Tutorial: How to Leave a Comment

Until I had my very own blog, I had no idea the importance of comments to one's feelings of self-worth as a blogger. It is something you can't understand until you've had your own posts with that lonely label, "0 comments." I also know that commenting on a blog can be very intimidating for the uninitiated. Therefore, I have put together this little tutorial, for the good of humanity and all of blogdom. disclaimer: This tutorial is specifically for Blogger, but the major concepts can be applied to almost all blog platforms.

Definitions are in order, I think.

• Blog: the shortened form of web log, an online journal or diary; this blog is called "the endless pursuit of Life."
  
• Post: the individual journal entries of a blog; this post is titled "Tutorial: How to Leave a Comment."
• Hyperlink: a clickable link in text or graphics that will take you to a different web page; the word or graphic is usually highlighted and when your cursor moves over the link it will change from the usual arrow into a little hand. The words cool comic are hyperlinked. Go ahead, try it out.
  

Now, for the tutorial...How To Comment, Explained:

1. Read the post. Fairly self-explanatory, I think.
2. At the bottom of the post there are the words, "Posted by tricia at 10:50 PM 0 comments." The word "comments" is hyperlinked, so click on it.
3. In my blog, you have now opened a new page, the comment page. On the left are the comments of previous readers. On the right is the "Leave your comment" window.(Some blogs have a small, separate window that opens up, with the previous comments at the top and the "Leave your comment" window at the bottom.) Go ahead and type a message in it, i.e. "Tricia, your blog is the best blog I've ever read."
4. When you have finished your comment, choose an identity. This just means that you need to decide how you want to sign your comment. If you have a blogger or google account, choose that option and fill in the appropriate information. You may also choose "Nickname." In that case you can type in whatever name you want. The last option is "Anonymous," choice of cowards.
5. When all fields have been filled in to your satisfaction, simply click "Publish your comment." Et voila, you have commented! Congratulations.

No more should I get emails with the excuse, "I don't know how to leave a comment!" That excuse has been torn from your arsenal. Now go and fight the war against lonely posts! Fill the web with comments that will bolster the confidence of bloggers everywhere! You've been equipped and it's up to you!

Food bloggers unite!

I found two online food events that look like fun. Both of them entail preparing a food item and then blogging about it. I'm going to try and do both of them. One is on ice cream and the other, cookies. Ice cream and cookies? Who could resist either of them?

First up, we've got my favorite Irish ice cream blog, Ice Cream Ireland. Kieran, blog author, is currently writing a book on ice cream. In order to help test the recipes, he's hosting an ice cream party.

Here's what Kieran says you have to do:

"Make one (or more) of the following recipes (don’t leave it too late!), write about the experience on your blog (including any suggested changes) by 25th of November, put a link here, email me at kfionnm at icecreamireland dot com with the URL of the post, and I will -

* Post a round-up of all the entries including links to your site
* Include a credit to you in the book
* Send a free copy of the book (when it’s published in April) to the 5 best posts
* I’m trying to negotiate with my brother for some Ice Cream Ireland Official Tester/Taster t-shirts, and if that comes off they might find their way to you as well (no promises yet, I’ll keep you posted)"

Doesn't that sound like fun? Gotta do this one quick, though. The last day is the 25th! Dug and I are going to try the cardamom one and probably one more. You should try a recipe, too. (Yes, that's peer pressure!) Make sure that you let me know if you're doing it. Of course, definitely let Kieran and the folks at Ice Cream Ireland know!

Another site having a food event is Food Blogga. It's called Eat Christmas Cookies. This one isn't a contest. But truly, everyone's a winner when you make and eat Christmas cookies. Am I right or am I right? The blog author, Susan, has detailed instructions on participating at her site. But the gist is this: make some cookies, blog about them, email Susan with your information. Yum, Christmas cookies. I can't believe it's already holiday time.

I hope you join in the food blogging fun! I'll let you know how ours turns out. Let me know about yours!

Choice Goods Wednesday!

I love Choice Goods Wednesdays. I get to tell you about something I love. Today's a little different than previous weeks. For one thing, it isn't a kitchen item. It's a little home decor accessory. I'd like to introduce you to my carved wooden rounded box with handle and latch. A bit wordy in title, I know, but what else am I supposed to call it? A hundred apologies for the bad picture. It doesn't do it justice.
I love boxes. I just don't know what to do with them. I can't stand something as useful as a box used only as decoration. I want everything to have a purpose. Happily, this box has one.

With TV's, stereos, DVD players and all the other home theatre equipment, many homes are overrun with remote controls. We used to have six, but we have narrowed them down to three in recent months. Still, I think random remotes lying around are an eyesore. Enter the beautiful box. When not in use, it is a perfect storage solution for that pesky, yet indispensible techno clutter.
I love it! Isn't it a great idea? Of course you don't need to get the identical one as me (Ross Dress for Less - $9.00 and I would really prefer you didn't) but get something that screams "you"! Applique a shoe box, grab an opaque large-mouth vase, find a cute drawstring bag and hang it from a hook on the wall, then dump them in. Take a stand against techno clutter! I did and it makes me super happy.

My carved wooden rounded box with handle and latch...it's choice!

What color are you?

I'm a sucker for those silly online quizzes. You know the ones: what superhero are you? what vegetable are you?, etc. Well, the one I took today was pretty good, the Spacefem.com html color quiz. You simply checkmark the attributes that describe you and they "mathematically determine" what hex color code you are, even linking your answers to hue, saturation and lightness. Impressive, no? My results are below. I personally think the color sucks (it's that beige-y color on the chart), but the description is pretty darn accurate. (As accurate as these things can be, anyway.) Try it out and then tell me in comments what color you are!

You are Blanched Almond #FFEBCD

Your dominant hues are red and yellow... most of what you do is motivated by your need to change things and have a good time, but you've been known to settle down and think out a situation, too. You tend to surprise people just when they're starting to feel like they've got you down. Your saturation level is low - You stay out of stressful situations and advise others to do the same. You may not be the go-to person when something really needs done, but you know never to blow things out of proportion. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Decision, decisions...

We're finally starting the process of restoring our house to two working bathrooms! We have all the tile and Dug has finalized the plans. This is so exciting.

We gutted our bathroom in May 2006. So for the last 18 months we have had to use our bathroom in the basement. Seven people (3 adults, 4 children) having to use one bathroom. Not only is it a pain in the derriere (pun intended) to go to a different story to use the facilities, but the stairs into the basement are very narrow and very steep. We affectionately call them our "death stairs." The only upside is that our basement toilet is in a different room than the shower, thus affording others a chance to "relieve" themselves while someone is showering. That, I emphasize, is the only upside.

My brother, God bless him, works for a flooring store. They let him "dispose" of the extra pieces from finished jobs. We now have enough tile to finish our kitchen floor, our upstairs bathroom, our downstairs bathroom and the downstairs shower. The catch? Well, they aren't all the same color. But, it's not all bad. Almost all the 12" tiles are neutral tones like those above. I think a smattering of mismatched tiles within the neutral color family will actually go with the house since it was built in the Arts & Crafts style.

So here's what we've decided on: the natural tile for the floor and partway up the wall, white toilet, sink and tub, and something close to the light blue above for the upper walls. What do you think? That's it for now. I'll keep you posted on the progress. This last picture is our bathroom in its current state. It's like looking back in time. Those boards were last gazed upon in 1923. Pretty cool, huh?

Pandas are people, too.

This was way too funny. I had to share it with you all. I pre-apologize, I know someone will be offended. But I'm willing to take the flak.

one more Irish blog...

Okay, I found one more blog that I want to share. It's called Irish Taxi. Roy, the Dublin taxi driver, blogs about what's going on in the city, but the best part is his stories. Whenever he gets an interesting fare, he'll get online and post about it. Not only are they funny, but you get little snippets of Irish slang, which I think is totally cool. One post has an audio file of how to speak Dublinese. It's pretty funny. So, if you want to check out something a little different, check out Irish Taxi.