Do you really pay much attention to the browser you use? I’m not a big advocate of any of the browser names, until last night. I’ve been using FireFox for a couple years now. I really liked it, a lot more than I did Internet Explorer. IE didn’t seem secure enough for my liking, but I actually liked the way FireFox allowed me to check out my favorite sites. It was just easier. That is until a couple weeks ago when I updated to the latest version.

After updating to the newer version, I noticed that it took forever to even get online. Now, it could be that I did something wrong, or because I live in the middle of nowhere and our Internet connection pretty much sucks. Whatever the reason, all hell broke loose last night. In the middle of what I was doing, FireFox totally broke down and crashed. I couldn’t even get back online with this browser. So, I said screw it and decided to use IE.

I haven’t used IE in a very long time, so I kept getting messages to update to the latest version. Finally, I gave in and updated. That was a huge mistake. After completing the update and restarting my computer, I found that I couldn’t get online at all. IE doesn’t work at all now and I still have problems getting on with FireFox. So, what’s a country girl to do??? She joins the 21st century and downloads Google Chrome.

So, I am now using Google Chrome. It’s kinda cool, but I’m having trouble getting used to a few things. Finding all my favorite sites is a little annoying, but I’m getting the hang of it. It’s a lot faster than either of the other browsers, but I’ve noticed that some of the pics on certain sites don’t load completely. Not sure why, but haven’t completely ruled out operator error. LOL

I’m not exactly advocating Google Chrome, but I can say that out of the three, it is the only one that has allowed me to get online in the past 48 hours. I have to use it for awhile before I can truly say whether or not I really like it. For now, I’ll use it and see if I can’t figure out all the in’s and out’s. And if I can’t, I’ll have my kid come in and teach me how to use it. LOL

I’m a sucker for anything antique-ish. What I mean is that I love those old pictures from the 18th and 19th centuries. I also love seeing those pictures set against different backgrounds. Not just because I’m an antique freak, but because it reminds me of those cool animations that used to come in between clips on the old Monty Python Flying Circus shows.

I found the coolest site in the form of The Gathering Nest. Site owner, Debby Harriettha, creates some of the most beautiful postcards I’ve ever seen. She combines patterns, pictures, and textures together and takes her work beyond that of mere postcards, but works of antiqued art. They’re absolutely gorgeous.

This Libat postcard is the creation and sole property of Debby Henriettha and The Gathering Nest. This image is used with permission from the owner and may not be reproduced without the owners expressed permission.

I can’t post any pictures at this time, but have requested permission to do so. I’m hoping to hear from Deb soon, and if allowed, I’ll post one of the post cards she’s produced.
UPDATE—I’ve received permission from Deb to use one of her pics.  Thanks Deb, I really appreciate this.

I invite you to run over and check out her site. And if you hurry, you can get in on her current giveaway which will run through the 19th of Feb. Winner will be chosen on the 20th. And no, I don’t get another chance of winning by posting this review, I’m only doing this because I think the site is so cool.

If you have a thing for the nostalgic look, you’ve got to check out The Gathering Nest. This site oozes class, beauty, and bit of the odd. I was totally at home. LOL

In my previous post, I discussed the funnier side to comment spam. This time, I’d like to discuss the not-so-funny side of spam comments. The kind that make me want to slap the taste out of someone’s mouth. I’m usually a pretty laid back kinda gal, but there are some things in this world that just piss me off. One of those things are people who think they’re slick, when they’re actually just sneaky.

As I said in my last post, I always check the spam comments on my writer’s site. I had gotten a notice in my email that I had a real comment over there, so I had to go check it out. And true enough, it sounded like a real comment sent from an actual writer who had started their own site. Problem was with the post the comment was linked with. Don’t tell me that “you and your wife found this site both informative and deserves mentioning elsewhere”, especially when the post you’ve left the comment on has to do with writing ideas for the month of December. Would have made sense 2 months ago, but not in February.

So, I checked out my spam folder and found the exact same comment listed 7 times. Word for word, all from the same website, but all different names and addresses. Oddly enough, they all came from the same ISP address. Wow, that’s just fricking amazing. I know I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but come on. I’m not that fricking stupid. And yes, this pissed me off. Each of those comments was linked to a different post all around my site. Was almost like saying, if I work at it, maybe I can get at least one of them to go through. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I decided to go check out the site and see if it might be worth a shout out. Then I decided screw it, I wasn’t giving this person the satisfaction. What really upset me was the sneakiness about it. You’ll notice that I’ve not mentioned the name of the site, and I’m not going to either. Even without a link to the site, I’d still be giving this person free advertising, and I’m not going to do that.

Normally, it wouldn’t bother me a bit to help out a fellow writer. I’d be more than happy to check out a website and tell the rest of the world about it. But, because of the way this person went about it, I’m not going to help. Piss on ‘em. If you want my help, hey, just ask. But don’t try to sneak in through the back door and make a name for yourself through me. I’ll throw you out in a heartbeat.

Maybe I shouldn’t take this so personal, but I am really upset by this. Yes, the writing industry is a tough niche and it’s full of competition. Getting your foot in the door isn’t easy, and unless you’re associated with the right people, you might never get noticed. And more than that, I’m not exactly the most well-known member of the online writing community. But, I have built up quite a little following at my writer’s site and I don’t want a bunch of crappy comments killing that for me.

So, anyone out there actually reading this, if you have a writing related website and would like for me to check it out, just ask. I’ll be more than happy to look at your site give it a little free publicity. I can’t promise you’ll end up a giant in the writing industry, or that you’ll even find a way to earn money writing. The only thing I can promise is that you won’t end up a long-ass rant on this site.

I hate spam as much as the next person. No, not that crap our grandmothers tried to pass off as meat, (I hate that too, but that’s a different post). I’m talking about those stupid emails and blog comments that people send out in an attempt to get people to buy their crap. Now this post isn’t about the email spam, it’s about the stupid BS that people try to pass off as real comments on my blogs.

I have 5 different blogs, but my writing prompt blog gets about 25 to 30 spam comments a day. And I’m just weird enough that I actually go in and read them before I tell Akismet (or as I like to call it, Ass Kiss Met) to kick em out. So, this post is dedicated to the dorks, morons, and idiots who actually think that I’m going to fall for their BS and let their spam comments to get through.

The truth of the matter is that most of them crack me up. For instance, when I get 5 comments in a row that all say the exact same thing, and from 5 different email addresses, do you really think I’m gonna see that as real? Not a chance, my friend.

Then there are the comments that say things like, “I’m so glad I found your insightful article while searching for this issue in Google”. Then I look to see which post the comment is linked to and it’s posted to go to my site disclaimer, or worse, my contact page. Excuse me, what issue were you looking for?????

But, my all time favorite spam comments from my writing prompt site have to be the ones that say things like, “I left a comment once before but it must have been filtered into your spam file”. Duh!!!!!! Or the comments that say “I respect your opinion on this matter but think you should take the time to look at all sides of the issue”. That one really cracked me up when I found out it was set to go with a post about October holidays. Um, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that posting a list of International holidays would be such a problem for someone who wanted to get their crap posted on my site. LOL

I know there’s no real way to keep from getting stupid spam comments on any of my blogs. So, rather than get all freaked out, I’ll just keep reading them and laughing at them, right before I hit the delete button.

Is it just me getting old, or all the up and coming writers out there a really dark breed? I remember wanting to be a writer so bad when I was younger that I’d write just about anything and let just about anyone read it. That’s not to say any of it was good, but I had a dream and I would try anything I could to see it come to pass. Now, I see all these young writers making a name for themselves in some really gruesome ways. No, I don’t mean they’re doing gruesome things, but the things they’re writing is kind of disturbing.

Ok, maybe it’s because I’m at an age now where every time I land a new writing client, I feel like a million bucks. “What, you want me to write about tree bark toilet paper? Sure, no sweat. Been writing about it all my life”. I know I’ve never written about it before, but I still have to make my clients look and sound like genius’s. That’s the life of a ghost writer. But I’m thrilled to be writing anything. So I’m not writing the great American novel. Yes, I tried but I have these strange beings in my house who seem to think they have to eat everyday AND wear clean clothes. Man!!!

I like to rummage through the various sites for writers all across the Internet. Most writers forums are basically like walking into a bookstore full of those uppity-ups that think their smarter than you because they use big words. Hey buddy, read my lips, unless you’re making a million bucks telling everyone else what they’re doing wrong, shut the hell up. I have no patients for people who think their better than everyone else, especially when they’re 20 years younger than I am. No, I didn’t go to Harvard or Yale, but I pushed two living, breathing human beings out of my body and I did it without drugs. I wanted drugs, but that’s a different story.

I guess I’m just getting old. I hate getting old, but at the same time I’m starting to see some advantages to it. I now understand all those weird sayings that used to come out of my father’s mouth. I’m finally at an age where I can look forward to my children moving out on their own, and actually enjoy the idea. I’m almost old enough to qualify for life insurance without a medical exam, and I can finally tell my mother to quit complaining because “I have the same problem and bitching don’t help”.

I guess my problem isn’t with the pieces that these young writers are putting out there, I have an issue with the way they do it. I never thought I’d be the “old chic” sitting in the back of the room wondering why the hell I came to this show. I always imagined myself the young, hip chic who knew it all. Well, I finally do know it all. Too bad I lost all the damn questions.