Being in love in order to be one of the editors of WDC's Romance/Love Newsletter isn't required--but it certainly can't hurt! So am I? Definitely! What's his name? What does he do? He's the founder and chairman of The following is the first poem I ever wrote about him: Go here to find my version of the history of IYN: And don't forget to visit ... [More]

I want this handy to return to, so I'm going to link to it here... Thanks, , for sharing it! Proud member of Please By doing so, you will be making a very positive difference! ... [More]

I've decided to make the letterhead of my Romance/Love Newsletter not quite so overwhelming. If you subscribe to it, my issue will be coming out this Wednesday with its new look. While I believe that the new letterhead will be more fitting for the newsletter, I still think that the former one is pretty cute, so I'm going to preserve it here... I'm in love! What's YOUR excuse!?! This issue of Romance/Love Newsletter is being brought to you by ... [More]

read my poem and gave me a great review on it while inviting me to come over and read a poem that she'd written. Her poem is totally-amazing, and I highly recommend that people not only read it but, also, share it places such as e-mails, blogs, websites, guestbooks, discussion groups (when allowed), and anywhere else they can think of! This is it: Please go read it--as well as giving the positive feedback that she richly deserves!! If there were more people like her in t... [More]

I've just finished presenting an awardicon to a very special and deserving young lady: who is the daughter of proud mother . Check out her message forum (the one I awarded) by going here: You definitely won't be disappointed--and it's up to you to make it better and better by sharing your thoughts therein! ... [More]

The following is another one of my reviews that ended up with such a life of its own that I decided to preserve it here. It was a review of the following item: Check it out if you get the chance! Okay! The review starts now... Let me cordially invite you at this time to drop by --which is one of the places I used your wonderful Invitation cNote to tell others about! Not only should people check out your cNotes because they're unique but, also, because they help to support... [More]

Today is Sunday, June 10, 2007--all day!!! It's time to give my portfolio profile an extreme makeover plus create a new sig-block for myself. After designing a new look for , I'm in the mood to go after my own with a vengeance! Besides, I think that some of the items that were part of the scene before will display much better as a blog-entry, so here goes nothing... Watch your children! , , , , Aren't Russ... [More]

Here I am calling myself an online journalist, and it's been a good month since I've last made an entry in this blog. SHAMEFUL!!! Not to worry! I've been spending time online journaling at a number of other places--but have just been kept too busy to write about it. Still am, but I wanted to touch bases here just a little bit to let you know that this blog is soon going to become much more active and will be worth checking into. At least, that's my own personal op... [More]

I have a promise of passing out some awardicons waiting for me to keep it, according to the title of my last blog-entry here. I didn't even look at it to see who was being put on the back-burner. I'll definitely be taking care of old business before long. However, today is a day of new business. It all started out where two WDC friends were both talking about their struggles and, since both of them live in the same state and could be of some help to each other, I decided to get t... [More]

Do you want to know how busy I've been lately? I've been so busy that I've read four pieces to which I want to present Awardicons but haven't gotten A ROUND TUIT yet. One of those is a GC item, so I'm going to have to create a special folder for it and others like it--though I'll probably put it out in my portfolio at first. I can't make a link to it here without having to raise the content rating on this blog, but I can tell you that it's a new blog by ... [More]

How many of you have a Freewebs account? Here are the websites of , Professor Cool, and me: {link:http://www.freewebs.com/russellonline} {link:http://www.freewebs.com/professorcool} {link:http://www.freewebs.com/ajpenlady} Hopefully--by the time you click on these links--things will be up-and-going again. For now, however, we're shooting blanks. It's not just the websites, either, but, also, the main site, itself: {link:http://www.freewebs.com} I hope that this is... [More]

I was just over adding to the excitement at (Have you ever checked this out? It rocks!) when I discovered somebody going by there who was asking me what I would do if my head fell off. After answering her question and asking another one (That's the way things are done over at , in case you aren't yet familiar with the set-up...), I decided to check out her port. The first poem I read was about depression--something that I had personally dealt with in my early twenties, thanks... [More]

Dear Readers, Rest assured that this blog ( ) isn't getting ready to change its name to Going Loopy Over And Enjoying Every Moment Of It! even if entries such as and this one seem to be pointing in that direction. Whether you're about to gag right now or not, I couldn't think of a better name for the awardicon I'm presenting to: than "AJ Loves Russell!" Award . Russell has been totally-overwhelmed re: the wonderful welcome he's received h... [More]

The following is what I wrote in a public review in regards to : " Great job of describing federal prison life! You simultaneously stuck pins in two myths: (1) Inmates live in a dungeon. (2) Inmates live in a five-star hotel. You also let the world know that you and your (big)housemates weren't sitting around watching TV all day nor were you being fed pig-slop. This piece deserves a very special awardicon!" Take note how I've changed the title of this blog t... [More]

It just seems as if I no more than give one awardicon this morning that it's time to give another one! Since these come in such close succession, I'm going to encourage you to go back one entry to read the first one given to a very special newbie: Now, it's time to give a very encouraging one to a wonderful woman who has so many challenges of her own taking on the care of this 92 year old man! When I read this entry (her current one, to date) in her blog: I knew... [More]

Something wonderful happened overnight! This precious, precious guy--the one I wrote about here: joined WDC and posted something! I wanted--if at all possible--to be the very first person to present him with an awardicon. However, I have the feeling that I won't be the last! Take my word for it that this gentleman will teach you a lot, so please read him often! From this moment on, this will be the blog where I present awardicons, etc. when they're writing-relate... [More]

I am *so* inspired!!! I am so *totally* going to enter this contest! Could my mindset have something to do with being head-over-heels in love with the most wonderful guy!?! You'll just have to read my poem (when I write it) to find out... ... [More]

It's funny how something begins as one thing and turns into something else. Like, I started out writing a simple review for an item here--and it somehow ends up becoming a mini-website! Not only that, but it shows that--even at my age and even though it's still winter--this old, gray mare is definitely not immune to full-blown spring-fever! {link:http://ajsnewz.blogspot.com/2007/02/i-hope-he-says-yes.html} P.S. Don't strain your earpans too extensively listening for wed... [More]

I've had blogs that I started with the best of intentions, but I never took them very far. Now, I'm finding ways to take them well beyond my original dreams for them. For one thing, the entire process of customizing a template has become so much easier at Blogger/Blogspot, so I'm better able to travel from one blog to another, connecting them where they need connecting to make a duo or team. On top of this, I'm writing blurbs for Teen Trend Magazine. Also, hoping that I w... [More]

Right at the moment, I'm getting ready to get back to writing more college blurbs for the next issue of Teen Trend Magazine. The deadline for getting them in is this Sunday, and I would like to have them all finished by tomorrow night at the latest. There's a different theme for the colleges featured in each issue. I won't give away the theme except to say that it's an interesting one and reminds me of a favorite song--AND that I've come across some very unique colleges an... [More]

When I'm more awake, I'll tell you a special cat story, but I need to get some sleep for now, as I've been surviving for too long with catnaps inserted here and there. A few minutes ago, I noticed this story being featured on the home page: This is so fitting as today marks the day when my dad passed away in his sleep three years ago this morning. Too tired to talk about it at this time but will soon--plus tell you about a cat caper involving my favorite cat, my dad, ... [More]

I call myself a writer, but there are times when I read much more than I write--and what I read inspires me in my own writing! At this time, I would like to share some packets of writings here that I think will be inspiring to anyone reading them. In short...Need a break from your writing? Just go to one of these places and pick out an item or two (or more) to sink yourself into! ... [More]

This--DUH?--is the sequel to Just a note to let everybody know that I managed to get my January reviews all finished by the deadline--though not by much. Here is a link to a piece where I give some details of that and, then, follow it with bitems to the 15 reviews. I think that they're all worth reading (but, of course, I would). Anyway, you can check them out if you want to by going here: {link:http://tinyurl.com/ytk4rv} I was going to share some other things with you at... [More]

Notice that the beginning words of this entry are hyperlinked. There's a very special reason for this: It leads to something I've written. Let me tell you about that something I've written! It's a contest entry--or, let me put it another way, it was originally MEANT to be a contest entry. What it has turned out to be is an entry to a closed contest. I'd forgotten that the deadline was nine p.m. Anderson, Indiana time and was thinking it was something mo... [More]

I said that the next entry I made (said this in the last entry) would be one that would promote some other people, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to postpone that promise, as I want to write something here at this time and don't have the promotion quite ready yet. What I can do is to share my blog about WDC and Fan Story here. This will be where I end up writing the promotion, anyway (one of the promotions, that is)... {link:http://wdcfs.blogspot.com/} This blog is, ... [More]