidebar. You've got a great blogroll, so give it the props it deserves, but listing that many on your sidebar is too much.

Content: We've all read mommy blogs before, and so its a nice change to read a blog from a daddy's point of view. With a nice sparkling clean template, I was hoping for some attention-grabbing posts. The writing is pretty good, it just didn't pull me in like I was hoping it would. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely a few funny posts in there... like this one, this one, and this one that gave me some good laughs. But, is it enough to make me come back on a regular basis? To become a daily reader of Mr. L.A. Daddy? We'll see. I might have to take some time to read some more of his archives. Some blogs you can just jump right in and start reading with no problems, and there there are other blogs you have go back and play catch-up to be able to understand what you're reading now. This blog falls into the latter category.

What is the one thing I would change about this blog? Lose the auction ads. NOW.

What is the best feature of this blog? The template. And your adorable daughter... and another on the way? Congrats!

Rating: 7

Word Up

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Blog Being Reviewed: Word Up
Reviewed By: Sexy Simone

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At First Glance: Oh Right! This is the blog by the guy who does the baseball blog - Chad Gramling, I thought the name sounded familiar! What's up with the heading though??

Template/Design: I don't like the heading... It reminds me of my old catholic school, and that wasn't a good time for me :) I just think it is a little plain for Chad. Didn't you have the 3 heads or something?? I don't know, that one made me laugh, this one just me overlook it. I do think it is extremely well organized which gives me a little flutter of happiness. I do love a well organized blog! I love the sidebar with the pictures instead of links. It adds some much needed color to your blog, and you tend to overlook the fact that the template is rather bland when you see all the fun links. Oh - wait - maybe this is what you were going for in the beginning?

Content: As I was reading his about page I ran into this:

One saying a lot of people say is "a picture can say a thousand words." My response is "that's great, but good writing can paint a thousand pictures." To each his own I guess. I like pictures too.

This, not only explains the above statement about the template, but it also explains why I enjoy him so much. Although, I have not seen this blog much in passing, I love his writing. It is very descriptive, and although it may not pertain to me most of the time, because I tend to read blogs of a more light hearted nature, the writing is very detailed, descriptive, and overall excellent. He has another blog about baseball which I like very much. It is HERE and then you can sign up for his newsletter HERE.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? I don't know honestly, I think it is perfectly good the way it is!

What is the best feature of this blog? The descriptive writing, and the pictures of his little girl catching the fish - I loved it!!

Rating: 8 out of 10

A Kona Hawaii Scuba Diver

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Blog Being Reviewed: A Koan Hawaii Scuba Diver
Reviewed By: Sexy Simone

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At First Glance: My first thought honestly was "Huh, I think I like it"

Template/Design: Ok, I'm not feeling particularly witty today - in fact, there may be no humor in this review at all. I'm loving the header, I love the blog, I even love the background - but not all together. I think the warm colors of the blogs, along with the colors of the font, combined with the background color simply don't go well together. If you are going to do a bright blue background then the blog colors should match that in some way. It goes from bright to bland depending on where you are looking. The sidebar is "okay", it's long but it goes okay. I don't mind the books from Amazon so much because they go with the blog. I'm just so blah today, I can't seem to come up with any good analogies or anything, but to say it's "okay".

Content: The pictures are awesome and there are a ton of them. They really make the blog. I don't think I need to mention that this blog is all about what the title suggests - scuba diving. The posts though are a bit like me today, kind of blah. They tell of interesting things, without much of a personality behind it. I think there is a huge potential in this blog, but the writer needs to open up a big more, try some humor, invoke some sort of "something" to really get it going. I just felt like I was reading a lot of the things over and over again.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? I would have to go with the background mixed with the blog colors. Although again, you get drawn in, once you really start looking at it, it just doesn't match well together. There is always something that makes you say "hmmm".

What is the best feature of this blog? The pictures for sure! Wow, there are some great ones! You may want to consider doing a photo blog with shorter inserts rather than a standard blog template. I think that is where your readership would really lie.

Rating: 6 out of 10 - I agree with my own previous statement (shocker huh) that a photo blog would enhance the pictures more while still giving you an area to write if you so choose.

Let Me Go On and On

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Blog Being Reviewed: Let Me Go On and On
Reviewed By: Lexis Eldorado

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At First Glance: A peek into a life of a Christian lesbian who loves God, yet is beaten down by other Christians for loving someone of the same gender. Some posts may be controversial, and others are humorous stories of Debra Pasquella’s life. Make yourself at home! YIKES!

Template/Design: There's this darkness the goes against the description of the blog. It makes you immediately feel dark and depressed - irregardless of the white. Which is another thing - too much white! I felt like I was in the loony bin.

Content: This is where my reviewers hat become glued to my head. It's not about what I think or my beliefs politically, morally, religiously or otherwise - it's about how this person, living their life conveys it via a blog. She's on vacay now chillin somewhere nice, so no recent blog entries.
I read quite a bit and her opinions are strong, she spends ALOT of time backing up what she is saying and sprinkled in there are personal tidbits about her own life. Her writing style is a bit in your face as in "YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT" and there is alot of that big bolded letters, sometimes I wondered who is she trying to convince...I didn't go super deep beacause irregardless to what I said above - my own feelings about the intrepretation of religious text for one's personal use kept creeping in. I'm sure she has hoards of folks who are in agreement with her, maybe she should write to them and not to the masses, that way the 'edge' would be taken off and she would be speaking to friends. I just kept seeing argument after argument and unhappiness while reading.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? The White The White. How about black with white words - it would go with the darkness of the picture.

What is the best feature of this blog? The discipline it takes to live a life ostracized by alot of people and write about it using the very text that they use against you. If you can understand what I mean?

Rating: 5 out of 10 - This is soley based on the fact that as an African American Muslim woman, I raise my eyebrow at the 'feeling' I kept getting behind the text. That drips of water falling on your head while you're at the bottom of a siloh kinda feeling. Courage gets a 5.

Surburban Oblivion

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Blog Being Reviewed: Surburban Oblivion
Reviewed By: Lexis Eldorado

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At First Glance: YAWN Another Mom with alot of time on her hands during nap.

Template/Design: I Love the heading: Surburban Oblivion - Who are these kids and why are they calling me mom - hilarious. I started to get itchy over the sidebars but then I saw THIS SITE and it totally redeemed itself. Her sides look like stickers from the Drs. So at least it's colorful, lol

Content: Well smack me and call me Myrtle. I like. The title already told me the perspective would be from Surburbia and thus I had prepared for a snoozefest, but I was pleasantly surprised. She talks about her life in a june clever/peg bundy sorta way and doesn't take it too seriously. I read some hilarious letter to her husband about sleep and she relates her stories well. Not to mention she gets Mad comments and has another site HERE and HERE as well. Her kids must be being raised by the Backyardigans, lol lol. Her site reads like Readers Digest. I like.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? I would make my main blog a different template than the other two. Set it apart from the others.

What is the best feature of this blog? The writing and presentation of the writing (she uses pictures HOORAY).

Rating: 10 out of 10 - Yep! She has bursted my non-ten cherry! For some reason this blog got to me with it's pictures, it's stories, it's other blogs, the number of comments, the fact she is real and I have secret hatred about the mobilization of the mommy blogs, lol Congrats!!!

Kensingtons Fate

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Blog Being Reviewed: Kensingtons Fate
Reviewed By: Sexy Simone

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At First Glance: Damn someone is horny! What is up with the dripping red lips??

Template: Ok, I'm not sure what I'm thinking here, but I do know that no boy under the age of 14 should look at this picture. Sure, it's fun, sure, it's slutty, but what point are you really trying to get accross here?? The sidebar is awesome, the colors are vibrant and great, but really... all you can see is that girl's lips!

Content: A good mix of the fun and the serious. The writing, when done, is good! I thoroughly enojyed some of the funniest posts, and I found myself being sad with the more serious posts. The problem is, is there aren't many of them. Only 3 posts for May, and she skipped December and January altogether! I think you should keep writing! The more the better... I'm not saying you have to write every day, but the posts in April (14) of them were great and just enough to keep some readers.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? The amount of time you write... you need to do so more on a regular basis in order to build readership. You have a good blog - keep it going!

What is the best feature of this blog? The sidebar... it is a sidebar freaks dream!

Rating: 7 out of 10

Bio Girl

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Blog Being Reviewed: Bio Girl
Reviewed By: Sexy Simone

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At First Glance: HOLY CIRCLES BATMAN!!! What the hell was this girl thinking with her template???

Template: Again, holy shit! Talk about blinding the readers with one glance, either that or making them so dizzy that they throw up from seasickness. I don't know what she was thinking - Girl... what were you thinking? Just circles, circles everywhere. All different colors, right in your face circles.

Content: If I can get by the circles I'll give this blog a looksie...Ok, I can't. Seriously, I'm trying. I get halfway down the post and the circles force me to look away. I think your content, from what I read is fine. Amusing actually with the meat themometer. The circles are too much for me to continue though.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Um, DUH! I've said it enough. Get rid of the fucking circles!

What is the best feature of this blog? Posts I might read - a newlywed microbiologist in her 20's? You could do a lot with that!

Rating: 3 out of 10 - Let's do this - I think your blog has potential if someone could read it. So, I propose you get a new template and I will personally take time out of my busy, hectic, oh so overwhelming day to review it again. I will do it right away as soon as you sumbit it. Just send in another request and have Diva Dee send it directly to me, and I will more than happily spend time reading it. I just can't now - it's giving me a headache, and I'm not exaggerating!

Doppler, A Roadies View

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Blog Being Reviewed: Doppler, A Roadies View
Reviewed By: Lexis Eldorado

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At First Glance: Nice solid uncluttered Template - bring on the great roadie stories.

Template/Design: I like. It's calming and doesn't cause temporary blindness. It reminds me of the concrete and open road (the color scheme) which fits a man who travels alot. I don't mind the advertisements - it's rock and roll baby! Nice - my hangover is starting to dissipate.

Content: Surprisingly this is a personal blog and a rather nice one if I say so myself. You have to exhale because you (1) won't be getting any hot groupie stories while on the road or (2) the names of anyone he works with - yet you get a feel this is a person who knows their job, enjoys it but isn't living through it. When he's not on the road - he's as normal as you and I. I read quite a bit because I liked the fact that his cadence never changed - which lended itself to that feeling that he was not a overly impressed.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Well I could say add some of the things I mentioned above, but I like it the way it is. I would maybe just add a bit more 'fire'. You know folks see Roadie and want you drunk really drunk at some point and time, lol

What is the best feature of this blog? As I mentioned above he comes across like it's life and I'm not that impressed without the sarcasm etc. and it works.

Rating: 8 out of 10 - Personally I liked it, but due to the fact that I was a little disappointed that you didn't have a panty collection or some wild shyt like that; I give it an 8 - you are ruining my image of the crew, laugh.

Altjaranga Mitjina

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Blog Being Reviewed: Altjaranga Mitjina
Reviewed By: Lexis Eldorado

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At First Glance: 4 Toggles to figure out how to spell the damn Title, A Meez! Pumpkin Orange! To much drinking in Savannah GA and this is not helping it at all.

Template/Design: Beyonce's "To The Left" began playing (no joke) just as I have begun typing this and it's oh so appropriate. I have never seen so much mess on a sidebar before in my life. He has everything except a 'pee-o-meter'. I had to scroll wayy down to find his archives etc. I am feeling more and more like this is a young person. YET his Meez,is like a concert goer for the Grateful Dead, so sorry to say this is a grown man.

Content: I had been over here before - but he was on a mini-haitus because of his fathers health issues. So I wanted to be respectful and not jump off during this time. So I just searched the blog to see what it was about. He is a suffering from vomitus blogus. It seems as if anything that comes to mind he posts about. It's definately one of those, I cut the TV on after I walked in the living room type blogs. Sometimes these work - sometimes they don't. My favorite part is the "Word A Day" and when you go through and pick out actual 'posts' about things in his life - he writes like he's narrating "The Wonder Years" - I just feel queasy with all the randomness (unlike the last time I posted and saw how that one just worked).


What is the first thing I would change about this blog? It's hard to actually say what I would change, because I truly believe that this guy is 'like' this and thus I see rooms in his home filled with old newspapers, magazines, and his internet cache full of links and because of that - it's his personality and I now do believe that he has some little stamps he puts under his tongue every now and again, laugh. So if I would change anything - I would offer him up a blog hosting site where he can make tabs and mini-pages to better house his randomness. I would also just delete the side bar - DAYUM!

What is the best feature of this blog? The very thing that makes it painful for me - the acid-trip that is obvious with this one.

Rating: 6 out of 10 - Because I don't label this a 'personal' blog persay - you get a six, if this were a personal blog you would get a 4 cause it's just a bit too splattered for my taste.

Musings of a Self-Proclaimed Supermom

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Blog Being Reviewed: Musings of a Self-Proclaimed Supermom
Reviewed By: Chatty Chicka

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At First Glance: Two things struck me, right off the bat. One, I don't understand the header. There's a woman, sitting cross-legged, with a drink in her hand... and she's thinking... What? Some sort of Chinese/Japanese/Oriental symbol? What does this mean? I feel like somebody told a joke, and I didn't get to hear the punchline. The other thing is, there are TWO sidebars, and both of them are completely overloaded... there's so much stuff on there, it completely distracted me from the posts...


Template/Design: The template itself is not so bad, except for the aforementioned Chinese/Japanese/Oriental thingy... would help maybe if I understood what it meant. Maybe it's funny as hell... who knows? I'm not sure what it has to do with "Supermom", but then, I'm not sure what it has to do with ANYTHING. I like the colors, and I like that the posts are in black and white. Much easier to read. But seriously, I HATE those sidebars. Methinks she doth toot her own horn overmuch....


Content: This is the reason I am late with my review. I read, and I reread, and I tried to find SOMETHING that I could comment positively on. But I have to tell you, this blog bored me to fucking tears. It's so much meaningless.... I don't know.... drivel, I guess is the word I would choose.

It struck me as I was reading, this woman has been linked ALOT. So somehow, at some point, she must have been writing something that people liked to read. What happened? She writes like a robot, there's absolutely no feeling in her words. Every time she gets REMOTELY close to writing something good, she NEVER follows up on it. Case in point. What happened to the friend she met on Craigslist? Never another word about it, that I ever saw.

She drives a convertible SAAB, for Christ's sake. She has two beautiful kids. Maybe two dogs, but don't quote me on that one. I never saw anything more about that either.

Rhonda? Here's some advice from me to you. Take it in the spirit that it is given, or leave it, your choice. Start writing about how things FEEL. Write about something you want, something you absolutely LONG for. Write funny conversations you have with your kids. Write about someone who made you angry enough to explode. But put some FEELING into what you're writing. Otherwise, you sound like a milquetoast, and that's not fun to read.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? My gut instinct is to say, "shut the damn thing down and start over...", but I'm not going to say that. The first thing I would change is the sidebars. Take out some of the "I'm so great, look at all the awards I've been nominated for" crap, and THEN start writing about something REAL.

What is the best feature of this blog? Personally, the best feature is the fact that she has a lot of links, so she's got something to build on, if she ever starts to write HONESTLY.

Rating: 3

A Glimpse of My Not-So-Dainty Life

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Blog Being Reviewed: A Glimpse of My Not-So-Dainty Life
Reviewed By: Chatty Chicka

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At First Glance: I love blue. Love, love it. Which is a good thing, because there's a lot of it here. Not diggin' the header much....

Template/Design: The template bothers me a bit, and I'll tell you why: It's more a template for someone a lot older than this blogger. I don't know. I'm just not feelin' it, dawg...

Having said that, though, I will say that the sidebar is not cluttered with stupid crap. And Michi, the blogger, is just cute-as-hell.

Content: I gotta tell you, as I am "forty-something", it's kind of hard for me to relate to this blog. This kid is eighteen! And, I'm still a little unsure about whether she actually blogs in english, or her native language, and then translates it. (She is from the Phillipines). But here's the thing: She seems like a GREAT kid. Really. She's in school to become a nurse, apparently makes good grades, and makes her mama proud.

Here's my favorite post. What a little cutie.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? The template. Michi, since you obviously know what you're doing, make something young, stylish, and hip for yourself, and get rid of the old woman and the cats....

What is the best feature of this blog? You can't help but like this girl if you bother to read her posts. Have I mentioned that she's cute as hell? I don't think I'd blogroll her, but that's only because I'm old and she's Y-O-U-N-G.

Rating: 6

Kiss N' Tale

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Blog Being Reviewed: Kiss N' Tale
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Not at all what I expected from the title. Am I the only one thinking this?

Template/Design: It's OK, but what in the hell does it have do with the title of your blog? It's a standard, square, blocked-off template. Hmmpph. NEXT!

Content: I was fully expecting this blog to be authored by a teenage girl, or at least a young twenty-something. *chuckle* *snort* A blog about the science of social chemistry? Written by a MAN? Are you fucking kidding me? Oh Crazy Khiem*, you silly nut! What makes you the expert on this topic? After reading your profound wisdom and expertise in all ways amour, only one thought comes to mind.

You and your readers are a bunch of sissy pussies. Women don't want a man that wants to be held, and isn't afraid to cry at a movie. We aren't looking for a man that will be sensitive to our needs. We want someone that will take the garbage out, step on spiders, and stink up our bathrooms. That's the American way, my dear! If y'all don't agree with me, and think ol' Crazy Khiem here is speaking gospel, just take a gander at this post. I'd explain it to you, but I have to change my panties. I peed a bit while reading it.

And why in the hell are you writing of your Hitch-like wisdom, while combining it with crapola about 'business, technology/innovation and leadership'. WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF BLOG IS THIS? This song is running through my head... "One of these things is not like the others..." la la la la la la la... Get a separate blog for that shit, man.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Going into the Admin page and clicking on the little tab that says "Delete this blog." Then when it asks if you are sure, I would click "YES."

What is the best feature of this blog? The little red X in the top right hand corner of my screen?

Rating: 1 - gotta give you something for submitting it.

* oh yeah baby... it was his nickname in high school. You PLAY-UH, you!

AELEOPE

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Blog Being Reviewed: AELEOPE (Anecdotal Evidence Life Exists On Planet Earth)
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Holy cow-- the two times I have clicked on his site today, I've seen two different templates. YIKES!

Template/Design: Before I get started, I will preface this with a comment this author made when he submitted his site:

...I change my template the way a woman changes shoes, so don't waste your time telling me my template needs or wants anything.

After reading this, I will refrain from picking apart his color scheme and header graphic d'jour. However, the one thing that remains constant is his layout, so that my friend, will be what I will pick apart like my toothless great-grandfather eating BBQ ribs.

This site is just way too freakin' cluttered for its own good. You've got so much information and fluff crammed into your sidebars, its just terribly overwhelming. I actually feel a tad bit claustrophobic from it even. Get rid of one sidebar, give yourself more room to WRITE, and make separate pages for all the shit-ola you've got going on here. You're favorite posts, blogroll, and just about everything else could be linked from another page. Do you want people to read the shit in your sidebar or your posts?

Content: The content is all right, but about 75% of the posts are just fucking God-AWFUL long. Seriously, we're talking about 15-20 paragraphs long. You lost me after the first couple paragraphs because I wasn't sure where you were going with most of your thoughts. Like I said before, removing a sidebar would help widen up your post body area, and hence, your posts wouldn't seem a mile long. Adding pictures to your posts is not altogether a bad idea, but shrink them down a bit. It's not slowing your page load down any (at least on my computer), but its taking up space.

Most of the posts were not tripping my trigger today, but not every blog is for everyone. What I did enjoy the most, was reading the stories about his childhood. He wrote about them in almost a "Wonder Years" fashion, lots of flashback and nostalgia. I got a good laugh reading about him peeing his pants all the time, because I have a cousin that was the same way. Hilarious!

What would be the first thing I would change about this blog? Clean up the sidebar.

What is the best feature of this blog? Reading the stories about his childhood. Some of them are keepers.

Rating: 4 -- your sidebars were too much for me, and had I been an average blog surfer, I would have dog-paddled right past this one.

She's Bad News

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Blog Being Reviewed: The Indecisive Girls Guide To Life She's Bad News
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Am I reviewing the correct site? I had to do a little search for the answer to that question. I certainly HOPE its the right one, since I am drooling over her site right now! I really don't foresee anything preventing me from giving this twenty-something a big fat TEN right now and calling it a day.

(Damn, Ruby Lou, I thought when you asked me to cover your reviews this week, you were handing them over because they sucked balls. I'm painting my toenails PINK because I'm so a-twitter about the reviews today!)

Template/Design: Since we do advertise doing them there "review" thingys here, I guess I should go ahead and give my opinion. The template is excellent, and was done by Theme Vibes. Lots of open WHITE space to write in, and a neat tidy sidebar. It just doesn't get any better than this! Organized, categorized, and just about any other "-ize" I can think of-- this blog has it. She's got three designs you can choose from when viewing, and although I prefer Dark Sass, the others are decent, too.

Content: She's probably got the best "About Me" I've ever read, and if that isn't enough for you, she's even got an "FAQ" page. Her biggest ambition in life is to have a book published, and this is one blogger that I believe will make that happen. She's a good writer. No. She's a GREAT writer. I have loved reading through her archives, and listening to her take on the world.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Not a thing. Not a damn thing.

What is the best feature of this blog? Her opinionated, devil-may-care-I'll-say-what-I-want-to-say attitude, and her fiery personality. This blog is going places, my friend.

Rating: 10 (like you all didn't know that was coming!)

Mother of the Pride

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Blog Being Reviewed: Mother of the Pride
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Simba? Is that you?

Template/Design: The template is growing on me. It's neat and tidy, and although NOT my favorite color off the palette, it works. I like the "bio" at the top of your sidebar, and I love the way you've tied the whole "lion" theme into everything. I would, however, insert a line in between the description of each of your family members. Your sidebar is very narrow, making it look gobs longer. It also makes it appear as one big long-ass run-on sentence. So break it up a bit. Paragraphs, my dear-- paragraphs.

And the whole "Recently (cached)" and "Recently (no cache)" --- can you change that to something else? Again, a blank line in between them, and maybe think of some creative title for them to tie it all in to your lion theme. "Last comments" and "Feedback" could be changed to "Roaring Readers" or something like that... get creative-- you've got a good idea, so run with it.

Content: Let me start off by saying I LOVE IT. I love this blog, people! For real. She writes in a way I am in total lovey-dovey with. I can relate to it. I am a Pisces in a house of Libras, and I know chaos when I see it. And yet, she has this way of turning things around, finding the silver lining to every cloud, and this Mother of the Pride chick makes me laugh.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Really, the only things that jumped out at me are the things I already mentioned about the sidebar. Everything else is MAH-velous, dahling!

What is the best feature of this blog? She's funny, and she makes me "roar" with laughter. (Don't heckle the comic, please. This is a free gig, don'tcha know?)

Rating: 9.6

Note: Seriously, guys and gals... I love having all of these awesome blogs submitted to us. Although my husband is not digging the fact that I have over 100 blogs in my bloglines now, because I just can't help adding ones I find here! He thanks you-- NOT.

Insatiable: The Girl

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Blog Being Reviewed: Insatible: The Girl
Reviewed By: Lexis Eldorado

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At First Glance: Underwelmed by the Template, but for some strange reason pulled in by the apples. I'm losing my touch.

Template/Design:Unfortunately upon farther look it was just so generic - even with the apples. I needed some of that 'crumb' stuff on top, laugh. I guess I'm just jaded and look at everything from a Vegas Eye. I need electricity and lots of it. However, there is a catch to this whole template thing....Her sidebar was cool - this is her second blog and I went over to the first and her blog has stayed consistent.

Content: TWENTY YEARS YOUNG! Having had a birthday yesterday that put me officially in the 'old school' category at 41 - I suddently felt like I was reading my daughters blog and was about to get squeemish until it dawned on me that I still believe I am in my 20's. There is a 'freshness' about the posts. I don't have a younger person in my personal blogroll - so it was actually cool to read up on the everyday life of that age bracket, that is devoid of words like: Probation, Morning After Pill, Stoned, Drunk, Hoe, etc. I almost would say Dawnson's Creek but then I'd be dating myself even more. Please belive, somewhere my daughter is screaming. She writes about the entire spectrum of her life and she has a full life. Also weaved in the mix are her 'views' about the world around her. Man I need to get my cataracts worked on and go back to a time when I had the smile she has and the positions she holds. SIGHHHH! Where are my Duran Duran Cassettes - I wanna go back dammit!


What is the first thing I would change about this blog? The Template. However, the simplicity of it kinda fits the age of the writer. Who has time for templates when there's this whole world to experience.

What is the best feature of this blog? You know what the best part of this blog is? The fact that she follows the 'realness' of a personal blog. Technically everyday life can be quite boring - it takes the realization of that to be able to write about it. You must take your personal life and arrange it so that it is in front of a plate glass window, you can then adjust the shades as you want, but your ultimate goal is to have people willing to peek in even when they are closed. I think she accomplishes this with the simple everyday life that she terms Insatiable.

Rating: 9 out of 10 - I would have given a 10, but I extracted an entire point out to freeze and then drink with krispy kreme donuts as a youth enegizer drink, lol

This has been a good week! Thanks for some good blogs!

Dynasty of Lao

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Blog Being Reviewed: Dynasty of Lao
Reviewed By: Lexis Eldorado

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At First Glance: I was a bit nervous and I felt my breath becoming a bit ragged. A Random Information Blog - these can go either way..hmmm

Template/Design:The theme matched the vibe of the entire blog. The entire minimalistic approach worked. The tagline immediately won me over and I wish I had of thought of it first! "Bringing Crap and Enlightenment to the masses" His side bar was comprehensive and also kept in line with the 'theme'.

Content: I am a surfer and so I'm picky about that which you find at 3:00 am when you can't sleep and this site didn't let me down! OH MY DAYUM! LOVED IT! He has gathered some of the most interesting stuff. He flips back and forth quite nicely between the odd, the weird, the what the hell and everyday stuff. I read TWICE his ABOUT ME page and I was happy to see it wasn't a long drawn out 'me and my psychosis'diatribe. Sometimes let others identify your madness. He gave teaser words and they fit. I've bookmarked already. This weekend when I couldn't sleep, I didn't surf, I read him. I will be the hit in the lunch room with my random stuff for sure now, lol.

He has some great auxillary pages and the fact that he breaks down all of his 'loves' doesn't bore you at all. I found myself wanting to be sitting at a Blackjack table with him, drinking Tequila Sunrises and trying out do each other in useless information. While winning a few duckets.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? actually I like it just the way it is.

What is the best feature of this blog? The organized randomness.

Rating: 9 out of 10 - only because I'm not ready to be humbled in such manner by your brillance grasshopper (smile).

Ramblings...by Alyndabear

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Blog Being Reviewed: Ramblings by Alyndabear
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: What the hell is "whinging"? Oh yeah, and your header graphic is grainy as hell.

Template/Design: The colors are OK, but it needs something more. It's a boxy, standard template, with an obviously altered header graphic. It's too grainy, and looks tacky.

Let me put it this way-- If you decided you wanted to write all of your thoughts and ideas in a journal instead of blogging, would you use a standard-issue Mead spiral notebook like my kids use for science notes? Or would you prefer a leather-bound journal, with gold-tipped pages-- something worthy of containing your profound wisdom?

I'd choose the latter. Bottom line-- 99.9% of bloggers say they write for themselves, and they don't care who reads it or what anyone else thinks. Now secretly, deep down, don't we all know that's a crock? If people truly didn't care who reads their blog, they'd save it as a Word document on your computer-- not on a public site for the world to see. I'll be the first to admit I WANT people to read my blog, I WANT comments, and the best way to do that is to find a template that makes people want to stick around long enough to actually read what you have to say. Girl, you're an elementary teacher, so I know you've got personality. Your blog template should mirror that.

As far as the sidebar goes (and this also will tie in to the "Content" part of my review) you've got the whole "About Me" arena covered. People, she's got the "100 Things", and she's even got a page for "New Readers" to learn just what kind of blog they are getting themselves into. Nice-- me likey.

Just a side thought... Why DO people put clocks and calendars on their blogs? I don't need a blog to tell me what day it is. It's unnecessary clutter, in my opinion.

And...To my readers, your vocabulary lesson for the day:

whinging: (verb) the practice of complaining and not doing anything about it

Content: It's decent. She's in her early twenties, (a good decade younger than myself). The best way to express how I felt reading this blog: I'm too fucking old to be reading this blog. Seriously. She's a school teacher that goes out and parties with her friends, and I felt old. And I felt tired. Just from reading her blog. Add my feeling of senility and gray hair coming on, to the fact that she likes to use exclamation points, and I'm ready for a nap.

I went to the store today! I bought some milk! They didn't have the kind I wanted, so I got a different brand! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

The content is good, and there were a couple posts that made me sorta chuckle, but I didn't see anything that would make me hurry to blogroll her. Not her fault though, that she got stuck being reviewed by crochety Old Lady Diva Dee.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Definitely the template.

What is the best feature of this blog? She's got spunk(! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !) You should definitely give her a read, and form your own opinion.

Rating: 5! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Clusterfook

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Blog Being Reviewed: Clusterfook
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: The last post actually written by the author herself was March 20th. Because of her current medical situation, she obviously hasn't been blogging. So at this time, we're not going to review it.

Template/Design: It rocks.

Content: She rocks. She's funny, and I'll admit this is a blog I read every day.

What is the one thing I would change about this blog? Hopefully, its that she gets better and returns to the blogging world. I miss the snark.

What is the best feature of this blog? All of it.

Rating: ____? Go check this one out for yourself. Read through some of her archives, and you'll see this gal is a riot. We'll wait until she returns to blogging before we give this a proper review. Get well, Lisa!

The Freelance Cynic

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Blog Being Reviewed: The Freelance Cynic
Reviewed By: Sexy Simone

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At First Glance: "Gray skies are going to clear up, put on a happy face" I won't bore you with my singing, just like I don't think this blog should bore us with his gray and depressing template.

Template/Design: That song just about covered it all, but considering I'm under strict orders to be all I can be, I must trudge through this. Besides the unbelievably gray template, you also see advertisements - right when you enter on the page! I couldn't tell if it were a blog or an e-book at first. But alas, it is a blog which means I have to review it :( See, I'm already depressed and I haven't read one damn word.

Content: Let me start with the obvious. Pay per post posts are so passe'. Lose them, or chances are you will lose your readers. As I have said time and time again - get another blog for that! Haven't we ever heard of the phrase "Don't mix business with pleasure"???? Well, heed that advice. Now, when he gets to the subject that I noticed that he most talked about - his wedding - his posts are clever, and even witty. One actually made me LOL. That is hard to do. I particularly love the post regarding the gorgeous loan advisor. But even going back a few months I found some great posts... although it took me awhile to figure out SHE was a HE! I figured the post "I'm going away with my boyfriend" was from a girl, and then I saw a few things that made me say Wow - she is kind of manly - THEN it hit me! He's gay - whew, I thought I was going crazy for a little while, lol. As I figured that out, things were making more and more sense, and the silliness ensued. Ok, not ensued exactly, but it made reading more enjoyable.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Must I say it again?? THE TEMPLATE!!

What is the best feature of this blog? When not inundated with the PPP posts, I totally enjoyed the regular chit chat about his life. Funny little excerpts that made me giggle. Yes, I said giggle - don't make me hit you!

Rating: 6