Live & Kern

Everyone should have a tiara. Seriously. It makes everything much more interesting — whether it’s laundry or work.

When you have a tiara (or even if you admire tiaras), you can talk about tiaras at TIARATALK. It’s the perfect way to combat co-workers’ annoying conversations about food, Birds or the Super Bowl.

I’ve had a tiara for several years. Usually it sits on my dresser. Sometimes it needs to be worn (like when I’m writing this). It’s fairly simple in design: It’s silver, about 1.5  inches tall in the center with a swirly design (no hearts — no need to overdo it) and 66 rhinestones (I counted). Like the one in the picture. It’s seen better days; it might be time to upgrade.

I also bring this up because with a focused topic (tiaras) I seem to blog more. It’s unexplainable. You’re welcome to join our little TIARATALK network!

Inspired by Random Ramblings About My Crazy Life, I looked to see what my blogs are “worth.”

That’s $115,730.70! How and where do I cash in? Or maybe just a loan?

(The blog I do for work? Only worth $2,258.16.)

How much is your blog worth?

People really do like the Weatherbird! More important, people really do read the Weatherbird’s blog!

Hi, I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know how much I enjoy reading The Bird’s Nest blog online. You do a great job, and it always brightens up my day. Thanks for your great work!

-Jacob Wegman
Columbia, MO

I finally found a name (and domain) that I like for this blog! Woo-hoo! Kerning, for those unfamiliar, is what you do to adjust space between letters, pushing them closer together or farther apart. I owe Mark Dodge Medlin a drink or three for rescuing it after its database was (accidentally) deleted. Thanks, Mark!

I’ve been busy this past week, too, adding another blog to the lineup, Paper Cuts. For almost a year, I had a page on Graphic Designr that kept track of newspaper layoffs and buyouts. Well, now it’s a blog, which will make it easier to update, to know when there are updates and to subscribe.

The leaves three other blogs:
Points & Picas: The one you’re reading now. All of the journalismy, designy, newsy stuff.
Story of Man: The story of man as told in headlines around the world.
The Bird’s Nest: Clever quips from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Weatherbird, a cartoon tradition that started in 1901. Oh, and the Weatherbird has a widget now, too.

All of that should keep me busy, right?

This weekend, I’m heading to north-central Missouri with my mother to start going through stuff at my grandmother’s house. The kids — my mother, her sister and her brother — are already squabbling. Since my aunt and uncle will have spouses there, I’m somehow the designated backup for my mother. It should be entertaining; expect updates.