STFU, Parents

The New York lady over at STFU, Parents has done a fine job cataloging the craziness that is 21st-century parenting. All posts come from user-submitted Facebook updates, photo albums, flame wars, rants, etc., and some commentary on each. She does a good job reacting the way (childless) people like me would react.

Want copious photos of poop, vomit, snot? She's got it.

Did I know some stores have "expectant mother" parking spaces? I do now.

Do you know what a placenta looks like? Parents on Facebook want you to find out!

STFU, Parents offers excellent linkage to old posts. You can journey along it like a winding country road, marveling at the landscape you don't get from your urban penthouse that you can afford because you're a childless asshole! Sorry, I'm reading too many instances of Mommyjacking.

The blogger points out moments when parents (mostly mothers, it seems) hijack a friend's status update to inform everyone about the well being of their kids. The world revolves around your baby!

Ours is a sharing culture these days, at least online. Would baby boomer parents behave this way if they had Facebook/Tumblr/Blogger in the 1970s and 1980s? Or is this a generational thing?

Dishes

I enjoy certain food blogs (if the writer/food isn't to annoying), but lately I think it's not just for the recipes. The plates are really catching my eye. It's fun to see what dishes people own (probably because I hate my own hand-me-down set so much). Half of the time I don't even care for the food being displayed. That aside, food presentation is fun to check out. Isn't it strange/awesome that we've reached a point where people are saying "Wait, don't eat just yet! Gotta get a pic so I can blog this meal."

photo Normally I don't like to see actual humans in these pictures, but I'll make an exception because Fiestaware plates are my all time favorites.

photo In this one, I think we can all appreciate the great use of the counter top as background.

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Sister Blog Alert: Gone Fashion'!

It's been a quiet week here on JOP, with two of your writers on vacation and the rest of us just busy in general. But hold onto your hats because there's a new blog in the Hi Fever/Jar of Paperclips family, and it's all about a topic close to your hearts and mine: clooooothessss!

A committee decided on the name, so don't blame me if it's cheezy. Gone Fashion' (like gone fishin', get it??!) is a joint effort among most of JOP and most of Hi Fever, and its mission is pretty similar to all of these blogs'. That is to say, writing about whatev we want, whenev we want!

If you have any ideas for topics, for GF or HF or JOP, send us an email at hifever40@yahoo.com or

jarofpaperclips@gmail.com.

JOP is still taking advice and although we have an enormous backlog, we'd like to hear what's going on right now! GF has sort of an advice feature, obviously specifically to do with fashion. So drop us a line and don't be a stranger!

Fake Problems

From kottke.org, which is a pretty good site.

I do always wonder how difficult life must be for some people if these things count as problems. Are they just clumsy? Or is my life just too easy?

Decor Mysteries

Home blogs are one of my guilty pleasures. Along with family blogs, pop culture blogs, military wives blogs, etc. It can be hard to find blogs worth your time. Right now I'm really into this one home blog... but the girl has an obsession with Eames Chairs. Overall I like her style and how she weaves it throughout her house but these chairs! I never have understood the fascination with them. Modern, blah blah, contemporary, etc. They just remind me of elementary school cafeterias.

Banner Time!

I've said it once, I'll say it again: I love fourfour and Rich Juzwiak. We here at JOP talk a lot about our banners and we try to keep them fresh (thanks mostly to Susan and Joe...I mean Paddles), and Rich's banners are just so inspirational. He recently posted all his banners ever, blowing my mind, and so here are some of my favorites.

By the way, Rich's posts are all over the place: super good movie reviews and mixes (follow the link above), ANTM recaps, and Pot Psychology, which I also love. Pot Psychology is not actually on fourfour but it's more than worth your time. Get ready to learn!

Blog of Note

I found this blog yesterday worth checking out: Food in Real Life. Pretty good read for all my frozen food needs. When I'm too lazy to make my lunch I go for the Smart Ones Fettuccine Alfredo. Nothing can beat it, it is delicious alfredo. They should serve it in restaurants!

The blog proves what I've always thought about frozen lunches - Weight Watchers Smart Ones are the best overall. Lean Cuisine may make food look good on the packaging, but it's a farce. Lean Cuisine made me start avoiding all frozen foods that included any type of "meat" (term used loosely).

Sufficient Fest

In the ongoing search at JoP for interesting people and news, we sat down with 2 of the 3 founders of Sufficient Records. Read on to find out more about this start-up record company that is just good enough!

What or who is the driving force behind Sufficient records?
Joe: Me and Grey, w/ a little help from our friends. The bands make it "real".

Grey: Before we get started I want to announce that Tony Scumbag is retiring from the music business.

Describe an average Sufficient business day.
J: I usually gchat Grey about our future plans for the label which include uploading mp3 files to our myspace, sufficientrecords.bandcamp.com, and archive.org.

G: Tony made it clear that he is “exhausted” but stresses that every note was played “strictly for the fans.”

Do you actively go out and recruit talent from around the area?
J: We like to keep a strict separation between artistes and the TEAM by communicating solely through digital avenues. It's a lot less messy this way when we decide to drop an artist from our roster.

G: Yeah we do that occasionally, you’ll see us a lot at the Horseshoe Inn or the Wildhorse and while we do have a lot of fun at these events there is definitely a business aspect to it as well.

What are defining characteristics of Sufficient bands? How would I know when I hear a Sufficient band?
J: innovative, unique, bold, funny, fresh, WOW! (it hits you). We have a large variety of talent on our label: from lo-fi introspective indie rock, to polished electronic and even stand-up comedy!

G: We love harmonizing vocals, I don’t want to say it’s a must-have to join our team but it does go a long way when we are sifting through all the stuff we get. Our music usually has a crisp Phil Collins CD-ROM sound to it which is territory that really hasn’t been explored since “Sports”.

What bands that you have played in over the years have influenced you the most?

G: Sugar Ray/Kansas

What bands outside of Sufficient do you take the most inspiration from?

G: I can’t tell you how many times each day I look at Joe and say “That’s what we should do” (laughs). How many times does that happen man, like a thousand? I guess what I’m saying is everything inspires us, from a lightning strike to a great Lisa Loeb single to the click of a mouse.

In Seattle, what do you find is the best club to play music at?

G: Ace’s Horseshoe Inn, Crazy Horse Tavern, The Barnhouse, Horses Wild, The Wild Horsehead…you want me to pick one??

In this era of home recording and distributing local music, other start-ups like Sufficient have emerged (ie: Sufficient Records). How do you distinguish yourself from these other competitors?

G: I know what you’re fishing for here and I won’t play along. I have such a deep respect for those guys and the sound they’re going for and seriously, we only want the best for them and their bands.

What are the biggest accomplishments of Sufficient to date?

J: T-Shirts (thanks Jake), putting out 6 damn fine releases, including a compilation CD which includes artists from NC-WA-NY, one of our alums (Patrick Wimberly of Chairlift) getting signed to Universal Records, and last but not least, our Angelfire page.

G: Joe would disagree with me on this but I thought the Sufficient Records/Tostito’s Baja 500 “Race to the Place” rally event was a big success. Meeting Ivan “Ironman” Stewart was a childhood dream of mine.

What is the biggest time of year for Sufficient on the whole?

J: Summertime, when the livin' is easy; the gin and tonics start flowin' and the podcasts follow.

G: Autumn, that’s when the leaves are all different colors and falling off the trees. Our artists are into that stuff.

Many Sufficient band members cross over to help each other out on other ensemble or solo projects. What cross-overs would you like to see happen?

J: "Zach Wood and Tony Scumbag Take Manhattan".

G: I feel like you want me to talk about Professor Longhair’s Fanclub. It’s a shame that can’t continue (since Tony is retiring). Joe is a real professional and it’s no accident that he’s ended up where he is today.

On the subject of upcoming collaborations, Tripp’s Steakhouse has offered us a very generous sum to record a 30 second jingle for them. The only caveat is it must include the phrase “We’re gonna get our Tripp’s on tonight!” at some point, which is not ideal but we’ll take it. I see this as a great opportunity for SEAARCH to show us that we made the right choice in our long term commitment to him.

What do you feel has the most power in promoting shows?

J: We don't promote shows.

G: I wish I could tell you it was easy Susan, but it’s a real struggle. While web sites like Angelfire have opened a lot of doors, we are seeing our Compact Disc sales slip noticeably on almost a daily basis. Labels like Sufficient rely on “big box” stores like Tower Records and Circuit City to stay in business. You wouldn’t believe the number of good artists, really talented guys, that have come to us with a “dope product” but we’ve had to say “thanks but no thanks” because programs like LimeWire are killing our retailers and we can’t afford to take them on. It just really makes me sad to see our industry in the state that it is. You wouldn’t steal a car, would you? Then why would you steal music?

Does Sufficient have any concert festivals in its future (something like/similar to TrekkyFest)?

J: Sufficient Fest WILL happen!

G: Jake is always walking around saying “cross-promotion” (still waiting for a good explanation on that) so we tend to focus more on rally racing and balloon festivals.

What social causes and projects does Sufficient currently participate in?

G: We’ve never really been in that arena. Our main focus is to put out the best product we can, and giving to charity does nothing to help us achieve that goal. In fact, it would make it more difficult. But we are very charitable to those in our inner circle. Take me for example- I’m literally the happiest person I’ve ever met.

What websites do you visit on a daily basis?

G: I really like what’s happening here at JOP. Also, Joe’s blog Nice Guys Last Finish. Sometimes I even check Hi Fever. And Corey Bell is starting a blog next week that I’m really excited about.

What is your goal with Sufficient podcasts? How do you keep them "fresh"?
J: Seagram's Gin, lot's of sound effects, jokes, etc.

Of course numbers don't matter, but what do you consider to be a good show for your bands?
J: Depends - did the crowd leave feeling confused?

G: We need to get at least 100 people at 10 bucks a head, otherwise we lose money.

Thanks guys! It's been fun!

J: Check out our Myspace for FREE downloads of all of our records and look out for SUFFICIENT TV!

G: This was a lot of fun, thanks.

Happy Birthday!

JoP turned 1 on Saturday!!!$%^!#$ What a year it's been!!

A look at the best post from each contributor (as voted by me):

Meg: Death By Cute

Winnie: A Couple of Holiday Don'ts

Kneeker: CruSH LiTTLe BaBy

McGregor: The Birthplace: Big F'ing Deal

Susan: 2009

Don't agree? Have another favorite that didn't get mentioned? Let us know!

Gorgeous Footsteps in the Sand

JoP is turning 1 soon, and we thought some interviews with other "founder's" would be fun.

Today we have Katelin of Gorgeous Footsteps in the Sand. Katelin and I went to college together at Denison University (class of '06!!!). Her blog just was chosen as one of Blogger's blogs to read, so I thought she'd have some good blogging advice for our year-old blog. Congrats Katelin on the achievement!!

Why did you start your blog?

I read blogs all day for my job and my friends and I had started a group blog that went nowhere so I thought I'd try one for myself.

What goals did you have for it then?

I don't think I had any. I just wanted to write and see what would happen.

What goals do you have for it now?

I think just to keep having fun with it and not let other people determine what I want to write or how I write.

How did you come up with Hollywood Tuesdays as a segment?

I started posting so much Hollywoodness all over the place that I figured Tuesdays were a good day to put them into. You can look back in the archives and I was all over the place, eventually it started to come into a rhythm of posting which I love.

Is Violet Affleck your favorite Hollywood baby because her mom went to Denison??

Haha, yeah I think that's part of it. That and she is always so happy and seems so normal and the whole family is just so freakin cute.

Do you ever feel like you share to much or your fiancee doesn't like what you share online?
Umm no I think I do a pretty good job of keeping some things private and making sure to share the good stuff. And if he didn't want me to share it I think he'd tell me.

Do you track your site visits? Does it vary or do you have the same popular days week after week?

Guilty as charged. I stopped for a while, but I check Sitemeter and Google Analytics pretty regularly. And it pretty much stays the same, however lately with the blogger of note recognition my readership has sky rocketed and it's sort of awesome.

Are you surprised at what posts get the most visits?

Sometimes like I think I posted a post all about TV shows I watch and I got a ton of comments but then a week later I posted something else Hollywoodish and not a whole lot of responses.

You're in California, so I've always wondered how your posts are always up at 9am for that day. In a recent post you mentioned that you post the night before. Is that something you've always done and why?

I pretty much write my posts the day or night before now and have them scheduled to go up at 2am. I didn't always do this, but it makes it easier and I realized I have a lot of East Coast readers so I figured why not have it up for them to read in the morning.

What kind of involvement do you have with BlogHer and 20-something bloggers listed on your site?
Well I went to BlogHer last year for work and I got to meet a ton of bloggers I read personally and luckily I get to do it all over again this year and I cannot wait. As for the 20 Something Bloggers it's a group that a fellow blogger started to bring us 20 somethings together and man has it worked. I was member 200 something and now it's up to almost 6,000 I believe. I definitely recommend checking it out.

Do you think ads are a good way to up a blog's readership?

Umm I don't know that they've helped my readership increase but a nice check every once and a while is fun! :)

Did you design the blog yourself?

Yeah I designed it myself, maybe one day I'll get a spiffy design made my someone who actually knows how to do that stuff, I just messed around with it.

Is your blog just as much for friends and family now as it is for you?

Yeah I think a lot of friends and family that I may not see that often are reading it and seeing stories from my life and it's great like that. And it's good for me because I can always look back on what I've written and enjoy it all over again.

Do you want comments after every post?? (Or is that just me??)
I think deep down everyone wants a comment on their posts, but if I don't get any or get a lot I'm quite alright with that too.

Gorgeous footsteps in the sand... was just named a blog to read on Blogger. I'm still new to the scene, but how does a blog get chosen for this?

Not gonna lie, it feels awesome. I couldn't believe it. I have no idea how they chose those blogs but I feel pretty freakin special.

Do you have a favorite post?

I think my favorite most is my engagement story and the time I met Ryan Gosling (or any other celeb encounter I've blogged about). Both stories just make me so happy, granted the engagement one a little bit more so :)

What do you think makes for a good blog?

I think when someone is honest, somewhat witty or funny, and blogs somewhat regularly. Those are a couple things I love in a blog and I think it helps your readers get to know you.

You recently got engaged - have you considered having the ceremony at Swasey???????? Maybe with Dale T officiating??
Haha yeah I think I'll pass on that one. Definitely

having a So Cal wedding :)

The Island

A fun read! Maybe we could make his blogroll?