Catching Up On My Reading

I read articles of varying topics on a daily basis. Thanks to my Bloglines collection of over 200, I daily get inundated with your articles.
But I still find myself returning to the same few people who are also upon my Plurk-timeline for interesting stories that either help or amuse me. Below is a sampling of those that intrigued me this morning:

With Ben Barden taking a breather, we all get a chance to catch up with the TopTen lists he has written over these last few months. My favourite article so far includes ten blogging tools that we cannot live without. Whilst I do not agree with all the comments he has put with the software of choice, the list is impressive nonetheless.
I wholeheartedly agree with the use of Google Analytics, and although some of the other options are more self-serving for Mr Barden they are most certainly useful for anyone wanting to take a fast learning curve into the world of SEO and blogging-for-traffic.

Some posts I read with interest simply because they involve me in some way. That neck is mine. I remember the day this was taken. JJ is the most energetic child I know, with a mouth that could out-talk anyone. But he is fun, funny, incorrigible and willing to listen. That day he wanted me to read books to him whilst his Mum drove us to Second Valley for the flickr SA-Central Meetup. I cannot recall the books I read, other than that they were children’s books.
I like to think I have a good voice for reading books, though I do slur a bit. That is because I had 4 compacted teeth removed and 2 upper-molars removed a few years back, so there is space back there for saliva to ‘gather’. Doesn’t sound pretty? You should trying living with this mouth for a while. Thankfully I am not superficial about personal looks, so I can live with this. That neck, it is mine, and I was happy to meet Jules and Jen that day.

I should mention the DeadReds journal. After all, I did take a hoard of photographs at the event on Friday night, all whilst meeting and talking with some very interesting people. I’ll have to take a bottle of red next time!

Ms Fifikins is an interesting writer that always gets my attention. I also mention her because I owe her a box of DVD’s from my magazine collection. Know how they include a DVD of games and add-ons with magazines? Well, I have over 60 UNOPENED cases that go back about six years. I’ve sold a shoe-box full of them to Ms Fifikins … but have not yet sent them. My bad! Seriously considering just sending them without asking payment. Yeah, I am weird like that. (And, in any case, I am just clearing out the office of unwanted, so I don’t lose on the deal either way). Still reading your blog Ms Fifikens, just to remind myself of what I have to do ASAP!

I read Dave’s Blogography simply because he is not afraid to use the occaisonal F word, he speaks his mind, and it’s about him. There are minimal lists, very little techno-gabble, no twitter nor plurk jargon and most importantly, it’s not screaming down my neck at what I need to do to improve my SEO.

Darren is the best in the business. Just the titles alone could sell ice to Eskimos. It is his articles that drag you in to his site, reading from top to bottom and maybe even typing in your email address for more information. That’s the sign of an effective site.

Amusingly, I had a dream last night for two new blogs for myself, each with their own domains. Despite not writing as much as I did a few years ago (nor as much as I said I would), I have plans to reinvigorate my writing. Not only is it the best form of release, but I also honestly find it the best way to feel needed, important and alive.

Between waiting for sites to load, I spent some time making this tiny graphic for an interesting website I found: