Cut the Shit

Making the (Internet) World a Better Place

I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself to be a member of the blogging community. In fact, I don’t even call my website a blog when referring to it with other people. To me, this is a journal – a rather public journal, that I write in because it makes me feel good. I don’t read other people’s sites on a regular basis and it’s very rare for me to actually step out from behind my computer screen to meet up with fellow bloggers. However, when I do get the chance and have the energy, I do my best to stop by a few sites to see what’s going on.

Lately, I’ve stumbled across a handful of posts that have made an impact on me in one way or another. For today’s entry, I decided to list a few particular posts that have stood out to me as either moving, influential, or just plain honest. Pick one or take the time to read each of these posts. I hope you experience at least a portion of the emotion that I felt while exploring these different sites.

The first post I will recommend for you is by my dear friend, Ari. There is so much to choose from considering her journal covers all sorts of topics, ranging from love and dating to the political climate of the Middle East. I find Ari to be funny, maybe borderline sardonic, and she always has the courage to speak exactly what’s on her mind. She’s an inspiration to me as far as giving me the courage to stand up for myself, even when there is the possibility that I might be defeated in the process. Ari wrote this post a while back about missing something and wondering if she ever had anything to miss at all.

Being a new dog owner myself, posts like this one always rip my heart out. Wicked H is incredibly supportive of my journal, most often being the first person to comment. I like her site because she writes concise pieces that are funny, quick witted, and often thought provoking. When I read about Dexter, I started to picture Wicked H as more than just a faceless person behind a computer screen. I realized that I care about her and her happiness on this personal level that I can’t really explain. She’s in a lot of pain at the moment and for some reason, I truly feel part of her sadness.

You may have heard of this little site called Alarming News. Ari introduced me to the face behind the site about a year ago and I was immediately smitten. Karol is smart, funny, motivated, and one of the few people that I can actually debate religion and politics with. So often Karol and I fall on opposite sides of the fence, but recently, I read a post she wrote on Big Love - the new series on HBO. I absolutely (Big) LOVE this show and have even watched certain episodes a couple of times because I find it to be so expertly done. Karol’s comments on the show, as well as on the people who watch the show, made me laugh and scream “Hells Yeah!” Cuz obviously, if you watch Big Love you’re a polygamist. Well done Karol!

Probably the most gut wrenching post I’ve read this week comes from Mikey. He recently wrote a post about when he found out that he was HIV positive. I’ve known that Mikey was positive from the moment that I stumbled across his site – as he bravely and unabashedly has it listed on the side bar of his main page. What I didn’t know were the details surrounding his discovery of the virus within his system or the aftermath that followed both financially and emotionally. One of my biggest fears in life is being told that I have the HIV virus. I’m sure many people feel that way. However, after reading Mikey’s post, tears in my throat, I realized that this kind of scenario could happen to any one of us and that life is worth living despite getting that news. Some of the post is pretty graphic, but at the same time, so is having the HIV virus. I’ve got more respect for Mikey than I do for myself. When I sit in my bedroom and allow my depression to take over, I should work hard to remember that life could be much more challenging than I already think it is.

And lastly, if you don’t know about a little website called Television Without Pity, then you are surely missing out. Very rarely do I laugh out loud from something I’m reading, but TWOP gets me every single time. Basically if you miss one of your favorite shows on TV, this website will recap it for you and include a high level of snark. My friend Rita introduced me to this site years ago and since then I’ve become a full blown addict. Sometimes, if I HAVE caught a particular TV show during its initial run, I’ll still head over to TWOP to read what they think of the episode. And I gotta say, I’m almost ALWAYS in agreement with their loud and proud opinions.

Thank you to all of the above for contributing the time, thoughts, and energy to making our internet lives not only entertaining, but edifying as well. Lord knows you make the work day go faster. Keep it up!