blogging on blogging

By now you've probably heard plenty about the new movie "Julie and Julia" with Amy Adams and Meryl Streep, maybe even more than you'd like (it's everywhere!). Aside from the drool-worthy dishes and Streep's ability to reach decibels that only dogs can hear, one of the most noteworthy things about the film is what it's based on in the first place: blogging.

Julie Powell, Blogging Queen

Real-life Julie Powell's blogging prowess is evidenced by the fact that "Julie and Julia," the book as well as the new movie, was based off of her online writing endeavors. Take a good idea, make it interesting, give it a free public viewing space...and voila! You've got yourself a career. Ok, it's not that easy. But the democratic aspect of getting your thoughts out there on sites like blogspot and wordpress still has a lot of potential, and Julie's success shows that. Where else can you get your voice heard-fo free?!

Yes, admittedly, blogging is a pretty narcissistic exercise (I admitted it!) but for aspiring writers (and others trying to get their ideas and work out there) it offers an open opportunity for all, assuming you don't get lost in the vast and overwhelming sea of bloggers (pretty easy to do).

In honor of Julie Powell's success, I've decided to include a few blogs that I find cool, with writing/work that's worth noticing. Sure, there are a lot of crappy blogs out there (let's be real, none of our lives are worth recording for others second-by-second...yes, I'm glaring at you too, Twitter). But these are some fun efforts:

The Self-Righteous Housewife: The bits about Mommy's Cocktail Hour and Foul-Mouthed Polly Pockets are my favorites. She's got spunk, and this sounds a bit like something my mother might write if she had the technological confidence to make a blog.

Savage Chickens: I like that these doodles, meant to beat office boredom, are done on post-its and star only chickens. Simple, endearing. Plus, he's made a post about "Julie and Julia." META META META.

Cabs Are For Kissing: This cabbie lets us take the driver's seat and tells all about some of the more memorable individuals who hop into his vehicle. Though long-winded at times, the writing is intelligent and the descriptions are often spot-on, as with "the drunk drop."