Sick

So I left school early because I am very sick -- have the flu for the second time this month. Not good. Going to bed. Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes on Twitter.

If you need something to read, check out either Stuff Queer People Need to Know's response to the February blog carnival -- Why Northside? Is Northside our 'gay ghetto?' Darren did a second follow up to his first one.

Thought I'd give you something to check out for the afternoon whilst I sleep.

Also, welcome home to Worley who is now out of the hospital and very much plans to publish in March.

CinNKY Queer Blogger Carnival Updates!

Just a quick update on February's Queer Blogger Carnival. Last month, a few of us decided we wanted to answer a single question in blog format: Why Northside? Is Northside our "gay ghetto?"

So far, we've had five excellent responses (in alphabetical order)!

• Back2Stonewall.com
• Darren McCullah (Rainbow Cincinnati)
• JereKeys.com
• Penny Tration
• QueerCincinnati.com

I think, even if that's it for February (I'm hoping we'll here from one or two more), I think that's a pretty successful first month!!!

YEA BLOG CARNIVAL!

PS Any suggestions for next month? Oh, and Jere, this is totally the first time I'm adding you as a label. Weird. I thought you'd been a label for a long time. Hrm. Sorry 'bout that.

Oh and I'm totally fuming over my class this morning, which is why I'm at school and not studying for my test in ... er ... 45 minutes.

Why Northside? (Blog Carnival Response)

I think most of the local queer bloggers have been invited... I know there are a couple that are still left out, but I think I'll be hitting them up on Facebook here very shortly.

I went ahead and posted my response to February's question on Rainbow Cincinnati, since I haven't blogged over there in a while. This is, as always, your preview:

It's so easy to trash something. It's so much easier to be a critic than a cheerleader, yea? Our very nature as gay men makes us prone to catty bitchiness and cold hearted back stabbing. We are gold medalists in the fine sport of destroying everything and everyone around us. It's what we do best. And I'm no exception.

In that vein, I love Northside. I tried to rewrite this blog about 100 times, each time criticizing and generally being myself. It appears, though, that it's not always as easy to complain as it is to speak well of something.

I'm not from Cincinnati. If you ask me what high school I went to, I say "Wando." I have, on more than one occasion, heard the response, "What, is that like in Indiana, or something?" I find it funny that 99% of this city, especially this queer city, can't imagine that there is a world outside of the greater Cincinnati metro. It plays a little into the mindset, I think, of us hating so easily on institutions like the great and mythical gay neighborhood of Northside.
(click here for the rest)

Make sure you check out all the other excellent content over yonder -- including Darren McCullough's fantastic blog (who also needs to be contacted... good reminder, thanks Barry).

Also, if I do this right, you'll see a list of other bloggers who have responded to February's Blog Carnival on the right side of this blog.

Kisses.

CinNKY Queer Bloggers Carnival?

Back2Stonewall.com and I have an ongoing debate about everything in the world. Apparently, he and I are BFF's these days (sorry, Jere... you might have to go and make nice with my new friend :-)). Well, he and I go back and forth a little bit, responding to each other's posts. And I was thinking...

...wouldn't it neat to do, like, a monthly Queer Bloggers Carnival?

A carnival is not a meet-up (or a tweet-up), it's the opportunity for several bloggers to write their reactions to a single topic. I'm putting a call to my dear Queer Bloggers out there -- Juliet and Juliette, Jere, Edro Edro, Jay @ BigLugLand, the SkeptikOne, etc. etc. etc. -- I think Back2Stonewall even gave us our first topic, we'll call it "for February." That is, the next one will come up at the end of February:

Why Northside? Is Northside our "gay ghetto?"

I'll post mine tonight. No rules, just let us know that you posted so that we can all play nice.

And it has a great set of initials -- "oh yea, I'm doing the QBC, man." It's like a shopping network, but gayer.

I also totally noticed that this is my 113th post for the month of January. I swear it doesn't feel like it... I remember hitting the 100 mark in October of last year and thinking, "goddamn that was a lot." This feels... normal. Like I actually wasn't blogging as much. I'm sure my readers disagree, because all of you nice people get to backread. So, thanks for sticking around. I do appreciate it. I've been told that the best way to attract traffic is to post quality work at a high quantity. And, considering most of my posts are getting commented on -- rather than the random one or two comments amidst 100s of blogs... thanks guys :-). I appreciate your engagement.

Remember, if you life it, you shoulda put a ring on it. (Get it... engagement, ring... ha! Oh, Beyonce.)