The Weblog Review

There is something wonderful about being greeted by a photo of a beautiful woman in black knee high boots and not much else that grabs one’s attention. As is the case when you arrive at Mistress Matisse’s Journal. After I stopped staring at the photo 0:) I started to read the blog… I did have a job to do here after all…

Mistress Matisse is “a very beautiful, experienced dominatrix with a private, fully equipped dungeon in Seattle, Washington. I do sessions with beginners as well as experienced submissives.” Clearly this is an adult oriented blog told by someone living a unique life. There are references to all sorts of things I knew nothing about, such as: secondary partners (I would have thought maintaining one is more than enough for any one but she seems to be faring well), polyamorous (loving more than one person) and various ‘dominating’ terms.

I’m not sure what I was expecting… The few ‘adult’ blogs I have read have been rather disappointing and lacked content. Mistress Matisse’s Journal however, was a pleasant surprise. The author is very down to earth, articulate and often writes entertaining thoughtful entries. The blog isn’t about spanking, sex and explicit descriptions…in the Mistresses words ‘I command a certain rate to talk dirty, and ya’ll aren’t paying it.’ She does, however include some excerpts from phone calls she receives, some of which I found very funny, especially her additional comments. ‘I got a phone call yesterday from an unknown guy who said, “I’d like to book an appointment with you for a really hard spanking. That sounds fine, I answered. But I’m married and I can’t have any marks.’ (also read the entry from Thursday, April 15, 2004 – hehe) I can only imagine some of the calls she gets…There are a good number of similar phone entries.

It is a frank, real-life blog of the hang ups and tie downs of being a professional dominatrix. She addresses issues which would affect people in the sex trade such as the legalization of gay marriage. She sees Bush’s amendment as ‘a desperate, pathetic, and malicious bunch of crap…” . Matisse has done some nude modeling and has come across photos of her used without her authorization by various ‘little rinky-dink sites’ on the web. An enlightening perspective for sure. Not only does the Mistress have a blog, but she writes a column in Seattle’s coolest alt-weekly called The Stranger, her column is called “Control Tower”. She also blogs about fighting a cold, seeing family, her love of books, her various relationships, her Saab and common day to day things everyone experiences. There is the occasional ‘artistic’ nude photo (grin), numerous links all over the web to sex related and non sex related sites and often some very interesting comments from her blog readership.

The Mistress offers a fascinating look into a life few people will ever experience. She shares the glamour and the garbage of her job. The content isn’t for everyone but I would still recommend the blog for most people to read, as it isn’t gratuitously offensive in any manner. The site could be spiced up a bit visually as the layout and design is fairly cookie cutter.

I found the Mistress has much more to offer than whips, leather and a red bottom… Well worth a look. This Mountain Dew is for you.
Mistress Matisse’s Journal

The name drew me to review this web log. Something exotic and whimsical. Maybe someone beautiful was behind this title? My first impressions on reaching the site were good. A great banner and a great Emo Philps quote. Unfortunately the two side panels obscure the elucidation on the title.

The design is straight forward, a nice colour scheme, red and cream and easy to read text. As mentioned there are two side panels containing the usual about me, archives, web rings, current lists, a calendar to jump from post to post by date, a category of posts list and assorted links. There were two features I hadn’t encountered before. Web log sponsorship, which I didn’t take up the offer of and a blog with me option which my cat, Mr Clarence did. I think I like that idea, but not enough to incorporate it into my blog.

She has been blogging since November 2000 although the archives here only go back to March 2001. There is a comment facility and she uses a splattering of links all of which are in working order.

Gypsy girl’s writing is full of emotion and she is direct and honest which is uplifting. I’m gonna use some of her own words here: “I’ve been told the only “good” writing comes out of death, desperation, and depression. I don’t entirely agree. I think the best writing comes out of true feelings, regardless of the emotion they spur from. Whether it’s death, happiness, hatred, or love, the expression of emotion through writing is a powerful medium.” There is a lot of that expression across her posts.

Her blog is a straight autobiographical account of her life with her husband and son and their family life together. She also weaves into her stories a couple of friends and an assortment of other sentient beings of varying form. I really enjoyed reading this one. The highlights for me were the romance after she met her hubby, March 2002 through to their wedding in October 2003, a fantastic self-pitying rant sometime in May this year and a fantastic letter to her son real early on. I love this stuff when its real.

They are currently trying for a child and their struggle is communicated in both a heartfelt and amusing tone. Good luck guys.

I was really charmed by Gypsy girl and her tales of burgeoning family life and there is a photo, and she is beautiful. I even agreed with her view on abortion which is something. A real feel good factor and a four out of five.Gypsy Girl

Gypsy Girl’s page opens to what I think is a Cosmos blossom in sepia tones. I like the custom lettering she has added. It feels friendly and welcoming. Although the dreaded three column layout sort of crowds the newest entry and encroaches on her header.

I started with the links on the right, to find out a bit about our author. In the About Me section we find that she is a young mother and wife living in the south, and is hoping like crazy to get pregnant again. What I report here is the barest minimum. She has provided lots more information in that link and in another entry I found, one of those “100 things about me” lists, that was really quite readable.

She has been blogging since March of 2001, which in anybody’s book is an impressive run. The entries mostly deal with her personal life and are very candid. There is a lovely entry, (December 14, 2001) in which she writes about a conversation with her little son. He wants her to tell God right NOW that he never wants to die. It is a precious story.

She has a straightforward and honest writing style that draws you into her world. A world that is full of optimism and realism at the same time. She makes fun of herself, recounts childhood memories and records the triumphs and tragedies of her life as they happen. There are times that her philosophical side emerges, and others when she’s just chattering away about going to the movies. The sheer variety of subjects she takes on keeps the writing fresh and interesting.

I was happy to see that if you don’t like all the clutter on the front page, you can click on the Archives (even for the current entry) and you are directed to a page that has the entry in a full page style. I thought that was a nice touch. There are links to her favorite blogs, and a section where her entries are arranged by subject. Most of the links work, although three I tried were broken.

I enjoyed my visit to Gypsy Girl’s blog. She seems a complex and sensitive person who writes just that way. Her site is definitely worth a visit, and who knows, you might just decide to stay!

Gypsy Girl

Naked Translations was not quite as exciting as I’d hoped it would be, yet the title is accurate: it is the weblog of an interpreter and translator from France who has lived and worked in the U.K. for the past nine years translating, not surprisingly, French into English and vice versa. A quick glance at the contents of the uncluttered main page provides enough information for the reader to decide then and there if the blog is worth reading. It’s undoubtedly a specialized, niche blog – the latest entry is titled ‘Synecdoche’, a word with which I have no familiarity but through reading the entry I believe it means something similar to ‘using a singular noun/pronoun to represent a group.’ In the entry the author gives us the example of ‘school’ used to represent ‘schoolchildren.’ The point is, this blog isn’t always light reading.

But Naked Translations isn’t dry or academic either. Scanning through the archives, I came to realize that the life of a translator is, if anything, lived in solitude, and the author uses the blog as a vehicle for communicating with the outside world, relating personal experiences, anecdotes, and much of the daily idiosyncrasies of life as a translator. Most entries, in fact, begin with little tidbits about the author’s day-to-day life, but I was hard-pressed to find an entry that didn’t quickly bridge the authors personal life to the blogs mission: the art and business of translation. For example, the remodeling of the bathroom leads to an entry about the solitary existence of a translator; watching an episode of ER leads to a discussion on the structure of the Klingon language from Star Trek; a weekend stroll quickly becomes an entry about an uncommon English word (copse). The writing in all the entries is clear and well-structured, as I would hope to see from someone whose living is based upon language and communication. However, because the blog focuses on a specific and uncommon industry, some of the writing becomes technical and the author’s professional vocabulary is unique to the point that a reader who is not familiar with the business of translation or odd grammar rules might have some difficulty keeping up. Also, some entries use specific examples of what the author is working on and if you don’t know much French, these entries will probably mean very little to you.

The best technical aspect of the blog: on the main page the sidebar includes a list of the categories the author uses and links to four or five entries in each category. This feature enabled me to quickly find that the author’s entries cover a wide spectrum of topics about language and translation, with categories ranging from ‘Words’ to ‘It’s a funny job.’ The design is excellent and keeps the user focused on the blog’s specific purpose. One change I think could be beneficial is the inclusion more entries on the main page, as currently only the three latest entries reside are displayed, forcing the user to click through the archives or the categories to get more than a brief glance into the mind of the author.

The blog is an excellent, stimulating site for anyone interested in translation, writing, linguistics or the peculiarities of an uncommon job. The categorized list of links to older entries enables the reader to find topics that he or she might be interested in or information about a specific topic covered by the weblog quickly. The author is both knowledgeable and a clear writer. It gets a 4.5.
Naked Translations

The difficulties of translation/interpretation from French to English and vice-versa. This was my initial one-liner to describe Céline’s site yet it does not cover all the aspects of it. I found myself trying to sum the site up with a fierce passion after reading it as I am into the same line of work and the correct translation of ideas always arouses my curiosity.

Upon first glancing at the site I posed a question: “How would the author manage to convey, in laymen’s term, the subtle difficulties involved in translating?” Not an easy task… I began to wonder if she’d actually be able to pull it off and interest the reader in the process.

I commenced my trip browsing around, navigating the site. It looks very professional. Simple white and blue template, a side bar with recent entries, recent comments, post highlights under “Category” titles such as Grammar, Culture, Idioms, Interpreting, etc. The site also includes a notify form for updates. Overall, the site has that certain “cleanliness” that Moveable Type gives.

The site title “Naked Translations” is followed by a description (something I always find soothing) and it also features a top menu that takes you to the “home” page where we find Céline’s picture and site introduction; her “About” page, where we learn she is French and moved to the UK nine years ago to complete a Master’s degree in English and ended up staying. We then have an “Experience and Credentials” page which I found pretty impressive. Her rates are also included in the menu (though given via e-mail) as well as the blog itself, called “Translation Blog”, where she explores the same subtleties I mentioned above.

After ending my browsing, I dived into the archives expecting nothing but rather impersonal posts regarding her profession. As I read on, though, I found my initial idea to be wrong. What I most liked about reading Céline was the way she managed to thread her translation difficulties with everyday existence. For example, her post on how to translate this : “Blaming Tony Blair is like trying to pin jelly to a wall”, into French while successfully conveying the meaning and then how she calls “mum” up in an effort to find some ideas on the Tony Blair remark, proved touching. Interesting merge of both the professional and private world there. The private-world posts range from overachieving, the holidays, self employment, the fear of losing good work for taking time out to the loneliness involved in being a Translator: “Solitude and isolation are big issues for freelance translators “, she writes. And the way in which she explains it has us nodding our head in approval.

Her posts relating to the areas of her profession are easily found in the side bar, under the Category title. Thus the posts under “Grammar” will contain just that. Difficulties in using the grammar of both languages when attempting to translate ideas. The Idioms posts deal with idiomatic expressions and how she relates them to daily life. The Interpreting posts I found to be most interesting, making you smile as you picture Céline’s ordeals. Whatever the category, her Translation Blog always manages to merge work with daily life. That is quite refreshing as a career blog will not, of course, appeal to all readers. However, this blog manages to broaden its horizons and interest both the translator and the average blog fan . Also, Céline found the way to explain, in a clear manner, the troubles which she faces when translating English to French and vice-versa to people like me, who do not speak French at all. Quite an interesting blog.

Naked Translations