Peeping Dano

So, if you've been keeping up in the (ahem) "blogosphere" (I don't like that term), you might have heard that Dooce has been asked to participate in a White House Forum on Work Place Flexibility and that The Pioneer Woman has both a book deal (on top of her cookbook deal) AND a film being made about her romance with her cattle baron husband currently in pre-production. Starring Reese Witherspoon. Tell me again how blogs aren't influential or powerful forms of media? 
Now I'm happy for these women, I read their blogs I akin it to watching a popular television show after months of abstaining because it's too popular, too fluffy, too vapid. Then your friends at work KEEP talking about the show in the mornings in the breakroom so you watch just to see what all the fuss is about. You watch, and it's entertaining (but not really mind-blowing) so you continue to watch off and on just to join in the chit-chat. That's how I feel about Dooce and The Pioneer Woman. Of course my first, knee-jerk reaction is envy - isn't that what Augusten Burroughs said in Possible Side Effects? Something about his "default emotion is envy, followed by rage...?" I'll have to skim through that book again and find it. It's precisely how I usually am. Envy first (why not me?), followed by rage (That bitch!), then usually recognition and respect. And then envy again. 
I LOVE peeking in through virtual windows at people's lives that are different than mine. All over the world. I think that explains the appeal of the above listed ladies, we recognize bits of ourselves but also love peeking in the windows (even though we're obviously invited in) at another life. And the more photos the better. 
So, with complete acknowledgement that I am a lifestyle voyeur, here's a list of some of the blogs that I peek into. These are personal blogs, the journalistic ones that offer glimpses into daily life, humor, tragedy, joy, etc. Some are new reads and some I've been following for years. My prerequisites are that they have to be well-written and thought out. The following are just that. 


Scribbit: I've met Michelle in "real life" and she's a real down to earth sweetheart. Intelligent, articulate, and kind. She writes about a variety of things, from crafts to recipes to the meaning of it all. Right now she's in India and it reads like a beautiful travelogue. I first discovered her blog when we were contemplating our move up to Alaska. I literally googled "Reasons to live in Alaska", and a post she wrote popped up first. And it was written on my birthday!


Cosyactus: This is an icy gem of a journal (I discovered it through Imagine Childhood) about a small family in the very far North in Norway. It's written in English, and is a beautiful peek at a life that resembles mine in climate and motherhood, but so very different. Like a charming alternate reality. I love her post on local history in her new region. 


Imagine Childhood Blog: The proprietor of the thoughtful shop Imagine Childhood writes in a light, airy, sweet tone about life in the outdoors where they live in Colorado (on a farm with lovely horses, sheep, and goats). 


No Pablo Neruda: This beautiful Australian lawyer is a fierce poet. You'll be entranced. 


My Sewing Serenity: I found her when I bought some knitted dishcloths and soap on Etsy from her (I can't knit or make soap - therefore I am not the atypical blog mother). She lives in Ohio I believe (my home state), and I love peeking into her tres femme life. 


Sugar Boot and Weasel: I actually knew Anna Kiss years and years ago, when we were angsty coffeehouse teens in Dayton, Ohio. She's another solid writer, with two precocious (in a good way) boys. Her creative energy is kinetic, and I love watching what she's up to. She's totally honest as well, which is refreshing in the sometimes saccharine blog world. 


Judy's Journal: I found Judy through her daughter Oona's blog, Playing with Spoons. They read my other blog  and commented, so I did the natural thing and read through theirs. Both mother and daughter are artists, and Oona lives here in Alaska (I think!). 


Sweet Pixels: Another Alaskan blog, though she's much farther North than I am. Another artist, she writes about projects she's working on as well as the beauty around her. 


That's all I have time for now! But I have oh so many more. I think one of the joys of the internet is the ability to see people living on all sides of the earth, in all different lifestyles (really, these I've listed are a fraction of those I've seen and admired). We're able to connect with souls we'd never have the means (or reason) to otherwise.