Daily Dose

It's hard for me to write about Halloween, because my mother hates this holiday with the heat of a thousand suns. She considers it to be a pagan holiday and Against God. So not only did we have that against us, my sister and I also lived in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by our equally religious grandparents and aunts and uncles and corn. (And she will probably be mad that I am writing about her, but I must include her in order to explain my ambivalence about Halloween. Sorry, Ma. I love you.)

Now that I had a little background on this wondrous new (to me) product, I had to give it a whirl. Order strange pills off the internet in the name of a food adventure? Heck yes! I read around on bulletin boards and found a site that people claimed was reputable, and received my package from them in about two weeks. I was excited and intrigued!

Everyone has heard of search engine optimization, right? But have you heard of findability? I hadn't, until recently.

The question I get asked more than any other is how I find time to read. When I mentioned this on my book blog recently several people commented that they sort of wondered about that too. The truth is I don't think I read a lot and I actually think I've been a slacker on the reading front lately. Most people tend to assume it's all about finding time to read. While time is a factor, it's definitely not the only thing that contributes to the quantity that I read. So here are my top ten answers for how I read as much as I do.

Here’s the short version of my break-up post: I had good times, I had bad times. I loved, I lost, I learned. I’m a different person than I once was, but I’m happy with who I am.

Have you considered skipping medications because of the cost? Have you considered the implications of that decision on your personal health?

I wish there was early voting in my state. If there was, I would take advantage of it, especially so it would be easier to take PunditGirl, now a third-grader, to the polls with me to vote. She's still going with me, but we may have to stand in line for a while to make that happen, rather than the quick in and out I try for in the slower daytime voting.

This week has really opened my eyes to something I never noticed before. Those few weeks where I really wasn’t spending any money, I didn’t feel deprived. I wasn’t fighting with myself to not spend money. It just became habit. But then, once I did start spending, boy, oh boy, did I spend. It became easier and I had less feelings of guilt the more I did it. That’s scary. It's seems that, for me, spending is definitely a slippery slope. And I have absolutely no interest in seeing what's at the bottom of that slope.

Ok, is it just me? Or do plus-sized departments just plain suck? Why is it impossible to find anything nice that doesn't scream stripper (ummm yeah size 22 should NOT come in skimpy styles…) or only look like the little suits with jackets that my grandma would wear.

Have you found yourself thrust into the role of having to give potentially painful care to a loved one? Any words of wisdom to share with those who might find themselves in that position someday?

Neo-haggling is being hailed as the latest trend in shopping.It is the art/passion of looking and asking for a discount on everything you buy. I didn't know it but I am a leaning-neo-haggler. While I don't haggle for everything I buy, I absolutely haggle on many items.

Talking to a Millennial (ages 15-29) about feminism is like talking to an Alaskan about heatstroke. They’ve heard of it, sure, and what they’ve heard sounds pretty unpleasant—but it’s not a part of their world. Not at all.

When you say “socialism,” several things come to mind. The first are the most famous socialists of them all, Germany’s National Socialist party of yore, the goose-stepping Nazis who carved a deep wound into the fleshy world psyche. The second is Mussolini. I also think of the current Spanish government. Then I think of my cruel first grade teacher who once caught me with a bag of candy corn that I brought to school as a lunch snack (that I paid for with my own money). She made me distribute it evenly to every kid in my class “to be fair.”

Does the state of your home reflect your state of mind? Can a neat one live happily with a messy one? To be continued…

Don't tell me you haven't done it. Placed those fingers on the computer keys, heart racing, and typed: J…O…S… You've googled your ex.

Ultimately, if you own a small business like I do, the choice between Obama and McCain could not be clearer. McCain’s economic proposals offer the prospect of greater prosperity and opportunity for expansion — and if you work for a small business, that should matter as much to you as it does to me. Barack Obama’s plans, by contrast, amount to policy that would burden small businesses and threaten up to 16 million jobs across the country. Given the current state of the economy, that’s a risk I’m not prepared to take — and that is why I am voting for John McCain.

This is the first of several interviews with women in technology. Today you'll learn about Shelley Powers. Shelley is perhaps best known as a writer. Her most recent books are Learning JavaScript and Painting the Web. She's also a programmer and web developer, and she applies a powerful and logical mind to everything she does.

Lonely is like your shadow. Sometimes, it's just there. Does it matter? Often not. I can't really do anything about feeling Lonely sometimes. It can creep up on me when I'm home alone just as easily as it pops up in a crowd of friends. Lately, I've been feeling really good. About my life, about my friends, about my work. But Lonely is there, too. I invite Lonely to the party, because I believe strongly that the best way to deal with feelings is to feel and acknowledge them.

A search tool for Mom (and Dad!) blogs, news and information from across the BlogHer network. Clicking on any entry will take you directly to the corresponding post or blog.

Last week while I was on vacation, my Grandmother passed away. She was frail, and ill and ready to be released from this mortal coil. And so it is with both sorrow and contentment that we greet her passing and honor her memory. This means, that for the first time this year, her icon will join Grandpa's on our mantelpiece as we celebrate Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.

Pepper spray has been used by people for hundreds of years. Ancient armies would use it against their enemies. It's naturally powerful and is used for self defense by men and women till this day. Pepper sprays are non-lethal, self defense products and one of the most reasonably priced. A person can purchase pepper spray for as little as $8.25 on the internet.

Sometimes a friend visits and brings a breath of fresh air to your life. Through her eyes, you see your world differently. You are reminded why you fell in love with your home, your neighborhood, your city. She is excited by things you take for granted:

I was very happy to see Collin Powell endorse Barack Obama on Sunday. He was articulate and reasoned in making his case for Sen. Obama. I am grateful for that but I think the most important part for me was when he talked about the tone of the campaigns and he said:

I'm always wary when books, especially books I enjoyed, are made into movies. No matter how hard the screenwriter, director, producers and actors try to get it right it's rare that they do. It's an even larger feat for books that provoke powerful responses from their readers – a book like Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees. I considered going to see it this weekend but chickened out. What if they messed it up? Nope, best to wait and see what the bloggers say I decided. Well, opening weekend is over and the bloggers have spoken.

I know, I know. You're watching your investment accounts dwindle and you’re wondering what to do. And for that matter, what to do with the money sitting in your bank accounts right now. Is it even safe? And can you trust your bank, especially with more bad news arriving each day?

Have you ever forgotten why you came into a room, forgotten someone's name or what day of the week it is? Or have you noticed that a loved one is becoming forgetful? It could just be the normal aging process or the signs of something more serious.

Halloween doesn't have to be all about the candy, even when kids are involved. With a little planning ahead, you can have other Halloween treats that will still be tasty and fun. I've been scouring blogs for weeks looking for Halloween ideas, and I'll be sharing lots more Halloween tips next week, but today I'm here to encourage you to make some caramel apples this Halloween.

No matter where you stand on this, the question seems to be not only where the candidates stand on Net Neutrality, but how the policies and laws enacted over the coming months and years might end up affecting, or even controlling, our conversations on politics. Who controls the information pipelines? Will you be able to get to this website a year from now?

On Thursday, October 23, hip hop fans will tune into the BET Hip-Hop Awards. They will watch Lil Wayne battle it out with Jay-Z and Kanye West for winning the most awards. Viewers will also see performances by Young Jeezy, Ciara, T-Pain, Keyshia Cole, and Nas, among others. What hip hop afficiandos won't see, however, are awards for female artists. Despite the success of British artists M.I.A. and Estelle, no women were nominated for a BET Hip-Hop Award, just as there were no women honored with awards at VH1's Hip-Hop Honors on October 6.

If you’re new to HauteLook, BlogHer readers will receive a $20 credit following the sign up process. Code: OliveandFriends

My challenge to you, my wonderful readers, is simply a question. What do you know, or can you find (link, accessible book I can buy, piece of advice you can share) that will help me and others on our journeys to deal with pain and anxiety?

Beyond the buzz words: $700 billion, bank rescues, partial nationalization, and what it all means

'When I was poor in Japan, I could survive days eating only flour and water,' I say proudly. 'I'd make homemade chapatis,' I add to reiterate my point that, given our stricken financial circumstances, we can economise. Luke looks depressed. 'I'd hope at the age of 35, after working 17 years in a profession, and earning a good salary, I wouldn't need to live off flour and water.' He has a point.

Senator DeWiki is, alas, only fiction, created by users of Wikicandidate. This entertaining (albeit time-sucking) site looks like the campaign site of a presidential candidate, except that the candidate's biography, news releases, and policies on a variety of issues are all created by users, a la Wikipedia.

Yes, I’ll admit it. I’m an emotional reader and that’s okay.

And only I sit here, in a deadened mood, saddened by this woman’s passing, by a mother’s passing, by a daughter’s loss. And it occurs to me that maybe writing our blogs or our postings about our children is not only a legacy of who they were for them to look at when they are older or for us to remember, but they are a legacy of our love for our children. This is another way that we show we love them, by thinking about them, by bragging about them, by analyzing them, by mulling over their choices. Blogging about our children, no, it’s not invading their privacy, it’s invading ours.

A few days ago, thousands of women from all across the country came to Chicago for a national conference on the major questions and concerns facing women today. For two days, they discussed many important issues facing our nation… from health care to energy to diplomacy and peace… led by women who are experts in those fields. And so many fantastic people gave speeches—including the men we are rooting for to be our next president and vice-president, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

With winter approaching heating costs are surely going to take a huge bite out of what’s left of the already over extended budget. Here are a few tricks to help keep your energy costs down.

Last time, my eHarmony story was that I met exactly one guy, and it was the Hunky Actor, and we dated for like a year. I also had other guys in the queue – I actually canceled a date after I'd been out with the Hunky Actor twice. The time before that, I went on a handful of OK first dates before I met someone IRL.

Yet, somehow, this morning… I find myself riding the down escalator up. Completely against the wishes of my weakened stomach, and nearly assuring myself of a sleepless week, my husband and I have decided to buy a house.