Different Strokes

We weren't nominated for Most Obnoxious Blogger for nothing. We are foul-mouthed, opinionated, snarky, biting, and usually pretty disgusting. In the best possible way. Our comment streams tend to trail on for hours, each of us out-grossing or one-upping or lobbing insults and pop-culture references and basically enjoying the hell out of ourselves for being completely uncouth and rowdy and irreverent and honestly pretty darn smart and hilarious. And full of ourselves.

When bloggers ask for us to review them/rip them a new one, they have to know what they're getting into. I mean, look over there at the Submit section. We lay it on the line, right? We're clear about our intentions. We are not nice (well, except for me -- the following review notwithstanding). We are not going to stroke your ego. We are not going to take it easy on you. We will fucking tear you apart.

So I'm amazed when people like this submit their blogs for reivew. She has to know, doesn't she? That she's not exactly swimming in safe waters with us? Here be dragons. And sharks. And a few piranhas. And really bitchy people with axes to grind.

But she did submit, and she did read the FAQ. And so I'm left to assume that she asked for it, that she's ready for it, that she can take it.

Because I ain't gonna lie: I don't like this blog. Pretty much at all.

The design is cluttered and trips from one font size to another, from one font color to another. There are ads, ads, ads, fucking ads and there's entirely too much stuff in the incredibly redundant two side columns. What is it with some bloggers that they think more crap is better (ok, I admit it -- I used to, too)? Here's a hint: it's not. Get rid of it. Put your links on a separate page, roll up your archives, lose the ads, switch to one column. You'll thank me for it.

Jenera has been blogging consistently for a while, but I can't bring myself to read the entire blog as I normally would. I'm limiting myself to 2008-2009. For my sanity. And yours. Holy mother of God, there are 91 posts in January 2008.

As you can see, Jenera writes a lot. A lot a lot. Like, a lot. Which is really very admirable. But so much of it is memes and quizzes and ridiculous shit you'd put on MySpace and crap about her kids and just really boring, pointless, here's what I'm thinking about posts. And honestly I just don't care. I'm not moved to care.

And the writing is so very much like what belongs in a diary, not on a blog. How many times do we have to make this distinction? Is it so very complex an idea? Am I completely wrong in thinking that blogs should be polished, edited, crafted, entertaining, insightful, informative, or at the very least really goddamn funny or tragically twisted? Instead of just here's what I'm doing, and here's what I think about it, and here are a few misspellings and pics of the rug rats and five paragraph essays on what I think about the world. Perhaps I'm biased (I know I am), but in my world, blogs should be written by writers or storytellers or personalities. The rest should just stick to Live Journal.

Jenara and I have absolutely nothing in common, except perhaps a certain heftiness. Otherwise, nothing. Nada. Zilch. In fact, I'm pretty sure I disagree with her about almost everything, except this. As an unmarried woman of 34 with no kids, a list of sexual partners I don't care to enumerate in this arena, and a decidedly leftward-leaning political bent who is pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, pro-gun control, and pretty much some patchuli and an antipathy toward grooming away from being a dirty hippy, not to mention a tendency toward agnosticism if not paganism, I cannot relate. I am not her audience.

But. I did read. And I did discover that though I vehemently oppose pretty much all of her views, from race relations to politics to current events, she at least asks questions. She at least tries to get both sides. She at least stands by her principles, even if those principles are anathema to me. She very obviously loves her family. She very obviously tries her best. She very obviously isn't going to gain me as a reader. Or probably anyone here. But she might very well keep her sanity, keep her shit together, keep her ideas and dreams and successes and failures and delights all in one place to log and retrieve and remember. And, as much as I disliked this blog -- as much as I didn't enjoy the writing or the voice or the structure -- there's something to be said for that. She writes consistently, she's committed to it, she seems to enjoy it, and I doubt very much my opinion will change that. Of which I heartily approve.







Edited: Better already, Janera. The single sidebar and getting rid of the extraneous stuff helped. Much easier on the eyes.