Friday, July 11, 2008

Lift It Higher!

In the last couple months I decided to make an effort to start reading some new blogs as well as my very favourite blogs. I think it could be very easy to forget the initial rush of beginning to blog is in part about finding kindred spirits and finding blogs to read that challenge you or make you think. I miss doing the "20 Comments" challenge where I forced myself to go to 20 blogs once a week...often finding a new blog to explore.

So here are a couple of new blogs I have been following recently...

I had been reading many of the comments by Pjazzypar Traces Of A Stream on Malcom's Pop Culture Dish for the past year. I finally started following her blog and what an inspiration. Pjazzypar writes about many social issues with thoughtful in depth examination. I feel lucky to read her blog. Right now she has a compelling post on Marvin Gaye and his death, and on "one size fits all" jeans that expose the knickers!

And Malcom's blog I've written about here before...which I love because he writes about music classic tv, with such an understanding of it's iconic emotional narrative. I've been turned on to several great movies, thought about songs and tv that I hadn't thought of in years treated with respect. Malcolm not only understands the effect of pop culture as a positive force in his life but he seems to be able to tap into it's powerful narrative roots for us all. Plus, he has an awesome voting poll every week!

"Even Brothels Give Away Free Gas!" Predictably Irrational is a blog written by a economist who just wrote a book by the same title. Remember how much I love the book Freakonomics and their blog? Well this blog is written from a similar line of enguiry about human behaviour and money/cost/economics...if that makes sense. There are two realy fun posts there right now about "Even Brothels Give Away Free Gas" and "Gifts:Ridiculous Or Useful?"
When we make decisions we think we're in control, making rational choices. But are we? Entertaining and surprising, Ariely unmasks the subtle but powerful tricks that our minds play on us.


Living Oprah is about a woman who is trying to do all of Oprah's recommendations for a year. I know, how funny is that? As an Oprah fan, I still pick and choose what to read or look for after she makes recommendations for books or food: it would never have occurred to me to literally do everything Oprah features on her show. But this Chicago performance artist has decided to find out if living like Oprah has any affects on her life and to blog about such affects. I think her idea is a really terrific concept and I look forward to reading along. Some people really come up with great ideas for "concept blogs"!!! Congrats Living Oprah! Living Oprah got some publicity this week and you can read an interview with the blog writer here

I came across a totally compelling blog written by Jane. Jane has recorded several videos has an active YouTube page and her blog is journal of surviving and recovering from BiPolar diagnosis. This woman is a living breathing testament to hard work, positive thinking and research to heal oneself. I immediately enjoyed her posts because she talks about several aspects of healing that I believe are valuable to all of us, even if we haven't been suffering from emotional challenges. She says we must move beyond labels, diagnosis and fear for recovery and she never ever sounds like a whigner. I find every archive really an awesome reflection of her spirit and hard work. I think she is the future of healing in mental illness research! She writes steady and with responsibility here at BiPolar Recovery.

The X Factor has some of the most riveting posts on the mysterious and unresolved death of Sam Cooke. For fans of Sam Cooke, for crime buffs and for some of the best in depth blogging I've seen...check out "X Dell". He also has some awesome articles on many cultural mysteries like the covert governmental drug program "MK-Ultra", Marilyn Monroe, The Grail Legacy and Alien Abductions. His blog is a motherlode!

Steamboats Are Ruining Everything I just started reading today. I got turned on to it from a New York Times blog I follow called Paper Cuts.

Happy surfing and reading!

12 comments:

Wandering Coyote said...

Thanks for the recommends. Living Oprah, eh? Not sure I could do that; you know how I feel about her.

As for BiPolar recovery, thanks for bringing that to my attention. I think I'd stumbled upon it when I just started my mental health blog as the page looks really familiar, but I have bookmarked it so I can keep up with Jane.

Candy Minx said...

Hey you! Hi Wandering Coyote! Isn't that a funny idea for a project? I guess it is kind of like eprformance art. I believe the woman is keeping track of how much it is going to cost her to live Oprah. I think you and her have similar feelings about the tv host. Check out the article I linked with her interview...I think you'll love it!

I find Jane so inspiring. I think she is a great spirit!

tweetey30 said...

Wow lots of new blogs I havent heard of until today. I might check them out later. I have a hard time keeping up with the friends I have but its nice to look at others sometimes.

pjazzypar said...

Thanks for the "shout out" Candy. I got to check out these other blogs. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and need to broaden out horizons. I am already a fan of the The X Spot, but Living Oprah, by Jane and BiPolar Recovery look mighty enticing.

X. Dell said...

Interesting collection of blogs. Thanks for the links (and the plug). I've been tuning in Pjazzy and Malcolm for awhile. I do appreciate, however, the the diversity and the profundity that's widely available here.

Wandering Coyote said...

I just went to check out Living Oprah - great blog! Thanks for the recommend.

Anonymous said...

Sudden incoming hits from Candy :)

Dear God I positively had a moment of confusion about who Jane was. It sometimes catches you off guard to see yourself in print as the third person.

I absolutely LOVE the kitty widget and have been playing with it.

I didn't realize it was interactable the first time by here.

Finally I broke down and snagged it for my myspace page.

Thanks for the link and for reading my babbling. ;)

Malcolm said...

Thanks for the plug Candy. Of the blogs you listed, the only ones that I had checked out before reading your post were Traces of A Stream and The X Spot.

Although I am not a fan of the TV host/icon, I was intrigued by Living Oprah. The blogger does a good job of detailing her year long experiment. One of the posts I read discussed the episode where Oprah held the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz. Although the museum curator was reluctant to let Oprah hold them, he finally relented after Oprah asked for a 3rd time. When Oprah held them, she clicked the heels together. Apparently, the blogger and many of her readers weren't happy about Oprah's behavior. I wish I could find footage of this episode.

Candy Minx said...

Hi Tweetey, yes these blogs are cool. I felt the original rush of blogging by stepping outside the familiar blogs and checking out new ones. And grateful for all the blog pals we have in blogland.

Pjazzypar, you deserve it, I love how you write and what you talk about.

Wandering Coyote, yes, I think she does a really godd job with theiis. It's a brillint experiment and she is also a funny writer. I think she'll be on the Oprah show faster tahn we can say Eckhart Tolle. A funny thing is, even though she is making fun of Oprah and her fans..I like her blog a lot becuse it's a joint I can go to talk about Oprah episodes! Yipppee!

Jane, kitty widget is great huh? I actually think sometimes she is my cat! No, I mean, like a real live pet of mine. Weird huh? Sorry to catch you off guard but I hope you get lots of new visitors. I think how you write about emotions and life is very very important.

Malcolm, I think the blogger writing "Living Oprah" is doing a fantastic job. She is probably going to spend a lot of money. she may land up supporting the lagging economy with this experiment. I am an avid Oprah fan...seems like all my life ha! I think Living Oprah will even get a book or future work from this...she is very talented and this was a great idea. She is not afraid to criticise Oprah. One thing non-fans don't know is that moments like the Ruby Slippers are very uncomfortable for many of us too. I did see the Ruby Slippers episode. I was so uncomfortable...even though I knew how much I would have wanted to touch the shoes myself. Oprah is not a perfect person. I don't watch her shows hoping for perfection, or to buy things. I have almost already heard of things hse highlights, already read many of her book list choices. I don't watch Oprah for particular things. I wach her because the show is about people, and I am a people person and there is a lot of heart on her show.

Anonymous said...

Hi Candy,
looking forward to checking out your blog list.

Miss you,

theundergroundbaker

Bob Stein said...

I wonder if anyone else has found they have better luck finding interesting new blogs by surfing the comments as opposed to the my-favorite-blogs lists. Lists rarely identify favorites. And the comments are by nature alive, and give a foretaste.

Janet said...

The only one I've heard of is Malcolm...but I'll go and check the others out :-)

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