Author: admin

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

I hate writing reviews like this. How do you tell some nice people that you don’t like their weblog? Unfortunately I can’t just give them a 1.5 score and leave it at that- I have to say why. Oh well, here goes.

Firstly, this is a blogspot blog. Now I have reviewed some fantastic blogspot blogs before now, so I can’t let that put me off. Having said that, it does mean there is the portent of a looming advertisement bar at the top of each page to look forward to. So onwards and upwards in to the site. I soon discovered that a looming advertisement bar was the least of my worries however. Firstly, I had a Google search box blocking out the top of the author’s profile in the right hand sidebar. Begrudgingly, I switch from Firefox to IE6 and find the problem solved. Everything is now in its rightful place. When I say everything, I mean every single javascript possibility you can think of. And more. Yeah I know people like to put gizmos in their sidebar – I have gone through many a gizmo phase myself, but really, is a tic tac toe game and a portable calculator really appropriate? I have never once needed to do sums whilst reading a blog and I don’t intend to start now. Apart from anything else, it gives dial up users a terribly hard time loading the page up. Remember kids, javascript is not big and it’s not clever. And yeah, I know, I am a miserable bastard, but quite honestly, things sometimes just need to be said.

Before we move on from the technicalities, the archives can be found in a pull- down menu marked “Shok – Ives”. This can be found near the bottom of the right hand sidebar, below the “Recent Posts” and above the green “Recommending” section.

Ok so how about the content then. Now, as the title suggests, the author is German. But he lives in America. Not quite sure how that works and I could find no information to shed light on the geographical conundrum either. So moving on to the posts, I found some personal stuff, some links to other stuff and some cut and paste stuff. One feature I liked was the fact that the author had opened up his blog to members of his family and friends. There are also photos included in many of the posts and some poetry too.

I found the style a little hard to digest at times- it reminded me of SMS text messages I sometimes receive which lack punctuation and grammar to the point of obscurity – here is an example:

well … lydia and shok hit the road to willard, ohio in about 10 min … picking up the famed drew costen of toronto and fine member of the ooze … looks like rain for the day and the drive out of the black swamp here … got rain-x on the windshield though … c u all later on …

Now even once I found out that “ooze” was a Christian message board, the message could still use some further elucidation, I am sure you’ll agree. Maybe he does actually update his blog using SMS. Who knows?

Some articles made me think – there was one here about Postmodernist Christianity, which once you blank out some of the jargon, raises some interesting arguments.

I don’t want to write anymore. I have run out of constructive things to say and if I continue I’ll just end up sounding malicious and spiteful. Maybe other people enjoyed this blog more than me. I hope so. Unfortunately I found it inaccessible and frustrating.Shok the German … Schoch

The title didn’t have me brimming with enthusiasm for this review. Predictable. I then got to the site and it was pink. Oh dear. The welcome statement didn’t indicate that my first impressions were at all wrong. “For those looking for something deep and meaningful, you may want to look elsewhere.” Help.

But hold on you highbrow snob, be objective here.

As well as being pink the design just really doesn’t do it for me. The blog is in the www.deardiary.net format. The first one I have come across and I hope the last. I didn’t get on with it at all well. It just doesn’t look right – whatever right may or may not be, this ain’t it.

The first entry was December 2001 but the archives (index) only allow you to get to August 2003. There is an extended upper panel which allows you to move around the site. I found this journeying difficult and cumbersome. There was also a left side panel with some links to a dictionary, a translator and some drums corps bits and pieces. There are links to her brother’s and sister in law’s sites which are also using this deardiary thing. Allimom and I come from very different mystical spheres…

There are links and a comments facility which you can “show” or “hide”. This is used often and folk appear to be engaged in allimom’s world.

So to the posts. Was I gonna be surprised? Unfortunately no. Allimom writes about her world as a wife and mother. Domesticity and errand running. The trials and tribulations of bringing up three kids with ADHD. Attention deficit disorder in which hyperactivity is present. Blimey… I have an opinion here which I’m gonna skip right over. Hubby was and is (?) a soldier and well behaved (in a moral sense) drunk. He is also a genius…

“Son, what happened last night?”

“Well Dad, you came home after 3 A.M., drunk and delirious. You broke some furniture, puked in the hallway, and gave yourself a black eye when you stumbled into the door.”

Confused, Joe asks, “So, why is everything in order and so clean, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me?”

“Oh, that”, his son replies. “Mom dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your pants off, you said, “Lady, leave me alone, I’m married.”

The posts really do nothing more than catalogue life in the nuclear family and how that might make a girl feel. Mostly it causes her to threaten to reach for duct tape to stifle her children further than the medication she gives them does. Her brother, father and chocolate also come in the picture from time to time. Brother is a gun lover. Sheeks ;(

The final indignity for me is the constant haunting presence of Mr Wolverine Van Helsing smiling above a row of well built fireman and a couple of Dalmatians. Every page??? Why??? I know certain women have this thing for a “famous hunk.” What does this fantasy do for their mental health?

I am gonna give the site one and a half out of five because she does write well and it does seem to hold some interest for fellow travellers of the “being a mum and having a family” thing. Warning: if you’re not one for hanging over the back fence detailing the minutia of your life steer clear – my pink half of the drainpipe separates me from you…A Day In The Life

For some reason, I found myself smiling upon entering Shok’s blog. It could be that the “about” section in his sidebar is funny or that he earnestly discloses the purpose of his blog with a quote from the Big Kahuna, whatever the reason, I got a good feeling from this first impression.

The template is a standard blogspot template, blue-beige, nothing fancy, but easy on the eyes. His sidebar is crammed with add-ons, such as java script calendars, tic-tac-toe games, buttons, links to articles from several magazines, a calculator, etc. He has so many add-ons; it does get a little confusing.

Shok is a middle-aged man of the Christian faith (an ex-pastor), married with kids. His “about” section lists a series of his personal tastes, hobbies and other information, which on a blog, is always appreciated. The way Shok describes himself is witty and really does make you warm up to him. Especially after reading some of his early posts from May 2003. He tells us of his pastoring years, the effect this had on his family, the loss of a friend due to ministry pressure and where he’s at now. These early posts are earnest and touching. There’s also a highlight where he speaks of Jesus’ ethnicity which is very amusing, I must say this post is one of the best I’ve read anywhere on the Internet so far.

The rest of his posts, range from personal experiences to quotes to one-liners, to recipes, to articles he’s read or just headlines, to pictures, etc., etc. There is no pattern I could find in the way he posted or the topics he deals with; however this doesn’t stop the blog from being interesting.

Shok is at his best when he speaks of his life, his views on religion or when he posts a good quote or two. Some of the other posts that deal with headlines (and only that) or a posted image but no real information as to what the image entails, are a bit obscure in comparison.

Overall, I like this blog. I like the fact that Shok is a man of principles and I appreciate his earnesty. He’s one of those bloggers you cannot help but like. If he could get the sidebar rearranged and post on those subjects where he’s at his best, then it would be one very good blog. For the time being, I will add Shok to my list of favorites and see what’s up with him every once in a while.

Shok the German … Schoch

Before even opening this site the title intrigued me, if only because the word “MOM” was capitalized while the word “pop” was not. Then I opened it.

Woh! Holy bright colors Batman!! Who threw up the neon? I expected to find a lot of political, social, and worldly events deeply discussed in a blog that appears to be controlled by an author who experienced the 50’s or 60’s. Let’s just say I was interested, yet afraid, to find out what this bright bomb held for my viewing eyes.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I usually avoid “political” type blogs. I would rather decipher the skid marks on underwear, but this lady has a way with words. She makes even the most mundane and boring political event bring out a chuckle in even the most anti-political types (like me.) She even made some sense out of a few things that were perplexing to me, as far as the political fields are concerned.

This woman has a way with words. In one breath you’re likely to get a whiff of political action, current events, and family life. This woman covers it all with a humor that is low key, yet apparent.

She is a freelance writer, an independent film maker, and a mother of two. Yes, she does have stories to tell and a unique way of getting them across. This blog doesn’t settle on one topic, or fall into one category. The author appears to let her writing take her wherever it chooses and both she and the reader seem to benefit from this course of action.

The design fails to do the written word justice, but I think the written word takes precedence above and beyond all else in all matters pertaining to blogging. The header isn’t exactly centered, but oh well. I like the personal touch of the pictures at the top and the colors do wake you up. The site is easy to navigate and it’s not too cluttered. The design is mediocre at best, but the writing more than makes up for it.

There aren’t a lot of bells or whistles, but again, I think the main focal point of this blog is the writing. There is a very informative “About Me” section that didn’t bore me to tears, gave me some much needed background on the author, and gave me a good starting point. She does tend to spice things up with the periodical graphic, which is a nice touch.

All in all, this blog isn’t much to look at visually, but once you dive into what the author is saying, the rest doesn’t really matter. This MOM really dishes the pop culture, and then some. You don’t have to be a wife and mother to “get” this blog, but it would definitely help. Although there are many facets to this woman’s life, it is apparent that she is first a wife and a mother and then everything else. However, there is so much to be found and so much ground covered that there is something for everyone here. It may not become a daily read, but you’re sure to get a laugh or two out of the deal.

MOM & Pop Culture