South Dakota Blog List

November 11th, 2005

Just so you know –

There’s a new blog that’s actually not a blog; it’s a list. South Dakota Blog List

Doug Wiken, of Dakota Today, has taken it upon himself to create a list of the “true” South Dakota blogs, by which I’m guessing he means blogs by South Dakotans that are actually updated regularly and feature thought provoking commentary.

How BMOWP made the cut, I’ll never know.

The description, according to the site itself:

SoDakBlogList is a list or atlas of Real South Dakota realistic weblogs edited by REAL SOUTH DAKOTANS. A description of each blog in this loose alliance is provided. Honest descriptions only. Not intended as a listing for blogs providing only ad text for products. Use as your portal to South Dakota Blogs.

It’s similar to what South Dakota 123 does, but instead of being an aggrigate of everyone’s blog, it’s just a list of blogs with descriptions. I like it because it’s about South Dakota bloggers… not blogs about South Dakota (the main reason I’ve never submitted my site to SD123; how often do I actually post about SoDak anyway?)

Anyway, go check it out. It’s in its infancy right now, so the sites are rather thin, but check back again and again and, hell, even I’ll be on there.


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Issues Considered: Meta

Board no more

November 11th, 2005

What happens when the Dover, Pennsylvania school board endorses the teaching of “intelligent design” in its schools?

Well, it happens to be the most logical thing: the entire school board is voted out.

Check out Clean Cut Kid for the story, including a quote from everyone’s favorite former-Republican Presidential candidate Pat Robertson:

“I’d like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don’t turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city,” Robertson said on his daily television show broadcast from Virginia, “The 700 Club.”


Comments: 1

Issues Considered: Politics

Top five career paths

November 9th, 2005

Remember that scene from High Fidelity, where Laura keeps on about Rob’s top five list of jobs and his inability to appreciate where he’s at?

Laura: Wouldn’t you rather own your own record store than be an architect?

Rob: Yeah, I guess…

Laura: …and you wouldn’t want to be a 16th century explorer or the King of France?

Rob: God no.

Laura: Well there you go then — change number five. Record… store… owner….

I was thinking of this today in the shower, and thought I’d better clear the air by letting you, the faithful reader, know exactly what I want to do in life.

In the movie, John Cusack’s character creates his list without any realistic time span in mind – he’s considering some dream jobs from the 70’s, from the 40’s, etc. I, however, present mine as goals more than dreams – these are the five careers I’d love to do and would be the most happy doing, etc., but I’m not going to consider “journalist for the Washington Post during Watergate” to be a viable selection.

Anyway, if I could go back in time I sure as hell wouldn’t be working when I got there.

So, in honor of one of my favorite movies and in anticipation for these five things to be come reality someday, I present:

Top Five Dream Jobs (in no particular order)

1. Sports journalist, Washington Post

I’d get to mentor with Tony Kornheiser and be part of the most important newspaper in the United States. Journalism is where I’ve wanted to go since deciding I wasn’t cut out to be a teacher, and what better goal than writing for the WaPo.

2. Travel writer – focus Great Britain

Get paid to travel around the world and write about it? This is the dream that started the “writing ball” rolling. Since I consider myself a young untested anglophile, England is where I’d want to spend most of my time.

3. Bookstore owner

I grew up in a used bookstore, and I can’t think of anything I’d rather sell than books to people who want to read them. I have a lot of ideas on this, and Sioux Falls is a growing community with no independent bookstore (and only one major bookstore).

4. Professional Basketball General Manager

I don’t have any experience doing this outside of thirteen seasons of Fast Break Basketball simulation leagues, but I think it would be a lot of fun to create and tear apart a professional basketball team. This would be a lot of work and, with little to no real knowledge of sports front-office tactics, there’d be a lot of learning to do.

5. Cartographer

This might sound weird, but I love working with, looking at, and studying maps. I’m a frequent visitor to Google Maps (as well as googlesightseeing.com) and I was actually excited to receive a South Dakota Gazetteer for my birthday. I spent hours pouring over atlases when I was young, and I guess my love of travel has fueled a love for maps. Naturally, I think I’d like creating them.


Comments: 4

Issues Considered: Career

BookCrossing.com

November 7th, 2005

I’m personally attached to most of my books. By this I mean I’d never think to give any of them away. I’ll admit that part of this is a pack-rat mentality that causes me to keep every last page I’ve ever read, but another part is that I like to be surrounded by books. Much like looking at someone’s CD collection can tell a lot about their personality, the books in someone’s home go a long way in showing what kind of person they are.

Because of this, I love to be surrounded by books — especially books that make me look smart. Honestly. It’s all a horrible image that I can’t help but fuel. I’m vain when it comes to books. I want to appear well-read.

Maybe that’s why I spout incessantly about random things on this blog.

Anyway, there’s a website called BookCrossing.com that actually urges people to give up their books — more specifically, to leave their books someplace for random strangers to find. You write a code on the inside of the book, and those who find the book are able to log in at the website and see the reasons behind the book’s abandonment.

This is a cool idea, and one that Kerrie thought would make a great cafe idea (especially connected to the bookstore I want to open) — where you would bring your books in and take other books out; an honor system to borrowing books.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to actually give my books away. I have a hard time borrowing them out to friends and family, let alone to someone who I may never see again.

I’m so possessive.


Comments: 2

Issues Considered: Books, Literature

Reporting, at last

November 6th, 2005

Well, here it is: my first official Argus Leader article.

Enjoy.


Comments: 4

Issues Considered: Career, Journalism, Writing

Joining MySpace, just like everyone else

November 5th, 2005

(This post is in no ways funded by MySpace or any part of the MySpace conglomerate.)

(If it was, I’d have put more time into it. Of course.)

I’ve been looking at a few MySpace accounts lately, primarily those of friends of mine who are also musical artists. I tried to leave comments, but I found I couldn’t.

I needed to sign up first.

I needed to become a MySpace member.

*sigh*

So, without further adieu, I present to you my new MySpace account: Corey @ Black Marks on Wood Pulp.

With the site created, I started rushing around, looking for my friends. Alas, I found only a few – actually, I found none until discovering Chris’s site by a thorough five-minute search, the rest I had already known about.

I did discover, however, that there are only two reasons for starting a MySpace account: either you’re in a band and you want to promote your music (this could be interchanged with any trade/product combination – artist/art, writer/writing, computer designer/company, etc.), or you’re looking for a life partner. Everyone else is either just around because they’re bored on the Internet or they have friends on MySpace and they want to be able to comment on their sites.

Chalk me up for that “bored on the Internet” part.

It’s a funny culture to me, the “IM crazy, MySpace account having, personal blog with lots of neon pink creating” section of the Internet. The first day I actually had my MySpace account going, I found that I had a friend request from someone who’s picture was their rear end, lovingly adorned with the words “Punk Rock.”

This isn’t uncommon, apparently.

Anyway, I started to feel a little embarrassed by my little MySpace account. I kept going to other people’s sites and I would be surprised at how they’ve all been gussied up like a girl on prom night. I started thinking that maybe it was high time I spruced the place up a little: change the unflattering poker-night picture, come up with a more interesting quote, get rid of the obnoxious ads, maybe add a few friends (I’ve got a whopping four at this point in time.)

One thing’s for sure – I’ve got to stop the shameless promotion and call it something other than Corey @ Black Marks on Wood Pulp. I can be more creative than that, I think. But, of course, the only reason I’d even start the spring-cleaning of my account would be to better streamline my shameless promotion.

I’ll get around to it eventually, I’m sure. Until then, I’ll just consider Black Marks on Wood Pulp to be my own personal web space.

Though I’ll sure miss having everyone’s little picture over in the corner.


Comments: 2

Issues Considered: Meta, Random

Another one’s gettin hitched

November 4th, 2005

Out of all of my friends, there’s one person that I’ve known the longest.

He’s been in Minneapolis for years, and so because of that we’ve grown a little apart, as much as anyone would with four-hours driving distance between them. Still, with a friendship that’s lasted since junior high I can’t help but be excited for anything that he does – from his music (more on that later) to his never-updated blog.

I’ll always stand behind him, regardless of how many chili-cheese burritos I bought for him in the past, and I’ll always support him in whatever he does.

Eric (and Alyson, of course) – congratulations on your engagement. Most of us have been through this before, but that doesn’t make it any less important.

Just don’t ask Kerrie to be the guestbook.


Comments: 8

Issues Considered: Friends