Holy Cow! Blogger Has Been Updated!

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Just a reminder: It’s okay to leave comments!

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I haven't been doing a lot of blogging here - most of my work has been going to my Patreon site.

Tonight, I logged in to make an update to a page and found the interface for editing had completely changed. Surprise!

New Blogger editing interface

I hope this means that Blogger will be around for a while and that has become a better tool. I'll have to spend some time with it to see. It also means relearning the tool, though it appears that won't be difficult. A lot looks like interface-only changes, but I'll play around a bit and see. It looks like spell-check is done automatically now. At least the attention means Google hasn't given up yet.

Maybe I'll even blog more often here!

 

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© 2020 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

A Change In Strategy: Blogging

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Just a reminder: It's okay to leave comments!

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One of the biggest problems I have is finding time to write. I realize I'm not the only budding writer in this bind, but I've come to the conclusion that something has to change or most of my works will be published both incomplete and posthumously.

What I've decided is this: I will have to cut back on the amount of blogging I do.

You may have noticed I've already slowed a bit during the last few months. I've averaged over a post per week during the previous two years. I can't maintain that pace and make progress on my non-blog writing. There is just too much going on. So, perhaps, a post every couple of weeks is enough. That would make about 26 posts per year. Besides the time involved, I don't get a lot of feedback from the blog (except for Beth, Terri, and Tess), so I don't know if people are really interested in what I put out here or not. If you're on the edge of your seat somewhere waiting for the next installment of my wisdom-filled words, do two things:

1. Let me know
2. Get a life

I still hope to post the occasional short/flash story or poem, and any new stuff I have published will go here, but I won't be detailing every moment of my life on these pages. Not that I do now, but you know what I mean. I hope.

If you have any thoughts on this, or on your own blogging experience, please let me know!

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© 2017 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Witaj Polsko!

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Just a reminder: It's okay to leave comments!

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Blogging can be a strange pastime. You never know who might be reading your posts—or why. And every now and then I get a big number of hits from someplace I don't expect.

Yesterday, it was Poland.

All Poland, all the time!

Every hit Google tracked was from Poland. I don't know anyone living in Poland, so it's not a friend. I don't have any relatives there, either. Well, none I know of. I guess it's someone who found my words of wit and wisdom irresistible.

There had to be at least one on the planet.

I wonder if they translated my posts. Come to think of it, they might make more sense if they didn't.

To that I say, "Witaj Polsko! Cieszę się, że nowy czytnik! Dzięki!"

Disclaimer: If the above is actually something offensive, blame Google Translate, not me.

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© 2016 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

One Hundred Thousand Thanks

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Just a reminder: It's okay to leave comments!

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Sometime in the last couple of days, the number of views of my blog went over the 100,000 mark.

Over 100,000!

I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my postings whether they arrived here on purpose or by chance. I plan to be a little more active on the blog once work slows down and my current writing project is finished.

I am puzzled a bit, however. Folks in Ukraine really seems to like my blog. I have no idea why.

Breakdown of views by country

But that's okay! Everyone is welcome!

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© 2012-2015 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

I'm Listed On NewPages Now!

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I received an e-mail today from Katy Haas of NewPages. She has added my blog to their listing of Blogs of Poets and Writers. So I guess that means I'll have to keep writing since I don't want to look like a liar.

To get to my link quickly, click HERE. I'm there between Jessica and Logan, at least for today. I put the little red star in the picture—it's not on the site.

I'm not sure that's all that exciting since it just brings you back to here, but maybe a few more readers will drop by.

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© 2012-2015 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Anonymous Comments and Backups

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I do read all of the comments I get, even the ones that never get posted. Like this one:

Anonymous <noreply-comment@blogger.com>                     3:22 AM (4 hours ago)

to me

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "FSF Challenge - Thunder":  

 Hi there! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any issues with hackers?
My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing several weeks of hard work due to no back up. Do you have any methods to prevent hackers?

Take a look at my homepage :: time home buyers  (I've not copied the link for your protection - krsmith)

Publish
Delete
Mark as spam

Moderate comments for this blog.
 Posted by Anonymous to K R Smith at January 16, 2015 at 3:22 AM

Hackers? Such as folks who post questionable links in my comments section hoping someone will click on it? Occasionally. And, yes, I actually do have methods to prevent hackers from spreading their favorite malware or virus—such as not clicking on links sent in anonymous e-mails! Also, I don't post comments like this for the protection of others. And, unlike my anonymous friend, I do make backups of my blog. It's pretty easy.

In the upper right-hand corner of your screen, you'll see your account pulldown. Click on it to see the following window. Click on "Account" inside this window.

I know the guy in the image above looks incredibly shady, but he will serve as an example. After clicking on "Account," a long list of items to update about your blog or tools you can use will appear. Somewhere down toward the bottom, you will see "Account tools." Select "Download data."

Next, select the items you want to download. In this case, I want my Blogger posts and pictures.

Once you've selected the items you want to back up, click "Next" at the bottom of the page (not shown here). On the screen that appears, you can select the appropriate file type for downloading. If you use Windows, a .zip file works.

Once you click "Create archive," a file will begin being built.

Once it's finished, you can see the size. With pictures included, it can be quite large. Click on "download" to save the file.

The file you download will have a long name.

The one I created here was:  takeout-20150117T153725Z.zip. It contains two folders that holder the backup files.

Inside the Blogger folder will be an "atom" file that can be used to restore the blog or move it to another blogging service. The Google Photos folder will contain a file with the images used on your blog.

In case you didn't download the archive right away, you'll get an e-mail reminder like this:

That's about all you have to do to make a backup of your Blogger blog!

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© 2012-2015 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Spam For Christmas

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This morning I checked the G-Mail e-mail account associated with this blog and found a present! Lots of spam.

All of the spam e-mails in my G-Mail account

I allow anonymous comments on this blog because I want the readers to feel free to comment even if the comment is critical of what I've written. And sometimes folks just don't feel comfortable putting their name out here. But the spammers have really hit me as of late. These all had embedded links to dubious web sites. They won't be published. Most are probably from "bots" so my warnings about such comments won't be heeded.

I have a duty not to publish links to sites potentially infested with viruses or malware, and they will continue to be deleted. I will, however, continue to allow anonymous comments as long as they are valid. I even allow embedded links if they are appropriate.

So far, I don't get so many comments that I can't read each one and reply to the valid ones and delete the one that aren't. But I do want to let any human spammers know that if there are questionable links or content, it won't get published here.

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Here's Lookin' At Me, Kid

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It's interesting to see where the folks live who read my blog. Fortunately, Blogger does provide some basic info on that sort of thing. And here's the result as of the beginning of December 2014:

It always surprises me that Ukraine is my #2 audience (BTW, thanks!). Looks like I've got to do something to stir up interest south of the equator, however. I do want you folks down there to know it wasn't an intentional slight!

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Blogger Stats Blowup

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I noticed my readership was increasing this month with a chance to go over 3,000 hits per month for the very fist time. So I checked again today and saw that my blog had over 1,600 hits for a single day. I'm not sure why, but I'm way over 3,000 for this month now. I don't know if anyone is reading, but it's most likely a fluke. Or a hacker. Or Blogger went crazy somehow. Or the folks in Israel really like my stuff. 

 

Now if only they were all readers...

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Liebster Award Part I

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I have had the honor of the Liebster Award bestowed upon me by Tess of The Lighthouse! Thank you, Tess, for nominating me for this award! I had never heard of it before, but nevertheless I will proudly display the badge of the Liebster. It is awarded to those who other bloggers feel have added something of value to the blogosphere. There are (who knew?) official rules for the Liebster award (see bottom of page) and I will attempt to fulfill the requirements. This is Part I of that journey.

One of the things you have to do to accept this award is to answer eleven questions about yourself that have been created by the person who has nominated you. These are the eleven Tess came up with for me:

Here are my questions for them (and you, if you like) to answer:

1. What is the clearest memory of your childhood?

All the time I spent exploring the woodlands, streams, and shores. There are so many mysteries in the natural world. What a dull life it would be if I understood them all.

2. If you could be teleported anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Paris. I've always wanted to travel to the City of Lights, but I'm not entirely sure why other than the delayed effect of the Madeline books I read as a child. I'd also like to be teleported back home at some point; otherwise, it might be difficult to explain my presence there.

3. What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

(Warning: If you do not wish to hear a rant, please skip to the next question.) It's not so much of a tradition in the usual sense, but how I experienced the holiday period in the past. The last month of the year had a different feeling for me than it does today. It was a peaceful, magical time, full of colors, the scent of spice and pine, Christmas gardens, and reflective walks in the snow. That seems to have disappeared, replaced by a frantic, over-crowded, traffic-filled quest for the latest fad or gadget by a population that mostly consists of whiny, self-absorbed, spoiled brats of all ages. I'm certain that's overstated, but it's often difficult for me to feel otherwise. I hope to find what it used to be again someday.

4. At the end of a long day, what is your go-to meal for supper? (Share the recipe!)

This is the hardest question of all. I can't just say:

Cereal

Cereal, 1 bowl full
Milk, as required

Mix and eat with spoon

No matter how truthful that is, I feel I owe you more. So here's another dish I do quite often:

Penne Pasta with Sausage and Vegetables

1 lb. Italian sausage (or sausage of your choice)
1 bell pepper (green or red), chopped
1 medium onion, chopped in about 8 pieces
1 medium (no big, hard seeds inside) zucchini or yellow squash, sliced
1/2 lb. penne pasta (about half of a box)
tomato paste
olive oil
grated cheese (optional)
garlic
salt
basil, parsley, oregano

Oddly enough, I usually have most of these on hand...

Note: if you use pre-cooked sausage, the amount of time you spend cooking will be greatly reduced. You can use Italian sausage, turkey sausage, probably even a soy-based sausage if you really have to—it will all work fine.

If you don't have pre-cooked sausage (it will say 'fully cooked' on the label), cook that in a frying pan with a drizzle of oil then set it aside. Once it's cool enough to touch (or it's pre-cooked), slice it on a diagonal and set it aside again.

Get your pasta boiling and cook it per the instructions on the box.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or wok, put in a little oil, and when it gets fairly hot toss in the bell pepper and onion. Stir them around a little while. Once they've started to soften, add the zucchini and garlic (clove or dried to your taste).

Mix a little (a few teaspoons?) tomato paste with water and add it to the vegetables in the pan and keep it cooking. If you don't have paste, tomato sauce (or even a touch of ketchup if you're desperate) will work. I like the color the paste gives. Add a bit of water or water/paste mixture if it gets too dry.

The pasta should be about done now. Drain and set it aside.

Dump the sausage back in and let it simmer just a bit. Salt to taste—this will depend on the paste and the sausage. Add any of the Italian-type spices (basil, parsley, oregano) to your own taste. I tend to over-do them all...

When everything looks good, you now have two choices:

1. put the pasta on a plate and top it with the sausage/vegetable mix, or
2. dump the pasta in the sausage/vegetable mix and stir it all around, then put it on a plate

Either way works for me.

Sprinkle with grated cheese, if desired. If nobody desires you, you can still have some cheese. (Wow, that was cheesy...)

With pre-cooked sausage, it only takes about thirty minutes.

I have no idea if this is in any way authentic or healthy, but it's pretty good and it doesn't take too long to do.

5. You’ve won the lottery! After gifts to family, friends, and charities, what would you do for yourself?

Have my friends and family change their wills so I'm the beneficiary. I probably shouldn't say more than that...

Well, perhaps have a house built somewhere nice. Not a fancy house, but a functional one, preferably with at least some view of the water.

6. Why do you write? And, if you care to share (and have the time) why do you blog?

There are a number of reason why I write. It's mainly for fun at the moment. I have lots of stories inside my brain, and I want to get them down where others can experience them to see their reaction. From that, I can tell if they understand the world them same way as I do or if I really am crazy. I can even accept being crazy as long as the stories are entertaining. To me, writing is like a jigsaw puzzle with a few blank pieces. For the most part, I know what the final product should look like as soon as the idea comes into my head, but getting all the pieces to fit is a challenge. I like that challenge. And those blank pieces? I get to make up what goes there, and that's where the little twists and turns come in.

Why do I blog? I'm beginning to second-guess that one...

7. Do you have a favourite word? Is there a word you overuse?

My favourite word would have to be petrichor. I don't know what it means, and I don't have time to look it up right now—it's starting to rain and I have to close the windows to keep that weird smell out of the house. As a plus, the Blogger spell checker doesn't seem to have any idea that the word exists. I like the word because many people know what petrichor is, but few know the word for it. Someday I hope to use it to great advantage in a story.

The runner-up in this category would be eldritch. Yes, I read a lot of Lovecraft.

I overuse many words, but the one that actually annoys me is actually. I actually use it far more often than I actually need to.

8. Whose writing do you most admire?

Almost everyone is better than me, so there are too many to pick just one.

Charlotte Bronte - She wrote stories about situations I wouldn't think I'd have the slightest interest in, and yet I do.

Charles Dickens - To teach me how to create colorful characters.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson - For poetry. By poetry, I mean real poetry, not some of the stuff folks pass off these days as poetry. Yes, I am biased...

Edgar Allen Poe - He's a local boy, so I had to give him a mention.

9. What skill or superpower would you most like to have - that you do not already possess.

The ability to heal people—you know, cancer, ghastly wounds, hemorrhoids, what have you.

10. Someone else is doing the cooking and cleanup. Invite one living and one dead (This is imaginary, so both will accept, and neither will be dead when they arrive at your door) person to dinner.

You say one living and one dead? Not that I'm particularly religious in the traditional sense, but I was going to invite Jesus. I'm not certain, however, concerning the point about living and dead as to whether he qualifies as neither or both. I suppose I could let him decide. I anyone knows, he should. Why Jesus? Let's just say I have questions.  
If Jesus is alive, then I'll invite my father. I miss him.
If not, I'll invite my mother. She'll get mad if I don't.

11. Is there a book you reread over and over again and it's always as good as the first time?

The dictionary. Yes, the plot's a little thin and the characters are poorly developed, but every time I read it I learn something new.

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Here are eleven random facts about myself:

1. I was once shot between the eyes with an arrow. Fortunately, it d-d-d-did no p-permanent d-d-d-d-damage. (Ah, the benefits of being hard-headed!)

2. I spent time in several "mental health" facilities. This is in no way related to "random fact #1." I worked there. Honest!

3. I once ran over a friend with a motorcycle. It was an accident and that's the story I'm sticking to. He lived and now owns that motorcycle.

4. I am a Libra. This may be the most normal "random fact" on this list.

5. I have been to Attapulgus, Georgia (USA) which is famous for attapulgite, a clay often used in cat litter.

6. I have a cat. Just a coincidence...

7. I have single-handedly caused a quarter mile backup (each direction) in Wolfville, Nova Scotia by simply trying to cross the street. I'd rather not go into detail, but I am forever grateful that the people of that fine city are both polite and peaceful.

8. I once caught a foul ball at a baseball game.

9. After vacationing in Canada, I was nearly denied entry back into my own country (USA) because I was in the possession of a certain prohibited organic material. It was a potato. Don't laugh. The customs guy had his hand on his gun the whole time. He really had no sense of humor. The potato in question was confiscated and, I presume, eaten by someone other than myself—perhaps by a US Customs employee later that day.

10. The home my mother grew up in is so remote it is now part of a nature preserve.

11. I received my physical education credits in college by going on a week-long bicycling/camping trip, essentially a vacation. I have used that as a model for the rest of my life.

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Rules:

If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award AND YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, write a blog post about the Liebster award in which you:

1. thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog. (Done)

2. display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.) (Done)

3. answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you. (Done)

4. provide 11 random facts about yourself. (Done)

5. nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!) (To do)

6. create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer. (To do)

7. list these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here.) (Done) Once you have written and published it, you then have to:

8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!) (To do)

I still have a few things to do to complete the acceptance, and I will finish these tasks as time allows! Look for Part II!

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

The End Is Near!

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Update: See the best of 2013 by various writers HERE!

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The end of the 2013, that is.

And since the year is rapidly coming to an end, I thought I'd give a chance for others to spread the word about their writing. If you have a favorite blog post, or link to something special you've written that's on the web (or even published), pass it on in a comment and I'll put a link out here for it. This way, all my readers (or those just passing by) will have some interesting reading material to wart off the new year. There's no time limit on this, so if you don't get to it right away, send a comment when you can!

I have to admit, I've stolen this idea from Rum Punch Drunk's blog, so you should visit there, too.

Have a Happy New Year, and I look forward to any posts you want to share!

P.S. I stole this image from Bethanne Strasser's website until I can get one of my own... hmmm.... I've stolen the idea for the post and the image... I should make a resolution to be more honest next year!

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Thanks For Reading!

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This March is the first month I've had over 1,000 hits on my blog - and the month isn't over yet!

A lot of this is traffic from Five Sentence Fiction readers, and I appreciate the time every one of you have taken to read and comment.

Over 1,000 hits this month on my blog!

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Yes, I've Been Changing The Blog Around

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I've been trying to keep the interface here a simple as possible, so I've:

• Moved my (rather short) excerpts page to a Google Document instead of making it a blog page (better formatting, easier to update)
• Moved the NovelRank page into the Writing Resources page
• Made a few other little tweaks, like removing the Google Recent Comments widget that was no longer working

I don't think I've deleted anything entirely, but if you're looking for something and it's not there, let me know. And if there's something you'd like to see and it's never been there, you can tell me that, too, and I'll see if I think it should be included. I don't mind you asking!

Thanks again for reading!

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© 2012-2013 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

This Is Only A Test…

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I’m trying to see how Microsoft Live Writer (part Windows Essentials) does for posting to Blogger. I’m using the Windows XP version for this test – I may see if a newer version for Windows 7 is available later.
 

I’ve been having some “issues” with their editing tools lately and I want to see if this is an option.

So far, it seems this version only allows for posting blog entries, but not pages…

I also have to do some things manually (like my horizontal rows) whereas Blogger does them automatically once they are set up.

There are some picture editing tools in Live Writer, but I have GIMP and Corel PhotoPaint already, so that’s not a big plus for me (might be useful for others!). There doesn’t seem to be a way to get a picture I’ve already posted to a Picasa library. Not so good.

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© 2012 K. R. Smith

Elly's Latest W.U Hstry Post

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Ellora Bennett has a new post on the Winchester University History Students Blog:

Check out my latest post for @wuhstry ! wuhstry.wordpress.com/2012/10/28/the… Next week I'll be posting about an everyday item and revealing its history!
— Ellora Bennett (@ElloraBennett) October 29, 2012

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© 2012 K. R. Smith

How Incredibly Exciting!

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I've finally gotten around to updating the favicon for this blog. It's nothing more than the letter "K" in red on a white field using the Matura MT Script Capitals font. How original.

My new favicon for this blog

I know this is incredibly exciting, but try to control yourself. Please contact emergency services if you start to have heart palpitations.

Yes, that's the big news for today...

At least it's more personal than the standard Blogger icon.

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© 2012 K. R. Smith

Welcome, Sara!

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My first "official" follower.

I wish Blogger used some other word than follower. It doesn't really sound that flattering. Perhaps something like associate, member, or supporter. I'll have to put in a suggestion.

I hope to have posts interesting enough to make your efforts worthwhile. There are a few in the works, but my day job keeps interfering.

Speaking of which, I'd better get back to it...

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© 2012 K. R. Smith