Tag: blogosphere

The Eighth Annual Blogger Christmahanukwanzaakah Online Holiday Concert!

December 21, 2013 / Neil Kramer / 18 Comments

Welcome to the The 2013 Blogger Christmahanukwanzaakah Online Holiday Concert! Â It is my honor to be with you here for the eighth year of this concert. Thank you for keeping this blogging tradition alive. May we all be happy, healthy, and creatively productive in 2014!

“I Wonder as I Wander” by Marty of Don’t Take the Repeats

Silent Night by Estelle of Musings on Motherhood

Photo by Shana of Gorillabuns

“Please Come Home for Christmas” performed by Andrea from Lil’ Kid Things and her husband, Gerald

http://youtu.be/THSqTgFCqno
“Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” performed by Danny of Jew Eat Yet and Charlie

photo by Alejna of Collecting Tokens

“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” performed byÂ Faiqa and Shiny from Hey! That’s My Hummus!

“Oscar and Posey Sing Christmas” (the kids of Bonnie of The Theory Blog)

photo by Nicole of Butterscotch Sundae

“Silent Night” performed by Kizz of 117 Hudson, and Sara of Sarah Gardens, with their dogs, Eddie and Bu.

“I Am Santa” performed and animated by JC of The Animated Woman

Artwork by Ms. Sizzle of Sizzle Says

“Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” performed by Lydia of SquidMom

“Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella” by Alejna of Collecting Tokens

photo by Veronica of Compost Studios

Christmas Greetings by Tamar of Mining Nuggets

“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” performed by Alexis of Wave the Stick

Photo by annette of Catnip and Coffee

“Hawaiian Christmas from New Jersey” performed by Linda of Elleroy was Here, with her son, Miles

Kenny Rogers and Wyonna Judd’s “Mary, Did You Know?” performed by Diane of Momo Fali

Photo by Celeste of Average Jane

Joy to the World performed by Julie of Geisha School Dropout, and John

“The Dreidel Song” performed by Jenny of Oh, Jenny Mae

Photo by Marta of Oh My, Marta!

Adelaide’s First Christmas Song Composition with Noel Katz of There’s Gotta be a Song

Photo by Martin of Deutchland uber Elvis

little tree by e. e. cummings read by Peyton Price of Suburban Haiku

Photo by Tanis of Tanis Miller

The Story of Christmas told by Fran Hart of FGHart

Photo by Leesa of Wildvizionz Photography

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” performed by Susan of Learned Happiness, with her family.

Photo by Diane of Momo Fali

“Fairytale of New York” performed by Josette of Josette Plank

Photo by Samantha of Samantha Kelly Art

“Let it Snow” by the Suniverse

photo by Daffodil of Adventures in Paradise

“I Wish It Was Christmas Today” performed by Shana of Gorillabuns and her family.

photo of New Zealand Christmas by Juli of Wellington Road

Christmas Gifts for Girls performed by Neil of Citizen of the Month, music used without permission of the Beastie Boys

photo by Maggie of Magpie Musing

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler – I mean tech-savvy bloggers Laurie of Laurie Writes and Sarah of Sarah and the Goon Squad trying to figure out what to sing after recording a video without any sound.

The Sanjaya of the Blogosphere

March 28, 2007 / Neil Kramer / 43 Comments

My mother arrived in Los Angeles today, in preparation for Passover next week.Â Â After she unpacked, Sophia and I showed her all of the birthday cards that I received from other bloggers.

“You see, Mom, friendship is more important than actually making a decent living through writing.”Â

“Well, let’s not get carried away this…”Â added Sophia.

My mother opened up a cutesy hand-made card from a Canadian blogger.

“And so many women!”

“Neilochka’s very popular with female bloggers.” explained Sophia.

I beamed with pride.Â My mother may have once imagined me as a Jewish doctor or lawyer, but I doubt sheÂ dreamed thatÂ I would grow up to become an international sex symbol.Â

“You’re like that boy on TV,” she said.

“What boy?”

“The boy in American Idol.Â Â The boy all the girls like.Â The Indian boy.”

“Sanjaya?”

“Sanjaya!” Sophia repeated, laughing.

I feltÂ insulted by my own mother.Â She just nodded.

“When I saw him the first time on TV, I knew he wasÂ going to win.Â He has so much personality.Â So much more than his sister.”

“Personality!?Â He’s awful,” I protested.

“Oh, yeah?Â I bet you five cents that he wins.” offered my high-gambling mother, her recent Mah-Jongg winnings making her cocky.

For the rest of the day, my mother’s words rang in my head, making me wonder if I should have accepted that Prozac from that therapist last week.Â

While my mother was upstairs, I cornered Sophia in the kitchen.

“I’m not like Sanjaya.Â Am I?” IÂ stuttered anxiously, acting just like a person with a dependent personality structure.

“Well, maybe your mother has a point.” said Sophia.Â Â “I think little girls like Sanjaya because he is safe and non-threatening.”

“Are you saying female bloggers think I’m safe and non-threatening?”

“Well…”

There was a silence heard around Redondo Beach.

“How can I be safe and non-threatening?!Â Â I’m always writing about sex… about how I want to f**k them!”

“Yeah, well… sure… you write about it.Â Â Sanjaya also wore a mohawk last night, but that doesn’t mean he knows how to be a punk rocker.”

A Year Ago On Citizen of the Month:Â The Best Teacher I Ever Had

The Luckiest Blogger in the World

March 3, 2007 / Neil Kramer / 67 Comments

Can someone haveÂ his best birthday ever — four days before his actual birthday?Â

Knowing that Sophia and I we were heading off on our road trip to Portland, Danny invited us over for some pre-birthday birthday cake (which he baked himself!Â Coconut!)Â

First surprise:Â Communicatrix and her boyfriend, Brenton, showed up to wish me an early happy birthday.Â Â

Second surprise:Â Sophia revealed that she has been secretly working behind the scenes to make my birthday extra special.Â Â She has been emailing YOU for several weeks, telling you of my upcoming birthday, and asking you to mail me a card or a gift to Danny’s address.Â

Third surprise:Â A whole bunch of gifts and cards were piled high in Danny’s living room, the gifts and cards as varied as there are bloggers:

Chocolates from Belgium.Â Â Art work.Â Photographs.Â T-shirts from various cities across the country.Â Baseball caps.Â Soap shaped like a woman’s breast.Â A tool kit.Â Books.Â Movies.Â CDs.Â Fancy notebooks.Â Buttons.Â Chewing gum.Â Handmade candy.Â A beautiful purple bathrobe!Â Â A hand-knitted scarf.Â Magazine subscriptions.Â Special beer from Chicago.Â An emergency phone charger.Â Poems.Â Â Â And tons of birthday cards.Â Â

And more is coming.

I was in shock for the rest of the night.Â I had no idea of any of this.Â I feel like George Bailey from “It’s a Wonderful Life.”Â

I am still speechless.Â I can’t think of anything clever to say, other than, “Wow, I’m truly touched.”Â Â

I’m also drunk, so I’ll need to write more about this tomorrow.

Thanks, everyone.Â Thanks, Danny.Â Â Â

And Sophia, you really ARE the best!

P.S. — Does this mean I have to start reading your blogs again?