Where have all the bloggers goooooone?

(Title to be sang like the song that says Where have all the cowboys gooooone? Sorry, it's been stuck in my head and I'm trying to get it out.)

I started stalking blogs last year about this time. I came to El Ley on Nov. 2, 2005, and after about a week of being a five-year-old's accomplice, I took to the web for adult interaction. That's when I would check in on people through their blogs. Liz and Phil were the blogging mother and father, but last fall for some reason blogging became infectious. Lisa started the Schandingalings blog in October, and while her posts weren't frequent, they were regular. I started mine in January. When I came home in February, Amber M. introduced Amber Alert!, Jana started up Jana Land and Leiah gave birth to Ahh--Life. In the spring, Evil Doug from Marikka's even offered up some of his cynicism, and while I didn't read it much because I didn't know who was who or whose team was whose, I was still glad to have another link to try when the days got really boring. When Brett started trivia on his blog in April, I started getting up in the middle of the night looking for updates. When he went crazy in May, just days after he'd hooked me with trivia, it was like watching a car accident unfold in manic text. I was a blog-reading junkie, and I had scored some of the best suppliers on blogspot. But then, after the summer, blogs and their authors dropped off the face of the earth.

I get it. Kids were being adopted and being born, promotions were earned, relocations were necessary. But what about me? What about me?

Since it takes 48 seconds to read a blog entry and/or check its comments and since my old standbys have apparently moved on (despite my pleading with them on myspace!), I've found myself with a little extra surf time on my hands. I'd like to offer up these blogs I've fallen for, in case I ever leave you hanging or in case you need to fill the same voids I do. Or in case you find yourself at home on a Saturday night perfectly content drinking cider and eating popcorn and not feeling at all desperate until you go to check some of your favorite blogs and apparently the rest of the world has a life.

Dooce: I thought I was hot shit for finding this blog. Turns out she is basically famous, and rightfully so. Heather Armstrong is a recovering Mormon and stay-at-home-mom whose newsletters to her 33-month-old wide-eyed wonder are heart-wrenching and hilarious. She also has a very comical dog with a nose for spaghetti and a head for remotes. Add her to your favorites. She is so worth it, especially if you are married, are a parent, have parents, live with depression or need to laugh.

Very Zen: This one is sometimes hit or miss, so I don't check it all the time. She takes awesome photos and sometimes sings in the bathroom, and those are an extra treat. I found Amanda, the author, through Dooce. I like when she does political things. It's definitely worth checking out.

PostSecret: A suicide hotline place put this one up, but it's way cooler than that might make it seem. Basically every Sunday a new blog comes up with postcards that people have mailed in telling secrets. It's a little seedy, a little inspiring, a little funny, a little tragic all rolled into one. Something about confessing is so attractive. This is favorite-worthy.

Found: There's a little thing called Found Magazine, which is actually a book in my mind, that is freaking awesome. Found is a compilation of found letters, photos, fliers, whatever is found, and they are so fun to look at. On the website, there's a new one every day, and once you get turned on to this site, you start justifying looking at your feet while you walk with the assertion that you are looking for the next great found item. Liz found one while she was visiting that actually called someone a "Dirty Chicken." That is reason enough to add this to your favorites.

Quickmuse: This one's for all the writers and readers out there. It's basically mind-stalking. Quickmuse organizes writing sessions with authors, gives them a topic, and has them write about it. The cool thing is not only can you read the final piece, but you can watch how the piece evolves... like watch what the author deletes, see what gets replaced, get a glimpse into how their minds work. The writing sessions are pretty occasional, so adding Quickmuse to your bookmarks is sufficient. I signed up for the newsletter so I could just get the emails and not have to check the website, although I still do.

If you haven't checked out Tread's Photo Blog (see my links), that one is worth it too. I'll keep checking my old stand-bys, but I gotta say, I'm losing hope. Or maybe this is just an intervention... in which case, I'm fine, I promise.