Saturday, December 29, 2012

Basically this is a post about my year end blog dump

As the year comes to an end I have alot to reflect on certainly. There have been some major heartbreaks and set backs but I think honestly if I am right here the upcoming time of my life may be the best. I am finding that there is great inspiration to be had.

I have been living in a little land of stasis but I am really looking to make some changes.

Simple little changes actually all inspired mostly by the idea that it's time for change.  Change came in my job in October and now that I am feeling better about that element in my life I can accept the change that will befall our family inevitably shortly. My 102 year old grandfather was moved to hospice yesterday.  And it really has me thinking about a lot.  

For example. I have this amazing tree in my house that I inherited when we closed up my Grandmother's house and my Grandfather moved into his apartment.  It was my Grandfather's first wife's tree. She got it as a gift from the Denver Public Schools when she retired in the 80s.  So this tree has lived in 3 houses and thrives in my house.  Simply put, it's generations of tree and it's in a really really sad pot.  I am ready to go and find a magical new home / pot for her. I think she is a her.  So she needs something spectacular.  I need to do that tree some justice.  I didn't ever change it because it's what it lived in all these years and I felt like I needed to keep it the same. It's time.  I want to honor her past by brightening up her future. It's baby steps to doing the same thing for myself.  It's a metaphor for sure if there ever was one. 

I need to declutter the house.  It's the first step in making a very big change.  I want to sell my condo.  I want to move out an on.  Last year I took an accidental detour and ended up in this hidden neighborhood and it planted the seed that I might need to move up.  I have made mention to my esteemed guy but we haven't exactly made haste.  But 2013 will be our year.  

So decluttering first and foremost,  then replacing the carpet, hiring my friend Dave for some electrical in the kitchen (which I have been talking about for TWO YEARS!), updating the small little bathroom and off to the market.  It's NOT big changes or fixes, but things that I should be on-top of knowing that an inspector would probably want these things fixed.  I want to put a bookshelf in the corner and remove the bakers rack/plant stand.  I want to do small projects and make my little place someplace someone else might want to love  and live and grow into as I have.  Yes. I am going to move.  I am going to buy a house, with a basement, with a garage. With a yard.  I am ready.   I am inspired like no one's business by the projects that Young House Love have going on.  Certainly I am not at all intending to do anything that ambitious in my small little condo, but it's certainly been the kick in the ass / pants/ toches that I needed to realize that some things are completely do able. But first I have to declutter.  I have tomorrow off  and it's a deal breaker for me, just getting started has to begin tomorrow.  This paragraph... yeah it's basically a to do list without someplace to check mark done on it.  But you get the point.

A big thing also for me will be making my time more valuable to ME.  I sit and read blogs and links and don't do anything that I can say has any real value out in the world.  SO... with that I am going to basically be starting all over with my blog subscriptions.  Yep.  December 31st 2012 I am going to be unsubbing from a large percentage of what I subscribe to now.  Fresh start.  Currently I have 233 subscriptions and I would like to start 2013 with about 10% or 20% of that.    No more than 25.  I think it's going to be a strong move away from time suckage.    

Which may actually allow me time and inspiration to post, take pictures, be excitable and exciting.  

Feeds that I unsubscribed from (this is more about archiving what I USED to try and read and sometimes wasn't able to)- I currently subscribe to 279 blogs I need to obviously cull that down to something less involved in sucking my time....

SO.... these are now gone from my reader:

Foodie type blogs
http://www.rachelkhoo.com/ - Rachel Khoo's blog - recipes and whatnot from a british food writer in Paris (PS her BBC show was awesome and her American version of her cookbook releases stateside in March)

http://www.bakerella.com/ - actually the blog moved from blogger to wordpress and I wasn't paying attention... that being said I follow the pinterest links so that is enough for me for the inspiration!

Whatever Radio Blog - The old Alexis/Jennifer blog I am actually keeping it dark because there were a bunch of cookbooks that they linked to that I might want to check up on.  But the pictures are all way long gone. (I would use the link but it does go to Jennifer Kleinman's current show blog and honestly not that I don't think she is funny there...it's just not the same thing at all.  

http://www.dbardesserts.com/ - Keegan Gerhard posts occasionally but much more on facebook so I am happily following there... no need to double dip.

http://cakeandpie.typepad.com/cake_pie/ - I don't even remember what this was, and the archive shows gun holsters and girdles.  I so very much doubt that is what it was when I first subscribed.  But either way... I am betting it was something Lisa Loeb related, she cooked and that was an album.  Either way... unsubbed.

http://underthetuscangun.com/category/talk/ - Under the Tuscan Gun - Gabrielle Corsco's blog pre-ExtraVirgin when he and Debi Mazar used to do their show online.  I wish they would blog more but others do it now.

http://freshcatering.blogspot.com/ - this hasn't been updated since February of 2012... bummer

http://carolcookskeller.blogspot.com/ - Carol Blymire cooked her way through the French Laundry Cookbook (then actually tackled the Aliena cookbook - which F bought me for my birthday)... she made the impossible seem possible and her blogs are an inspiration! (this link will be the gentle reminder to like I said above... to actually do something like cook more)!

http://cupcakeblog.com/ - cupcakes by chockylit - some really GREAT recipes here... I will have to go through and post // pin to pinterest but the blog hasn't updated since March of last year so that means ... yep unsubscribing

http://leitesculinaria.com - I remember back in 2008 or so there was a post about prosciutto cups and coffee rice.  I subscribed right then and there.  Mr David redesigned the blog, the feed went dead and only now have I noticed.  I subscribed to the weekly email instead.  I will enjoy that alot I am sure!  

http://iatedenver.blogspot.com/ - He hasn't updated his blog in a while, and I think I skimmed the blog anyways when there were posts.  I am always looking for local places to try but don't remember reading and thinking holy crap I have to try what this guy is posting about... oops it was written by a lady...sorry ma'am.

http://thedenverfoodstory.blogspot.com/ - another Denver food blogger - sadly this hasn't been updated since 2011 - the economy of eating out took a tank in 2011 for sure.  Sad because I liked this blog alot.  But I can go back and find some inspiration on potential places!  Actually I really liked Shannon's take the food of our town... PS I really do know her and think she is an amazing lady, I wish she would bring the blogging back... 

http://doughmesstic.blogspot.com/ - moved to the new url: http://doughmesstic.com/ - I didn't notice the feed went dark, so time to unsub.

http://tobemrsmarv.com/ - Another dead blog.  I looked through the archive and I think I subscribed because she showed showed great pictures of her friends and family eating.  But unsubbed... it hadn't updated since 2009

http://www.theshoppedenver.com/ - Denver's first cupcake shop.  Bandwith has been exceeded for months... I would click through so that I could see the flavors available.  Now I just stop in.

http://thebrooklynkitchen.wordpress.com/ - shameless (self admitted) blog for the store... hasn't been updated since 2010 .  The store is still open (http://www.thebrooklynkitchen.com/) but the blog isn't anymore I guess.

http://www.tomatilla.com/ - the blog hasn't been updated in quite a while but the archive from 2002 (!!!) is still up and I am sure there are treasures to be found!

http://www.themarthablog.com/ - Martha's "personal" blog - my feed hasn't updated since 2009 and now I can admittedly say that I find her online presence on Pinterest more to my liking

 
Literature and Culture Blogs (including all the music, film and general writing/blogs)
http://theamericanreader.com/ - The American Reader - letters, criticism and literature 

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/ - Paste Magazine's blog

http://presurfer.blogspot.com/ - Presurfer - "Your Daily Dose of Diversion" - well not for me anymore

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/ - Intelligencer - NYMag's daily blog - too many articles to actually keep up with

http://www.vulture.com/ - Vulture - NYMag's culture blog - again too many posts to actually keep up with 

http://blog.stylizimo.com/ - Stylizmo's blog - design and inspiration 

http://www.5280.com/blogs - Denver's 5280 magazine can't fill an rss feed? Well I can unsub and not worry about reading, sorry to be bitchy but you can still drive traffic to your site with a feed ... this shows me how really out of touch the Editors are at 5280

http://ultra8201.blogspot.com/ - they moved their blog and obviously I didn't know so never updated the link and didn't know... they do archive and post the SXSW flyers and stuff around those shows so every March or show I dive into the site to look, but the blog not so much anymore

http://www.listsofnote.com/ - book is coming out in 2013 and the site may go live again, it may not, I will check back then.

http://stuffjewishpeopleendure.blogspot.com/ - 11 posts along the lines of Stuff White People Like - it has promise in the snark but apparantly is now a dead url / not even archived/bricked blog... the things I endure... just kidding.  I am sure it really pissed some people off and that is why it is long gone.  Hey if you can't laugh at yourselves people.... (I actually am not "unsubscribing" , but keeping it dark, nah... i unsubbed).

Cough Cough:  Here is another blog that I am keeping dark:  http://mswolfson.wordpress.com/ - someone needs to keep updating recipes ... the lemon bars apparently was just a tease???? http://mswolfson.wordpress.com/page/5/ (PS for those looking for a good one... here is the best recipe). I love you MSW. http://mswolfson.wordpress.com/page/5/.  PS maybe I will post some dining experiences too.

http://www.galleryoftheabsurd.com/ - definitely in the culture, pop culture side of things.  I used to find it really amusing but now like Entertainment Tonite it's a little on the gross side of mean to me.  

http://hifructose.com/ - for somereason the RSS feed hasn't updated since 2010 but I remember it being incredibly prolific.  

http://welcometothedrapers.blogspot.com/ - this was a blog riffing on Mad Men.  Nonupdated since 2011

http://rockersgalore.blogspot.com/ - I think I subscribed to this because I thought there was a Josh Chuse tie but it looks like they only posted three times.

http://faintlyamused.wordpress.com/ - I guess I thought I would like reading about DJ culture.  Meh... unsub.

http://www.fabulist.org/ - This site hasn't updated since 2010 but wrote up some interesting things.  The site is slightly bricked but you can see some of the posts intact. 

Some Blog called the Hot Button - it wasn't updated after Obama's first election win - he was a movie guy and that is probably why I subscribed.  It links to some feed site for movie news that also doesn't update.

http://madmenunbuttoned.com/ - The Footnotes of Mad Men - apparently I was on a Mad Men kick. This blog actually was pretty impressive, it put alot of the cultural things  going on in the show into perspective which was neat.  I probably will resubscribe when the show goes back on the air.

http://danharmon.tumblr.com/ - Dan Harmon of Community and other things blogs about stuff. But not very much to my liking actually.  I don't know why I subscribed in the first place....sorry.

http://www.warpedrealitymagazine.com/ - the Blog is boinked - the last post was about Sonic Youth breaking up... this must have really upset them.

http://www.anti.com/rss/news/ - ANTI Records news - hasn't been updated since August







Photography Blogs

http://thesecond10k.tumblr.com/ - "the first 10,000 photos are always your worst"-Henri Cartier-Bresson - (it hasn't updated since September and I have other inspirational sites on deck) 

http://mostlylisa.com/ - the photography blog of one of the founders of Camera+ - she is really great and lovely but sadly I was merely glancing at this feed anymore so it's time to archive it.

http://thatsanegative.wordpress.com/ - a Portland based photography blog that hasn't updated since 2009

http://spelloutseattle.com/ - sadly the url is dead, it was my livejournal friend Geoff's blog, but he's moved to Vegas I think so since we aren't in touch and the url is dead... I might as well unsubscribe

http://ldgstreet.tumblr.com/ - Nothing But Street from Lucia DiGiovani - she is an amazing photographer and a friend but I have her site bookmarked so duplicate with the feed.  I would rather click through direct.

http://blog.krisatomic.com/ - Kris Atomic - she has a great eye (this link will serve as a reminder to go and click through directly!) PS I am secretly VERY jealous of her journeys.  But youth allows for crisps and gummys for a meal... click though and you will see what I mean!  

http://tragicallyhipstamatic.wordpress.com/ - I used this blog as a reference sheet for using my hipstamatic better on my IPhone.  I was hoping to be more selective with my filters and "film".  I still randomize at will and honestly haven't read the blog in a while and she hasn't posted since Sept.  

http://www.dpreview.com/ - news about digital photography - way to techie for me right now

http://iwdrm.tumblr.com/ - if we don't, remember me - cinemagraphs from movie stills - really cool worth clicking through

http://bomobob.blogspot.com/ - Bob O Bob's (I don't know if that is his real name....) I see his pictures on flickr.  PS they are gorgeous. I think he shoots through the lens sometimes.... his colors are lovely.



http://ericryananderson.wordpress.com/  - no longer updated here...(but I am keeping the archive dark because seriously his pictures are lovely) but updated here: http://www.ivegotfriends.com/ 

http://photographoftheday.blogspot.com/ - this hasn't been updated since 2010

http://52projects.com/ - this hasn't been updated at least the feed hasn't but the site is still cool to look through 



Design Blogs
http://blog.puglypixel.com/ - Pugly Pixel - I am unsubscribing because it's too much to read in google... I would rather click through and actually see the non clipped entries.

http://thekitchentable.blogspot.com/ - Geoff Allen appears to be from Denver, I must have met him somewhere.  The blog hasn't been updated since 2009, but it was awesome while it lasted... and if I do know you and can't remember.... sorry.  I will buy you a beer when I see you... the secret password is skull ice cubes.

OH and just a little diversion here:  I am watching Later with Jools Holland and I am watching Sinead O'Connor belt out Nothing Compares 2 U.  And seriously... she is killing it.  I don't care if she is batshit crazy or not, that lady has some pipes still.  Here is a link to her performance. What a treat actually.  


And a further aside.... I will have to get back to this as now much more personal things are at play in my life.  I will return with more blog unsubs after a bit.

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