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Another week, another wave of hilarious, insightful, fabulous commenting across the Offbeat Empire blogs. In this morning’s staff video conference, we discussed how one of the upsides of the shift toward people being too lazy to comment anywhere except Facebook is that the quality of blog comments on our posts has generally shifted upward. For the most part, folks who want to snark or leave a crappy drive-by comment are too lazy to click through to the post, type their names and email, and then type their comment. The snarkers seem be self-selecting to stay on Facebook, which is fine by us. The result is that the folks who ARE invested in the comment communities on the Offbeat Empire sites have a (generally) safe haven to have (generally) valuable conversations. It’s honestly kind of amazing.
So gather close, my little offbeatlings, as I run through a selection of the Empire staff’s favorite comments this week.
Offbeat Bride
On our post sharing wedding ring shopping tips, Paja shared how her partner proposed, and needless to say there was no ring involved:
My partner proposed by ducktaping a proposal sign to our baby.
I think Blimunda summed up all of our reactions by simply replying, “DUCKTAPING A PROPOSAL SIGN TO OUR BABY.” Because nothing says “I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” like a duct taped infant!
Offbeat Home & Life
On my post about style rules, Trystan offered this amazing tid-bit:
Take the jeans to a tailor (or even a dry cleaner who does alterations). For maybe $10-$20, depending where you live, you can get the waistband on jeans or any pair of pants taken in at the back. It’s a super-common alteration & will be unnoticeable when it’s finished. Custom-fit jeans, totally worth it.
In discussing this tip, all Offbeat Empire editors confessed that none of us wear jeans ever. We had a 100% incidence of “working from home” relating to “elastic waistbands,” although I did confess that I wear a jean skirt over my leggings, essentially as a butt-sized fanny pack. I mean, a bitch needs some pockets!
Offbeat Empire
PICK ME and other required reading for internet creatives
I've read a bunch of stuff on the internet this past week that I feel compelled to share and discuss. Frustratingly, I lack the time... Read more
Ok, I know my tentacles post went up last week, but I still want to highlight a few of my favorite suggestions over there:
- Fucking basil
- Yay flag
- Loud shoe of some sort
- Hitachi magic wand
- Basket
- Tattoo
- Alternative bouquet
- Spatula/pervertable
- Cupcake
These are all ideas that I may be integrating into a super-secret project I’m working on right now. Oh, and big props to Liz for this comment:
Something like a shield or a superhero badge that’s got the words “COMMENT MODERATION” hammered into steel! Because let’s face it, that’s what really keeps this site runnin’.
Hats off to y’all for making it worth it.
So apparently I’m the staffer who adores her jeans. I have a day job, though, so jeans are my casual option. 🙂
…ARE THEY ALTERED JEANS?
Ariel, your new* haircut is SO FAB!
*is it new? I’m not sure
Aww, thanks! The Bitch Bangs have been back for a couple months: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ariel/11861948463/ 🙂
Can we please get the whole story on the duck-taped baby?
Dawww, I feel so honored 🙂 Admittedly, I work from home most days of the week, & when I go into the office, I CorpGoth it up, so I only wear jeans these days when I’m doing something hardcore. But yeah, a little alteration goes a long way — and I *hate* doing that myself, PITA, literally.