• Comments: 3
  • <undecided voter> Yay! Boo! Get on and off at the same time! That's the 'third way',... - Vaughan
  • Yay! Get on! - Pete
  • Boo get off - Adrian

Memelicious Meme

Because if Mike can do it, so can I.
1. Do you try to look hot when you go to the grocery store just in case someone recognizes you from your blog?
The only bloggers I’ve ever seen in a shop of any kind were D and Pix, and that’s because I went into the shop with them to buy something. Possibly pie.
2. Are the photos you post Photoshopped or otherwise altered?
Some of the ones on The Shoe Project may have been doctored ever so slightly to enhance your viewing pleasure.
3. Do you like it when creeps or dorks email you?
There used to be this guy who emailed me every so often to let me know that I’d made a mistake in my HTML. I live with him now.
4. Do you lie in your blog?
No, but Pete does.
5. Are you passive-aggressive in your blog?
I assume that this question means do I use my blog to try and influence people and events, without actually saying so. Despite my comment about buying one’s own flowers yesterday, no-one has yet given me any flowers. So yes, I am, but not successfully.
6. Do you ever threaten to quit writing so people will tell you not to stop?
No, but Pete does.
7. Are you in therapy? If not, should you be? If so, is it helping?
If I was as crazy as a coot, I would use my weblog as therapy, for your entertainment.
8. Do you delete mean comments? Do you fake nice ones?
I don’t delete mean comments, because as was pointed out at the beginning of Guest Season, any feedback is better than none at all; but why would anyone fake a nice comment when they could fake a mean one and start a flame war?
9. Have you ever rubbed one out while reading a blog? How about after?
No, but Pete did delete the entire blog once.
Is that what this means?
10. If your readers knew you in person, would they like you more or like you less?
The thing with blogmeets is that you generally don’t have to be liked to be invited; you can just turn up. And then everyone gets drunk, so it’s really no indication of being liked. So I don’t know.
11. Do you have a job?
I do.
12. If someone offered you a decent salary to blog full-time without restrictions, would you do it?
I was lucky to be able to blog all day in my last job, but if that was still the case, then there would be no Uborgy, and the world would be a greyer place.
13. Which blogger do you want to meet in real life?
qB and Sue. I think I have met everyone else in the entire blogosphere.
14. Which bloggers have you made out with?
Just the one.
15. Do you usually act like you have more money or less money than you really have?
I’m not aware that I’ve ever blogged about the amount of money I have.
16. Does your family read your blog?
My brother is my chief commenter.
17. How old is your blog?
Uborka is about ten months old, but the history of Karen-Pete bloggery goes way back.
18. Do you get more than 1000 page views per day? Do you care?
I have no idea.
19. Do you have another secret blog in which you write about being depressed, slutty, or a liar?
This would be a stupid place to admit to it, if I had.
20. Have you ever given another blogger money for his/her writing?
No, but I may have offered other forms of payment.
21. Do you report the money you earn from your blog on your taxes?
If someone could please let me know how I can earn money from my blog, that would be super.
22. Is blogging narcissistic?
What, writing about oneself on a daily basis, and publishing it on the internet? How could that be considered narcissistic?
Tell me again why this is called a meme?
23. Do you feel guilty when you don’t post for a long time?
No. But I do feel slightly affronted when the guests don’t.
24. Do you like John Mayer?
Despite google’s best efforts, I still don’t know.
25. Do you have enemies?
I am certain that I have directly pissed off at least one person via blogging, but not as much as he/she pissed me off.
26. Are you lonely?
No.
27. Why bother?
Who else would provide a free virtual bar every week of the year?

Karen
  • Comments: 8
  • I'm off in meetings, but if anyone does serve up I'll have something wet and sleazy please... - Adrian
  • Er, re 27 - is anyone running a tab this afternoon? Thirsty work, this officing lark.. - Mr.D.
  • Well I've been trying to meet you! One day it'll happen and then boy, won't you be disappo... - qB
  • The good stuff goes on her depressed, slutty, untruthful other blog. - Pete
  • I should like to meet you as well. You never tell the good stuff anymore, and I do so love... - sue

Graybo’s Incomplete Lexicon of Luuuurrvve
N is for Nudity

Nudity is a powerful tool in the world of luuuurrvve. However, it should be used sparingly and with caution, as an excess of nudity can, at best, lead to a reduction in its special nature and, at worst, result in revulsion.
It is also important to understand your loved one’s tastes. If he or she likes seeing lots of wobbly bits first thing in the morning, then it is permissable to wander around the house (assuming they are present) whilst wearing only your birthday suit. If they are averse to such sights, then be sure to wear full battle dress at all times.
It is rarely advisable to use nudity in long-distance and e-romances. There are too many opportunities for images of yourself in a naked state to fall into the wrong hands, particularly if your relationship should subsequently meet an untimely demise. So take care of those webcams – it might be tempting to send your paramour images of your dangly bits, but imagine who else might see them. This is especially important if you are a celebrity.
Finally, nudity is very species oriented. If you are having an inter-species relationship, we at the Graybo Institute advise against nudity under nearly all circumstances.
meow
Let’s face it – it’s neither pretty nor clever. Now, go on, Felix, put your fur back on!

graybo
June 9, 2004

An Incomplete A to Z of Blogging
C is (also) for Comments

Comments are the most obvious way in which a blogger can gauge whether his or her profound words are being read and appreciated. Although many of us will – like every second-rate indie band of the 1990s – claim that we’re “doing this for ourselves, and if anyone else likes it then that’s a bonus”, there’s nothing more dispiriting than scrolling through your blog and being greeted with zero after pitiful zero, indicating that nobody thought your posts worth even the briefest remark. Oh, the agony.
So comments are important, most definitely, if only to preserve the self-esteem of the site’s author. But what kind of commenters can most often be found lurking behind that clickable link?

Continue reading

Vaughan
  • Comments: 10
  • Me too - Adrian
  • I think you're fantastic!!!!! Wherever you are? - Mr.D.
  • Palpusztai (a highly pungent runny cheese from Hungary that I am forbidden to keep in the ... - Doctor Pockless
  • Your site is so good. Have you read mine? - Fred
  • Wise wretch! with pleasures too refin'd to please, With too much spirit to be e'er at ease... - Chlamydia P. Receptacle

An Incomplete A to Z of Blogging
C is for CMS

Speaking of blogmeets, as we were, the most eagerly debated subject at such gatherings is usually “What’s your favourite type of cheese?” But close behind is a topic that has everybody teetering on the edge of their seats and drooling into their beer. Yes, it’s the heated debate of “Which is the best CMS?”
Oi, you. Stay awake at the back there, please.

Continue reading

Vaughan
  • Comments: 14
  • Blogger J: Actually, my site's not a weblog. - Vaughan
  • Blogger I: Good job you're not, then. - Hg
  • Blogger H: I hate being the last to arrive at the party. - Graybo
  • Blogger G: I think Typepad's really great. Bloggers A & B, in unison: Yeah, I've been thin... - Hg
  • Posting angstily, you say? With poetry? I've obviously been missing something. I'm off to ... - Vaughan
June 8, 2004

An Incomplete A to Z of Blogging
B is (also) for Blogmeet

Not to be confused with blogmeat. We don’t talk about the cannibalistic branch of the family. It’s a filthy habit.
I love blogmeets. That’s a strange thing for me to admit, considering that I’m known for my social-phobic tendencies, and therefore the idea of thirty or more people – many of whom are often complete strangers – being brought together in the same claustrophobic surroundings is usually enough to bring me out in a cold sweat and a nervous rash.

Continue reading

Vaughan
  • Comments: 6
  • You're a special case. - Stuart
  • really? anything? but i get it for free! - k
  • And since that fateful evening, *nobody else* has approached me to tell me they're a whore... - Vaughan
  • I have met Vaughan. I believe I managed to convince him that I was entering the Guardian b... - Stuart
  • I will get to a blogmeet one day. Promise. It just has to be on the one day of the year I'... - Mr.D.

Graybo’s Incomplete Lexicon of Luuuurrvve
F is for Flowers

Hmm. I know that this is a pretty old and tatty copy of the Lexicon that I’m working from here (well thumbed, you might say) and that the binding is wrecked, but who pulled out the F pages and stuffed them in after the Ps?
Well, never mind, on with today’s entry: F is for Flowers.
"But Graybo!", I can hear you all saying, "we know what flowers are and don’t need the Lexicon to tell us!" Well, speaking as an expert in my field (I’ve got my laptop on a very long extension cable), I can say that a lot of people are confused in this matter, so I’ll do my best to make things clearer.
When it comes to gift-giving to your amour, it is important to remember that flowers are not merely limited to blooms. In some circumstances we can include cut foliage, potted plants, cacti and bonsai specimens.
It is also important to remember that, as with so many other things in the field of luuuurrvve, size matters. Since the charity annoyances got in on the act, to give your loved-one a single red rose is most definitely passé.
You can also go to the opposite extreme:
show off
This chap is clearly just showing off. And with a ‘tache and dress sense like that, he really isn’t going to get far. Any lady who was to receive this plant as a gift would soon find her friends telling her that she needed to trim her bush, something which one would never want to be told in polite company.
One should also be careful of coded meanings in the choice of flowers in a bouquet. To receive a bunch of white calla lilies would be a clear sign that the relationship was dead. However, if you were to receive a bunch of jolly yellow chrysanthemums from a French paramour, you might not realise that they are trying to give you the same message – to the south of the English Channel, yellow chrysants are the bloom of death. But then we have already established that the French are confused.
Of course, the best sort of bouquet is expensive, contains exotic flowers and has been carefully crafted by a top florist. Learn your paramour’s favourite colours, or select flowers that match his or her eyes. Do not, under any circumstances, nick flowers from graves or, worse still, buy them in a service station – by this means have many relationships failed.
And, if you really want to impress, you can always go phallic:
Anthurium

graybo
  • Comments: 1
  • There's a flower stall just near the office where I'm working today, proudly displaying a ... - Karen
June 7, 2004

An Incomplete A to Z of Blogging
B is for Blog-Ring

I’m sure you’re all aware of the conventional definition of blog-rings. They’re either huge and unwieldy, with a list of members as long as your arm that you would never consider browsing (e.g. ‘The People With Ears Blog-Ring’), or they’re so small and exclusive that they never muster more than three members and end up looking rather pitiful and pathetic (e.g. ‘Merthyr Tydfil Youth Club Table Tennis Team of Summer 1986 Blog-Ring’).

However, in honour of Stuart and Krissa – not forgetting Uborka’s very own host and hostess, and even managing to chime pleasantly with Graybo’s current Lexicon of Luuuurrvve – I believe it’s time to banish that meaning of blog-ring and invent a new one …

Sycophantia Gesundheit's unmistakeable rictus grin“Hello, I’m Sycophantia Gesundheit, and welcome to the Uborka Home Shopping Network, available on Channel 1163 on digital satellite (or, if you can’t find us easily, we’re in a prime spot right after the 24-hour hedgehog-tossing channel).

Our special offer today is this heartwarming romantic gift for loving couples who have found each other through the miracle of their frequently-updated personal websites. Or ‘blogs’, as I believe young people call them. Yes, today’s must-have purchase is the Genuine Silver Blog-Ring, yours for the remarkably improbable price of only £29.99 for the pair (plus postage & packing, direct from our warehouse in Vanuatu). These exquisite and beautiful pieces of jewellery are genuine silver – it says here – although they may contain various other metals and impurities.*

Warning: this image may not resemble actual items*Disclaimer: Uborka Home Shopping Network cannot be held responsible for any allergic skin reactions suffered due to the inferior quality of the materials or craftsmanship. Buyers are advised to insure their fingers before making a purchase.

However, the true secret of the Genuine Silver Blog-Ring can only be seen if Boris – our inebriated camera operator – comes in close to focus on the inner surface of this exquisite item. For this is where, when you order your pair of blog-rings, we will ask you to make the ultimate commitment to your blogging sweetheart by engraving on their blog-ring the password to your Movable Type installation, previously known only to you during those long dark nights of the soul when you were a single, unattached blogger.


Artist’s impression of romantic blogging couple,
shortly after exchanging blog-rings

Note: The couple in the above image are played by cartoon actors
employed by Uborka Home Shopping Network, and are not
intended to resemble anyone either alive or dead (or unsure).
Image © Uborka Home Shopping Network.

Buy this pair of rings today, and show the love and trust you have in each other. Never mind giving your true love the key to your heart. Show them what they mean to you by giving them the key to your weblog – a gift that money alone can’t buy (although the price remains £29.99, and we accept cheques, cash, credit cards, debit cards, luncheon vouchers and social security payment books).

To order these priceless items, call 0890 9090 9090 9090 9090 22 and ask for Wayne in the warehouse. Alternatively, you can visit our website, or press the red button on your interactive remote control.

That’s all from me, Sycophantia Gesundheit. Be sure to tune in to Uborka Home Shopping Network tomorrow, when our special offer will be this charming genuine antique cucumber in a bottle. It’s like a ship in a bottle, but offers a rather more quizzical talking-point when the neighbours pop round. Yours for just £17.50. Goodnight!”

Vaughan
  • Comments: 5
  • i'd be disappointed if you didn't cross it, vaughn. - k
  • Oooh, aahh and, indeed oo-aah (that's the Somerset influence coming out in me). I am now w... - Vaughan
  • ooooh. - Adrian
  • aaahh. - Karen
  • i was waiting for when the "ooohs" and "aahhs" stopped and the piss-taking began. - k