The Life We Live Comes From The Choices We Make

How did I forget music? Stoned.
Word Cloud by Wordle

"The blogosphere is my sandbox where I go to play."
---Kilroy_60

I learned early in life to work hard and take pride in doing a good job. Also that working is easier when I'm not deprived of time to play.

Another lesson I learned was that with freedom comes responsibility and that breaking the rules has a price. Of course if you're willing to pay there's no reason not to stray.

It became apparent early on that conformity would never be my strong point and that should not be something about which I feel concern.

There was emphasis put on the fact that relationships are something to be held in high regard and not be be taken for granted.

I'm not especially interested in most of the websites that fall in the category of social media. I'm quite comfortable and enjoy spending time in the blogosphere.

The one social media site that captured my attention and held my interest at this point is StumbleUpon, most likely because of it's similarity to blogging. Beyond that, most of what I have to deal with is related to work I do with clients and I have some associates I lean on for that.

Every now and then someone asks what attracts me to blogging or what I find enjoyable about it. On both counts the best answer would be, making a human connection.

I was thoughtful in crafting the header and the about me section in the sidebar of this blog. There should be no doubt what I'm all about, what I think or how I feel.

There was a time when nobody was reading Fear and Loathing - The Gonzo Papers. I've had more readers at times and less readers at other times. Having readers, I can say without qualification, makes blogging more fun.

As for being popular or looked at as prominent, neither are important to me and I couldn't care any less. What is important, the only things that are important, are to have fun and to feel my time has been well spent.

I've had the good fortune to connect with people who are like minded and with people who are very different, yet open-minded enough that we're able to get along. That combination unquestionably make blogging both more interesting and more fun.

I welcome your comments on any post, whether you agree or not with whatever position I've taken. You may or may not enjoy what I've presented, there's no accounting for taste.

Comments are moderated, because I'm not attracted to processed, canned meat and I am not running ads that invite people to visit other websites. Not unless they're sites I choose to recommend.

The first three years have been anything but boring, that's the one thing I don't expect to change. Ciao.

Come, Blogospherians, One And All...

I was recently introduced to a new realm of the blogosphere, the StumbleUpon galaxy. As I explored it became apparent that there was a void; the blogospherians who have only StumbleUpon sites are not active in the blog carnival circuit.

On Thursday, March 6th I'm hosting a special edition carnival here; the first to welcome all those who dwell in the blogosphere, including blogospherians from StumbleUpon...

Kilroy_60's Blogospherian Picnic

To qualify as a blog, a website needs to have dated entries, progressing chronologically. Beyond that...a blog is what each of us make it. While StumbluUpon sites qualify, by definition, they are frequently not much more than a collection of short reviews/links. Collecting individual posts of that sort wouldn't make for much of a carnival.

The Blogospherian Picnic will welcome one of the following from any blogospherian...

• Blogger Profile {my page}
  
• A Profile or About page from WordPress sites or blogospherians with their own domain
• The About Them page on StumbleUpon {my page}
  
• Your Technorati page {my page}
  

That should provide a reasonable option for anyone whose blogging.

Entries are being accepted now. Think of the deadline as being today; no need to delay entering.

Email your entry to: kilroy60@gmail.com - including

---(-)-> Your name as you want it to appear
---(-)-> The URL of one page identified above
---(-)-> The URL of your blog, or what you consider your main blog if you have more than one

I'd appreciate your help promoting the picnic. Email me URL of your post including this banner and I'll link back...


A reminder, entries are still being accepted for the Friday, February 15th Gonzo Gratitude Carnival. {What are you thankful for?}

The theme of the carnival is gratitude. It could be...What are you thankful for? Or it could be...Is gratitude a wasted emotion? Needless to say, there's a great deal of latitude when it comes to selecting a post.

These are, The Rules...

---(-)-> You can enter one post per blog, however many blogs you have
---(-)-> Only English language posts will be accepted
---(-)->No posts that are advertisements
---(-)-> Deadline for entries is 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13th - I'll consider late entries, based on quality. {Enter}



Have you sent your entry for the second Soup To Nuts progressive dinner carnival yet?

{Enter}

Remember, you can submit five posts; that gets you an entry in all five of the progressive dinner's host blogs.

It would be a great help if you write a post on the progressive dinner. Send the URL of the post and you'll get links back from all five host blogs.

Here's the banner...

I Have a New StumbleUpon Page - Now All I Have To Do Is Figure Out How To Use The Blasted Thing

Welcome Friends, Old and New

Photograph by Kilroy_60

Every now and then I shuffle the order of my links. I did that earlier tonight. So once you've spent a bit of time surfing The Gonzo Papers I encourage you to visit the sites I've exchanged links with.

It's nice knowing that people are visiting. I, personally, write this for me, personally. It's rewarding, though, to also know that there's enough interest on someone's part to make their way to your site. Or, as frequently happens, to land on the site unexpectedly following a link from wherever, not knowing exactly what they will find.

There's more a sense of place, having a give and take, when there's some sort of interaction. That's why I provide an email link in my profile in addition to accepting comments.

So while you're at it, don't be shy about writing comments while you're here; if you see posts that you feel are worthy. It's doesn't matter if you agree or not; I'm open to whatever thoughts you wish to share.

I don't consider comments on multiple posts, as many as you choose to write, littering. You should, though, expect that I'll believe you don't mind getting them if you write them.

Photograph by Kilroy_60

I don't fault anyone who applies some sort of linking strategy with consideration of Page Rank. It's just not my style.

I do links in this blog with the same sort of consideration as I do other things in my life. What's important to me is relationships.

The difference here is that I prefer to receive as I give in terms of linking. I don't want one way links; I don't seek to give one way links. I don't do any sort of reciprocal link monitoring. I do visit blogs with whom I've done exchanges, though, and expect my link will be there as the link to that site is here.

There are times that someone has posted a link to this site that I'm not aware of. If you have a link here and I do not have one pointed to your site please let me know.

Photograph by Kilroy_60

If this is your first visit, or if you haven't been here for awhile, I wanted to bring to your attention Kilroy, "The Best of..." in the sidebar.

People don't typically explore archived posts. This, I believe, provides the best picture of what this blog has been about over the past approximately 20 months.

None of the posts currently appearing on the front page have been reviewed for sidebar inclusion.

And with that, it's time to close.

Cheers!

An update on the experiment
Updated, 12:56 AM, July 12
Given 116/Received 57

Friends of Kilroy Carnival

I'm pleased with today's Friends of Kilroy Blog Carnival. Hey Lady did a great job of hosting the carnival at Queen of Pentacle's Blog. I'd like to thank her.

The turnout, I think, was outstanding. This sort of thing isn't for everyone; a good number of bloggers with whom I have link exchanges took part. I'm thankful for that. Some who didn't get posts in sent emails of support; I appreciate that just as much.

When I started publishing The Gonzo Papers in October, 2005 I could have never imagined there would be a gathering of friends I've made online. I'm also proud to say that there were blogs represented from around the globe.

Long before there was a television show in America called My Name Is Earl, based on a scumbag who happens upon the concept of KARMA, I knew that there is - not to borrow from Star Wars - a force beyond us. This, I think, is the embodiment of that ideal.

Here's to you my friends. And to the friends I haven't made yet.

Cheers!




This seems like a perfect time to provide an update on
"the experiment".
Updated, 10:35 PM, July 4
Given 108/Received 54

Thanks to Leanderthal
from Cape Cod Lighthouse for his comments

Blog Village Edition - A Hitchhiker's Guide To The Blogosphere

I've been pleased to connect with Blog Village. It feels more like a community than a site you sign on with to attract more visitors.

Unlike many "traffic exchange sites" - for lack of a better phrase - Blog Village does have guidelines about the sites that can participate. They are overall, I must say, liberal in terms of acceptance. I would say they do a good job of keeping out the Riff Raff --- but how would I explain how I got in?!? 8-D

In recognition of the quality of this relationship, I am including only members of Blog Village in this year end installment of A Hitchhiker's Guide To The Blogosphere.

Sites with whom I have already exchanged links, such as Alabama Kitchen Sink, are not included in the list. {Did you like how I worked that link in?} If you have posted a link to The Gonzo Papers and I haven't posted your link, please let me know. I'm running a bit behind.

The links for this installment...
Herbal Connection
Shanti Marie - A Painting A Day
Yesterday's Memories of a Bygone Time
New England Photos
Eric Has Issues
Points Of Light
Mustang 'n' Cowboys
Cat-a-log
Interrace Haven
Tricia's Musings
Tea And Margaritas In My Garden
The Lives And Times... Of Anthony McCune
Monastic Musings
Just Your Average Revolutionary
My Life In Italy
Red Dirt Poetry
The Fast Turtle
The Real Blogger Status
Observations
Useful Houseplants
The Infinite Sphere
Notes That Touch The Heart
Within Reason
Whoopity Doo
Blog Fabulous
My Thoughts...On Stuff
Musings Of A Chick
Forward-And-Share
Benjamin Solah: Writer And Revolutionary
Southern Gal Goes North
The Voltage Gate

There won't be any "blogs with interesting names that didn't make the cut" in this installment.

I'm Writing In The Margins

"There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Photograph by Kilroy_60It's two weeks until Thanksgiving.

Three things for which I am thankful, based on my experience in the blogsophere this past year, are the relationships I have developed, the things I have learned and the opportunities that have presented themselves.

The recent Commentathon was an interesting exercise. While I never expected to reach the "goal" of 365 comments over three weeks, the result was amazing to me. I appreciate all who contributed. It's a good time of year for contemplation, analysis and review. I will be writing a "response" related to that experiment.

There are three more things in terms of comments.

I haven't yet transferred comments from the old blogspot to the new. That's something I'm going to begin working on. I'll do the best I can to plug in the user names/URL's appropriately so you get links back. I can't guarantee that will always happen.

Relationships, those that become truly valuable, must be nurtured. That is one area in which I have fallen short of my expectations. The best any of us can do is the best we can do from one day to another.

I'm going to undertake another experiment. There won't be a timeline involved, but I'm going to track my writing of 1,000 comments. I won't be compiling an ongoing commentary as I did in conjunction with the Commentathon. As I'm writing my postings, you'll see a notation in the bottom right hand corner of the running tally. I started this morning.

One final thing on comments. People, I get the impression, seem to frequently visit blogs, write a comment on the top post and leave. There are people, though, who take an interest in what you are doing. They read through postings, possibly even going into the archive, and write comments.

I will close by sharing a comment I received recently. It came from someone who apparently took the time to investigate The Gonzo Papers and chose to offer thoughtful feedback.

Anonymous said...
Have you seen the Nobody Cares About Your Blog t-shirt? You should take note of it. You seem to have an unrealistic viewpoint of how important your opinions are and how meaningful your commnetary is. I've taken some time to read through your blog. It's much easier to post pictures of flowers than talk about your losing Steelers. Isn't it? How self important are you that you think you can dismiss people like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly? This recent campaign you conducted to get comments is a perfect example of warped your perception is of how important you think this blog is. Who are you kidding with Kilroy, "The Best Of..."? I can go along with one thing you said. That's all I can take for now. I'm sure you won't be posting this. You don't have the fucking spine.

I must say, I don't feel there is any value in terms of what was written in this comment. I have no intention of engaging in response nor debate. What is clear to me is the person was interested in getting attention. Why? I can't say. I don't think it was an effort to enlighten me or to provide constructive criticism. I found it interesting, though. Especially in terms of the Commentathon experiment. It wasn't published to dispute the position of the anonymous one; any question about whether I have all my body parts is not one which needs to be addressed.

"12 of 1,000"