Random Bits and Pieces

He was feeling a little neglected lately and wanted to pop in and say hi. Just trying to keep up his good standing as blog mascot. :)

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First thing first… we have a winner!!!! Random.org picked:

The NorEaster: "A life story in fifteen steps?"
Well, I'm glad we get to take a long walk with you on your blog, Sara! I don't know about anybody else, but I need your perspective. You are, in so many ways, my joy.

Congratulations!!! Email your mailing address to gitzengirl@gmail.com and I’ll get it shipped off to you. :)

And thanks to all of you for your always-kind words and support. It really does make a big difference having you all here.

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[no point to this photo, really… just thought he was cute…]

Here’s the part where, after a series of serious posts, I stick in a random blog-upkeep note for you all [after having distracted you with a cute puppy photo]. Awhile back I implemented a new commenting system that overrides the normal Blogger comments you were used to. It’s had a few hiccups, as all things do, but for the most part I’m liking it a lot. Some of you have had questions about how to comment with it, so I thought I’d take a quick minute to talk you through it.

They’ve expanded a few things since I first installed it, so where it says “Guest” … you can either leave it as Guest or click the drop-down arrow for choices of how to sign in. If you have a Facebook account, Google Friend, Twitter, Yahoo, Open ID, Blogspot, etc., it allows you to sign in through any of those accounts. I think that should import your avatar from that account as well, but you’ll have to try it and see. If your avatar doesn’t show up, you can add a photo after you sign in by clicking on the blank face, if you choose.

Whether you sign in or not, the important part is the next three fields. Your nickname is how I’ll know it’s you. If you have a blog or website you’d like to put in the URL field [always start with http://], a link to your most recent post will pop up under your comment so that other people can easily get to your blog as well.

And finally, you want to put your email address in the last field… no one can see it [not even me], so you won’t be getting random people emailing you or anything. If you notice in the comment section, each comment has a button under it that says “Reply.” The button is so I can reply to each of you directly, and you can all reply directly to each other’s comments as well. This is the main reason I changed the comment system… I like the idea of having a conversation within our little community. But the only way you’ll know if someone has replied to your comment is if you leave your email address, then the reply will come to your inbox and you’ll know I or someone else had something to say to you!

I know, I know… long explanation just to tell you how to comment, but since there were questions by some, I figured there might be a few more who were confused. The big test will be whether or not I’ve just confused you even further! [It’s been known to happen…]

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Can you tell I feel like I used up all of my words in my first three posts this week? Yep, my brain is pretty random today. I’m also fairly sure it’s been completely taken over by the steroids… I’ve been trying to write out my grocery list for the week and it’s getting a little embarrassing.

Normally I just copy and paste my list, as I pretty much eat the same old boring things each week. A little rice, a little meat, some fruit… the basics. I’ve been trying to eat those things all week and none of them are sitting well with me.

But these things sound divine:
Lays Potato Chips. French Onion Dip. Powdered Sugar Donuts. Glazed Donuts. Marshmallows. More Potato Chips. Did I mention French Onion Dip?

So, if this turns into a foodie blog, it’s totally not my fault. I’m blaming it on the steroids. Tune in next week when I give you step-by-step instructions on how to squirt Hershey’s syrup directly into your mouth and call it lunch.

Riveting stuff.