I was talking to a friend about my blog, bragging about you guys. She doesn’t blog, or even read blogs, so I was, in part, justifying myself. “I learn stuff from my readers all the time,” I said.
She asked, “What kind of stuff?”
I told her, and when I got done she said, “Okay, yeah. That’s cool. I don’t think all blogs are like that.”
I agree with her. Thank you. You. All. Rock.
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A couple of Fridays ago, I posted a doodle I’d drawn, and I encouraged all of you to send me yours, so I could publish one, awesomely amazing, magnificent doodle post. A couple of people have. I would love to get more. Everyone (except for one person I know, in the whole world) doodles.
I will post whatever I have December 27th. (You can send more than one.) It’s going to be the coolest post ever. Won’t you be sad if you’re not part of it?
(Send to zebrasoundsj at gmail dot com.)
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Someone asked me recently if I ever edit comments. I don’t. I used to fix typos but I felt funny messing with anyone’s comments. Today I thought, “If I commented with a typo (which I do all the time), I’d really appreciate it if some benevolent blogger would fix me up.” So I’m asking… would you rather be fixed or left in all your exuberant, beautiful, free-flowing imperfection? (This is a majority-rules kind of question. I’m not taking individual orders. Though I love you almost that much.)
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I’m starting a project in December. Every single day of December I’m going to take a picture. I may post cool ones along the way, but for sure, on The Friday List for December 31st, there will be a slide show with 30 fascinating December pics. I’m not sure why, but I’m really excited to do this. (Feel free to join me!)
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Got any thoughts?
Me coments dunt need know edditing. Sea? Awl thee bestest.
Of course they don’t. I definitely wasn’t talking to you, darlin’,
Another great read! I especially like the idea about taking pictures each day and then posting them all on Dec. 31st. And by the way, feel free to correct any mistakes I make. As I age, my fingers start to scramble my thoughts. ;)
Ha! “Fix me” seems to be the prevailing request. Although, I should point out, I don’t always notice. I’m kind of a terrible editor (which is funny because I’ve made money editing in the past… shhhh).
Julie, Julie, Julie, do you doodle? I already know you’re super talented. I saw your menu. Don’t you want to play?
(Everyone, go look at what Julie can do. http://juliemangano.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/favorite-menu-design/ )
I love the photo a day project! In 2009, I decided that every day in March I would draw, doodle, collage or paint something in a sketchbook. It was great to know I was on the hook to create something every day. Some of the things are awful, but a couple turned out nicely. I will do it again, but I don’t think December is going to be the best month for me to add a commitment.
Correct away! Make us look smarter all you like. :-)
I have doodle-envy over your mad skillz. But seeing what you can do was the opposite of defeating. Made me want to play even more! #doodlemagic Somewhere in my December pics, I’ll take one just for you because I know you want to, but can’t. ;-)
Please correct my typos. Better yet, re-word my comments to make me appear witty, well read, and classy instead of the goober that I really am. Starting right now.
You just don’t know comment genius when you type it, Missy. No corrections for you! (Read that in the Soup Nazi’s voice, please.)
Ok, excuses (in no particular order):
The tips of my fingers are deadened. Well, sort of. It’s like wearing tight but thivk rubber gloves.
My fingers are wider than the keys on my keyboard.
I leaned to type on an Underwood upright in 1960-something.
It was back-to-back with the one on the other side of the table, where sat Missy White, the sight of whose distracting lips was the only thing I memorized in that whole class.
All of which menas I am the world’s worst typist. Please correct them all.
(Exceot the ones in here. They’re all real, but I’m leaving them in for, uh… examples? Comic relief?)
Your Missy White story just made my day. I love when you do that! (Plus, you made a list! You are rocking my bloggy world!)
I don’t doodle. Well, except late at night…with my husband…but that’s a different story. Can I post a sketch made by 4YO Haley, or is that totally breaking the rules?
That would be AWESOME. Yes, anyone’s doodles are welcome! Dillon gave me one (that is kind of more of a sketch, but he did it in a meeting, so I decided it’s doodle-esque), and I’m trying to talk The Boy into it too.
typos…spelling flambouantly…or just bad spelling…
I spend so much time with so many words going…. is that the way it is or
is that the way I made up to spell it back in grade school ? hmmmm it did make my teachers mad… and they usually didn’t like my explantions about why I started new paragraphs when I did either LOL
fix if you feel you must… otherwise no nevermind to me
the photo a day… wickedly cool… one of the poets I write with suggested a poem a day for the month of November.. I pretty much did one for every day .. and some days more than one… but each one has a picture to go with it… it is quite cool to go look at the pile of wonder that I put together over the month… so.. the picture thing sounds great… can’t wait to see what you post :~)
Oh, I’m so going to go read all your November poems! That is so cool! Yay you! I am beyond impressed. (I couldn’t have written one poem in November, much less one a day.)
Love that you made up spellings and defended your unique grammar choices. You are still that awesome girl. xo
I forgot about the doodle….. I would love to share my doodles with you
wildest thing… since we went to complete paperless patient files at work I scribble on scraps of paper when on the phone with clients…and from these doodles I write in the conversations… sometimes hours later… the receptionists know not the throw away the doodles… for deep withing the layers of hatchmarks is important information…. I will take a picture and share for sure… I loved yours
Yes! Yay! I can’t wait to see! Really, I love this idea of a great big google fest post. It’s cooler than my one-pic-a-day, and would be even cooler than cooler if everyone would play. Well… everyone who doodles.
Then again, I think everyone who doesn’t doodle should take it up.
Thank you, Juney!!!
Ok, bet… if I can get into a doodle at all in December, you will have it :-).
and I don’t think I write enough in here to warrant edits. Guess I gotta get back in here more…
end of commercial… now back to your regularly scheduled broadcast…
How can you not get into a doodle? Seriously, what do you non-doodlers do in boring meetings, or boring phone conversations… sleep? And yes, TPM, you do need to come here more. I’ll stimulate your dormant doodling mind.
I agree your blog is unique. Your commentators are so honest, funny, creative and poetic, I sometimes feel shy about leaving a comment because I know mine won’t sparkle like that. But I leave one anyway because the whole spirit of your blog is that this is a community and together we make up a crazy patchwork quilt that would not be the same if anyone held back.
You have created that environment with your openness, j. I read the following yesterday in Sun Signs for Writers (snooping on you now that I know your birthday) and I think it describes you to a T:
“Sagittarius writers are great conversationalists, and this comes through even on paper. They make the reader feel comfortable–almost as if the reader is sitting across from them, having a fireside chat.”
Yeah, that’s it. I’m sitting cross-legged on the floor sipping hot chocolate with miniature marshmallows and having a fireside chat with the ZS crowd.
@Levi Your Missy White Official Typo Excuse was hilarious and the typos in your blog comment were perfect. Never change. j, never correct Levi.
About correcting comments: I have two blogs, one is moderated and one is not. On my travel blog (the moderated one) I have sometimes corrected comments before I release them, but only if I have reason to believe that the commentator might be embarrassed later if he/she revisited and saw that their comment looked like it was composed at 2 a.m. with fingers (to borrow Levi) that are wider than the keys.
Please correct me if my typos would (a) incriminate me (b) unwittingly insult someone when I meant to praise (omitted words have a way of doing that) or (c) make me look stoopid. :~)
I have fear of freehand doodling. Do cartoons count? I have a book that teaches how to draw cartoon figures. When I follow the directions carefully, I can turn out a cat, a baby bear or other cartoon creature that looks like a wonky version of what’s in the book.
You know, if everyone who told me they sometimes get intimidated about commenting didn’t comment, there’d be no one here for me to talk to. Guess we all have to be in awe of each other while continuing to spout off! ;-)
Love that Sagittarius description. (Do you think it is at all diminished that I never ever ever spell Sagittarius right the first time?)
Cartoons count! In fact, whatever any of you think should be part of the doodle post, I’ll run with. A doodle by any other name, and all that. I’m looking forward to whatever you send, Milli! Yay!
I think there’s this total world of inter-connectivity that I missed out on before blogging, not only with readers, but with other bloggers’ posts. I didn’t even know that some other people could share the same ideas or give me insight until sometime around June or July when I really got into blogging. It’s magical. Feel free to edit my comments if you want. I try to keep them grammatically correct but I’m only human.
Well, I’m so only-human, I might not notice mistakes, but I’ll fix you up if I see any. I just commented on your blog. Fix me up at will. ;-)
And I agree totally. I love blogging. I’ve never had such an awesome community of people who make me feel enlightened, loved, supported, challenged and entertained!
Sorry Ma’am – I don’t doodle. At least not in any way that’s for public viewing. “Challenged” does not even begin to cover what might describe my talents in this area. My sister, totally different kettle of black pots. Or was that supposed to be something to do with sheep and fish?
Moving right along…
Whatever you do, don’t try to make sense of the above, which is what you’d have to do prior to correction. It can only end badly for all concerned. Just warnin’ ya.
I love your December project idea. I look forward to the results. From time to time something catches my eye and I tag a Haiku with a photo (or the other way around – who can tell).
So I look forward to what catches your eye over the course of December.
When I post the big doodle post, I’m going to explain why I’ve fallen in love with doodling, and then you’re going to want to try. And that will be fine because I think I should have periodic, mind bogglingly awesome doodle posts. My goal will be draw you in like a moth to my flame. (Hey… I think I’ll doodle that. Look for the moth and the flame doodle on the 27th. That will be me and you.) ;-)
Yes, today I actually took three pictures. I’m going to pick the best one, or the one that sort of captures the spirit of the day, or whatever. I like the idea of exactly 30, exactly one for every day. No cheatsies.
Your haiku poems are snapshots. I love them. (Everyone should follow you on Twitter so they can read them. @kevinjmackey)
I love your wish to spread doodling far and wide. I firmly believe that people who think they cannot draw are just incorrect. Maybe they cannot draw the way Michelangelo drew, but so what? He couldn’t have drawn the way they do. Have fun! Let go of your inner critic. (Hey, that applies to other pursuits, too.)
Yes it does. I’m thinking, with all the critics in the world dispensing their ideas so damn willingly all the time, doing away with our own inner critics is an excellent plan. And the great thing about doodling is… well, it’s doodling, isn’t it? No pressure at all. I think it’s the opposite of pressure, it’s letting all the brain stuff spill onto the page… without regard for spelling. ;-)
And, good news. I’ve got a few more doodles since I made some noise. Let’s keep making noise, doodle pal!
You have a gift for creating inclusion, J. All of the bright, witty people that come here, and me even, do so because you write beautiful things that draw us in and let us feel like they’re ours too. All of those bright, witty people were around before ZS, but you’ve provided a shiny and safe place for them (and me) to hang out and feel mostly comfortable posting as creatively as we can.
That’s a gift. We appreciate it. #jrocks2
Doodle. Sorry, no. Me no doodle. You can have a copy of the map I drew for my mss if you want.
Yes, please, fix my typos. I speak typo-ese too fluently and have a notoriously lazy pinky. Don;t believe me? I;m really not kidding.
December’s picture project is magical. I can’t wait.
First, wow and thank you! *mwha*
Second, yes, you were the one non-doodling person I was referring to. I wasn’t going to out you, but since you’re so willing to let everyone know… (Please read Pam’s comment and rethink your commitment to a non-doodling life.)
I like “don;t.” Maybe I’ll just fix the typos that displease me…