Finding more Iowa and Des Moines blogs and bloggers: the I List, IowaBlogs.net
Posted on February 7, 2008 | Posted by DM in Blogs, Blogging, & Bloggers
A few items worth mentioning if you are looking for more Iowa-based blogs to read:
There’s been a list circulating of Iowa Bloggers called “The I-List.” It originated over on Drew McLellan’s marketing blog, and I’ve been wanting to find a way to share it with you, but as different bloggers talk about it on their sites, they naturally mention other Iowa blogs they’ve found - so the list was growing daily, but it was in pieces on many different blogs. There didn’t seem to be a central clearing-house for getting added to the “official” list. Until Chris Punke of Focal Point Multi Media stepped up and created a wonderful I-List sidebar widget (see it in my sidebar, below right) and the much-needed “add your blog” clearinghouse page!
There’s also another source for finding more Iowa Blogs: Andy Brudtkuhl and his team have been running the IowaBlogs.net site for quite some time now. Andy’s site is divided into “communities,” so you can see Iowa-based blogs in various categories such as business, technology, sports, etc. - DMweblife is in fact included in the “Lifestyles” section. There’s a handy widget for each of these communities, so if for example you’re a political blogger you can add the widget for Iowa political blogs to your site. You can also view the “feed” of new posts from each community right there on the IowaBlogs.net site - go ahead, click the “Lifestyles” community tab to see what I mean - it’s a great way to read multiple bloggers from a single website!
And finally, on this site you’ll find a list of Des Moines area-based bloggers on my Blogroll page. It’s by no means complete, and it’s not statewide, but it definitely points you to some great blogs and shows you the depth and breadth of what area residents are blogging about!
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DMweblife merchandise now available
Posted on February 7, 2008 | Posted by DM in Shorties
Okay, some time ago I created a little online store over at Cafepress using the DMweblife logo. I then purchased the “value t-shirt” to test out the quality, and I’m pleased to report that the shirt still looks good after about six months of wearing and washing.
So - I’ve decided it’s finally okay to direct you over there! If you’re so inclined, please visit the DMweblife Store and pick up a t-shirt, sweatshirt, mousepad, or other logo doohickie to show your love for DMweblife!
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Link Round-Up - February 6
Posted on February 6, 2008 | Posted by DM in Link Round-Up
I recently added several local blogs to my blogroll and am still hunting for more. I promise I will get to The I-List eventually! Meanwhile, here are a few posts that I found memorable and noteworthy this past week!
I love Brenda’s point here: Fashion comes around… but people move forward. Her thought is beautifully expressed and makes me realize that lately I’ve been longing to visit the house I grew up in - to see the giant oak trees in the backyard, walk through the rock garden where I built a little clubhouse, see how much it’s changed on the inside. And then I wonder: am I thinking so much about childhood because I’m unhappy with who I am right now?
Betsy’s guest-post in The Runners Lounge about making time for running can certainly be applied to ANY activity you want to do but “don’t have time for.” Go ahead, ask me how my novel’s coming along!
Thanks to Sherry over at DSM Buzz for tipping me off that Pure Paper is now in the East Village at 412 East Sixth Street. As I mentioned in my comment on Sherry’s blog, between Kitchen Collage, East Village Books, the Noodle Zoo and now Pure Paper, the East Village is one of my new favorite locales in Greater Des Moines!
Abbey of the DSM Fish Gal blog is starting a new pet-sitting business!
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A few stray thoughts
Posted on February 5, 2008 | Posted by DM in Shorties
This news item about sidewalk recycling bins in Kansas City got me thinking about the same idea here in Des Moines. But then I wondered - would the bins be used for returnables like pop cans, for those who don’t make the effort to get their nickels back? And if so, does the bin design make those items inaccessible to those who normally retrieve them from trash cans?
As China battles its “coldest winter in 100 years,” as “snow falls in Baghdad for the first time in memory,” and as we here in Greater Des Moines hunker down for yet another major snowstorm in the winter that won’t go away, I have to ask myself - “WHERE’S THE GLOBAL WARMING?”
Turns out I no longer have to be fortified with alcohol to participate in public displays of karaoke. We went out Friday night for our every-two-weeks sing-along, where I over-imbibed and sang three songs. Then Saturday night we went out again (same bar)… turns out they had karaoke AGAIN, only this time I couldn’t stand the thought of even a beer. I sang one song anyway! That is really, really scary. I cannot sing. I cannot carry a tune. And apparently, I don’t mind demonstrating those two key facts even when I am completely sober.
And finally - that post about artist Sherresse Buzard was the 300th post on this blog!
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Meet the Artists of HeArt Fest: Sherresse Buzard
Posted on February 5, 2008 | Posted by DM in Art & Artists
Sherresse Buzard lives in Afton, Iowa and is a Studio Art instructor at Southwestern Community College in Osceola. She currently works primarily in watercolor, acrylic painting, and traditional drawing but has worked in many other media as well. Her work reflects her keen interest in surreal and dream images, as well as nature, plants, animals, water, fire, artifact and organic abstract design. She plans to exhibit her multi-media work at HeArt Fest and eventually would like to market her cartoon work and drawings.
Sherresse has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Columbia College, in Columbia, Missouri, with an emphasis in drawing, sculpture, and painting. She also has Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees in sculpture (cast metal and multi-media kenetic wood construction) from the University of Iowa.
Sherresse notes that while she is new to HeArt Fest, she has exhibited twice in the Historic Valley Junction Art Festival. She enjoys art shows and festivals for the opportunity to showcase and market her work, and also because it allows her to network and socialize with other artists. “I am less isolated from other artists and can network and get ideas to broaden my skills in the creation of art,” she says.
HeArt Fest is a juried art show featuring affordable hand-crafted works of fine art. It will be held February 9-10 at Valley West Mall. Complete information here.
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“Captain of My Heart” celebrates faith, conjures 70’s pop favorites
Posted on February 4, 2008 | Posted by DM in Entertainment
Recently in my day job, I happened to meet Tim Cooper, the A-V guru for the Iowa Events Center. Tim mentioned he was a musician with a page on MySpace. I clicked through, and turns out Tim writes, performs and produces original praise-and-worship music.
Now I am vaguely aware that today’s Christian music sounds a lot different from traditional gospel or hymns, but “praise and worship” is not a category I normally listen to. Still, Tim’s MySpace page included several sample cuts from his latest CD, “Captain of My Heart,” released in late 2007. After sampling them, I took an enthusiastic trip over to CD Baby to purchase the full disc.
I really, really like this CD. Overall, the disc proclaims faith loud and clear, but the mood is joyful and celebratory rather than preachy. Several of the tracks here remind me so much of that wonderful in-between 70’s pop period, after psychedelia but before disco, when KIOA played Badfinger, Dobie Gray, Edgar Winter (is “Free Ride” not the best faith-rock song ever??), Ringo Starr’s “Rotograveure” singles, and even the largely forgotten Gilbert O’Sullivan (whose “Alone Again Naturally” remains one of my all-time favorites).
Tim’s talent lies in blending spiritual-themed lyrics with memorable pop hooks, resulting in a light-handed reinforcement of the intended Christian message while still allowing for some rockin’ (and slightly fuzzed) guitar work and T-Rex-style percussion. This is, quite frankly, why the disc works so well for me - it celebrates how Tim feels without telling me how I should feel, and does so in a musically unexpected way. That it also happens to recall for me one of the happiest eras of rock/pop history makes it even better.
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When Hillary says “mandatory,” she means it
Posted on February 4, 2008 | Posted by DM in Politics
I have said it before and will say it again: If leadership under Hillary Clinton doesn’t scare you, it should. In case you were curious just how she would enforce her plan for mandatory health care, you can now rest assured she has that covered. She’ll garnish your wages if you don’t see the wisdom of paying for it voluntarily. (Hat tip to Liberty Pundit.)
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Blog tools: search your own blogroll with Rollyo
Posted on February 4, 2008 | Posted by DM in Blogs, Blogging, & Bloggers
I try to link back to the blog posts of other Des Moines area bloggers as often as I can. One of the ways I decide whom to link to from a particular post is this: I determine a topic I want to write about, then I do a Google search to see who else is talking about that topic. Problem is, of course, Google gives me links to bloggers from around the world - and I want to specifically link to local bloggers as often as I can. So, what I needed was a tool that could do a Google-style search only on Des Moines area blogs.
It didn’t take long before I found what seems to be a tool for doing just that: it’s called Rollyo, and it allows me to create my own custom search list by entering the URL’s of up to 25 selected blogs. So, I spent a little time creating a few of my own “searchrolls,” and now I can search for occurances of my selected phrase just within the blogs I’ve specified. This tells me if anyone else locally is blogging about the topic I’m covering, and helps me quickly uncover a post I might be able to link back to.
Only two faults I’ve found so far: first, the limit of 25 URL’s. I ought to be able to enter as many URL’s as I want to in a single searchroll. And second, I can only search one of my custom searchrolls at a time. It took me four separate rolls (25 URL’s in each) to enter all my local site links, so I have to do four separate searches. That’s still better than searching the entire Internet for a link to a local blog, but I’d like to be able to check multiple searchrolls with one click.
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Save the Ta-ta’s - men support breast cancer research too!
Posted on February 3, 2008 | Posted by DM in Shorties
I wish I’d snapped a picture, but I was driving. I pulled up to an intersection today on my way to work and ended up behind a large manly-looking black pickup truck with camouflage decals on the tailgate. Also on the tailgate was a small oval-shaped bumper sticker. It was white, had a pink breast-cancer support ribbon and the words, “Save the Ta-Tas.” And I really, honestly thought it was a great way to involve our men… who do love the ta-tas… in the campaign to support breast cancer research. Then I learned it’s much, MUCH bigger than just a bumper sticker. It’s a whole line of “Save the Ta-Tas” merchandise, and a whole campaign to contribute to cancer research. VERY cool! Certainly should show the dummies producing the Super Bowl commercials that it’s possible to re-orient the product to appeal to the opposite sex.
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Meet the Artists of HeArt Fest: Carroll Danbom
Posted on February 2, 2008 | Posted by DM in Art & Artists
Carroll Danbom is a wildlife and landscape artist working in pastels and acrylics at his studio and gallery in Red Oak, Iowa. He is primarily self-taught, but also attended the Omaha Art School. This will be his third appearance at the HeArt Festival and he will be demonstrating acrylics at his booth. He notes that he has had good success at HeArt Fest in past years.
“The HeArt Show is a quality show with many fine artists and a variety of mediums. There will be something for everyone,” he assures. Carroll notes that he will have several new paintings showing for the first time, with subject matter including african animals, birds, landscapes and florals. He will also have many originals as well as limited edition prints. To see a variety of Carroll’s originals and prints, visit his website at www.carrolldanbomstudio.com.
HeArt Fest is a juried art show featuring affordable hand-crafted works of fine art. It will be held February 9-10 at Valley West Mall. Complete information here.
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