Blog Soup 2011.11.02 Blogger’s Digest

Blog Soup

by Stan Faryna

Blog Soup 2011.11.02. Winter is coming.

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What is the mindset of a gentleman or a lady? What are you doing with your life? Is it meaningful? Exciting? Are you making a difference? These are just a few of the things that bloggers are thinking about these days.

I read a lot of blogs. Maybe, too many. I comment on a lot of blog posts. Maybe, too many. If you are a Triberrati, you do too.

A Triberrati is a blogger that stands out in the Triberr community. Triberr is a web app that connects bloggers and helps them to curate each other on Twitter. You can learn all about Triberr by reading any of the following posts about it.

1. James St. John, Triberr: They Want To Change The World

2. Yomar Lopez, How Triberr Changes The Competitive Landscape

3. Neicole Crepeau, Friday Fives: Tips For Using Triberr

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Gary Portnoy, Where everybody knows your name (Cheers theme song)

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2011.11.02

Today is Adrian Klein’s birthday. He’s the rockstar that helps me make podcasts – if you didn’t know. Happy Birthday, Rockstar!

Today, I made sarmala. It’s a traditional Romanian holiday dish. Everyone easts it at Christmas and Easter. Normally, it’s a meat and rice stuffed cabbage roll. I use an ancient recipe with spring leaves from the linden tree, seasoned beef, rice, red wine, and tomato paste. This is the first time I’m doing it unassisted. So, yeah, my fingers are crossed! Twice.

If you noticed, I’ve reduced blog soup down from 15 to seven featured blogs per episode. No more need for one or more pots of coffee to get through the soup!

Recently on my blog:

One Christian’s Letter to Occupy Wall Street Protesters

What is Occupy Wall Street? And other social media DOHs

Murder will not silence us. A guest post by @Soulati.

Featured

Just some of the blogs that I recently commented on:

1. The 3 Characteristics of an Educated Man by Brett & Kate McKay

2. 25 Random Things About Me by Janet Callaway

3. The Fastest Way To Lose Readers by Jack Steiner

4. Why I’m Choosing The Road Less Travelled by Lauren Giammarco

5. Life After Tech Support by Josh Sarz

6. Getting Beyond the Time Loop and the Matrix by Justin Mazza

7. Why Your Physical Trash Equals Your Mental Trash by Oliver Tausend

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Michael Jackson, Thriller

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Blog Soup

1. The 3 Characteristics of an Educated Man by Brett & Kate McKay

The description is based on a quote from How To Live the Good Life by Commander Edward Whitehead.

An educated man has been defined as one who can entertain himself, one who can entertain another, and one who can entertain a new idea.

My comment:

Brett and Kate seem to be describing a gentleman or a lady – a man or woman who is at ease with their self, others, and the world in general. And, perhaps more to the point, a man or woman with whom the world is at ease. So why the superfluous emphasis on the education and gender? [grin]

May I also observe that the definition here comes with a floral note of slightly too sweet raspberries? In other words, my GF would agree with this blog post at once. Of course, anything to which she would agree immediately is suspect to my sense of manliness and my manly service to truth. [laughing]

Consider for a moment, however, the compliment, “You are a gentleman and a scholar.” Observe the necessity to separately illuminate one’s social graces and intellectual accomplishments. C.S. Lewis, for example, may have been a scholar and a gentleman and to have complimented him simply as a scholar would, no doubt, have been a slight. But a worse slight would have been to merely compliment Lewis as a gentleman. Because not everyone, in fact, can serve as an Oxford Don.

Furthermore, while I think these three characteristics are worthwhile, they may not be primary. They do not speak to intellectual necessities such as the beautiful, the good, and the true. Neither do they speak directly to virtues, morality, nor leadership. So then, here we are, you have described intellectual promiscuities which may serve one to become a gentleman, a scholar, or both. But not without a great education! [grin]

This charming description, I fear, could apply as an abstract for Mark Simpson’s metrosexual.
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2. 25 Random Things About Me by Janet Callaway

Find out about Janet’s thing for hats and why. [grin]

My comment:

I enjoy getting to know more about all of us bloggers and where we come from. We each come from such interesting experiences! Stacey Herbert’s #NicheAmnesty blogs started something wonderful. And I’m so glad to see you take it further, Janet.
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3. The Fastest Way To Lose Readers by Jack Steiner

Jack doesn’t see Occupy Wall Street (OWS) going anywhere. And other things.

My comment:

Jack doesn’t feel his insight and voice is represented by OWS, but Jack isn’t on the front line either. Thats not a dig on Jack! Because I know Jack has things to do. Put food on the table. Keep his kids in private school. Teach his kids about life, death, and the world.

I don’t see what voting has to do with anything, Jack. Voting is important and yet it’s also a rigged game. Saying that if someone hasn’t voted, they should STFU is just like saying that if you aren’t on the front line in Oakland, STFU. [grin]

The thing is that Jack can do something more than he is doing. Jack is smart enough, thoughtful enough, and insightful enough to contribute to a coherent, cohesive, and intelligent OWS message. He can put things out there. He can plant seeds in the hearts and minds of the kiddos on the front lines.

Because he’s a daddy. Because he’s a daddy blogger and, perhaps, the best daddy in the world. Because Jack has got Klout!
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4. Why I’m Choosing The Road Less Travelled by Lauren Giammarco

Writes Lauren: “Where there is inspiration and passion, success is inevitable – if you like that sort of thing.”

My comment:

This is a paradoxical statement. Success is never inevitable. Nor is it more likely just because you like that sort of thing.

It is not simply a logical paradox; it is also an emotional paradox. This is a common problem with the positivity movement. It resolves to paradoxes; it doesn’t resolve paradoxes, problems, or the ironic. Because conflict and confrontation are worse than evil, paradox, or tragedy – all of which can be easily ignored. Or so the positivity movement would like to suggest.

I’m not picking on Lauren. I dont even want to make an example of her. Actually, I wanted to walk down the road less travelled that she wanted to paint. Because I think the mainstream problem of being stuck in an ordinary job with the mute on was, in fact, poorly resolved by consumption, entertainment, and more consumption. Worse than that, devotion to consumption and entertainment is not sustainable for many reasons.

Small is beautiful when small is intensely poignant. Like a Buckeye packed with peanut-butter wonerfulness within a rich, soft shell of chocolate.

Josh Sarz’s comment and blog post, I noticed, speaks to the same doe path through the trees and brush that I suspect of the road less travelled.

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5. Life After Tech Support by Josh Sarz

Josh Sarz wants to do epic shit. His words – not mine.

My comment:

Josh quit his job at as a technical help call center jockey. The money was ok, he tells us. Now, he’s doing freelance work for an American company. He’s blogging too. He wants to more deeply explore his interests and himself. He’s ready to take on more risks – even if he can’t buy a new phone every six months like he used to do when he was working at the call center.

Like I suggested in my comment to Lauren Giammarco, consumption and entertainment is a poor trade off for a chance to discover and be you.

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6. Getting Beyond the Time Loop and the Matrix by Justin Mazza

Writes Justin:

“Most of us are entrapped in our own personal time loop within the collective one.”

My comment:

What choo talking about, Willis?!

Talk about different strokes!

I’m teasing, of course. But Justin jumps into some wild-eyed ideas about time as an illusion of the Mind. But maybe he’s not talking crazy talk. Because if you check out the comments, quite a few seemingly well-adjusted bloggers seem to agree with Justin including Marcus Baker, Oliver Tausend, and Harleena Singh.

I’m curious, however, why so many of the commenters are stuck in the present. Or trying to stick in the present. That’s quite the dilemma. It’s almost spooky!

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7. Why Your Physical Trash Equals Your Mental Trash by Oliver Tausend

Your physical trash is your mental trash. That’s what Oliver is saying.

My comment:

Close but no cigar, Oliver. [warm smile]

I’m not saying that de-cluttering isn’t meaningful. But you’re not getting anywhere spiritually if you aren’t editing out the things you love, the things you think help you, and the things you think you need (but don’t).

This is what I’m talking about: Luxurious decorations for your castle or estate http://wp.me/pbg0R-sv
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Feedback

If you think that this blog post sucks, let me know in your comment and don’t forget to include a link to YOUR favorite blog post.

If you think this blog post rocks, tell me why it rocks in the comment. “Awesome,””Great post,” etc. works for me. Don’t forget to include a link to YOUR most recent blog post.

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Stan Faryna
02 November 2011
Bucharest, Romania

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P.S. Help me to do something beautiful. More here.

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More Blog Soup

1. Blog Soup: 2011.10.06 http://wp.me/pbg0R-r7

2. Blog Soup: 2011.09.22 http://wp.me/pbg0R-pF

3. Blog Soup: 2011:10:10 http://wp.me/pbg0R-rO

4. Blog Soup. 2011:10:13 http://wp.me/pbg0R-s9

5. Blog Soup. 2011.10.17 http://wp.me/pbg0R-sq

6. Blog Soup. 2011.10.21 http://wp.me/pbg0R-to

7. Blog Soup. 2011.10.24 http://wp.me/pbg0R-tw

8. Blog Soup. 2011.10.27 http://wp.me/pbg0R-tI

9. Blog Soup.2011.10.31 http://wp.me/pbg0R-u3

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Faryna Podcasts

1. Why do I blog: http://wp.me/pbg0R-kX

2. If Tomorrow Was Your Last Day: http://wp.me/pbg0R-la

3. Money Can’t Buy Happiness: http://wp.me/pbg0R-lv

4. The First Duty of Love is to Listen: http://wp.me/pbg0R-lO

5. Are You Ready for Love? http://wp.me/pbg0R-lX

6. Reading The Desiderata. http://wp.me/pbg0R-mr

7. What is Love? http://wp.me/pbg0R-mw

8. Confessions of a Freak-Geek-Misfit. http://wp.me/pbg0R-nJ

9. Do you love strongly? http://wp.me/pbg0R-nY

10. Empty-handed, Less Traveled Roads. http://wp.me/pbg0R-on

11. The Economics of Friendship. http://wp.me/pbg0R-oU

12. Do Not Be Afraid. http://wp.me/pbg0R-p9