Is this thing on?

I started PCJM in August of 1999, when I'd just learned I was about to be laid off from a Microsoft-related job (Twin Cities Sidewalk). I kept it up pretty well for years, and the site gained a following and was well-reviewed, including mentions in the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly. But the blog kind of went dormant when I had Kelly, especially after I began concentrating on writing two books with the awesome Brian Bellmont. (Please read 'em if you haven't already -- "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops?" is a pop-culture encyclopedia of the '70s and '80s, and "The Totally Sweet '90s" does the same for the next decade.)

Now, guess what? I was again laid off from a Microsoft-related job (I was movies editor for the site that started as msnbc.com, but later became NBC News Digital), and I'm hoping to make some time for PCJM again.

Blogs have changed since I was an early adopter back in 1999, one of a small and close-knit group of valiant bloggers (how we haaaated that word, preferring "weblog," but we lost that war). Back then, I feel like I read every major blog every day (Robot Wisdom was my first), and there were maybe two dozen of us. When I found a job on the digital side of the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper after my layoff, I was the one who explained what a blog was to Tim McGuire, then Strib editor-in-chief -- he'd literally never heard of them. I would later go on to write one for his paper and for its website. (Read Tim's book, "Some People Even Take Them Home," about growing up with disabilities and raising son Jason, who has Down Syndrome--it's a great read.)

I also spoke at South by Southwest Interactive as well as at an early JournalCon, where I debated blogs vs online journals on a panel. The online journal panelist sitting next to me reaaaally hated blogs. ("Journals are REAL WORK, blogs are just LINKS" was pretty much his take.) That discussion went well.

I met great people through PCJM, and read a lot of wonderful writing. I believe it was the confidence gained from PCJM that helped me publish my books.

In 2015, most of the blogs I used to read are gone, but many of the talented and hilarious people who wrote them are around, writing for websites, TV shows, publishing books, email newsletters, running podcasts. Few of them do the old-fashioned linky blog anymore, But PCJM was never just text-link, text-link to me, it was a bit of my personality measured out in what I chose to write about, and I'd like to try it again.

You can also follow the two Facebook pages for my books, which are open to the public and regularly post nostalgic links about everything from "The Brady Bunch" to Ecto Cooler and Crispy M&Ms. (GenXtinct is for '70s-'80s fans, The Totally Sweet '90s for '90s kids.)

Not sure how often I'll post -- I'm working on another book, trying to find writing and editing work, having a life, But I'd like to blow the dust off and share things again. I missed it.

Dumb names for nail polish

UPDATED LINK! I really want this blog to start updating again.

My favorite nail polish currently is OPI Hearts and Tarts, a lovely light pink that works for French manicures or simple fresh coverage.

But that doesn't mean I don't secretly long to have a fulltime job making up random names for nail polish or paint colors.

Here's a great quote, from an entry about a polish color named "Cool As."

"Cool As? Cool As What? I don't know if I can handle the suspense! A refreshing mountain spring? The von Trapp child Maria forgot about and left in the Alps? That gum I keep seeing commercials for where everything suddenly becomes an ice cavern and for some reason you can then talk to women with ease? Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a thermometer!"
I also like this comment, on a color called "Princesses Rule!": "I'm pretty sure that, by definition, they don't."

Revolting snacks of America

Christmas is revolting, and so are the elves!

Love the Revolting Snacks of America Tumblr. (Is it a Tumblr? A blog? A Tumblr blog? Anyway, it's one of my fellow Damn Hell Ass Kings, and deservedly so.)

Kelly has been known to eat those PB&J crackers, by the way.

Like eating a lot of meals with a really cool friend

So I stumbled across the blog Immoveable Feast, and now all I want is for everyone to leave me alone for as long as it takes to read every single entry.

It's written by Justin in Pasadena, and he likes to review his meals. Whether they're fast food, fancy restaurant, Trader Joe's frozen entrees or something he cooked up himself (this guy knows how to make a sauce), the entries are often hilarious and always fun to read. I especially liked this one on Shanghai McNuggets (remember those? they may have to be a GenXtinct entry) and this one where he tests and compares a metric ton of fast-food condiments.

People, this is why the Internet was invented.

Bye-bye, Blogger

Blogger's not going away of course, but its name is. It will become Google Blogs.

Go nuts

Matthew Baldwin is working his way through eating every snack in his office vending machine. Most recent: Sweet 'N' Salty Mix, one of those options I would never choose to vend. But I love that he's doing it so I don't have to.

Writing is all in the family

Phyllis Greene is the mother of Bob Greene, former Chicago columnist and author of a zillion books that I love ("Be True to Your School," "When We Get to Surf City," "And You Know You Should Be Glad,") despite the fact that his overly nostalgic style can be grating.

Now Phyllis Greene, 90 and in hospice care, has an elegantly written blog of her own. I read her book about losing Bob's dad, "It Must Have Been Moonglow," and you can see that writing runs in their family.

Via Metafilter.

Crap At My Parents House

You just know Crap At My Parents House.com is the next blog-to-book deal.

Here comes the ... what??

TackyWeddings.com: The name kind of says it all.

It's hard to pick just one weird one, but this Russian Goth wedding kinda stood out for me.

Catalog Living

Yes, everyone has already linked to Catalog Living, but I adore it. Someone adds smarmy captions to those bizarre photos in Pottery Barn and similar catalogs. Hilarious!

Some favorites:

--Space is at a premium
--The First Lady Towel of the Month club
--Biggest ball of twine in Minnesota
--Great entryway setup
--More lime!

Do not shake the laptop if your chips don't fall

Matthew Baldwin of Defective Yeti is reviewing all the foods in his office vending machine.

An awesomely worthwhile project. Speaking for my own office, we have some really weird foods in there that I can't believe anyone eats. Apple strudel Pop Tarts? Cans of tuna? Those Pop Chips that sound OK, but cost like $3--a fortune in the world of vending!

Now that I look more closely at Matthew's vending machine...hmm, I wonder if we work at the same place?

30 minutes or less

A new to me blog: Diary of a Pizza Girl. It details the life of a pizza delivery person who happens to be female -- rare in that industry. Fun read!

Java jive

A Weblog devoted entirely to putting weird stuff in coffee. Peanut butter and jelly? Salmon cream cheese? BLUE CHEESE??

(Via Metafilter.)

The world needs more Mollys

This story is breaking my heart. A 22-year-old Washington state woman who had been an orphanage volunteer was found dead in a smashed building in Haiti.

Last night when there was still hope she was alive, I read her inspiring blog, and thought...what an incredibly good, fun person. I hoped she was just trapped or injured, like her friend who was found alive on another floor.

The world needs more Molly Hightowers.

A sad farewell

I don't want this to be true.

I never met Brad Graham of The Bradlands in person, but we exchanged emails, enjoyed each other's sites, and for years I have considered him to be a friend I just never got around to meeting in person.

How can he be gone at just 41?

More interesting than it sounds

More interesting than it sounds: A census blog. (Via Metafilter.)

WTF, Comcast?

I'm not sure this blog, WTF, Comcast?, is properly titled.

It highlights hilarious and witty program descriptions that show up for Comcast subscribers, and while the title makes it sound like a bad thing, it's really awesome.

(Via Metafilter.)

Puddleblog

When I was a kid, we lived next door to the public beach, and one corner of their parking lot had a persistent puddle. I loved to walk in it in all kind of weather, and whether it was deep or shallow, mucky, murky, or clear. It was my own little science experiment.

If I lived there today, I'd probably make a Puddleblog for it. (Via Kottke.)

Halloween tacos and Thanksgiving potato chips

Taco Bell now has a taco with a black shell. GrubGrade is a fun site that reviews food items, and it's definitely going on my bookmark list.

Moving ahead to Thanksgiving, there are already turkey and stuffing flavored potato chips.

In the UK, which...doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, but...whatever. It works for Christmas, too. And it found me another fun food blog, Foodstuff Finds, this one from the UK.

(Both found via The Impulsive Buy.)

Regretsy

I love Etsy.com, the crafters' online marketplace, and have made purchases there before.

But I have to admit I howled at Regretsy, a blog of really awful Etsy items. Kitten head on amputee is my favorite. Favorite? That word, I do not think it means what you think it does.