We’re watching Clifford, the Big Red Dog. Fia says over and over again, “I’m going to watch some more Clifford!” She says it in this weird voice that sounds like she’s channelling Kate Hepburn: “Ah’m gonna watch some mah Cliffahd!” Then she — Sophia, not Kate Hepburn — does the “Clifford” dance, which never fails to crack Darin and me up.
Of course, we might have been driven mad by watching the same damn episodes of Clifford over and over again. Fia is going to need her own TiVo pretty soon.
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We went to Claim Jumper today for lunch. Ugh. Not only do they have gigantic portions that make the Cheesecake Factory look like a spot for dieters — Claim Jumper includes an apple on every plate as garnish — but it’s gigantic, mediocre food.
The only thing worth eating at Claim Jumper is the Motherlode Chocolate Cake. Each slice of this cake breaks the never-eat-anything-bigger-than-your-head rule. But it is tasty.
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Around the horn, blog-wise:
- Billmon’s look back at 2003 was one of the funniest things I’ve read in a while.
- WampumBlog discusses the real, and more than likely extremely intentional, ramifications of the so-called “No Child Left Behind” Act.
- Why have so many political bloggers adopted classical names — Demosthenes, Hesiod, Atrios? Is there a grand tradition of assuming a classical pseudonym in political writing? (Despite my education, my knowledge is woefully thin in some places.)
- Digby is a great writer. I’m glad he (?) just started his blog.
- As I will discuss in my entry about why I came back to my online journal, I am addicted to the blogosphere now. It reminds me of how I felt in the early days with journals, seeking them out, seeing what I could find. (Of course, there are approximately eight billion more blogs than there have been online journals. And just wait until the Chinese start to blog…) I must click the random-blog link about twenty times a day, seeing what I land on. I haven’t found any keepers through this method yet, but I am constantly reminded that there is a blog for everyone out there.
- If only this site were for real.
I suspect the taking of classical names is inspired, at least in part, by Orson Scott Card’s sci-fi classic, “Ender’s Game.” Great read. In the novel, two children influence national debate through pseudonymous writings over the internet, under the names Locke and Demosthenes.
I’m aware of the reference to Card — I laughed when I saw Demosthenes’ blog is named “Shadow of the Hegemon” — but I’m wondering if this has a lot of historical precedent. I know essayists tended to have pseudonyms (to avoid getting picked up by the authorities?), but I’m wondering how traditional classical pseuds are.
Just a question — and I’m sure you will all laugh: What does blog stand for? I keep seeing it and realize it’s an on-line journal or something like that, but can’t figure out the letters. Thanks.
“Blog” is short for “web log,” which I guess was interpreted to be “log of stuff I found on the web.” It’s not only an ugly term, but “web log” already had a meaning — “log of events and people visiting a web site.” You know, the list of automatically generated information that journallers are forever combing for more data about how popular they are.
However, it seems we are stuck with “blog” for the meanwhile!
I loathe the term ‘blog’ but I suspect we’re stuck with it.
‘Og was proposed[1] at one point, too, by NowThis[2]. 😉
For a more nuanced and deeper look at weblogs than you’re likely to get from the pundit-style weblogs, check out Rebecca Blood’s[3] The Weblog Handbook.[4] It’s excellent. (My review of it is here[5], fwiw.)
Obdisclosure: NowThis and I are married; met through ye olde weblogs.
Hmm.. won’t let me put in links, so:
[1] http://nowthis.com/log/1999/11/05.html
[2] http://nowthis.com/log/
[3] http://www.rebeccablood.net/
[4] http://www.rebeccablood.net/handbook/
[5] http://www.uncorked.org/medley/archives/2002/09/06/index.html
I almost got my degree in classical studies, so I have I real liking for the ancients.
If you look here (http://www.agonist.org/archives/cat_why_agonist.html ) you’ll read my reasons for choosing “The Agonist.”
It doesn’t have anything to do with allergies, by the way.
How do I set a link to either of the random blogs you mention in this post and in January 7th’s? When I click on them, I go to a random blog which is great, but I want to have a permanant link.
Lizzie: Just drag the link from Diane’s page to your bookmarks, desktop, or toolbar.
I have (because I am an overachiever) FOUR random-blog links:
Random blogrolling:
Random blo.gs:
Random blogger:
Random userland: