Melissa needs...

Have you ever tried Googling yourself? It can be kind of shocking to see where your name pops up--both when it's really you, as well as when it's someone else with your same name! For instance, there's a Mrs. Melissa Mertz who is a high school English teacher in Ellington, CT; a Melissa Mertz who is co-vice president of Ball State's Natural Resources and Environmental Management club; and a Melissa Mertz who is director of victim services at New York City's Bellevue Hospital.

I stumbled upon a meme that is kind of like that, but with a twist. You Google your name and the word needs, as in "Melissa needs," including the quotation marks. Then you just post the first ten results. It's kinda funny. In a slightly incestuous turn, some of the top results were other blogger's lists of what they found when doing this search. Also, I got some repeats in my top ten, so I did the first ten unique ones. Here you go:

1. Melissa needs a fuller understanding to be sure she is on the right track.
2. Melissa needs to board the blob ship that is hovering overhead.
3. Melissa needs to get off the porch rail!!!
4. Melissa Needs Maintenance Manuals!
5. Melissa needs a camp job in July.
6. Melissa needs attention and will do “things” for attention.
7. Melissa needs blood will you help me?
8. Melissa needs to move to a new convent to complete the next part of her religious journey.
9. Melissa Needs Your Help - Kittens/cats Up For Adoption ...
10. Melissa needs to take a break.
11. Melissa needs to find a new agent.

Okay, so it was 11.

So here's something kinda cool. I was checking out my visitor stats and noticed that someone came to visit me from The Write Coast, and I discovered that the (obviously discerning) writer of that blog lists my blog as one of her "favorite reads!" So I thought I'd give her an Ellen-style HOLLA! By the way, I saw the above meme on Listaholic, which is her other blog. I love lists too! She has some awesome memes and it will be hard to choose which one to do next.

Around the world

I'm always on the lookout for good blogs to read, especially since I spend about 7 hours a day surfing the web. (I'm told the slow times won't last long; soon I'll be traveling for trainings, and then it'll be fall, which, since our clients are mainly schools, is the busiest time for Customer Support.) My latest discovery is not a blog, though. It's a new weekly newspaper column. But since you can read it online, it's updated regularly, and it's about someone's life, it's pretty much like a blog. (Just imagine your blog being published in the New York Times...holy cow!)

Anyway, this guy is going to travel around the world in 90 days. Dreamy, right? The catch is that he's on a budget. No more than $100/night for lodging, and $40/day for meals (hello, Rachael Ray!). This seems incredibly doable, since that's basically how I always travel. But this guy is going to some pretty far-out places: Pakistan, Croatia, and Galicia to name a few. Of course, his itinerary may change since he doesn't want to be tied down by pesky planning. He has not enumerated any specific budget limitations for transportation, but since he plans to use low-cost air carriers, buses, trains, and ferries, it will probably be pretty cheap. Anyway, his column will appear every Wednesday, chronicling his journey, and I have high hopes that it will be entertaining reading.

Couple blogs to check out

Work has been really slow lately (thus the post at 4:00 on a weekday afternoon). In the down time, I have been doing some blog reading. I discovered two great blogs I wanted to share, in case you too have a lot of spare time to kill. I've read both of the blogs in their entirety, which is a testament not only to my boredom, but to their interest level.

The first is called "M in the UK," about a girl from Canada (I think) who is in London for the summer. She recounts her explorations of the city and posts some great photos. It has some good tips, too.

The second is called "...ontherails," written by a British guy who moved to Canada and is taking a 30 day train trip across the United States. His writing is vivid and wistful. He's made it all the way to California now, and should be posting soon about his latest adventures. He talks about a really cool-sounding program called the Hospitality Club, which basically hooks up travelers with a host who has a spare bed or couch. I love that something like this exists, even if I would never be able to take advantage of it (or act as host, for that matter). Single gal, safety, and all that.

I stumbled upon both of these blogs simply by clicking on "Next Blog." Ninety percent of the time, it's gobbledy-gook, but occasionally you come across a nugget that makes wading through the muck worthwhile.