* Announcement *

After some serious thinking, drinking, and blinking... we ladies at "So Many Blogs, So Little Time" have decided to call it quits.

At least for now.

We're all moms. We're wives. We're also taxi drivers, event planners, nursemaids, and the like.

Don't forget about our "real" jobs, too.

Shit happens.

LIFE happens.

Trying to keep up with our home lives, our careers, and also with the blogging world can drag a mama down. School has started, and that means our schedules have become even more hectic, and life has just simply caught up with us.

We've enjoyed running this site for the last 8 months, but there comes a time when life gives you an ultimatum. Decide what your priorities are, and put everything else on the back burner.

We're taking a break.

We might be back. We might not.

Hush & Listen

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Blog Being Reviewed: Hush & Listen
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Is that a PENIS I see???

If you're interested, go check it out. Otherwise, I'm removing this one from the blog review list.

Rating: NONE

Pickled Beef

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Blog Being Reviewed: Pickled Beef
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Pickled Beef... what the hell kinda title is THAT?

Template/Design: Little did I know how creative this blogger truly is. The answer to her choice of blog titles is here.

Content: This blog is full of snark, sarcasm, and wit. I love Tink, and I couldn't find a single negative thing to say about her writing. Some of my favorites are here, here, this meme, and OH. MY. GAWD. Those were all from the first month of her archives!!!!

You people just need to keep reading. I feel bad that I didn't write a very long review of this blog, but dammit I've got to keep reading if I'm ever going to through all her archives! Her writing is a great combination of Ellen Degeneres (sans lesbian lover) and Erma Bombeck (sans death), and I've enjoyed what I've read so far.

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

What is the best feature of this blog? Definitely the author's sense of humor. I truly feel for Hoop, having to put up with you and all.

Rating:10! ! ! !

Through Our Eyes

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Blog Being Reviewed: Through Our Eyes
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: This blog no longer exists... thanks for wasting my time.

Hahn At Home

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Blog Being Reviewed: Hahn At Home
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: OK, I'm cheating on this one-- I'm writing my "At First Glance" after I've already read through her site. I heart her.

Template/Design: It's not obnoxious, it's not cluttered. It's simple, easy to navigate, and it is HER. She stuffed all her buttons and junk down WAY at the bottom below the huge post area. She's given herself plenty of room to write, making it easy to read. The only thing her sidebar is sadly missing is her ARCHIVES. Those are stuck at the bottom of the page with her buttons and her "Read my profile" link... Move that stuff where we can see it, at least above the fold, and this template would be perfection.

*Edited to add*: When she submitted her site to us, she did make note of the fact that the platform she uses to blog does not allow her to move the archives, nor is she able to make changes to the sidebar. Methinks its time to search for a new place to blog, so you can express yourself through your template as well as you do through your writing.

Content: I'm not sure why upon opening her page, her posts are prefaced with "Blogs I Write." Isn't the main page the blog itself? And the posts within are not each called "blogs." They are posts... I guess this is more quirky template stuff, huh? Girl, find a new home for your blog!!!

Moving on-- When I finally got down to reading her posts, I really truly liked what I read. You all gotta give this women props! She is raising three teenage children (who all seem to be wonderful by the way) and she's got a sense of humor to boot.

I found one sentence that sums up what this gal is all about. You can find it in this post, but if you're too lazy to click over, here it is:

I’d find the key to unlock the closed minds of people who think for some reason, I’m not entitled to all the rights they take for granted and enjoy and continue to allow me to be denied those rights.

This gal's a fighter, people. She is a great mother, a great friend, and a great person. She's also a great lesbian who is looking for a great woman to spend her life with. You go girl!

Read her blog. I think you'll agree that she's all that and a bag of chips. *snap*

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? She needs to solicit the help of her children (they always know way TOO much about computers, don't they?) and find a new home for this blog. It will take some work, but in my opinion, is worth it.

What is the best feature of this blog? Her honesty, and willingness to "put it all out there" for us mere strangers to read.

Rating: 9 (I'm blaming the template and design issues on the crappy platform you're using, and so thats not your fault.)

*WILD CARD* Will Write For Chocolate

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Blog Being Reviewed: Will Write For Chocolate
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Back to school memories flood my mind when I see the notebook paper blog design. Haven't we reviewed someone else using this design?

Template/Design: It's cute, and definitely goes with your title. The right margin of the sidebar needs to be fixed, because your text is butted right up against the edge. It's a pretty minor tweak though.

One question... what is all the mumbo jumbo at the bottom of your page? Is that supposed to be there? Comments, "Terms You Need to Know" (which should be moved to your sidebar anwyays.)

Content: Oh. Mah. GAWD. She's worried about getting published... hell girl, I'd just publish a book of your blog posts. I was laughing so much as I read through these posts. I've gotten such a kick out of reading about your neighbor's scary PJs. I waited for each new post to see what new pajamas I'd hear about next. Oh, and the chocolate consumption re-cap? LOVE IT.

I could spend all day directing you to all of her great posts. So let's just make it easy. Start at her first post, and keep reading. She's just that good.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? The lined paper template doesn't work well. I see the theme you were going for, but your text doesn't always line up properly with the lines.

What is best feature of this blog? That I've gotten out of an afternoon of work-- because I sat and read through her archives. Every single post.

Rating: 10 Yes, even with a few minor quirks someone can still get a 10. Go read her site NOW!

P.S. I found a couple templates you might like: This one or this one.

This Crazy Thing Called Life

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Blog Being Reviewed: This Crazy Thing Called Life
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance:I don't hate the template, so you're off to a good start.

Template/Design: YAY for you! You found a free template that isn't fugly, and you made it your own. They've got some great templates on there, and they are EASY to install. I do think that the color scheme is a tad bit depressing for the mood you're trying to convey in your writing. One thing I would change is maybe try and change the font of your title, and move the title down a bit. It doesn't mesh well with the graphic. Again, like the previous blog I reviewed, you might want to look into stepping out of the rigid Blogger box and find a better widget or tool for your archives. Also, maybe try changing your font in your posts to black. About the only color thats going to show up on a gray post body is black.

On a positive note, she's included her picture, a little short blurb about herself. (Note to self: Diva, give this gal a high-five because we share the same pet peeve.) Her blogroll is short and sweet, and there's NO clutter. I like it!

Content: Here's my biggest gripe about this blog. The posts have no date on them. When I first clicked on the site, I wasn't sure when the last time was that she blogged. Is that post from 3 months ago, or is it from 3 minutes ago? No way of knowing that. Obviously, it will show my what month its from in the archives, but no more detail than that, I'm afraid.

Moving on. Can we say balls of steel? Girl, you are one tough cookie!

I am trying to go through the archives and see just what this gal is all about, but I'm having a hard time keeping track of who people are... Ms. DIA, M&M, PnB... gah! Can you at least just make up a name or sumpthin'??? And who died? I feel like I'm watching a soap opera and don't know who anyone is or what they are talking about. Catch me up, girl! Let's go have coffee!

In reading through the posts, I got the feeling that sometimes she was posting just because she felt like she "should." Whether you post twice a day, or twice a month, write what you want when you want to. Don't feel obligated to check in with us... hell, we wouldn't know it anyways since there's no dates on anything, right?!?!?! To be honest, after reading through several of the archived posts, I'm not seeing anything that's really compelling me to stick around. I certainly don't hate her writing, but it's not a blog I'd come back to read regularly. Maybe it was the color scheme or something, but I just had this melancholy feeling the entire time I was reading.

I did manage to find this one nugget of pure gold... I am drooling over this HOT SPECIMEN OF MAN right here... Wow! This alone made my day today!

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Fix the things in your template that I mentioned above and keep on writing about your life.

What is the best feature of this blog? She seems like someone I could be good friends with. She's got a lot of potential in her posts, and I think she needs to find that one niche that she can call her own.

Rating: 6.5 My dear, I'm coming back to check on you sometime... just to see how things are going.

Life: The Ongoing Education

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Blog Being Reviewed: Life: The Ongoing Education
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: This one's a snoozer.

Template/Design: I promise to stay awake through this review, even though the template is a boring, albeit calming and relaxing shade of ---

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

OK, Miss Lara David. Here's the deal. Your writing (which I will get to in a moment) is superb. However, if I was just a random blog visitor skimming through blogs, I would have passed this one by. There's nothing attention-grabbing on your main page that makes me want to see what this blog is all about. I know that the new Blogger is very standard, strict, conforming. We all have experienced it. You need to make your page more YOU. Whether it means scoping the internet for a new template, or trying to tweak the one you're already using, it doesn't matter. Even a free template can jazz up your site a bit. You've got important things to say, and I will be the first to shout from the rooftops that your blog needs to be out there for more people to read.
Some minor tweaks I would do? Move your archives up higher in your sidebar. Consider using a pull-down menu for your archives, or some other way or rolling them up a bit. Also, IF you are going to continue using the new Blogger, you might try out their "label cloud" instead of listing your categories/labels in your sidebar. It tends to get quite lengthy.

Content: Diva Dee Followers Readers, here's your assignment. I've made a list of some posts for you to read. Please take a few moments and read through them.

I'll still be here when you return.

Ups & Downs
Because Sometimes Life Kicks Your Ass
Getting Pampered (and I don't mean the diapers)
How Much "I" is TMI?
Not Going Back

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

Done? Good.

She's a writer. I found dozens of posts that could be considered for the "Perfect Post Awards"... not just the ONE she was awarded so far. She speaks from the heart, and I admire her for that. No subject is off limits to her, and I feel connected to her. Struggling as she struggles, laughing as she laughs, and getting pissed off when she is pissed off. And I'm just a stranger who read through some of her archives. This is a blogger we need to get to know more. Even though she realizes her worth is not determined by the comments she receives and the volume of traffic to her site, we still need to go give her some love.

Go visit her. Add her to your blogroll. I DID.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? My dear blogger Lara David, I love your blog. I would love it more if your template wasn't so boring.

What is the best feature of this blog? In case you haven't already figured it out, it's her writing, people!

Rating: 9 (If you're interested in some help with finding a free template, let me know. I'd be happy to help.)

Bella's Life On The Island

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Blog Being Reviewed: Bella's Life On The Island
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: I think I'm going to learn everything I need to know about Pleasure Island. Probably even more than I want to know.

Template/Design: It's a standard Wordpress template. The one thing I do like about WordPress is that the templates are organized. They are neat, tidy, and feel like my house right after the cleaning lady leaves. Just like she folds the end of my toilet paper into a neat point-- have you seen that before?

This template screams "toilet paper corners." It's got tabs at the top, which I like tremendously. Wherever you want to go in this blog, there's probably a tab for it, or an easy-to-find link in the sidebar. A few suggestions though. I would be shortening up the list of categories and moving the "Virtual Brochure" and "Categories" UP the sidebar, and move the "Subscribe" widget DOWN. Other than that, the pic in the header is perfectly in synch with the theme of this blog. She also has a perfectly written description of herself here. Kudos. If I ever want to plan to visit this area of the country, I will surely know where to go for "insider information."

My one complaint about the template is the Amazon.com advertising. Go check for yourself in some of her posts. It tags certain words and links them to something similar on their site. For example, when she signed her name as "Merry Mermaid" a hyperlink is created linking me to "A Merry Mermaid Christmas" book which you can buy for the low, low price of $3.99.

Content: This isn't going to be a blog that you would turn to when you need a laugh, or looking for a good anecdote about poopy diapers. You won't see a post detailing her fantastic weekend at BlogHer either. She is a self-proclaimed tour guide and set this blog up as a travel reference to attract people to one of her favorite areas of the country. I, myself, would definitely buy some of these simply on her recommendation alone.

What is the best feature of this blog? She gives very descriptive reviews of every aspect of this seemingly fabulous location. I'd definitely like to go there sometime!

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? A few minor things about the template, listed above.

Rating: 8 (the Amazon links kept making me think you were directing me somewhere else. Lose those, tweak the template a bit, and you're set. )

WILD CARD

We will be starting something new over here at our homophobic vlog-hating IQ-challenged inexperienced little old site.

We're going to start playing a little game called "WILD CARD." We know that many of you have been waiting FOREVER to get reviewed, and someone submitting their site today might not get reviewed for at least a couple months. If you're like us, we don't like waiting. It's like having your house for sale, and you have to keep it clean "just in case" someone wants to come look at it. You just know someone will be reviewing it SOMEDAY, right?

On that note, starting today, we'll be playing WILD CARD. In addition to the assigned blogs each of us reviewers will do, each of us reviewers will have the opportunity to choose a blog off the waiting list (at random) and do the review. It can happen any day of the week, any time of the day, whenever the mood strikes us.

Hope you catch us on a good day!

Philly Transplant

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Blog Being Reviewed: Philly Transplant
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: I am totally raising my hand today because I'm ecstatically glad for A/C, and I think the whole Barry Bonds issue is overrated. He's an ass, and he's a cheater. That's all I will say about the subject. Except "GO A-ROD!"

Oh yeah, and my husband has a crush on Jessica Alba so he was happy to see me reviewing this blog today.

Template/Design: Again, a blogger template. Spark Duck, my dahlink, you have such flair and personality in your posts, yet you make do with a standard Blogger template. As far as this one goes, the sidebar seems too wide for my liking. Because its so wide, your links, blogroll, etc don't line up very well.

When your blogroll gets up to about 20 bloggers, it's time to make some changes. It takes up a lot of room in your sidebar, and the font makes it appear even longer. The same goes for your categories, or as the new Blogger likes to call them, LABELS. One place you can go to for help on how to do this is HERE.

Other than that, your blog is neat and tidy, and I am in OCD heaven.

Content: I love you, Sparky Duck. I seriously love you. I think we might even be soul mates. I have never met another blogger that shares so many of the same opinions I do on so many different subjects. Needless to say, you have most definitely found your way onto my blogroll.

For starters, I just bought this movie LAST NIGHT. My answer to this inquiry is YES, YES, YES, YES... If only I would have found your blog sooner, I would have known about this, too. Not only that, but I used to be addicted to this soap opera for YEARS.

Sparky Duck, I like your writing style. You don't ramble, you get to your point. As a reader, I still feel like I know exactly what you're trying to say. Does that make sense? You stand firm in your beliefs in everything from politics to what soap opera you watch, and you're just darn interesting to read.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Probably spice up the header of your blog. The white background is fine, but give the header a makeover.

What is the best feature of this blog? The writing. I have thoroughly enjoyed digging through your archives, and will continue to do so when I have the time.

Rating: 9... just do some renovation to the template. Other than that, it's all good.

Your Daily Starches

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Blog Being Reviewed: Your Daily Starches
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Holy hell, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the template!

Template/Design: Well, of course we love the template! It was designed by Tempation Designs, the same gal that did OURS! I likey. (If you're going to pay for a custom template, check out Tempation Designs. She's got quite a portfolio started up.) I would consider changing your font color to BLACK though. The orange on orangey-peach is a little hard to read.

No "About Me" or mission statement of any sort for this blog, but her Blogger profile sure makes her sound like a cool chick to hang with! She does write about her reasons for starting this blog here. The sidebar is neat and organized, thanks to her blog designer.

However, when you get to the "My Stuff" section, it starts to get a little cluttered. Links to pictures of her cats, a clock in case I forget what time it is, weather pixie, yahoo avatar, and it just keeps going. When she gets tired of putting stuff in her sidebar, she shoves a little more down at the bottom of the page. It's not horrible, but she's also added a little blurb of her own before each item. I'd get rid of that, because the font color you are using is NOT working for me. It's perfectly OK to not give a description for each of those graphics in your sidebar, because quite honestly the only people that will ever use them and/or pay any attention to them will be the blogger herself-- and ME. It's just part of my job, people.

Content: "Holy Facts of Life", I like her. I would like nothing more than to hang out with this gal for the afternoon. She just seems like fun. Although she's only been blogging since January, she's made a niche for herself in the blogging world. I MUST READ MORE! And so should you. Like this post. And I so agree with you on this post here.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Maybe clean up your sidebar a bit, but we've seen much worse.

What is the best feature of this blog? She's funny. If you're looking for a light-hearted read, this would be a good choice.

Rating: 9

CokSki Blue

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Blog Being Reviewed: CokSki Blue
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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Edited 8/8/07: Since it was very clear in the comments section that I should have given this Vlog a "proper" review. Here goes:

At First Glance: Why am I being subjected to this shit? We got a little behind on our reviews, and so I was trying to catch up. I didn't want y'all stuck on our waiting list forever, because we can't pull our heads out of our asses! Now I know why we got behind... my poor cohorts just didn't want to review sites like this one.

I can sum up this blog in two words: YouTube videos.

Template/Design: TOO. FUCKING. BUSY. For now, I won't even worry about the videos, I'll just talk about the template.

We have a chat box, lists, more lists, quotes from readers, and God only knows what else you've got stashed in there. Not one, but TWO blogrolls. One is your "Daily Reads" and I guess the other is just people you feel like linking to? Why does all of this stuff have to be on your home page? I often wonder that about a lot of widgets and gadgets, and other mother-fudgets we see on blogs lately. Why your main page? Put them somewhere else. If we want to click through to read all of it, we can. Show your readers viewers some respect.

Your background is too dark for the black and white font colors you have chosen. Your font is too small, and its overpowered by a large-ass bottle of Coca-Cola shooting wacky crazy things out of it.
Oh wait... I guess there is his first post video. I'm sorry I can't link you to any specific post in his site, because he has neglected to instal any permalinks for me to do so. As far as the video goes, if the music wasn't so loud in the background, you might be able to better understand what he's trying to say. He proceeds to show clips of his cell phone, his video camera, a Coke machine... he indicates he will include jokes, "maybe some pickup lines"... oh JOY. I pretty much quit listening after that.

If you want to have a blog that reaches across the world, and is user-friendly no matter what our nationalty or background, you might want to WRITE IT OUT. Your English is not the easiest to understand, especially on a video camera microphone which is then downloaded into a site such as Blogger. It's not that clear, and quite frankly, isn't going to make many readers (or viewers) stick around.

Oh, and by the way, your Archive-- or *ahem* VIDEO LIBRARY needs to be put somewhere closer to the top of your sidebar. NOT stuck in the middle of chatboxes and Shitter Twitter.

Content: Ah, the video blog... or VLOG. I don't like them, because very few people possess the screen presence, camera capabilities, and the editing experience to be able to pull off a blog like this. Some of the videos I did watch looked like they were captured by Michael J. Fox or my 90-year old grandmother. Shaky camera action, baby. I tried closing my eyes and just listening to the videos, but the sound wasn't all that great, either. Again, I can't link you to any specific posts, because *sigh* no permalinks. Maybe I didn't look hard enough in the vast sea of blue.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Um, probably go back in my time machine, scream how much I dislike VLOGS, and tell him not to submit it.

What is the best feature of this blog? That he left the Blogger bar at the top of his template, and its easy for me to click "Next Blog."

Rating: 0 for the number of times I'll be returning.
I didn't find one thing about this blog remotely appealing, but I'll give it a 1 because even this Diva Bitch does have a heart.

Musings of a Chick

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Blog Being Reviewed: Musings of a Chick
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Based on the title of this blog, I was expecting something better.

Template/Design: Blogger template. BLAH. But since that seems to be the norm around here, I guess I need to find something else to bitch about. I had to check this site out in IE and in Opera, because in IE, the font is fucking HUGE. Pair that with a sidebar that goes on for miles, and we've got ourselves a monstrosity of a wreck here. I'll admit to being one of those rubberneckers that slows to down to check out an accident on the highway, which is why I feel compelled to stick around this blog. Just because I'm sure blood and fatalities will soon follow.

Why on God's green earth do bloggers feel it necessary to load up your sidebar with all this junk? There's lists, and then lists of lists. Buttons, blinkies, awards (hell, this gal has won awards?) It's too much clutter. Like I tell my kids: "You'd better get this shit cleaned up before your Dad gets home!!!"

Take some pride in your blog, girl! Tidy up around here, and move that shit to somewhere besides your home page. The archives are stuffed so far down in this hell hole of a sidebar, they were nearly impossible to find. I almost wish I hadn't found them at all. There's no "About Me" that I can find, except for describing herself based on a Frank Sinatra song. Sudiegirl, why not try desrcibing yourself in YOUR OWN WORDS?

Content: Oh my, this gal has been blogging for a long time. THREE YEARS? In blog-years, thats like a century. Maybe she should have stopped about 2.9 years ago, though. She has a real knack, though. A knack for quoting other people, linking to articles, and regurgitating news stories. What this blog LACKS is ORIGINAL writing, stuff just written by her. Oh its there, don't get me wrong-- but nothing I would choose to read if given the choice. This blog honestly reads like it was written by an 11-year old kid that forgot to take their Ritalin today. She very rarely gets through a post without going off on a tangent about something totally different.

Ritalin, my friend. Own it, love it. Don't forget to take it.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? I could dig the knife in a little deeper and say 'Shut the fucker down' but I'll go ahead and be polite and say... Fix the template, and THEN shut the fucker down.

What is the best feature of this blog? Um, uh... *tapping my fingers while trying to think of something nice to say...

Sorry, I got nothin.'

Rating: 2

Things Mean A Lot

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Blog Being Reviewed: Things Mean A Lot
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Stainless Steel Droppings, Stuff As Dreams Are Made On, Novembrance, and now Things Mean A Lot... did y'all buddy up and submit your site at the same time? My head is spinning from too much knowledge at once. A blonde can only handle so much, ya know!

Template/Design: Finally a blogger that took the time to step away from the standard tired Blogger template, and venture out with a little of their own style. Too bad its the style of a 6 year old trying to dress in mommy's clothes. It's starting to resemble a MySpace page--- BUSY as all get out. Someone temporarily (like moi) stopping by doesn't know where the hell to look first. I have a sinking feeling that this blog would perfectly match the wallpaper and bedding that my daughter just picked out for her room. Hmmmm...

Moving on...the sidebars need to be cleaned up, and this is what I would suggest:

1. Create a separate post/link for your blogroll (or search Google on how to roll it up). 2. All the "reads" needs to be moved somewhere else, too. There is so much text in these sidebars, I am seriously overwhelmed. For example, put a link in the "About Me" section titled "Some of My Favorites." Then link it to ONE post which lists favorite short stories, favorite books, Authors, Music...
3. Change the text body of your posts to white or something lighter and different than the sidebars. Put the focus back on the WRITING.

Content: Her tagline says it all... "A place where I talk about books." Well, I'll be darned! At least she does have a theme, a plan, a guideline to tell us what she's going to be writing about.

Oh yes... the "Read More" link at the bottom of her posts. Joy, joy, joy. Just what I love to see. My mouse having to work even harder for me to read MORE about something I know nothing about, and probably never will.

Lord Have Mercy on my Diva soul... do I see some books that I've ACTUALLY READ? The Color Purple, To Kill A Mockingbird, Bridge to Terabithia-- the vice grip all you literary souls have put on my brain over the last several days is starting to loosen up a bit. I feel like I just gained a few IQ points here!

My dear, the content is good. You are a writer, and you are most definitely well-read. Like I told scary header graphic guy, I will not give you a low score simply because I have not read all of these books, and therefore have no freakin' CLUE what you are talking about. I will give you the benefit of the doubt, as I did with him, that you have read these books, and your opinion isn't full of hooey. IF I was someone more into reading something other than Chick Lit, I would probably love this blog and all the others we've previously reviewed. With that being said...

Rating: 7 - clean up your blog house, girl.

Novembrance

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Blog Being Reviewed: Novembrance
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Books. Meh... an intellectual blog.

Template/Design: It's tan, and it has books. Nothing wrong with it, but I think the author needs to breathe a little life into it. The best thing about it as I'm writing this review is the picture of her daughter. What a cutie!

So, the template is decent. Blogger template, but it sounds like this author spends too much time writing to worry something as unimportant as a template. Her sidebar is neat and tidy, and although she has been blogging for a awhile, she has kept her blogroll and categories under control-- meaning they aren't overwhelming my senses and keeping me from either seeing or reading her content.

Content: Wow. I sit here and wonder how this blogger finds the time to do everything? CIA-Nights, homeschooling, and reading--oh GAWD the reading this woman does! I will confess one thing: I love to read, but I feel like an idiot that the books she mentions are titles I've never even heard of before! Where have I been? Probably living under a rock, watching the dreaded TV. At least thats what she would say. She despises TV, with the exception of "Noggin; Mets games; and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reruns.".

In addition to being a reading fanatic, she knits, she gardens (and I won't even go into what that summer squash looks like to ME), and whew! This gal wears me out. How in the world do you find the time to BLOG, woman?

The content is not my kinda reading, but I couldn't find anything that would make me hate it either. We are just two people with different interests, and I can't fault a gal for that. I did feel like many of her posts read like laundry lists, like she was writing everything she did that day simply because she needed something to post.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? If it was ME, I would change the template, and spice up the writing a bit. She's a good writer, but nothing grabbed my attention and made me want to stay, either.

What is the best feature of this blog? Her kids seem happy!

Rating: 6

Stuff As Dreams Are Made On

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Blog Being Reviewed: Stuff As Dreams Are Made On
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Holy shit, what in the hell is that THING in the picture?

Template/Design: AC/DC "Back in Black..." is playing in my head. I get tired of seeing white font on black backgrounds. Very hard on the eyes, and I know I'm not the only one that think this, right?

Readers, meet Chris Howard:

A guy from New Orleans examines all things Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Magical, Musical, Visual, and Appealing along with interesting tidbits from everyday life.

If you're examining all things "visual" and "appealing" you might want to take a look at your own template. It's scary, and sure doesn't make me want to stick around to see the mama that birthed that beast in your header. Or maybe it was hatched?

So what we've got here is a standard blogger template. Again. People, I understand that not everyone has the knowledge, ability, and or the cashola to get some rockin' template for your blog, but there are easy ways to at least jazz up the one you've got-- if you are stuck with a standard template (or there are FREE ones out there, dammit!). You can change colors, you can add things... make your blog about YOU. I like opening up a site, and being able to tell a whole lot about the blogger before I even start reading any of their posts. I can't say that about this blog I'm reviewing.

The sidebar includes books, books, and more books. Challenges of all sorts, even a weight loss challenge... and a blogroll of people that also sound like them-there-book-readers and such.

Content: First let me wade through the Harry Potter posts. I'm not an HP fan, I will admit that right off the bat. I don't see the attraction to the books, the movies... at least for adults. I know my son loves HP, but didn't go rushing out to buy the book. But give him the DVD version and he'd be all over it like stink on shit.

I'm stuck on this review. How does one review a blog they have no interest in? I'm not saying the content sucks. What I am saying is that it is mostly about topics that are of no interest to me. I don't read books of the same genre as those you perch loftily on your bedstand. I don't delve into the "Classics" like my daughter goes to town on a bag of Fruit Snacks. I tend to put the classics into a category of "Books I was forced to read in high school but tried my damnedest NOT TO."

Now give me a post about the Super Bowl and I can totally get into a conversation with the guy. YAY! I found something in this maze of literature that I am smart enough to understand!

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? The template. Don't make the world of reading so dark and scary for us.

What is the best feature of this blog? That he's not all about reading. He does have some "regular" posts too.

Rating: 8 (I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that all the literary comments are the real deal, and that he DOES know what he's talking about. Now let me get back to me Harlequin romance novel, puh-leeze!)

Correr Es Mi Destino - My New Life In Canada...Under The Snow

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Blog Being Reviewed: Correr Es Mi Destino...
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Correr es my destino... correr is my destiny. Correr... what the hell does "Correr" mean? Four years of high school Spanish and I remember NOTHING.

Thank God for GOOGLE.

Correr (def): race, run

Whew! Moving on...

Template/Design: What a colorful home she's made herself here in the blog world! I was a little puzzled as to why she would have so much Asian art and references on her site when she is from Canada. Thankfully, she's organized enough to include an "About Me" and also an "About My Blog" so fools like me can get some learnin.'

The site is colorful and pretty, and incorporates so much of HER into it. She has captured nearly every aspect of her background and life into the template, if you just look for yourself. She has a neat and organized sidebar, a place for everything and everything in its place. Kudos!

A side note: under your category "I Said That?" the word PREVIOUSLY is spelled wrong.

Content: So here's where it gets interesting. She speaks fluent French, Chinese and English. She readily admits up front that her English grammar is not the best, so I will ignore the minor translation glitches, and just sit in awe of someone that can speak more than one language, and do it WELL.

I struggled with this blog because many of the posts are in French. So I obviously can't review that portion of the content, because I speak nothin' but English. But there is a great post here about adjusting to life in Canada.

Juliette (Zhu) has travelled the world in her young life, and has experienced places I will never visit in my lifetime. She's a font of knowledge on many subjects, and she seems to truly want to become a part of every place she visits.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? I just wish I could read the posts that are in French.

What is the best feature of this blog? Living her life through osmosis. Thanks for blogging about your experiences in this crazy world.

Rating: 9

Almost Interesting Musings on Life

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Blog Being Reviewed: Almost Interesting Musings on Life
Reviewed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: The handful of current posts on her front page are all MEMEs. Oh YAY.

Template/Design: It's a jacked around Blogger template. Standard form, but she did get creative enough to add some colors. Whoop-dee-doo!

The sidebar is starting to get out of control like my leg hairs when I'm out of razor blades. The blogroll needs to be shortened up, and MOVED... to a new page, or sumptin' -- its just long.

And the categories? Holy hellfire and brimstone... Um, FIFTY CATEGORIES? Good GAWD, woman! Whatever are you thinking? 222 posts and FIFTY categories? You might want to rethink that. You're micro-managing your blog and its annoying the hell out of me. Also, the archives should be moved to the spot right underneath your "About Me" section. Thats where it belongs, my dear.

Content: Like I said previously, you do a helluva lot of memes, girl. Besides that and all the talk of Project Runway, I think the rest of the blog is fluff. Filler. Stuff to pass the time until you get another meme to do. I read through quite a few posts that basically just listed everything she did in the course of a day. Rearranging a desk at work. Cleaning the house. Hell, if I wanted to know more about that stuff, I'd take a look at my own life.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Start putting some more life into your posts. *yawn* I need to go take a nap. Have anything amusing happen to you? Anything? Anything at all to make me want to come back?

What is the best feature of this blog? She attempted to jazz up a plain Blogger template. It just still needs more work.

Rating: 3

Karen Shanley: Author Mom With Dogs

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Blog Being Reviewed: Karen Shanley: Author Mom With Dogs
Reviwed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Hmmm... Blah. The template doesn't work well in IE, but it looks fine in Opera.

Template/Design: I went shopping this weekend for the kiddo's school supplies, and I loved how excited the kids got over picking out crayons and markers. So when I see this template, I sit here and think how much I wish I had my very own box of Crayola Classic Markers, and a BIG box of Crayola crayons to give this blog template a bit more color. The graphic has been photoshopped (per the author). But WHY? That's my question. Why change the photo? It looks like it would have been fine on its own. But this blog, like so many others we review, need some OOMPH! Some pizazz... this one doesn't entice me to stick around long enough to read anything.

I'm not real crazy about the click-throughs to get the rest of the post in the archives. I like to be able to just read it. Not read a paragraph, click to read the rest, and then go back to the main page. Argh. It just doesn't flow. The posts aren't that long that they require a sneak preview to get to the real thing.

Content: I've noticed Karen has an old soul. Please don't take that as a derogatory comment, because its not meant to be. She seems to take a lot of time to think about the way another person or animal thinks and feels; she's extremely observant. I read her post about her "garden journal" and I was inspired. I want to be one of those people. The ones that remember there's more to life than computers and technology. She's a published writer, and it has gotten superb reviews. Top that with a beautiful daughter, a husband, and some fun-loving animals, and she seems like a great gal to hang around with.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Publish the entire posts in your archives. Thats just my opinion.

What is the best feature of this blog? The content.

Rating: 8