Dave Morin Blog (Lifestyles & Culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: Good blog, but not suitable for a Kindle

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Dave Morin Blog

WEB ADDRESS: http://davemorin.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The Dave Morin Blog. A place about technology, entertainment, and design. And, sometimes skiing and photography.

MY REVIEW: This is an interesting technology blog that is big on photos, video links, and other blog links -- which is great for someone surfing the web, but if you are looking for a great blog to subscribe to on a Kindle, this is not it.

That said, this is a very engaging site. Given that as I am reviewing this the i-pad is preparing for launch, you can only imagine the posts and attention it is receiving (and rightfully so for this audience).

The topics vary wildy, which is one thing that caught my attention. Besides the i-pad, there are random posts about snow in Rome, a new coffee bar in Williamsburg, Ten rules for writing fiction, TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) and what Bill Gates has to say. There are posts about the Olympics, tele-porting energy, well you get the picture.

The blog is interesting and well done. He posts erratically - sometimes every 3 or 4 days, sometimes every day, sometimes multiple times a day.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--Graffitti in Haifa<
--Neat Idea
--Instapaper really is fantastic
--If you keep showing up, I will keep playing for the rest of my life. I promise.
--I just found out there is no such thing as the real world

_______________________
Ann Currie publishes:
My Life a Bit South of Normal
Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar

The Two-Fisted Birdwatcher (hobbies)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Two-Fisted Birdwatcher

WEB ADDRESS: http://twofistedbirdwatcher.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The web's only online birding magazine with grit, humor and attitude. Articles and photos about birds, wildlife, and life in general. Short fiction, essays, bird detective tales, book recommendations and more. An international hit. One reader writes: Not your mamas bird blog!

MY REVIEW: I have often regretted that I never spent any time as a kid learning the names of birds, and the sounds of their calls. Oh - I know the easy ones, of course, the robin, the cardinal, blue jay (their names, not their calls!) but no more than that. Now that I ride my bike everywhere, I - very occasionally - see a new bird, which I can never identify.

So I found the two-fisted birdwatcher quite enjoyable. Fun stories, well-written, with a sense of humor. Written by a guy trying to break the stereotype of birdwatchers as nerdy men and myopic ladies. (And it is a stereotype, by the way!)

There are a few photos. Not as many as I would have expected, but a few. They are of good quality, so even though they are in greyscale andyou can't appreciate the colors, you still get much of the impact of the pictures.

Sample post

The Chicago Sun Times reported yesterday that cougars are moving into the Chicago area. This could make bird watching a bit more exciting. It could make the places that we’ve been calling wilderness into something better: Real wilderness.

Modern day mountain man and author Doug Peacock is said to have said, “It ain’t wilderness unless there’s something in it that can eat you.”

Well, if we get cougars, our wilderness gets more interesting. And I know the feeling. I hiked mountain trails in Colorado and saw warning signs about mountain lions. The signs were confusing. They said contradictory things like, “don’t threaten,” and at the same time, “wave your arms and look big.”

No matter. I was glad the signs were there. I was glad the mountain lions were there. It made the hike exciting. There was a little buzz at the back of my neck. I felt I was being watched. I felt I was in the wild.

And I saw a Clark’s Nutcracker, Gray Jays, Black-billed Magpies, a Golden Eagle far above it all; a Western Tanager that posed for a pretty good picture, Mountain Bluebirds. And others. The birding was good. And there was that buzz throughout. Two-fisted bird watching.

So if cougars are spreading into our area, I say, okay. And I’m not surprised. A year or so ago, there was a big male cougar sighted by awe-struck citizens as he worked his way toward us from Wisconsin, then through Chicago’s north suburbs, and finally to the north side near Cubs Park in a busy neighborhood where cops gunned him down. You can see this on You Tube.

My theory is that the lion was heading to Lincoln Park Zoo, which isn’t far from where he was shot. This in-city zoo has open-air lion cages, and maybe the scent carried. Only a lion would know for sure.

So if cougars are coming in significant numbers to our area, well, let ‘em come. We’ve got enough deer to go around. And it’ll make bird watching in the forests and fields around here have a bit more of a buzz to it.

Just remember, wave your arms. No, that wasn’t it, look small. No that wasn’t it, look big. Ah, forget it. You’ll probably never see a cougar. But don’t let that stop you from looking for a Pileated Woodpecker, Bald Eagle or Summer Tanager. You really could see one of those.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--A big, breathing calendar.
--Name that bird. (photoshopped birds/animal heads essay)
--Lions are coming to birdland
--An alternate universe for U.S. bird watchers.
--Drinking and birding and writing

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . (Lifestyles & Culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…"

WEB ADDRESS: http://globalcoachcenter.wordpress.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Everything you ever wanted to know about being successful and happy while living abroad as an expatriate or a global nomad. The international experience at its best.

MY REVIEW: This is a unique subject and a well done blog. At one time, wouldn’t all of us wanted to have lived vicariously as ex-pats? Oh, come on. If you said no, you are either boring or lying (or filthy rich and go anywhere you want to anytime). I digress. The posts here vary from the cultural traditions of how birthdays are celebrated over there vs over here to credit card fees to questioning your identity or lack thereof. One of the neatest features is at the end of each post it says: “People who read this post also read (or also enjoyed)”: then it lists 3 earlier posts related to the current one. Brilliant! This is an example of bringing new readers into the fold. Get them involved in your story, in your theme, with your characters. Well written on an interesting subject. Updated sporadically – every week or two (more would be wonderful!)

A sample post:

2 ways to reduce overwhelm in expatriation
April 8, 2010 · Leave a Comment
When I start coaching a client, one of the first things that they bring to the coaching relationship is the issue of being completely and utterly overwhelmed with everything. In many cases the feeling of overwhelm hangs around like really thick fog and doesn’t allow people to move in either direction in an empowered way. Sometimes the fog is so dense that moving anywhere becomes a huge undertaking. In these cases a lot of people prefer to stay put — which in turns creates frustration, stress, and feelings of guilt.

Overwhelm is unfortunately very common in today’s society, the society that places so much demand on our time. And overwhelm is even more common in families of expatriates, because they — on top of everything else — have to deal with additional issues. Issues of moving and relocation, of getting used to the unfamiliar and missing the familiar, of learning the language and learning a new life, of running a business and managing people in another culture …the list can go on and on. So what can an expatriate do to reduce overwhelm and to lift the fog around them?

I usually suggest two ways to deal with overwhelm:

(1) Take small steps. Just like when you are surrounded by fog and you are better off moving in small steps, getting rid of the overwhelm depends on your ability to proceed slowly celebrating each milestone as you complete them. What does it mean? Take a piece of paper and write out all your goals for the next 3 months. Don’t worry about how small or large those goals are — juts write them all down. Then look at the list. Find the smallest of them all and start with that goal. Small goals are easiest to reach and they give us the satisfaction of having completed something — and along with that satisfaction comes empowerment and energy to continue on. Which means you are no longer stuck in the fog unable to move — and that you are making a steady progress and defeating your overwhelm.

(2) Eliminate tolerations. We all carry with us things that we tolerate. We either tolerate them because of habit or we tolerate them because we don’t feel we can do anything about it, or we tolerate them for many other reasons. Tolerating things increases feelings of overwhelm. So, take another piece of paper and list all your tolerations. Look at the list and choose the one that seems the easiest to get rid of. Decide how you are going to get rid of it and commit to that plan of action. Once you eliminated that toleration, celebrate it and move on to the next one. By eliminating your tolerations you empower yourself with a new-found energy that fills the void left behind by the toleration.

--What other ways are there to reduce overwhelm when living and/or working abroad?
--People who read this post also enjoyed:
--7 Habits of a Happy Expat
--What do expats need to stay?
--Success: what does culture have to do with it?

RECENT ARTICLES:
--7 Habits of a Happy Expat.
--Who owns the truth?
--What do expats need to stay?
--I live here? I live here. I live here!
--Celebrating Birthdays Abroad

_______________________
Ann Currie publishes:
My Life a Bit South of Normal
Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar

Kids of Queers (Lifestyle and Culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Kids of Queers

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.kidsofqueers.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: A blog for adult children of GLBT parents. Discussions on growing up with a queer parent, usually from mixed orientation marriages.

MY REVIEW: Straight kids of straight parents have a hard enough time in school and with their peers...I cringe to think how hard it is for gay kids, or for straight kids of GLBT parents, or gay kids of GLBT parents, whatever.

The important thing for them is to know that they are not alone, and so this blog is of importance in that respect.

The blog seems to only be updated once or week or so, and has not been updated since March 20. However, if people actually visit the blog and start making comments, I expect the author will be re-energized and begin writing again. And even if you'd prefer just to receive updates via Kindle, try it for the two-week free trial period, just to see what happens.

(As an aside, I wish "they" wouldn't refer to themselves as queers. Don't "adopt" a derogative term to use about yourself as a form of empowerment - it doesn't work! A derogative term is a derogative term, regardless of who uses it. Just as blacks shouldn't use the "N-word" about themselves, so gays shouldn't use the "q" or "f" word.

Paragraphs from a Sample post

Last night I went to an event in Minneapolis. It was a meet and greet kind of thing for Crave Minneapolis, a chance to meet business women. I met some really interesting women there and am so glad I braved the storm and drove for hours (what would usually take 20 minutes) to go to this event.

I handed out my business card to one of the women I was speaking with. She noticed this blog listed on the back of the card and asked if I was a kid of queers. I said that indeed I was. She then went on to say that some of the most interesting people she knew had been raised by gay parents.

She meant two gay parents who were out of the closet living their life openly and honestly.

I explained that I was not that kind of child, that I had been raised by one straight parent and one gay, closeted parent.

The venue was loud so there wasn’t much discussion on the subject after that. We got to talking about the movie Mighty Ducks since her business was named for the character she played in the movie. She named her business Cake Eater Bakery and if you are ever in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area you must find one of their stores and try their sweets. I sampled one of their brownies (they called them something else but I can’t remember the name) and they were to die for. Better than sex brownies.

But I have gotten off track.

Her comment made me think about a couple of things on my long drive home.

As a child raised by a gay parent I don’t fit the mold. It wasn’t something I spoke about to anyone when I was growing up. I didn’t because I didn’t think I was allowed to. No one ever told me not to say anything but somewhere along the way I learned it was something for which I should be ashamed.

Kids today, who are raised by gay parents, have it so differently than kids in my generation or at least circumstance. They don’t worry about what other kids are going to say. Not that other kids won’t say something but since they aren’t hiding anything they don’t have to grow up trying to keep a secret.

I did.

I kept my dad’s secret just like he kept his secret when he was growing up. I don’t think he meant to drag me, or the rest of my family, into the closet but I don’t think he thought he had any other options.

None of this is here nor there.

I find it interesting that as it becomes hip to be gay or raised gay {(I mean hip as in accepted more and more) I never use the word hip, I usually use the word cool but I use it too often so I’m trying something else, I’m not that old however that I ever used hip in a hip way}. Anyway, my point, and I really do have one, is that I still don’t really fit the mold.

I know there are a lot of people who read this blog but who never comment. If you are a child of a gay parent, or parents please let me know you are here by saying “hi”. You don’t have to use your real name. I just want to know that there are others out there like me.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--Professional Blog Network
--Same Sex Marriage Becomes Legal In Nation’s Capital
--Pennies in Protest
--Famous Gay Parents
--And The Winner Is…
--Open Forum

Health Sifter (Lifestyles & Culture, Health)

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Health Sifter

WEB ADDRESS: http://marydpinkowish.typepad.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Health news and misc. medical issues.

MY REVIEW: An in-depth off-beat health blog that looks at things a different way. The posts are interesting and well written, and if nothing else, will get your attention. Who would have thought that beer can prevent osteoporosis, a broken heart can kill you, or that dogs make better walking partners?

Well, this blog will enlighten you on these and many more health tidbits. And, these are serious articles, not just cute ideas to get your attention with sources noted. The posts go into detail explaining the hows and whys of their statements in plain text. And, she posts regularly. You will learn a lot and who knows, you may enjoy getting healthy. Who knew?

RECENT ARTICLES:
--The future for Cardiology according to Wired: Electric Plumr Cardio
--Prevent Osteoporosis: Have a beer.
--When a broken heart can kill.
--Dogs make better walking partners than your neighbors

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Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normal> and Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar