The good is everywhere

You might remember this post where I exposed an eBay seller with a price of over two grand on a Ralph Lauren Henredon buffet that I know he picked up on Craigslist for $400 or less.

I received an email the other day from a reader who found that post after buying the same piece and doing a little research. He picked up the buffet and the round mirror both for $200 at his local thrift shop.

They're great pieces and perfectly scaled for his space, and much more reasonably priced. Scott, congratulations to you and your Mrs. on a super deal.

I should also note that his email, the second really nice message I received last week, reminded me that people actually do read this blog. I was reluctantly thinking about giving up but seem to have found my second wind. Later this week, The MidMal Holiday Gift Guide, chock-full of good stuff for your house and your man.

Post mortem

A number of us read many of the same things, and I think most everyone is aware of a couple dust-ups that took place on a pair of popular blogs earlier this week. I'm not about to open either of those cans (you're welcome) so I won't name any names, but I do think that the first case especially gives us something we can all talk about. It was something I hoped the author herself was going to give us her views on, but then she, uh...didn't.

The post began with a discussion of that 13 year-old girl (Style Rookie) who was seated in the front row at some fashion shows because she blogs about fashion. I think that asks some interesting questions:

Does a blog, no matter how well written, entitle a child to sit in the front row when said front row is a place normally reserved for editors and the like?


Further, does writing well about anything make one an expert? Is the “expert” label even relevant any more?


I could probably argue any of those questions either way. For myself, I’m not taking fashion tips from kids.

What I’m more interested in was who’s idea was it to put her in the front row, and why? It feels a bit desperate, and a lot like a stunt, a stunt the kid isn’t in on.


I'd love to hear your opinion.

A disturbance in the Force

photo credit: miss jessie/flickr

Toad's done. I'll miss seeing what's on his mind, but we all do what we need to do. Always a place on my blogroll for you Sir.

HG's back from her summer vacation, with the warning that she'll be blogging less. The first post back got a little zesty in the comments which makes the break understandable and the return just that much more enjoyable.

Decorno, too vowed to lighten her load since returning from Italy, and she seems to have done so. And why not? With her opinionated readership just asking a question is often enough.

Change is good, yeah? Or at least ok.

Hostage!

Something's up. I can post, and I can edit posts, but I can't view my own blog at home. I can at work, but my personal laptop just brings up an aol search page every time I try. And I'm not even using AOL, just plain old Internet Explorer.

Have you ever had a similar issue?

Viewer Mail

Part of what I love about blogging is that at times it becomes an extended conversation. What I don't love is that I'm bad about catching comments more than a couple posts back. Luckily, Brett reads my posts and the comments faithfully, so if he mentions something unfamiliar I know to backtrack. With that in mind, Decorina, you should be able to buy the paint at Woodcraft. Their website shows the Denver location is:

6770 S. Peoria St.
Centennial, CO 80112

Call them first in case they don't have it, the number listed is (303) 290-0007

Jamie Meares, does being a wholesaler for AA mean you can get me a better deal on the deep vee summer tee shirt three pack? I'm the kind of boy who's more comfortable wearing an undershirt most of the time. I'm also the kind of boy that likes to undo one more button on occasion, and these are great because they're deep and don't show. (Why are regular undershirt v-necks so shallow?!) Anyway Jamie, my email is buzzcut67@aol.com, let me know whats up. Please include Rowdy pics and as much Rowdy news as you feel like typing.

HG: I was done painting a chair today when I realized I had not taken a Before shot. I'm starting on the secretary tomorrow and WILL shoot it before I get going. Promise.

Soodie: I don't know what's going on with the apparent buying spree. Those candlesticks a few posts below ended up selling for $61.00. They were a nice quality certainly, and fun in a retro way, but I was shocked when the auction was over. Maybe everyone's just had enough of the gloom and doom and has decided to treat themselves, I don't know. Whatever it is, I hope it continues.

The company we keep

Love it or hate it, the commenting community at Joe.My.God is always lively. I don't automatically agree with everything said, but overall the commenters are smart, compassionate men and women I've enjoyed getting to know. A number of them are bloggers themselves and participating in the community has turned me on to some incredible writing (Hey Lynette!) as well.


Joe has gained a fair bit of celebrity, and along with that comes the pleasure of trolls commenting on his posts. They usually come from WingNutDaily or some other conservative christian blog, and they're always breathtakingly hateful. One such commenter earlier today finished his diatribe by stating that he was looking forward to a new strain of AIDS. You know, so we'd all die.

I had two thoughts after I read that. First, I love the fact that my blog audience is tiny, thoughtful, witty and well-mannered. And second, could wishing a disease on someone as an insult be any more lame? I've insulted a few people in my day (it's rare, but not unheard of), but never once did it occur to me to say something like "I can't wait for you to contract an inoperable tumor, or a never-before-seen variety of liver cancer!"


Later in the day, a new name popped up in the comments during a verbal evisceration of Michelle Malkin. Let me note that I did not take part in the ritual because I don't really know much about Ms. Malkin (apparently she's just dreadful!), and because the original post linked to the Live Puppy Cam. (I'm watching it while I'm writing this, one of them just peed. On the pee pad. Good Puppy!)


The new commenter, who to his credit was not anonymous, and linked to his own blog (which I looked at briefly, he thinks Obama is a communist) said the following:


"Look, I will do you all a favor. This is obviously a blog where no one outside of your coffee klatsch is welcome. I will depart. May I suggest that you tone down the vitrol please? You want people like Michelle Malkin to stop writing about Gay hate, stop it here. Prove it to the outside world. Peaceful demonstrations, not interrupting church services and going after people who donated to Prop 8. Keep it civil, keep it peaceful and maybe people will listen. Give them fists and profanities and they will hit back and hit back hard. There is a blog I regularly comment on. It is liberal and the Blogmaster if you will is gay and has been to many PEACEFUL, NON VIOLENT demonstrations."


Then he gave the link, signed off with "peace," and was immediatly lambasted by the fast-typing, foul-mouthed homos that are the JMG regulars. God love them.


I thought about it all afternoon, and reread his comment a number of times, and I'm just not sure what to make of it. I do have to give him props for not hiding. And more credit for what, on the surface at least, seems to be an effort to add something to the conversation, especially when he'd have to know he'd be the minority viewpoint standing squarely in hostile territory.


But telling us to tone down the vitriol? (note I spelled it right) You really should know your audience before you start making those suggestions. Then I get to the part about gay hate (we have our own now!) and it starts to sound like blaming the victim. The comment about interrupting church services I actually agree with. (That stunt pulled by Bash Back was just stupid. Don't give ammo to the enemy!) As for Prop 8, using the donor list doesn't strike me as much different from the boycotts the evangelicals have been staging for years. Let's all put our mouths where our money is.


But then he says "Keep it civil." And if you read my big Prop 8 post you know how that pisses me off. It's like saying "you be good gays, quiet gays, and maybe we'll think about easing up on the denial of rights thing..." I'll point out here that we really shouldn't have to ask for any of this.


Then there's his follow-up warning that our foes will "hit back hard," which seems to suggest we should be fearful (we're not). And he closes by telling us that he's a reasonable conservative. Why, he's even a regular commenter on a liberal blog run by a gay dude! Who demonstrates peacefully!


I'm stumped. Who would I rather have a conversation with, those who's opinions and beliefs fall somewhere near my own, or someone with whom I'm bound to disagree on almost everything? Does a discourse between opposing viewpoints educate both sides, or are the sides so far apart that in this battle at least, there's little chance of finding middle ground?

Grand Opening

Welcome. I've thought about starting this for a long time, but it's taken me forever to decide what it would be about. I wanted to blog about my interests, my hobbies, my tiny business, but then I couldn't rant (or rave!) about politics or people. At least not without it feeling incoherent. So I decided to make this the catch-all for my thoughts and opinions. What's new, what's interesting, what's appalling, to me. With a healthy dose of things I like. And probably too much stuff about dogs.

I have extremely low expectations for an audience, but if you are reading feel free to leave a comment. You don't have to agree, but don't be an ass.