Category: Blogging

Another Award

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

As you all know, blogging is a solitary thing. You write and read and hope others will appreciate your point of view and decided to follow you on your blogging journey.

It was a real treat to open my mailbox and see that I’ve received an award, not just any award, An Appreciated Follower Award from fellow blogger, Celia at Africa2Asia. Neat, huh? Well, I think so!

And now that I’ve gotten the award, I have a few things to do:

1. Thank the giver. (Thanks Celia!)

2. Pick 5 bloggers to pass the award on to. Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

3.  Copy and paste the award

4.  Have faith that my followers will spread the love to other bloggers.

5.  Have bloggy fun!

Without further ado and in no particular order, here are the 5 people I’ll bestow the Appreciated Follower Award to. These are talented, eloquent, thoughtful, interesting people whose blogs are worth a read.

Thanks again, Celia!

I’ve Gotten a Liebster Award

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I was visiting my blog buddy Hakea’s blog when I noticed she had given me a Liebster Award. What’s the Liebster Award, you ask.

Well, the Liebster Award is said to have originated in Germany. Translated to English, it means “beloved.”  The Liebster Award is meant to bring more attention to blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

Continue reading “I’ve Gotten a Liebster Award” →

What Do Travel Bloggers Do When They’re Not Traveling?

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I’ve been home for several months now dealing with life and work. I knew exactly what I was going to write about this week but, as you’ve probably read, things changed. It’s as if my brain went gone on vacation and my body got left behind.

So what do travel bloggers do when they’re not traveling? I can’t speak for every travel blogger, but when I’m not traveling, I rely on my city to provide inspiration and content for my posts. And New York delivers, all the time.

Take last week. In the middle of the heatwave that had many of us chained to our air conditioners, I decided to go to Coney Island. It’s one of my summer places. By the ‘D’ train, it’s a direct train ride from my neighborhood. (For variety, I can also take the #6 to Union Square and transfer to the ‘Q.’) Believe it or not, it was my first time to Coney Island this summer.

Continue reading “What Do Travel Bloggers Do When They’re Not Traveling?” →

More Technical Difficulties (originally published July 26th)

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Mercury must be retrograde. I have no other explanation for the big and little things that have gone out of control in the last few weeks.

It started with my phone. A few days ago, it started shutting itself off. Then it began producing error messages that technical support has been unable to explain.

Yesterday morning, I woke to find an email from blogger friend, Rhonda, alerting me to a redirect error on my blog. With help from technical support, we fixed it but when I tried to reinstall my blog page, I inadvertently deleted all my posts, everything I’ve written since last year – nearly 300 posts.

Continue reading “More Technical Difficulties (originally published July 26th)” →

My 7 Links Project

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Sherry of Colorful Footsteps has just nominated me to participate in the “My 7 Links Project” (Thanks, Sherry!)

Initiated by Tripbase, the My 7 Links Project aims “to unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again.”

I’m very honored that Sherry has nominated me. It was difficult to select just six posts but I hope you’ll like the ones I chose.

Continue reading “My 7 Links Project” →

Writing to me is…

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Writing to me is like using playdoh. When I write, I play with words, string them together, like a necklace to make beautiful sentences.

Writing to me is like using the color wheel. Nouns are blue, verbs are red, adjectives are indigo, adverbs are orange, prepositions are violet, articles are brown, conjunctions are green, and interjections are yellow.

Writing to me is music. When done right, the words flow together and create harmony.

Writing to me is fun when the words tumble out in exactly the order in which I imagine them.

Writing to me is like drawing pictures with words.

Writing to me is a way to slow down and rationalize my thoughts. Sometimes, jumbled thoughts become untangled; fleeting ideas become anchored to the page.

Writing to me is something I do all day, everyday.

Writing to me is easy. Most times.

Writing to me is like reading out loud, relishing the sounds the words make.

Writing to me is rewriting. Often.

Writing to me is poetry.

Writing to me is, preferably, pen on paper. But it’s never just black and white.

Writing to me like breathing. I don’t know how I’d be if I couldn’t write.

Writing it down - Maynefoto

What does writing mean to you?

Share your thoughts and take a minute to check out what writing means to my other Blog-A-Licious buddies:

1. Paula – http://hardlineselfhelp.com/

2. Stuart – http://bornstoryteller.wordpress.com/

3. Karen – http://karenvwasylowski.blogspot.com/

4. DK Levick – http://dklevick.wordpress.com/

5. Shannon – http://reflectionandreview.com/

6. Corinne – http://www.everydaygyaan.com/

7. Sonia – http://soniarumzi.com/

8. Sulekha – http://sulekkha.blogspot.com/

9. Dora – http://peacefrompieces.blogspot.com/

10. Sarah – http://sarahbutland.com/blog/

12. Roy – http://royd-spiltmilk.blogspot.com/

13. Janki – http://janukulkarni.blogspot.com/

14. Tina – http://tinahoggatt.wordpress.com/

15. Thelma – http://widowsphere.blogspot.com/

16. Dora – http://blogaliciousblogs.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

I’ve Been Nominated for a Fistful of Blog Awards!

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

My blog buddy, Elizabeth at Mirth and Motivation nominated me for not just one but three blog awards. I’m stoked!

Elizabeth is a blogger I admire and respect. Each of her posts are thoughtful and thought provoking. For her to nominate me for a blog award is an honor.

So which blog awards did Elizabeth nominate me for?

Well, I received the Versatile Blogger Award, the Stylish Blogger Award and the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award.

Each award comes with a few responsibilities.

  1. Send a thank you and link back to the blogger who nominated you.
  2. Share 7 things about yourself.
  3. Pass the award on to 10 Versatile/Irresistibly Sweet/Stylish bloggers.
  4. Contact each blogger that you’ve nominated and tell them about the blog award

Thank you, Elizabeth. You’ve made my day!

Seven things about me?

  1. I’d love to get a role (or be an extra) in the next Bond flick. I’ve seen every Bond movie, many times over but they never get stale. Sean Connery is my favorite Bond; Daniel Craig my second favorite and a worthy successor. All the others – Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan – were just placeholders for Craig, a man who can deliver a punch as effectively as he can receive one.
  2. I daydream of leaving my job and traveling around the world. An around-the-world trek would satisfy the nomad in me. But not just that, it’d allow me to meet people from all over, see and experience different cultures, try different foods.
  3. The only time I’ve bartended was at a wedding. I’d never bartended before but it was fun. The guests were very understanding when I told them it was my first time. (I made sure the drinks were nice and strong.)
  4. My favorite color is red. It’s the color I reach for most often but especially on dreary days. It makes me feel bold, daring, wild.
  5. Being near water soothes me. Whether it’s a lake or a pool or an ocean, there’s something about water that just soothes me.
  6. I used to be a teacher. I’ve taught Spanish to eleven- and twelve-year olds, Math and Reading to at-risk children, and principles of business to adults.
  7. I hate chocolate. It doesn’t matter if it’s white or black, I can smell it a mile away

In no particular order, the Versatile/Stylish/Irresistible Blog Awards go to…..

Drumroll, please!

  • Colorful Footsteps – Sherry’s planning a solo trip around the world which will hopefully take her to all seven continents.
  • Totsy – Totsy Mae’s a writer, reader, visual artist, graphic designer and a mom.
  • The Black Twig – Dahlia’s a bookworm, aspiring writer/traveler, sociology and international relations graduate and blogger
  • Imported Chocolate – Check out Jennifer’s travel vlog for helpful tips.
  • A View to a Thrill – Renee shows how to sample the world at a fraction of the cost.
  • WhosWorld – Roxanne’s a New Yorker who’s now teaching in China.
  • Bacon is Magic – Ayngelina left her job, boyfriend, apartment and friends to find inspiration in Latin America.
  • GypsyRoseLee – The Bond girl who never signed on.
  • To Write is to Write – Kathy is a former teacher, former librarian, former paralegal, and former pianist. Now, she’s an author and blogger.
  • Cultivated Style – William blogs about culture, style, music and has his sights set on working in the music industry

Thanks to all these bloggers who inspire me everyday, and again, to Elizabeth for nominating me for a blog award.

 

 

What Some Bloggers are Saying About Paris

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

 

I could write about Paris everyday and not run out of things to say.  But I woke up this morning thinking about my blog buddy, Heather Munro, whose posts on Paris really got me stoked. Heather’s photographs capture the romance and the beauty of Paris like no other blogger I had seen in a while.

The Seine

So I went looking for what other bloggers are saying about Paris. Hope you like my selection:

  • Jordan (http://ohhappyday.com), an American who recently moved to Paris, is giving away a 7-day trip for two to Paris. Unfortunately, the giveaway closes at 11:59 tonight. So head over to her blog and enter.
  • My Little Paris (http://www.mylittle.fr/mylittleparis/en/) is a bilingual blog on all things French.
  • Nicole, an American, lived in Paris for a while. Her blog (http://littlebrownpen.blogspot.com) chronicles her Paris Color Project, a series of photographs on color in the city of light.
  • Prêt á Voyager (http://pretavoyager.blogspot.com) is the blog of self-confessed Paris-loving graphic designer Anne Ditmeyer. Anne’s posts cover living in and visiting Paris.
  • Erica Berman’s post on French Restaurant Etiquette: Dining in France Like a Local caught my eye. Erica, an American who’s been living in Paris for several years, owns a vacation rental company and blogs about everything hip in Paris. (http://hipparis.com).
  • Cynthia is a French student who’s studying in England. Her blog (http://goodtipsinparis.wordpress.com) offers tips on Paris.
  • Kathy, my blog buddy over at To Write is to Write, did a sweet little post on her trip to Paris. Read it here.
  • Heather lives in the U.S. but it’s safe to say she’d rather be in Paris. I loved her post on the Eiffel Tower and Chartres but check out all her posts under the Paris category. You’re in for a rare treat.

Enjoy these images of Paris:

[nggallery id=2 w=width h=height]

 

I’m Taking the 1000-1000 Travel Blog Challenge

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I like a challenge.  They give me an opportunity to stretch. So six months after pledging to blog every day, I’ve decided to take on the 1000-1000 Travel Blog Challenge to grow my blog to the point where it earns at least $1000 US per month and gets an average of 1000 visitors a day.

It won’t be easy but I won’t be alone. I’ll be joining a fabulous group of travel bloggers who I’ll support and who will, in turn, support me.

I hope you’ll encourage me with comments and likes, and, of course sharing my posts on your networks. I look forward to your support.