A Crazy Little Thing Called Blog: Part 3 - Comments!

I'm surprised and thrilled at the level of response to my "feature" called A Crazy Little Thing Called Blog to learn the ins and out of blogging from fellow bloggers. You've asked many great questions, left some terrific "how-to" comments and generously offered loads of blogging advice to us newbies. I'm working to put it all together in an easy to reference format so please stay tuned.

I will tease you with a fabulous INTERVIEW coming THIS WEDNESDAY with Kristina P. of the wonderful, and highly commented on blog, Pulsipher Predilections. You might have seen Kristina P. in her fabulous blue Snuggie-- It's her Little Black Dress and she totally rocks it! Kristina is a self-proclaimed "Comment Junkie" and she spills the beans on what it takes to regularly receive 200+ comments per post. Oh, and she's hysterically funny too, so don't miss it.

In the meantime, TODAY'S BLOG ADVICE comes from the always charming and entertaining Eddie Bluelights of Clouds and Silvery Linings. You might know Eddie from Sunday Roast, the wonderful blogging interview series he recently took over when David McMahon/arthurblog stepped away from blogging to work on his novels. The Sunday Roast is a great and informative read about blogging with 90 interviews by bloggers from around the world. A new interview is featured every week.

Eddie wrote a wonderful post back in April that's well-worth checking out-- A Blogging He Would Go is about his adventures into blogging-- especially the early days, and waiting for that first comment. Here's a little taste of what's in store...

My first blog! - painstakingly crafted with every ounce of wit, flair and skill I could muster! A story surely to mesmerise the entire blogging community and then beyond to the world at large - I would be a star! By some miraculous mass participation in ESP I expected everyone in unison to wait eagerly, seated at their computer screens just for me, to read this masterpiece of literary genius. Surely, this would cause them to sit up, rock them to their very foundations and inspire them to queue in droves, demanding More! More! More! with encouraging comments and questions as to who is this fantastic new boy on the block?

Please click here for Eddie's full post. It's loaded with great "how-to" advice and humor that will inspire and encourage you to stick with blogging.

And last, thanks a million for your kind words and support over at Cheaper Than Therapy for Attila and Big Kid. (See top right sidebar for update.) After more than three weeks in the hospital with the Swine Flu and miles left to go, one baby step at a time, Attila sincerely appreciates your prayers and all the love you've shared. So do I. Even though we've never met, Attila is one of the "good guys" out there and I've been following her since I started blogging. She's a great example of a blog friend and the kind of love and support blogging generates. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

Hope you have a great week. Please stop back again on Wednesday!

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Logo Photo Credit: Jeff Metzger

Sundays In My City #14 - San Ysidro Ranch

Do you know Unknown Mami? She's awesome and she created a fun Sunday theme inviting you to get out and take pictures of your city to share with the rest of us. Click here for details and her logoand click here to see Unknown Mami's City today.

In the Montecito foothills of Santa Barbara, California sits the beautiful San Ysidro Ranch.

It's not a "ranch" with cowboys and cattle, it's actually a gorgeous resort hide away for the rich and famous. John and Jackie Kennedy honeymooned here and Vivien Leigh and Sir Laurence Olivier were married here. The day I strolled around after lunch, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia diRosso were checking in.

It's easy to see why anyone would want to stay in one of their guesthouses, cabanas or villas. You can see the Pacific Ocean from your front door.

Registration is very inviting. They have fresh squeezed lemonade waiting for you as you register. I had some before they realized I wasn't actually checking in.

You can dine at one of the Ranch's restaurants on this. They have a big Chef's Garden that they pull produce from on a daily basis.

Walking the property is lovely and peaceful and no one called security on me.The mountains are stunning too.

And the lavender.... Can you smell it? I could-- ACHOOOOOO!How's your Sunday?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Shout Out

I am a very lucky girl who has received a lot of blog love lately. But I've been a bad girl about saying thank you and passing these awards on in a timely manner.

So without further delay, I would like to sincerely thank four fantastic bloggers for passing The Honest Scrap Award on to me. Lisleman at More Than A Few Clowns Short, Angelcel at AC's Scrapbook, Alix at Casa Hice and Brian Miller at Waystation One are all great bloggers. I'm a Follower and loyal reader of each blog and I highly recommend you check them out for yourself!

The Honest Scrap Award comes with a few rules: First off you need to thank the blogger that awarded you and link back (see above). Next you must list ten things about yourself so here goes....

1. When I met my husband, I thought he was ten years younger than he was and he thought I was ten years older. Age never mattered to either of us and by the time we got around to the "how old are you?" question (about 4 years into our relationship) it didn't matter that I'm 18 years younger than he is.

2. The last time I had an alcoholic beverage was at our wedding reception 16 years ago. I wasn't a very big drinker back in the day but I drank so much champagne that I had a hangover for our entire honeymoon. Seriously! I haven't had a drop of anything since.

3. Thanks to some crazy medications I take for lupus, I've been known to gain 25 pounds in less time than it takes to hiccup. That's why I have a closet of clothes separated in four sizes. The strange thing is that when I gain weight, it packs on proportionately so if I find a pair of jeans that fit, I can literally buy them in four sizes and eventually wear all of them. It's freaky. Of course it takes way longer than a hiccup to take the weight off when I stop taking the meds but eventually it comes off.... after about 1,000 miles on the treadmill.

4. My Passport photo is so bad that when I go through Customs I say "Trick or Treat" to the agent before I show it to him. My Driver's License, on the other hand, is one of the very best photos I've ever taken. Add in the fact that the photo is nearly eight years old, and I look oh so young, and you'll understand why I wish someone would card me or ask for my I.D.

5. A few years ago I had a heart procedure that I was mostly awake for. I could literally see the doc fishing around in my heart with two wire like instruments on the "computer screen". If I had seen that when I was about 13 years old, I'd have been inspired, studied way harder in school, and become a doctor. It was the most fascinating thing I've ever seen.

6. I do not like surprises-- especially surprise parties. I dislike them so much that I nearly made Beloved include "never surprising me with a party" in our marriage vows.

7. I already have my nursing home picked out. Yep, when I'm old and "it's time", I know exactly where I'll be living and who will be caring for me. It's a lovely facility in Ohio with a continuum of care (meaning they can't kick me out if/when I get sick). Planning my (hopefully distant) future like that may be a very Type A/control freak thing to do, but I'm a realist. And I've spent a LOT of time with loved ones in assisted-living facilities so I'd rather make the decision myself.

8) I would love to be two inches taller-- especially if the 2 inches were located between my bottom ribs and my hip bones-- In order words, I'd really like to have a waist.

9) In my younger days, career choices were made based on how early I had to get up. I am not a morning person so any job starting at 7AM, was out of the question.

10) I've started grinding my teeth-- When I'm awake-- Writing blog posts. WTH?

Alix at Casa Hice also gave me a shout out for the "One Lovely Blog" Award. There's no long list of rules of to-dos with this one, I just get to tag my favorite blogs.

Unknown Mami gave me the "Mami Loves Me and You Should Too! Award. I'm a big Mami fan and love her too. She started the wildly popular "Sundays In My City feature that I've participated in for the past 13 weeks (and you can too!).

Since I've never been great with rules and since my Favorite Blog List in my sidebar on the right is a mile long and FILLED with really GREAT BLOGS everyone SHOULD READ, I'm going to direct you to one specific blog that I've found to be really special.

Sassy Pants Freckle Face gifted me with a Tarot Card Reading and I thank her very much for her generosity. I've never had a reading before and didn't know what to expect but our phone conversation was very interesting, caring and surprisingly accurate about things there were absolutely no way Sassy could have known about. You can read about her talent HERE and HERE. If you are interested in knowing more by all means she's open to hearing from you. If this isn't your thing, no problem, just move on.

And please know that I pass these awards on to ALL OF YOU so feel free to grab the logo and include them on your blog. I feel really blessed to have found you and your blogs over the past nearly 11 months and value your friendship, generosity and readership. A million thanks!

Have a great weekend!

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Photo Credit: © Karen Roach - Fotolia.com

Crazy Little Thing Called Blog - Part 2 - Photos

It wasn't surprising that Comments, Followers and Blog Addictions were the most frequently mentioned answers to my first two Crazy Little Thing Called Blog Questions-- 1) What's the one thing you wish someone had told you BEFORE you started blogging that would have made blogging easier for you? 2) What are your Blogging Pet Peeves?

Other answers included music, word verification, gadgets, memes and tags, user and log names, advertising, building readership and blog etiquette to name a few. I hope to tackle as many of these topics as possible in the coming posts to help us all understand the "how-to" of blogging a little better. In the meantime, read through the comment section for Post #1 HERE when you have time. There's some really good advice in there.

In the coming weeks I also hope to include established Guest Bloggers who are experienced in the various topics we're all interested. Fingers crossed on that one. And, volunteers are very welcome! (That's a big hint to all you seasoned bloggers.)

That brings me to today's Crazy Little Thing Called Blog topic-- PHOTOS. I received comments and numerous emails asking how to make photos larger and where to purchase photos for blog use.

Enlarging photos via Flickr:

Keri at Forever Folding Laundry recently had a fabulous post that explained how she makes her gorgeous photos extra large on her blog using Flickr. Since Blogger doesn't give you the option to "go really big" Keri wrote an easy, step-by-step illustrated guide. Click here for Keri's "how to" for BIG PICTURES via Flickr! And while you're visiting Forever Folding Laundry, have a look around and say thanks for the photo tip. Keri is a lot of fun and her site is beautiful.

Enlarging photos via html:

Beth, an awesome professional photographer at Be Yourself Everyone Else Is Taken did a post that answers the question-- "Is changing the html for your photos really easy enough for anyone to do?" And her answer is YES! Beth did a great job of explaining how to ENLARGE PHOTOS via html on your blog. (See Question #3, about 2/3 of the way down her post, for the step-by-step explanation.) And check out both of her blogs-- Be Yourself Everyone Else Is Taken and her NEW blog Ruby Luna Photography. Beth has a great eye and her photographs are stunning.

Purchasing Photos:

90% of the photos (and illustrations) on my blog are purchased online through Fotolia.com. Their site is easy to use and they have literally hundreds of thousands of photos to choose from in all price ranges, but ALL of the photos I've purchased cost just $1.00 each. Photos are located via keyword searches. I buy them in the smallest size available and have no problem downloading them onto my computer. Then, I upload them into my Blogger post for use in its Small, Medium or Large format. You can search Fotolia.com all you want, but you have to purchase the photos for use via credit card. And you must agree to include their Photo Credit and link on your post. (I include my Photo Credit at the bottom of my posts in small type.) Fotolia provides html code for the Photo Credit link but I simply cut and past mine in. FYI-- This is not a paid endorsement for Fotolia, it's just the photo site I found that was easy to use.

Questions:

1) If you include photos or illustrations on your blog that are not your own, where do you find them?

2) Do you use a photo company that you would recommend other than Fotolia?

3) Where can I find the Copyright symbol (the letter c in a circle) on my keyboard?

4) Do large photos make your blog load slow?

5) When using multiple photos on Blogger, I have a hard time changing the order/positions of my photo once they are loaded. Is there a trick I'm missing to rotate photos after I've loaded them into a post?

6) Do you have any other photo related questions? Bring 'em on!

I hope you found this helpful. Stay tuned for more Blogging Q&A.

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Photo Credit: Jeff Metzger

Swine Flu Update #18 & Heard Around Los Angeles

Swine Flu Update: Day 18 and Attila's son: "The doctors are planning on doing a tracheostomy on Wednesday."

I can't even imagine! Big Kid is really in a struggle for his life. Please, a moment of prayer and positive energy his way and a note to Attila would be greatly appreciated. Click here for a complete update.

My sincere thanks to everyone who has commented here and over at Attlia's. I know there are many people out there with the Swine Flu in varying degrees of sickness and it's a nasty bug. I wish you and your loved ones all a full and complete recovery. xo Joanna

UPDATE: DAY 17 and Attila's son: "There's been no changes on his x-ray, and he's holding at 45% oxygen on the bi-level vent. They've been able to wean off some of the pressure needed to keep his lower lungs open. Baby steps."

Don't worry about commenting here, please stop by and show Attila some love. This is so exhausting for her and her family and your support means the world! Click Here.

"Boy, it sure smells good in here. Are you roasting a turkey?"

Handyman commenting on the brownies I was baking.

Me: Hey Sweetie, how was your day?

Him: My name is Godson, please don't call me Sweetie.

Me: Sometimes people who love you like to call you pet names to show their affection.

Him: That's just it. I'm not a pet, I'm a boy.

Driving home from school last week.

"Dad, pleeeezzzzeeee, pull your pants up!"

Mortified teenager sitting in front of us at UCLA football game when she noticed her father's butt crack showing as he stood up to cheer.

Teenage Girl: My Mom's making meatloaf for dinner, she wants to know if you'd like to come over and eat with us?"

Teenage Boy: Meatloaf? Is it the good kind?

In the check-out line at Target in Culver City, CA

"I really wanted a baby brother. I already have two sisters."

Eight year old big sister talking about her 3 months old brother at Junior's Deli in West Los Angeles.

"You have to be crazy to do that."

Gardner commenting on the tree trimmer balancing on a branch about four stories up in the air in our back yard. (Do you see him on the right side of the tree.)

Have you heard anything good lately?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Photo Credit: Khomyakoff

Sundays In My City #13 - Pasadena Rose Bowl & UPDATE

Day 16 UPDATE on Attila's son: "Yesterday was a good day. No changes, but each day he gets a little bit better." Please stop by and show them some love! xo Joanna

Do you know Unknown Mami? She's awesome and she created a fun Sunday theme inviting you to get out and take pictures of your city to share with the rest of us. Click here for details and her logo and click here to see Unknown Mami's City today.

For more than 20 years, Beloved and I have spent many Saturdays at the Pasadena Rose Bowl watching UCLA Football. Beloved is an alumni and a die-hard fan and so are a lot of our friends. But to be honest, I could care less about football, it's the people watching I enjoy the most.

Saturday we brought a picnic lunch and dined with friends on the grass in front of this lovely building-- along with about 45,000 other fans, which, by the way is nearly half the number of people the Rose Bowl actually holds!

The team mascot is called a Bruin-- as in bear, and some tailgaters take their pre-game decorations very seriously. This was brought (and blown up) by a fan, not UCLA!

One of my favorite parts of tailgating is watching the UCLA Band marching on their way into the stadium. You can hear these first....

And then a moment later you see this. It's pretty exciting no matter how many games we've been to.

Not be out done recently by the NFL in supporting Breast Cancer Awareness by wearing pink, the referees at Saturday's game wore these blue arm bands to promote Prostate Cancer Awareness. Ahem-- Guys, have YOU been checked lately? A simple blood test is waaaay easier than the "smashing" use girls get so, if you are of "a certain age" GO! Please.

Since Pasadena is next door to the Show Biz Capital of the World, it's only natural that UCLA would have their very own team juggler! Who needs majorettes when you can have this guy?!?

Oh yeah, and there was some of this going on too. (Yawn.)

But as usual, by the end of the day, all that really mattered was this. It wasn't pretty, but UCLA beat the University of Washington. Phew!

Are you a football fan?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna