Category: Uncategorized

When I first entered this blog, I really didn’t know what to expect, judging by the title. I did notice that this weblog was submitted for a re-review. When the page loaded, there was a little banner above the posts, saying that the blog had moved with a link to the new web address.

The old address was on “Blogspot”, and the new one was the authors own domain. The one thing that kind of puzzled me was why Charlie “the author”, had submitted his weblog for a re – review. One of the reasons being is, both the old and the new weblog looked the same. Same lay-out, same colors ect.

The weblog itself had a 3 column lay-out which I was never very keen on myself. In the left hand column, there were several links which were very humourous. There was an “About Me” and an “About This” links. They both made me laugh.

After I got through several of his links, which he had both on the right and left side panels, I started reading several of the archives. His archives dated back to June 2003.. Each entry was entertaining in it’s own way. What may be amusing for some readers, may not be amusing for others. I went through several archives, and there were only a few entries I really laughed at.

There was one entry where he talked about a time where his door key broke off in his lock . He tried to get it out by taking the lock apart with a screw driver, but it didn’t work. Then he thought of using WD-40, until he realized he didn’t have any so he used olive oil instead. But all he got out of that was a slippery door knob and a dog wanting to lick it. Now that is one of the few entries I chuckled at. I just didn’t find a lot of the posts amusing.

Now for the design, It is a very simple blue and white template. As I said earlier on, there are links on both sides and the entries are in the middle. To me , some of the links and the archives are not spaced enough. The entries are very well written and very easy to read. The posts are also quite long. I feel the design could use some work. If you have time to spare, drop by and pay Charlie a visit. Like I said, what some people may find humourous, others may not. I just didn’t get much out of it.Where the Hell Was I?

When I think of a rudder, I think of the thing at the back of a boat to help steer the boat. So thus rudderless would imply no rudder, or no thing to help steer. This is a very good name for this blog as you will see.

When I first got to rudderless, I was impressed with the clean and crisp design. It looked like a lot of other sites, but still had its own flair. The standard two column layout and the entire thing is centered look is really taking off.

At first glance it seemed to me that there was an excessive amount of writing per post. The author was telling long stories with a lot of details. So I checked out the about page, and found out that there were actually two authors, and one sure enough was a copy editor.

Reading the posts was almost mundane. Yes there were differences between the posts based on topic and who the author was, but aside from big details mentioned in each post, it was almost hard to distinguish one author from the other. Most of the posts are about what is going in their life at that point in time. This can be anything from movies, to people they interact with, to music. Music is one thing that both authors have a serious passion for and it shows in their tastes.

The blog itself was never able to fully capture my attention. The long stories always seemed to have a depressed look on the situation, and the short posts are pretty standard. I don’t know of what the authors could do to have grabbed my attention better, I think it just wasn’t a good fit for me.

Overall this blog has its good points, and has its bad points. I was not able to connect with the authors for whatever reason, but I don’t expect to connect with every author. I would recommend checking this blog to see if you enjoy it. Don’t base your opinion on this blog without even giving it a chance. You might be surprised. rudderless.org

When I first heard the “title” of this blog, well to me, it was self explanatory as to what the blog would be about.

When I first entered into the blog, I was greeted with a very crisp and clean looking layout. The first thing that caught my eye was a small introduction up in the right hand corner as to what the blog was all about. It went like this..

I come from a family that has been traumatized by suicides. I am the only one in 3 generations to not attempt it. This is my life, my struggles, my pains, my ramblings and my triumphs.

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Just below the introduction was a photo of a little girl who I am assuming is the author at a younger age.

Another thing I really liked was the fact that the author had her entries placed into categories. For example, the red posts are stories concerning her family, black posts are news articles on suicide/depression, and violet posts are just on different topics.

After going through the basics, I began my journey into the blog itself. The blog is basically based on topics of suicide. (which you can figure out from the title). I couldn’t seem to find an “About Me”, page at first. I later discovered it in her archives as one of her entries.

Carrie (the author) is a 32 year old lady who has gone through some very traumatic experiences in her life. She has come from a broken home, not to mention that several members of her family have either committed suicide or attempted it. In her entries, she talks a lot about her dad and her brother Corey (who she was very close to). She talks about her friends who have also committed/attempted suicide.

I went through more than half of her archives. I will admit that the entries were depressing and mind baffling at the same time. Reading the articles/entries, gave me a very uneasy and eerie feeling. But at the same time, I was touched by a majority of them.

Carrie has a very unique way of telling a story. You can sense the emotion and the sadness she is going through as you read the entries concerning her family. You may ask yourself why someone would devote their entire blog to writing articles on suicide. Well Carrie has been through so much trauma, maybe it’s her way of dealing with the pain. Maybe it helps her to write down her feelings. Maybe she also wants to show others just how wrong it is to take your own life and what their loved ones go through. There could be several reasons why someone would write that kind of blog. However, I do know that Carrie’s entries, will make you stop and think.

I also like the design of Carrie’s blog. As I stated it has a very crisp and clean lay-out. Besides her introduction on the right hand side, she has several links which all seem to be in working order. She has a link to rate her on bloghop as well. As you scroll down she has a quote from “Benjamin Franklin”, and she has a guest book as well.

I couldn’t find one fault with Carrie’s blog. Of course it would be depressing. It’s about suicide. It’s basically supposed to be depressing. I know this blog won’t fit everyone’s taste, but it may give some people a better outlook on life. I know I will be bookmarking Carrie’s site.The Suicidiaries

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

American Blogger opens to a very pleasant, atmospheric picture of the prairie. The railroad tracks and stop sign are an amusing way to tell us he thinks he lives in the middle of nowhere. I followed the link to his blog which has been in existence since April of this year. I was impressed by the opening page here too. The color scheme is eye pleasing and the header is a complex, if subtle montage. I started to get excited. This is a really great looking site. Very professional.

But then I started to read the posts. Mercifully, they are short. They consist of terse comments about movies, with very little in the way of commentary. Some entries contain a photo of an actress or model and some salacious comment on same. One link that I regrettably clicked on named “what can brown do for you” took me to a vulgar photo. I did not appreciate the ambiguity of the link. There are other posts on various short subjects such as sports or some odd bit of news that captured the author’s attention that day.

In the sidebar are links to several photo galleries that include family members, “babes”, goofy news photos of improbable events, and scenic views. Some of the pictures in the “Whacky and Funny” folder are pretty fun. But that’s about as much fun that you are going to find on this blog. The author describes his blog in one post thusly: “So you ask what is the purpose of my blog, must there always be a purpose? I know it’s not much, and it certainly won’t make u smarter for reading it, I hope it doesn’t make u stupid either. I just hope that you leave here with a smile.”

I suppose one could argue that blogs don’t have to have a purpose. We could debate that. But I must say, I did not leave with a smile. Perhaps it had something to do with the entry that opened with these words: “So wassup sluts…”

This blog is listed under the “Movie” category. I can’t say that it belongs there except that the author does watch movies, but he certainly doesn’t spend much energy critiquing them.

I won’t be coming back any time soon. The one point I am giving is for the design, which is undeniably quite good. American Blogger