As the Blog World Turns

What is new in the world of blogging you ask? Well, I was nominated for another award! Damn I'm good. Not that it's going to my head or anything, but this does make my third. Take THAT Michael Phelps! I win awards and I don't even have to get wet. The Brillante award was bestowed upon me by Team Squid Etsy. Thanks guys!

And thanks to this blog, I will now not gasp in horror should I walk past a computer and see a headless Barbie sticking out of someone's USB port. Some ingenious folks are selling things like Sushi drives, Rubber Duckie drives and the ever popular, Dim Sum drive. Getting creative with your flash drive seems to be a growing trend and USB Flash Drives Tech News has run a three part series on Weird Flash Drives.

Because most things are funnier when they are flat. This is the motto of the Nothing Like It store on Etsy. I believe I'd have to agree with that. This store features a series of clay coasters with names like Ernie the flat elf, Dixie the flat cow, and Flush me the flat goldfish. Their little bulging eyes are so cute!

Ayun Halliday, author of the very funny travel memoir (my personal favorite) No Touch Monkey and the possible creator of the infamous Kitty Litter Cake (if you don't know what this is, retain your innocence and DO NOT Google it! Trust me on this one. You do not want that picture burned into your brain, replacing memories of less disgusting treats). All these accomplishments yet she has not updated her food blog, Dirty Sugar Cookies since December of 2007! That makes knitwithcats look like a blogging fanatic. Everytime I check Dirty Sugar Cookies, all I see is the same Monkfish McNugget picture that has been there for 9 months and counting.

So, Ayun, this knitwithcats award is for you. Congrats!

Is everyone watching the Olympics? My favorite part is the parade of countries in the opening ceremony. It seems like every Olympics I learn about a new "tiny little country between France and Spain" or "lilliputian island nation in the pacific." Then I have to add the country to my already too long to accomplish in one lifetime travel dream list and I spend the rest of the Olympics wondering what life would be like in a country the size of a Wal-Mart.

Updates

I thought I would update a few of the previous posts:

Live Restaurant Webcam

The Spot restaurant in Galveston moved its webcam. If you like to watch people eat al fresco, next to the ocean, click here. And last time I wrote that the camera was turned off when the partying bar action started but I think they might leave it on past restaurant closing, so you CAN watch drunken Galvestonian merrymakers! I prefer watching the surf cam which is below the restaurant webcam, although it makes me long to be at the beach.

International Candy

Here are the results of the international candy taste test:


Japanese Hi-Chew: The texture is one of my favorite things about these candies. Extra chewy but not like taffy, more like an extra firm gummy bear. Slightly sour, not too sweet (although someone in the comment section suggested otherwise).


Glorias from Mexico: (in the red wrapper) These extra soft and gooey caramel candies are from the Monterrey area of Mexico. The taste is very similar to typical types of caramels, but the texture is not as firm and they stick to the paper. These are made with goat's milk and often are sprinkled with pecans. They can be found at some airport stores in Mexico dedicated exclusively to "leche quemada" which are various types of goat's milk caramels. Although I don't recall how much I paid exactly, I do know the price can be steep compared to similar quantities of other types of candy.


Middle Eastern Candy: (white and brown candy in front) The ingredients are primarily pistachios, sugar, and starch. It looks like it would taste similar to a caramel but actually was more like a hard gel with pistachios. Although the pistachios are the dominant flavor, they also have a slightly fragrant flavor that I can't identify.



Japanese Candy in a tin: I put my fellow knitters on this one. Per Amber, "Mmmm! These are good!" I would describe the flavor as slightly more mature (less sour, less sweet, more authentically fruity) than something like Brachs hard candies. This might be an incorrect perception and based solely on the fact that the container is similar to a flask. It's entirely possible that it's the exact same recipe used by Brachs.



Dineometer Complaint Department

In the last edition of As the Blog World Turns we mentioned the addition of the Dineometer Complaint Department. Well, now, knitwithcats is whining about how overworked she is so like any good future Fortune 100 executive I promoted her to Senior Vice President in charge of complaints and promised to give her some help. So, if you would like to be added to the Dineometer Complaint Department, mentioned in the next edition of As the Blog World Turns, you must:

A) Get that this is just a joke
and
B) Indicate your interest in the comment section. We would prefer that you have previous Dineometer experience as a commenter or frequent Entrecard dropper. Spammers leaving gratuitous links to their websites will have their comments deleted and several large pins will be added to the groin area of the Spammer Voodoo Doll.

As the Blog World Turns

I think it's well past time for another edition, don't you think? Here is a summary of some recent goings on in the blogosphere:


No time to knit the guinea pig dress we showed you in the last edition? Have a guinea pig wedding coming up and nothing to wear? Or maybe you are just offended by guinea pig nudity. If so, this is your site. Cuddly Cavies Creations also sells guinea pig diapers you will be glad to know.
























Need a card to express the 99% of life events that Hallmark won't touch? Maybe you need a card to congratulate your brother-in-law on his release from jail. If so then Dirky Shanks and their Jailbird Commissary store on Etsy is the place for you. There is something in this store to offend almost everyone and if you aren't offended, this will only encourage them to try harder. I even thought up a campaign slogan for them. Dirty Shanks: Cards that make you say "........."


In Shadows is a blog that focuses on Etsy's more unusual items. Highlights include corsets, jars of dirt, pasties, and the Freak Fish necklace which is a real, one-eyed fish encased in wax and displayed in a clear tube, which you can hang around your neck. It's a steal at $220 but hurry. There's only one in stock. If only I had discovered this seller before mother's day .


When will Chilly at On the Bricks learn that by advertising his wealth on the net, he only opens himself up to identify fraud, scams, and relatives begging for money? If any of you happen to stop by his site, please, please remind him to be cautious when discussing such issues.


Want a quick way to get links to your website? Just add "Hannah Montana" to a post title, as I did with this one and you will instantly be linked to numerous Hannah Montana "news" sites that apparently don't read what they put on their own websites.


And finally, congratulations go out to this happy couple. I have no idea who these people are but was captivated by this photo found here. I love the beautiful attire which I believe is a traditional Malaysian clothing called Sonket (correct me if I'm wrong). Hopefully I will one day score a Malaysian wedding invitation so I can go to one in person. Apologies to Roy and Irmy if they are offended that I posted their wedding photo on the same page as a guinea pig in a poodle skirt. That was not intentional and I mean no disrespect.


















If anyone has any complaints about content here at Dine-o-meter, please contact our complaint department:
knitwithcats
And don't forget to complement her on the Harry Potter sweater that she finally completed.


Stay tuned next time for more...(dramatic pause) As the Blog World Turns. (SuperTarget execs, your sponsorship check must have gotten lost in the mail.)

As the Blog World Turns

Here is a summary of some recent goings on in the blogosphere:





1. Great news! The infamous knitted guinea pig dress pattern and photo that I though were lost in some black internet hole, have been found, faithfully preserved by a blogger. The original site went down shortly after I sent the link to my brother, who in turn passed it along to a few thousand of his bored coworkers at the huge company where he works. What I found interesting was the horrified expression on its little face, although someone who has owned guinea pigs told me that they always look that way, even when not wearing a frilly green dress. The pattern includes detailed instructions on how to take proper dress measurements for your guinea pig. I had been searching for unusual knitting patterns and found that one, along with a knitted intestinal track and a penis cozy.

2. Catsworking has been hijacked. It has inadvertently become an Anthony Bourdain gossip site after this article became hugely popular, and was then followed up with the provocatively titled "Was Anthony Bourdain's First Wife a Vampire?" If you are interested in Bourdain gossip, this is your site. However, I will caution you that if you want to retain your image of him as just a lovable, free spirited, pickled livered, chef/author/TV host you may want to keep your innocence and not click on those posts. I am off to check out another of catsworking's intriguingly titled posts "Laura Bush's Misplaced Breasts."

3. There is a new meta blog for adventure diners called Mondo food. This allows those of us who are lazy to leaf through many food blogs all at once. There seems to be a wide variety of nationalities and food types represented so this seems to be a great resource for new blogs and unique recipes.

4. In analysing my stats I found this interesting: Who would you think would send more referrals? Sherxr over at Ur Resident Chef or Technorati? Sherxr 21, Technorati 2. Therefore, we can conclude that Sherxr is better than Technorati ; )

5. We may be having a heat wave but hell sure must have frozen over. Not only did knitwithcats update her blog TWICE in less than a month, but she is promising another post once she finishes the sweater she's been knitting for 8 or 9 years. (I think I might have finally pushed her over the edge with this post and may not return for Saturday knitting lest I be hit. We knitters are a surprisingly violent bunch. It's not uncommon to see brawls break out over sock patterns).

6. Even though there is a law about Tennesseans and Georgians socializing, and us Cubs fans certainly don't think much of Yankee fans, I thought I should mention Chilly at On the Bricks because he is always my top Entrecard dropper, despite my spastic return drops. For you non Entrecarders, this means he clicks on my website everyday. He often has interesting posts like this one: Man Gets DWI After Riding Motorized Cooler.


Thanks to my nieces I am now hooked on the Disney Channel and can't get the theme song from the Suite Life of Zac and Cody out of my head!!! This is worse than my noisy neighbors! Now I'm wishing they would come back and play their guitars at 1am so as to blocks out this infernal song!!! ....na na na...Suite Life....na na na....

Stay tuned next time for: ...na na na...Suite Life...na na na. Grrrrr! As the Blog World Turns.

As the Blog World Turns

A summary of some interesting goings on in the blogosphere recently:


Lofty Matters: This fruit from South Africa makes anything sour that you eat up to one hour afterwards, taste sweet.


A soap dish made from recycled record albums is among these earth friendly Mother's Day gifts.


Will Angelika ever get more than two hours sleep a night? Will she ever meet Hugh Laurie? Will the refrigerator bandit ever be caught? God I miss that fridge.


Boobs or apples? Join the violent debate at Ragtree's Funky Folky blog.


In Scotland, it's neither illegal or immoral to shufty at the church. Although I have no use for the hindi script translation button, a UK to US English button would really be helpful to me (scrummy bottle of rioja?)



Will Acne Control, the newest Entrecarder (as of this writing), betray us by not returning our dropped cards? Will they remain "Just here for the view" or will they become a "Drop Master"?


Will knitwithcats ever update her blog more frequently than once a month? Highly unlikely.


Will Target ever pay me for the for the extremely flattering article I wrote about their partnership with Andrew Zimmern?



Will my neighbor ever be evicted for playing their stereo at 1:30 am? (not a blog entry, just a question) Anyone know what the jail term is for breaking into a neighbors house and hacking up their stereo? Anybody? Anybody?


Tune in next time for more (dramatic pause).... As the Blog World Turns. Sponsored by Target (?)