| Karen Goggins's profileAbnormally Normal PeoplePhotosBlogLists |  Tools  Help |
|
9/21/2009 It's very evident that I've given up on blogging (at least for awhile), but I do have a page on Facebook if anyone is interested in staying in touch with me there. You can find me by doing a search for red_kitten1@yahoo.com
As always,
Karen
2/27/2008 For Good Fortune Send This To 5 Friends In The Next 5 MinutesTechnological advances in the past few decades have increased the ways in which we can and do communicate with each other. For the most part, those advances have been beneficial. Just think back to the day when there were no cell phones or home computers. We were forced to use landline telephones and write handwritten letters that took days and sometimes weeks to deliver. Now, in the flash of a few seconds, we can have access to all our friends and family regardless of their location. After the introduction of email, the United States Postal Service felt a pinch because people seemed to prefer the speediness of email to the personal touch of a hand-written letter. I can't even remember the last time I sat down and wrote a letter nor do I remember the last letter I received. Nowadays the word "mail" seems to be synonymous with the word "bills", but when it comes time to pay those bills, many of us forego the ritual of bill paying by mail to do it via the internet or through automatic withdrawal. It's all about speed and convenience these days. And no, I don't yearn for the old days because I see most change as necessary and as having more pros than cons. I do, however; find it somewhat ironic that people used to complain about all the junk mail they would receive daily and how it was a waste of time for the mailman to deliver all the garbage that found its way into our mailboxes. They wondered why they got it and where it came from, but now, we holler louder about the spam we receive in our email inboxes. As advances happen, our complaints seem to become more sophisticated and aimed towards the technology on which we've grown increasingly dependent. Yet as these advances have occurred, we stumble along without thinking about how to curb the abuse of the convenience that is at our fingertips or to adhere to any type of email etiquette that by all rights should be just good old common sense. But there again, common sense seems to have been replaced with speed and convenience.
Remember the good old days of telling a joke to a group of friends? And if that joke was funny, you had the privilege of hearing people's laughter. Now, each time I check my email, my inbox is stuffed full of a few things..spam and jokes from the same few people. Okay, spam is something I guess I’m just going to have to get used to, but the other is something I really don't understand and find it unnecessary and quite annoying. I would much rather have someone write a few lines ocassionally asking me how I'm doing than to have this daily barrage of jokes I never even open. Secondly, if a person feels the overwhelming urge to forward jokes to everyone in their address book, why do they do it by just hitting the FORWARD option? I, for one don't want the whole world to know my email address. The BLIND CARBON COPY (BCC) option seems to be one of the most underused email features. Why isn't the rule of thumb for any joke being passed around the internet that if you wouldn't tell the joke out loud to a group of people then it isn't worth passing along in an email? LOL just isn't the same thing as actual laughter. Some things just don't have a suitable substitute like manners and good judgment just to name a couple.
Don't get me wrong! I’m all for passing along a FUNNY joke (humor is a matter of preference), but most of the jokes I've had the misfortune to open and read only makes me wonder if the sender ever reads what they send before they send it. Alittle screening beforehand might make the recipients stop wondering what kind of drugs a person would have to take in order to make these jokes appear to be funny. Come on people! Think about those several jokes you forward to everyone daily and then multiply that by 4 or 5 well-meaning friends and acquaintances who obviously have alot more time on their hands than I do. If I read everything that was sent to me each day and passed it on like instructed so I'll have some stroke of good fortune within the next few minutes, show my loyalty as a friend by not only sending it out to my other friends but by sending it back to the sender and to show my patriotism or support to some organization by keeping the chain alive, I'd have to give up the few hours I sleep each night. Perhaps there lies my problem...if I spent more time keeping the chains and jokes going instead of trashing them, I'd be a millionaire now and not have to work for a living. I'd be able to sleep in til noon each day. I’d have friends who know I love them and there would be no question as to where my allegiance lies!!!
It sounds ridulous when I put it like that, doesn't it? I just find it incredible that people actually pass that crap around without ever thinking about what they're doing. Maybe I'm missing some hidden point and if so, I wish someone would explain it to me because I really don't understand why any intelligent person would forward something like that to all their friends when most people find it to be such an annoying practice. Is this just another one of those delicate subjects that people find difficult to discuss with their friends? You know, like the person who has bad breath or smelly feet and you back up every time they get close to you. You can't believe the person doesn't realize how offensive the odor is and wonder how they can be so blissfully ignorant to something like that. How do you enlighten a person without hurting their feelings? Many times I’ve sent an email to the guilty parties saying things like "I really appreciate being included in the list of people you forward jokes to on a regular basis, but I'd really prefer just to hear how you're doing every now and then instead." Obviously, my email must have been deleted as spam and never opened because the jokes just keep on coming and coming and coming...
8/17/2005 The Nature Of The BeastIn the last few days I've done alot of thinking about the nature of the beast...man, that is. I've gotten a kick out of how people have reacted to my "good" news. Most did as anyone would do and wish me well, but some have surprised me by their reaction.
I started thinking back to when I posted my concern about certain neurological changes that I had been experiencing which was making it difficult for me to type...no one questioned that! I've written about diabetes and various other health problems...no one questioned that. I've written about death and relationship problems...no one questioned that. I've written about drug addiction...no one questioned that! In fact, I've written about many things that may or may not be true, yet no one seemed to feel the need to question the validity of the content of any of my entries until just recently. When it comes to life, have we all become so hardened by the negative things that we no longer believe anything good can happen? Good things do happen everyday and every now and then great things happen.
Let's just suppose what I had written was fiction. So what? So what if none of what I've written from day one is true? What if I'm really a 35 year old homosexual male with a vivid imagination? What if I'm really just a bored, yet happily married middle aged woman needing an outlet to ward off being stir crazy during the day? Is there a double standard of some sort here amongst us? Can some of us write fiction and have it deemed acceptable while others are expected to bare our souls with only the truth? If someone changes what they post or how they post, does this necessarily have to effect readers in a negative way? These were just some of my thoughts...
©2005 Abnormally Normal People. All rights reserved. 8/5/2005 Sold Into Slavery I received an unusual "gift" today with a message saying "now you own his ass". Some generous soul out here in cyberspace gave me 1,000 shares of BlogShares stock for none other than Psychedelic Pariah. Can you believe it? Now, all I need to do is figured out what to do with him... any suggestions?
It's a shame these things aren't real or else I'd be able to buy a small island. Damn it! There I go being a hermit again! 8/2/2005 Bloggers Beware!!!The excerpt from BURNT IN SPACE will hopefully do two things: 1. Show people that predators do really exist on the Internet. 2. Make everyone aware of just how close to home these predators live.
After reading the entry written by Stephen, I decided that the only thing my conscience would allow me to do is to spread the word to as many people as I can. I can only hope that the person who this dastardly deed happened to will step forward and expose the culprit before other people get burnt also. I encourage everyone to spread the word so everyone associated with Spaces knows that among us lives a wolf in sheep's clothing. "My Dear friend told me a story today that I must share. She is one of the most kind, generous, creative, humorous and understanding people that I have met in here. Though many of you fit the profile above, this story is just too much................................... Some time ago she lent another blogger $550.00 out of the goodness of her heart. Yes I know can see it coming........But get this!!!! Before I could comment she told me that she had helped other bloggers previously, and that they had paid her back!! How sweet is that?? In this case she got stiffed and learned her lesson well. It is most difficult for me to maintain composure in my words without spewing expletives about the page. You all know the words I am thinking. My friend helped out another woman in need with the understanding that she would be repaid. What really gets my gorilla growling is that the destitute, in dire straights, unable to repay......continues to blog about all the fun she is having in her travels......... My dear has to go without, because of her compassion and desire to help another. She thought about exposing the perp, but is better than that. I just have to shake my head in wonder. As ever, Be well. Stephen Craig Rowe" 6/22/2005 The PissAnt ParadeRant on When I log online, I usually launch Yahoo messenger and MSN messenger. There are a few people I do chat with on a regular basis, so while I'm out here reading other people's blogs and/or composing entries of my own, I also chat with people. What really irritates me are the faceless, nameless pissants (I think this may be strictly a Southern term) who send instant messages and decide to be rude when I don't remember them, if I'm busy chatting with someone else or working and don't have time for their little games. Why would I remember someone I chatted with maybe once 6 months ago for 5 minutes? Hey, I'm a woman...I get lots of IM's sent to me from males wanting a variety of things. Some just want idle chitchat while others want to know the color of my panties and if the drapes match the carpet. Some like intellectual banter and there are others who are lewd, crude and rude. It always makes me wonder if that's how these Romeo's are in real life. What a true joy they must be! Just for the record, the only ones I chat with more than once are the ones who know the meaning of witty repartee. If you tickle my synapses, you've got me! Rant off 5/21/2005 The Cyber Gods Strike AgainTechnology is grand, but when it doesn't work as it's supposed to, it's a royal pain! For some reason my list of contacts on both MSN messenger and Yahoo messenger have disappeared. Some invisible cyber god ate them, no doubt, as a sacrifice in a bizarre internet ritual. I would appreciate it if anyone who was on my list of contacts before would send me a message the next time they see me online so I can add them again. Thanks! Yahoo messenger -- red_kitten1 MSN messenger -- freudianslip@mindless.com 4/5/2005 Blogs To AvoidMany of you probably have noticed that the list I previously had on my site titled "The Clique" is now named "Blogs To Avoid". I just discovered a comment written about that list, yet it was tucked away under the entry titled Monday's Child. The comment is written by someone named alias_1976 and that person didn't leave a URL to their blog. Why doesn't that surprise me?
My comment back to alias_1976:
P.S. If you aren't on the list, it's just an oversight on my part...holler at me and tell me to include you! 2/26/2005 From Nurse RatchedAll newcomers to Spaces who have found their way to my blog, please read Welcome To Spaces. This is an entry written a few weeks ago when a group of us were accused of having a "clique". When I first started blogging, I decided I wouldn't delete comments. I have to admit there have been times when sticking by that decision has been very difficult. As people have attacked my character for various reasons, I've maintained my position to defend their right to voice their opinion even when their opinion comes in the form of a personal insult to me. In the past few days I've had to deal with people attacking someone else on my blog. The first attack was on my sister-law who is very ill. The comment made about her still makes me shake my head in disbelief. People can be very cruel at times! The next attack was towards JockFullONuts (Jnuts). I feel as if my blog was used as a place to continue a battle that started elsewhere. I think the person came to my blog to use it as a possible battleground because they knew I wouldn't delete their comment. My choosing not to delete comments in no way reflects my personal opinion of Jnuts. I believe he and I share a mutual respect and a delightfully twisted outlook on various things. Somehow many of us have managed to form a great community of adult bloggers here on MSN Spaces. Each person participating in the camaraderie should be proud to share a very distinct role in it. We may disagree at times, but what I find amazing is how quickly everyone comes to the defense of each other when we see someone being attacked. I think to an "outsider" that kind of bond is both appealing and threatening. It's the object of jealousy, criticism and speculation making it a prime target for attack through deception, games and ridicule. © 2005 Abnormally Normal People. All rights reserved. 2/17/2005 Welcome To SpacesAs far as I know a “clique” on MSN Spaces does not exist and if it does, I’m not part of it. I have NEVER excluded anyone from commenting on my blog nor have I deleted anyone's comments regardless of what they've had to say about me or the topic. I've been called everything on here from a saint to a slut. I've gone out of my way to interact and make people feel welcome. In fact, I can't tell you how many new blogs I have visited of people of all ages and have welcomed each of them to Spaces. Yes, there are a group of bloggers on Spaces who frequent each other's blogs and leave comments. I can't speak for them, but I go to their blogs because I like reading what they write. I don't always leave comments, but I do try to visit their blogs several times a week. I also go to several new blogs each day and leave comments there as well. As a newcomer you might see certain blogs frequently on the update list. I'll be honest by admitting, I update mine frequently so people will read it. I thought the whole point of blogging was for the end result of feedback and comments. Since MSN has not devised anyway to categorize our blogs as of yet so we can just go to the ones we want to read in a particular category, we are stuck with having to frequently update to let people know we are out here and want to be read. By all means, come read us and join in! The more the merrier! Keeping track of the number of visitors was a kind of fascination to me initially because I really was amazed anyone would really read what I write. It still amazes me at times. I never thought writing entries about how many visitors come to my blog would make anyone feel excluded and if that was how anyone felt as a result, I apologize. I simply felt good about people reading my blog and got overwhelmed at times. I wanted to share my good feelings and so in the past made a silly contest out of it giving the winner of the contest "prizes". That tradition, as I have stated in an earlier entry I wrote today, has been short lived. Call it suspended due to lack of participation. People's behavior on blogs is a popular topic to debate. Personally, I have reacted negatively to people only when I've been attacked. I expect people to disagree with things I write and I welcome their comments, but I don't welcome name calling and rudeness. Don't come to my blog, attack me, call me names and expect to leave without having it thrown back at you. I can and will be just as rude as someone is to me. As I have said many times, if you disagree then do so, but do it in a way that promotes peace and not hate and discontent. I will conclude this entry by saying, I think blogging can be a very positive experience, but it also can be as snippy and backbiting as real life is at times. People will form certain blogging "friendships" here just like people form friendships in real live. If you want friends, you have to get out here and mingle. Don't sit on the outside pointing your finger and then claim you aren't accepted by people without even giving them a chance to accept you. Don't remain anonymous and expect me or anyone else to find you. It doesn't work like that! So with that said... WELCOME TO SPACES and blog on, brothers and sisters! © 2005 Abnormally Normal People. All rights reserved. The Death Of A TraditionBeing new to this world of blogging and naive about the dynamics of how things would run on here, I thought it would be fun to mark certain milestones to get people more involed in reading a writing on other people's blogs by starting a tradition on my own blog. Much to my dismay, that tradition was short lived and people didn't seem interested in "playing" along. Maybe a better game is being played elsewhere and I'm not part of the team. Who knows? Oh well...I just thought I'd throw in an official announcement that I no longer would be posting how many hits this blog has because frankly, I don't give a damn and I don't think anyone else does either. Writing is such a wholesome experience, but blogging seems to have the same effect as an emotional vampire has. Do we all become drained dry eventually? Does the alpha blogger rise to the top and become Lord or Mighty Master for more than a day? Ha! Now that's a funny visual... I just hope it isn't one of those blogs I visit and they use funky colored fonts and it's hard to read. Geez, who knows what's actually written on them? Does this mean I'm getting old and cranky? I was surprised at first when Hayden announced his withdrawal from the blogosphere, but after a thinking about it, it made sense to me. Do the smart ones leave and the gluttons for punishment stay? Are the 12 steps of my Bloggers Anonymous real? Perhaps in the end the only ones left standing will be the blogs written by fools like the person who claimed the "construct" of love is only 300 years old and some of the cowards who do hit and run comments and don't leave their URL's. Actually, it seems like a rather fitting end and then I'll sliver away to my own little domain I actually paid for and fade away into obscurity of the blogdom where I probably belonged to begin with. After all isn't that where all abnormally normal people belong? Not on the forefront, but tucked away behind the scenes in a corner marked "The Sisterhood of Saucy Tarts and friends"... "and friends" will make it so men can be allowed on certain ocassions like maybe every other Thursday or when we need a booty call or something that requires a penis being present. See guys, you really are good for something! Now what to do with all this mess...hmmmmm any suggestions? © 2005 Abnormally Normal People. All rights reserved. 2/14/2005 My Secret AdmirerSurprise! Surprise! I was expecting nothing for Valentine's Day and I just got pleasantly surprised when I just received a phonecall from home telling me I had roses delivered to me . I asked who they were from because I really didn't expect anything and my son said the card reads like this: I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too? Then there's a pair of us - a secret formed! A secret wish of love's first kiss and you!
How dreary to be considered normal! How public, like a frog. To tell your name in written word From an admiring and thoughtful blog!
Hmmmmmm!!! Sounds like I have a secret admirer, but now am I supposed to wait and see if the person makes their presense known or do I start investigating? © 2005 Abnormally Normal People. All rights reserved. 2/1/2005 Blog SharesBlogShares is a fantasy stock market for weblogs. Players get to invest a fictional $500, and blogs are valued by incoming links.
1/31/2005 Statistics and MoreI was just checking my statistics and found a few pretty amazing things. First, I saw where several people today had come to my blog from a link on Technorati. I clicked on the link to see why Abnormally Normal People had a link there only to find my blog listed as number #1 and Crackers In Bed listed as #2 on this list! WOW! The second thing is that I've passed 30, 000 visitors (afterglowmonitor was #30,000 to my site) I want to extend a very special thanks to everyone who reads the nonsense I write and takes the time to share their thoughts with me and everyone else. Communication is and always will be mankind's greatest achievement and first step in peace. "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me!"
Abnormally Normal People statistics: Total page views: 31177 Page views today: 714 Page views this week: 1093 Page views within the last hour: 24
The most authoritative blogs, ranked by the number of sources that link to each blog. Last updated 7:26 PM Pacific Time.
What's happening on the Web right now 6,590,367 weblogs watched. 806,855,445 links tracked.
Addendum written February 3, 2005 at 5:18 am: I just noticed that the blogs from Spaces that were previously listed on Technorati's Top 100 are no longer there. So our 15 minutes of fame finally came to an end! Easy come, easy go! 1/29/2005 The Best Places To Send FeedbackIt has been brought to my attention by Mike Torres, the lead program manager of MSN Spaces that each person can voice their complaints or feedback on channel9 or on his blog. This way it'll be easier than having a petition to circulate. I know many of you have already tried the Feedback link listed on Spaces and are unhappy with the results. Try these other two places I have listed and hopefully, in time, each of your concerns will be addressed. Just be patient, okay? Also, it was brought to my attention that many of the things people are complaining about on "A Petition To MSN" have easy remedies to already. I've created a list named "MSN Tools" that have a few resources that may help you. As I find more I'll keep the list updated. Have a great weekend and keep on blogging! 1/21/2005 A Petition To MSNSince the creation of Spaces, I have heard many people complain about certain aspects of the program or make suggestions on certain features and options that they think should be added to make Spaces a better blogging community. I don't know if anyone has taken the time to contact MSN with their ideas, but I thought if I get a petition together with all the various ideas and complaints on it and we, as a whole could sign it and then send it to MSN that they may be more prone to listen to many voices together in unison than a lot of individual voices. Afterall, we are beta testers by virtue of just being here and using Spaces. Who better to listen to than the people who use a program?
So this is the first step in getting a petition going... please leave your suggestions, complaints and ideas in the comments selection. Please be as specific as you can and also leave contact info, in case I have to ask you any questions about what you've written. Thank you for your help on this matter and remember regardless of what a person's blog contains, we all are here for the same purpose. Anyone wanting to contact me privately, can do so at:
I'd like to also add a quote I used before while ranting about "Death Of A Blog" because I think once again it may be appropriate.
1/10/2005 Follow The Yellow Brick RoadFor those inquiring minds who want to know, I just purchased my own little corner of cyberspace, so now I can act important and make my own rules and restrictions! MSN don't get too jealous, okay? Rule#1--Everyone coming to my new site has to bring me chocolate and come barefoot. The rest of the rules I'll make up as we go along... I'll still post to Spaces, but the following URL is going to be my new home: http://abnorms.typepad.com/abnormally_normal_people/ I hope each of you will visit me there, so I won't get lonesome and rant on in the darkness about God only knows what. There's nothing more pitiful than a FLURB...remember? OMG...you've already forgotten what a FLURB is! Is it time for a refresher course? I feel Rule #2 already in the making! Before you know it, I'll be just like MSN...ha! Okay guys, the Bloggers Anonymous meetings are no longer going to be held here (someone told me Big Brother is watching and afterall the key word is "Anonymous"), the 1st 12-Step meeting will be held over at my place ASAP. We'll all work on step one and go from there. Don't forget the chocolates! 1/9/2005 Breaking The Rules & A Matter Of CensorshipI'm breaking my New Year's Resolution by posting more than one entry in a day, but what the heck! (notice I didn't write hell...oh no! Is Big Brother watching?) Aren't rules made to be broken? The following links were sent to me by a friend and might interest the people who had comments on the previous entry about The Death Of A Blog. http://www.boingboing.net/2004/12/02/msn_spaces_seven_dir.html http://www.ravnwood.com/archives/003928.shtml http://www.papership.com/archives/000042.php http://matthartley.lockergnome.net/blog/_archives/2004/12/4/196560.html http://nomayo.mu.nu/archives/057486.html
12/27/2004 Chatting OnlineTechnology has certainly opened doors for all of us. No, technology isn't perfect by any means, but it has given each one of us the opportunity to interact with people far removed from our everyday lives. For some of us, that interaction has helped broaden our outlook and has given us many new things to ponder. For others, it has given them the opportunity to act in ways they wouldn't normally act. It has given some a larger playing field and has given some the opportunity to make money. I always find the dynamics of a chatroom almost hilarious. Most chatrooms I've visited are littered with many bots with various "come hither" statements. There's always several "pickle sharks" wanting to show off how well endowed they think they are on their web cams. There's always several married men and women looking for a little something on the side. There's always a handful of young guys and girls looking for someone older. There's always one or two troublemakers spouting obscenities and trying to engage people in verbal altercations. Then you have a handful of the abnormally normal people actually wanting to chat. I've never fully figured out the deal with bots and chatrooms. From what I see, everyone seems to find them annoying and useless, yet someone must give them a twirl or else they wouldn't be there. And who writes the scripts they use as a come on? Some of them are pretty funny while others are pitiful and need to be run through spellcheck. One thing for sure and that's that a bot is no English major! Maybe I'm looking at it wrong, but it's never been much of a turn on to me if the person wanting to do wild, uninhibited things to me can't even spell the things they want to do. Call me old fashioned, but if you want to do me, don't dew me! Nothing is more annoying than to get an "invite" to view a stranger's web cam especially upon entering a chatroom. Come on! First, give me a chance to at least catch my breath and if I want to watch some "stud" spank the monkey, I'll rent a porn flick. A true "pickle shark" doesn't really care who's watching...it seems their main objective is just to have an audience. Most of these perverts, don't take no for an answer and usually have to be put on ignore to get them to stop bothering a person. The married men and women looking for action approach it from a different way. Most will stay anonymous by having a blank profile and avoiding a web cam. They do, however want cybersex and/or phonesex with the option to meet in person for the real thing if they live close by. These people are real easy to spot...if they send you an IM, it's sexual or flirtatious in nature and clearly sets the tone for the rest of the chat. I always laugh when I get an IM asking "do you like young guys?". Do I like them for what? To mow my grass? To change my oil? I know God (insert your chosen higher power here and atheists/agnostists insert evolution here) had a plan when making the two sexes with very different sexual primes, but I want someone housebroken at least. That role as teacher, just doesn't flip my switch. Sorry guys, but I just don't want a boytoy...you'll have to wait until I have a mid-life crisis and hope i find you appealing then! What's up with these dillholes who do nothing, but insult and cuss people out in chatrooms? Didn't their mommies spank them enough when they were little? I can't even imagine what pleasure anyone derives from making everyone put them on ignore. Is it a control issue or are these people just void of all social graces? It makes me wonder what they act like in the real world... or what medications they take! After weeding through all of the above, usually the abnormally normal people rise to the top like cream. Wow! People who actually come to a chatroom to chat....what a novel concept! Hey and guess what? These people don't have any hidden agendas. They have taken the time to post a profile and picture and can carry on an adult conversation without feeling the need to sexually exploit themselves. These are the people who make the internet a truly awesome experience and braving the chatroom worth the time and trouble. Next time I start feeling like a glutton for punishment, I'll remember that waiting somewhere out there are people just like me! Now, that's a scary thought! 12/20/2004 Online Relationships - #1In real life we can usually say why we are attracted to someone, but the attraction a person may feel towards someone they spend time with online may not be as easy to explain. What starts out initially as maybe a random chat turns into wanting to get to know the person better and on another level. So what makes you interested enough to want to spend frustrating hours of typing text to someone? Was it how they approached you initially? Did they appeal to your intellect through wit or knowledge of a particular subject? Did their picture posted on their profile make you smile? Did their words and the way they look at life draw you to that person? |
|
|
