I always admire people who have a dream and then turn that dream into a reality through hard work and dedication. Stephen Craig Rowe, a fellow blogger and talented artist and poet had a dream of creating a blog that would capture people's unique creativity from all walks of life around the world. He started FLYING MONKEYS by giving everyone the opportunity to come together in the spirit of brotherly love and unity by working together with a common goal. 

For many, it was an ideal situation to express ideas and to relay information because FLYING MONKEYS was void of restrictions, demands, deadlines and obligations.  Each person was basically governed by their own ethics and morals. What resulted was a harmonious conglomeration of many people's views that blended together as a captivating work of art...a collage of ideas and topics from free thinkers and peace seekers from around the world. People gave what they could when they could and it flourished in almost a surrealistic way.

Last year when I took my long hiatus from blogging, I discovered upon my return that FLYING MONKEYS had fallen victim to either human carelessness or from someone's heartless cruelty. Stephen told me that someone had deleted everyone’s work that had made the blog successful. With nothing left, he and his good friend, Sassene tried to salvage what they could and begin again, but they really need our help and support. I hope everyone will stop by FM because I notice that nothing has been posted since February. Sometimes a comment or some other display of support will go a long ways.  If you're interested, please contact Stephen for information regarding how you can become a contributing writer for FLYING MONKEYS. I'm sure all this project needs is a little help from kindred spirits wanting to spread a message of hope, peace and love. 

Getting a true sense of who a person is out here in the blogosphere can be a difficult task. People like me who lay it all out there for everyone to scrutinize are probably easier to "read" and get to know.  I think most people see me as someone who plays fairly and doesn't feel the need to pretty anything up before throwing it out into the arena to get kicked around a few times.  I think people see that I'm comfortable whether I'm disclosing something highly personal about myself or if I'm just sharing an opinion.  But not everyone out here shares the same purpose or motivation for blogging as I have.  Some people have used this venue as a way to play head games or to be someone they aren't or can’t be in real life. I always laugh at people who take everything they read on a blog as the gospel truth and judge people by the blogging face they wear. While some of us come across as genuine and sincere, others are anything but real. After reading a few entries, it's easy to be sucked into our worlds.  You may even feel as if you know the person and at times, you can relate to them on many levels through the words they write.

I started blogging on MSN Spaces when Spaces was first created.  I've seen many people come and go...several will always remain with me and I feel almost in awe of them. Maybe some will remember the people I name and hopefully, the rest will appreciate the fact that these bloggers branded themselves into many people’s hearts and minds. 

The first that comes to mind is Crackers in Bed (Bill).  His style of telling it like it was gained him instant popularity on his G-rated blog. While the rest of us chose to use colorful metaphors and told tales that might embarrass a drunken sailor, Bill kept his blog clean and free of the drama the rest of us seemed to attract. I was truly saddened the day Bill closed his blog forever.  As his health worsened, he no longer had the drive to maintain his blog.  Coming to the decision he finally made was a difficult one for him and I often wonder if he knows how much he is truly missed.

Spaces was never quite the same the day Jnuts (a name I gave him because his screen name was too long [Jockfullofnuts] and with his new name I promised I'd make him as famous as JLo) went in search of greener pastures.  He still has a blog on Spaces, but he has been absent from it for quite some time.  I keep hoping he'll reappear and dazzle people like he used to when blogging was still new and Spaces was fun and full of intrigue.  His special way of spinning a tale would often leave the reader laughing so hard they might wet themselves or feeling some other emotion equally as intense as the laughter he often caused. Jnuts seductively enticed a full spectrum of emotions from each of his readers as he introduced them to his life in Arizona. He was one of those special people who have many God given talents...art, photography, writing, just to name a few and he spent his life sharing those talents with others.  He did it all and he did it like no other...well, maybe no other except his archenemy and greatest tormentor, Psychedelic Pariah.

Simply saying Psychedelic Pariah was an enigma was like stating the sky is blue. He was a mystery to most and created a persona people loved to hate.  The tales he would tell left people in breathless anticipation...always wanting more even when they felt disgusted with what they had read.  People hated the intricate mind games he played and his lack of needing anyone’s acceptance, yet they still came and read every word he wrote. As his tales grew wilder and more bizarre, people wondered where fantasy ended and reality began. Psychedelic Pariah could tear a person apart like no other and it was almost an honor to be roasted by him. Of course, he and I had our battles, but there was always an underlying unspoken respect we had for each other. Of course, it was nothing either one of us would admit, but it was there.  Unlike him, I didn't push people to the point of insanity. I didn't reel people in only to slap them in the face and throw them back out into the blogosphere dazed and confused to do over and over again. He was a master at the art of how to properly conduct an abusive relationship and he practiced it every chance he got out with people he felt worthy of his time and effort. Egomaniac? Sure! But every word he wrote was brilliant and I feel the void he left when he departed.

Another shining star was Hayden of Paradise Cove fame. He was the perfect example of personality plus talent. Everyone loved Hayden and wanted his attention...He tasted what fame Spaces could bring and then he vanished onto the oblivion we call life. Somewhere out there in the real world is a man I'm sure who dazzles people with the same type of appeal in which he dazzled his readers.

There were others...many others and each brings a smile to my face, but not one of these people is someone I actually knew. I only saw the person they wanted to show through their written words.  Was that the real person I saw? I suppose I can answer that by asking myself how real any of us is when we share something about ourselves on our blogs. How much of ourselves do we filter into the text we share with others?

Those of us who have chosen blogs with a theme or who do spoofs on some topic always intrigue me, but not as much as the reactions from their readers. Some people get sucked in and see each word as reality. They get lost and suddenly form an opinion and feel intense emotions without ever asking themselves what purpose does the blog have and is what I'm reading real.  Is this something being portrayed in a sarcastic manner or is it an honest depiction? Is this someone's attempt at writing fiction or am I reading the factual account of some event that actually happened?

It always amazes me how some people silently slither around Spaces attempting to discover where the morally corrupt are located. Their mission is to find blogs void of anything good and wholesome, then report the blog to MSN as offensive material that needs to be deleted. From there MSN steps in and investigates the complaint. What most people don’t realize about these snakes is that they lack the ability to objectively assess the value of any blog. Needless to say, snakes are one-dimensional creatures in dire need of a cobectomy (removal of the corn cob) which clouds their vision and distorts their judgment. 

I’ve often wondered what shows snakes watch on TV. What do they find humorous or entertaining…if anything? I’m almost certain they don't find programs like The Daily Show or Saturday Night Live as being funny. Comedians like Lewis Black and The Blue Collar Comedians are just sick, twisted, vulgar cynics and Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly are godlike and wise beyond their years. What a sense of power these snakes feel they have! Obviously, these slimy, slithering serpents haven't a clue as to what the First Amendment is all about and feel the overwhelming need to dictate morality and ethics to others wherever and whenever they can. I wonder if any of them know the meaning of the words “parody”, “spoof” or “satire”.  Perhaps, I should suggest they look up the definition in the dictionary…nah, I doubt that would help! Unfortunately, unlike television the choice isn't as simple as just turning the channel when we aren't satisfied with the content...here you have to watch what you write and who it might offend.

Instead of realizing that much of what is posted on anyone's blog is a matter of preference and nothing more, these fellow bloggers who are worse than Big Brother himself because they are one of us feel the need to dictate what we post! They purposely and repeatedly visit blogs they find offensive. Why? They feel it is their duty to thrust their strict moral code upon others because everyone here is in such need of moral reform. These self-righteous numbnuts go from blog to blog spewing their venom to instigate trouble and usually succeed. Instead of the "make love not war" or the "live and let live" philosophy that exists amongst most bloggers because we are an elite and ever-growing band of brothers and sisters who seem to realize blogging is much like real life where people have to co-exist, their sole purpose is to divide and conquer one blog at a time. Instead of seeing and appreciating that each blog is the product of each person's creativity and imagination, they quickly deem anything "different" as being amoral and offensive thus worthy of reporting and deletion. For all my fellow bloggers who blog on the fringe of what is deemed acceptable and all you who have had blogs deleted in the past...keep on blogging! Dare to be different! Dare to exercise your right to express yourself! Let your creativity live and breath in whatever form it wants to take. As long as it isn't killing people and maiming intellects, then blog on and stay strong!

An afterthought…were these snakes the same people who were tattletales when they were children?

As I troll the blogosphere, I find many common threads that tie us all together and make us one big dysfunctional family.  I see friendships in the making and people struggling just to learn how to use all their new bells and whistles as they explore the grand world of blogging. They quickly find out that blogging is more complicated than just sitting down and writing about some topic. There's things to consider  like what color fonts look best and whether or not to add a picture to a topic. And just when a person seems to think they have it all figured out, the cyber police come along and shut you down. Actually that does happen, but cyber police leave most people alone.  So just when the majority thinks they have it all figured out, the site they use changes everything just because they can.  You gotta love those programmers for doing that sort of stuff! I liken it to cleaning house and moving the furniture around.  For awhile after you get everything rearranged, you may stumble over the footstool every now and then, but for the most part the arrangement looks better and it usually works better after you get it all figured out and spray Raid to remove all the bugs that always seem to appear after things have been rearranged! 

The more I explore, the more apparent it becomes that I've been around here for a long time. In fact, as MSN opened their doors to all this literary madness called blogging, I found myself caught up in their fever as I entered these hallowed corridors of MSN Spaces. Like many, I tried my hand at writing and decided to have more than one blog at a time. You talk about delusions of grandeur! Unless a person has a great deal of free time, maintaining more than one blog at a time can be chaotic and demanding to say the least. Each time I try to do the same thing, I get the same result.  Failure and fatigue! So does that mean I'm hardheaded and a glutton for punishment?

As I read comments on other blogs, I always smile when I come across a comment alluding to the fact that MSN deleted someone's blog. Yes, it can and does happen all the time. Just ask one of those unfortunate souls who logged on to find their blog gone. Should they have known it was going to happen? Probably not the first time because who reads all the fine print when they sign up for anything? And who takes heed at the warning to change the content within 48 hours or extinction will happen? It's amazing that people don't realize that MSN owns their blog and its content. When you sign on that dotted line, you take the MSN oath to adhere to their moral standards. afteral it is their space you use so why can't they have their own Hose Rules? 

For some, adhering to those rules is a rather difficult task.  I know I've walked a fine line at times, but always seemed to manage to stay on the right side of MSN morality. I guess MSN finds it easier to delete a blog than to offer the option of "adult" blogs. I use the word "adult" loosely because it can cover so many areas. Most immediately think of adult as being pornographic in nature when in reality an adult blog would simply give the person more leeway to express themselves in a way that isn't permissible at this time. Did you know that if a person comes to your blog and they find it offensive, they can report you to MSN? The likelihood that your blog will be deleted as a result of complaints is relatively high. Does MSN give you a chance to have your say? Nope! With a wave of the magic wand, anything that you had on your blog is gone forever .

With that said, I highly recommend that people save any material that they don't want "lost" inadvertantly due to something happening like an alien invasion or the cyber police knocking at your door and you rush in haste to flush before thinking. Some people put a great deal of time and effort into the creation of their blog and it's a shame when or if it disappears. How do I know these things...well, I speak from experience and know you can't fight City Hall.  In this case, City Hall is MSN. I always thought the option of age related blogs would keep the "kids" out of material that isn't meant for younger readers. To me, it just seemed to make sense. I'm sure some of my material could be viewed as questionable, but there is a simple solution to it and that's to give a wider variety of options.  Perhaps even offering things like language options so that people surfing through blogs don't have to view hundreds of Non-English speaking blogs before they stumble upon one they might like to read or can read. Just another suggestion to go in the suggestion box wherever that box is!

During the time I've participated in having a blog on MSN Spaces, I've observed many things (the curse of any psych major). On that note, I'll end this entry with:

12 Reasons Why Everyone Should Hate Blogging

(subtitled: Can I Blog In Braille?)

1.

2.  Bloggers who have multiple blogs are perceived as gameplayers or worse. Diversity and anonymity is not tolerated. All bloggers must play by the same rules! Now, who took the friggin' rulebook? I bet Melissa is sitting on it!

3.  Double standards and hypocrisy run rampant in the blogosphere. Both smell like bullshit to me, but who am I?

4.  Blogging is a popularity contest and often has little to do with writing ability. I'd name a few blogs as examples, but instead I'll just refer everyone to #7.

5.  Bloggers measure loyalty by the number of "hits" they receive and how often their buddies visit and leave comments. OMG! Did I just write that? That ought to piss off a couple of bandersnatches who parade around here pretending to be human. I'll exclude the names to protect the guilty!

6.  Freedom of speech is supported as long as the reader agrees with the topic...and the author! Ha! If I want your opinion I'll ask for it...now, go sit in the corner and try to behave yourself until I finish.

7.  Bloggers tend to jump to erroneous assumptions, are quick to judge others and then seem to lose their objectivity, compassion and ability to act like a decent human being. You know why they act that way? Yep! They all need that rather large corncob pulled out of their ass.

8.  Bloggers ostracize fellow bloggers as a way to effectively demonstrate disapproval. It has the same effect as saying "I'm taking my toys and going home", but please explain to me why they always seem to leave one toy behind?

9.  Bloggers cannot alter their "normal" writing style or subject matter without being interrogated by other bloggers. What's up with that? I thought we all could write whatever we wanted to write! I thought it was like having the ability to change channels. You don't like what's on? Click! You watch something else. Now, how hard was that?

10. Bloggers run in packs and devour anyone who has a problem with any member of their pack. I've got to admit I simply adore this practice. Instead of getting just one dumbass (there's that word again...I want to make sure the search engines get my listing correct), you get a herd of them spewing garbage all over your comment section. 

11. Bloggers are oblivious of other bloggers having lives, problems and responsibilities which prevent daily posting and commenting. I learned this one the hard way when even I was casted aside due to my lack of participation.  A heartfelt thank you to all my mentors!

12. Bloggers are skeptical, slightly paranoid and perceive unexplained absences as being unacceptable. Next time you're going away, before you leave remember to scan your notarized excuse note, save it as a jpg file and then post it.  Remember telling people to kiss your ass is not courteous and will probably get you ostracized (how would I know that?), but do it anyway...it feels good!

Okay folks, now gather around for one giant group hug and then on the count of 3...you all know what to do...

1...

2...

3...

When I "composed" Spread The Hate it was done as a light-hearted spoof on all the tags games that get passed around Spaces. Most people find them annoying...or at least the people I know would rather be caned than to participate in yet another game of tag or a chain letter. Little did I know when I posted my version (pardon my twisted humor) that anyone would start citing rules against participating in tags.  Holy Moly...what's next? It was meant to be amusing and not to be a pain in anyone's ass which I fear it‘s become. I apologize for posting anyone's names to participate in my lunacy without checking with them first...live and learn, but I think I corrected the issue by just leaving the #3 spot blank for anyone who wants to participate in spreading the hate. Now, how about a a great big group hug? or is that a group slug?