Category: Blogs & Blogging

Functional Ambivalent:

The national political media may be the biggest threat to democracy we have in this country. Lazy, smug, missing-the-point-completely, this bunch of haircuts has bent over so far backwards to be objective in the eyes of the Rush Limbaughs of the world that they’ve have stopped being skeptical. They’ve got the formula down, and there’s no thought process necessary. I’ve watched about six hours of convention coverage and I haven’t heard a single discussion about a single idea. If you are what you eat, our body politic is made up entirely of talking points and strategic product differentiation.

Makes Me Ralph:

My five year old this morning while listening to an Air America Radio report on Virginia Congressman Ed Schrock:

SHREK IS GAY?!?!?!

Sideline Chatter:

U.S. Open officials ordered Serena Williams to change her leggings after she took the court for her opening match this week dressed in a studded tank top, denim miniskirt and calf extensions that made it look like she was wearing boots.

Rumor has it she was just trying to psych herself up for her second-round opponent — Xena: Warrior Princess.

Before I trudge off to the gas station (see below), I’d like to thank a few people.

To my dad and siblings and children and a few friends — thanks for showing enough interest to keep me going when only you few visited the site. Even now you provide most of the comments.

To Hugh, Bubba and Luis — the first blogs to link to NewMexiKen. Can’t tell you how excited I was. Thanks.

To friends Dwight, Tom, and Ralph — I’ll be reading you faithfully.

To annette — The Week Quiz franchise is all yours.

To the Burque bloggers — Pika, Mark, Garth, Clandestino (we know who you are) and Dagwood — I’m still part of the community we seem to have created; don’t leave me out of any parties, virtual or real.

If this blog were a car it would be coasting onto the shoulder about now and I’d be figuring out how far I had to walk to buy gas.

It’s gotten good mileage — 3,548 posts over 13 months. Close to 13,000 visits in August from nearly 6,500 different computers (IP addresses). That’s up nearly 30 percent over July. The visitors, who were from 58 countries, looked at almost 70,000 pages.

But it’s out of gas. Or at least I am.

So, you ask, “Whatcha’ gonna do?”

Trying to tough it out won’t work. I’ve been doing that too long already and it shows in the content. Besides, it’s a hobby not a job.

Quitting won’t work. In two days or two weeks I’d be starting all over.

So I’ll try cutting way back and posting only when I think I have something worthwhile to say or something of real interest to link to. Drop by on occasion; there may be new stuff here from time-to-time.

Don’t miss dooce.

Visitors from 15 different time zones Sunday. Sweet.

NewMexiKen is trying to restore his blogging groove. Perhaps I need a muse. Gwyneth Palthrow comes to mind. Then there could be a movie “NewMexiKen in Love.”

In any case, this entry and the two that follow were first posted here a year ago (some minor edits).

NewMexiKen is traveling and not feeling particularly well. The normal frenetic pace will return in a day or so.

Did you know Seattle’s Best Coffee is a subsidiary of Starbucks? Me either. Thanks now to the Starbucks Gossip blog we can keep up on all the stimulating news.

As they say, “Somebody has to monitor America’s favorite drug dealer.”

Link via kottke.

A lengthy Sunday Washington Post profile of Washingtonienne:

When Jessica Cutler put her dirty secrets on the Web, she lost her job, signed a book deal, posed for Playboy — and raised a ton of questions about where America is headed.

Some blogging fun. Click the link to visit a different (and I assume randomly selected) Blogger-based blog.

NewMexiKen spent its first seven months on Blogger, a free service, recently upgraded. If you’re looking to do your own thing, Blogger makes it easy.

NewMexiKen got a nice shout-out from Democracy for New Mexico, which bills itself as “Supporting the socially progressive, fiscally responsible values of Howard Dean’s Democracy for America.” Thanks.

NewMexiKen had just told himself that enough was enough for today and to go do something else. Then I read this wonderful post at Body and Soul.

So I just had to add one more link. Go read it. It’ll do you good.

(And still my favorite blog subtitle — Body and Soul: The body politic, the human soul, and Billie Holiday.)

remember to use NewMexiKen’s Amazon button if you’re planning to purchase anything from them. It costs you nothing extra, and I get a little dividend.

A few more blogs have added links to NewMexiKen since the last update nearly four weeks ago —

Life or Something Like It

Jesus’ General

The Sideshow (Sorta, kinda. Not on the blogroll but linked to from time-to-time.)

The Sports Economist

Blogging Golf

Functional Ambivalent’s Tom Johnson has a truly excellent piece in The Louisville Courier-Journal. It’s about the fallout from his estimate of the cost of the federal day of mourning for Reagan’s funeral — Here’s a warning from a weblogger: Be cautious of what you read.

Let me see — stay in this room and blog or go outside to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls?

Blog?

Range?

Blo… See ya’

10. Too late to enter Tour de France
9. Leno has Tonight Show gig locked up
8. Not much use for a grandpa in porn films
7. Need to offset “fair and balanced” news media
6. Domain name (newmexiken.com) cost $15
5. Blogging less boring than playing Dragon Tales
4. Local Wal-Marts not hiring greeters
3. Idea for documentary film (“Celsius 9/11”) turned down
2. John McCain won’t be my running mate
and the number one reason to continue NewMexiKen
1. All the encouragement from readers — Thanks!

NewMexiKen began on August 4, 2003, and 3,218 posts later we’re still here. At least one entry was posted on 332 of the 366 days.

Phew!

As each day and week go by however, I must admit I am finding it more and more difficult to continue. Blogger burn out I suppose.

And if I get bored doing this, surely you, the readers, will get bored with me.

So, if you care, now would be a good time to encourage me with a few words about why you visit.

The site is free. I don’t have a tip jar or a gift wish list and I don’t have ads. At least this once I would like you to make a contribution with your suggestions, thoughts, complaints, ideas; hell, even your prayers.

I promise not to whimper again for another year.

New Mexico Magazine has a link to NewMexiKen, which they describe as “Half wisdom, half whimsy, half wit from Albuquerque blogger with a liberal political bent.”

5,136 unique visitors (or at least unique computers) from 50 different countries visited NewMexiKen 10,099 times in July.

NewMexiKen would like to advise all visitors that I continue to be away from home and blogging is very, very limited. When it comes to choosing between grandchildren and the computer, it is an easy choice.

Don’t give up. Blogging should return to its regular sterling quality next week — and there will be some posts this week, just not as many as usual.

NewMexiKen has decided that a some basic level I am a failure as a blogger. Twice I have linked to This Land and after each time I have heard from a regular visitor suggesting I visit/mention/link to This Land.

This Land is a delightful animated version of the Woody Guthrie tune as sung (and danced) by George W. Bush and John Kerry. Well done, amusing, not distasteful. Fun for all ages.

It does take some time to load.