SassyBlonde

Well, glory be!! Ol' Solonor has gone and declared that these here parts are Rated E For Excellent!! Thanks man!!

*bows*

Now I am tasked with tapping ten more of you with the same honor, so here are the contenders, in no particular order:

• Domesticat: Amy has been one of my favorite bloggers for years. I cut my teeth on her coding and blogging advice and she's a damn good writer in any sense of the word.
• Birdchick: I really think there is not anyone I can think of whose posts I look forward to more than Sharon's. I've learned more about birds and bees than I can possibly imagine from her. No, not those kinds of birds and bees, the real kind. And her posts are just fun.
• JozJozJoz: This girl has written some of the best stuff I've ever read on the internet too, and just completed her MBA in the midst of everything.
• WomynRev: Because she talks about the stuff we all think about, and is wise and wonderful, as well as being crafty.
• Tales from the Blue Line: Mike has known me since way before this whole internet bloggy business, and he rocks my socks.
• Frank Notes: Because he's fabulous. +1.
• Keith Handy: It's always nice to read the rantings of another musician, especially one who thinks and functions as highly as Keith does. And he's a stitch, too.
• Big Ass Belle: Yeah. She rocks. 'Nuff said.
• Dancing Dragon: Sassy, brassy, brother-in-law. Sometimes gross, always hilarious, and worth a read.
• Jen Lemen: People, Jen Lemen is a light in this dark world. I have the pleasure of knowing her in real life and she is one of the most luminous hopes for humanity I have ever met. I could go on about her all day, but more importantly she has a project in the works that needs our help. Go over and see if there's anything you can do to get her on her way!

Since I definitely agree with Solonor that there should be cake, I hereby induct you all into the Secret Society of Sassy, the sole membership benefit being the recipe for my mom's Super Fabulous Life-Changing Chocolate Cake (yes, Boo Berry, this is indeed the cake of legend-- get scribblin'):

SassyMom's Super Fabulous Life-Changing Chocolate Cake

Cake:
2 C cake flour
2 C sugar
2 sticks margarine
1 C water
4 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 C buttermilk
1 tsp soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Icing:
1 stick margarine
4 Tbsp cocoa
6 Tbsp milk
1 one-pound box powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 C chopped nuts

Combine flour and sugar in a bowl and set aside. Combine margarine, water, and cocoa in a saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as mixture begins to boil, pour over flour/sugar and beat until well blended. Add buttermilk, soda, eggs, and vanilla and beat well. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Pour icing over hot cake.

Icing: Combine margarine, cocoa, and milk in saucepan and blend until almost boiling. Remove from heat and add sugar and vanilla. Beat until well blended and add chopped nuts. As soon as icing begins to stiffen, pour over cake.

There comes a time when it just makes sense to move on, no holds barred, and this is one of those times.

ZeFrank has posted a challenge that I think all of us blue dots should take: From 52 to 48 With Love. (sports racers' responses here.)

No matter how much we'd like to show them the raspberry, no matter how excluded and downtrodden and misrepresented and marginalized we may have felt by them in the last eight years, and no matter how badly we'd like to throw it back in their faces, we can be better than that. That's all I'm going to say, and my personal schadenfreude ends here:

So here's the thing:

I've missed you guys.

I've had some pretty heavy things going on in my life this year, things which basically have changed the face of my entire existence in one way or another. And I haven't really felt comfortable talking about that here, in public, for anyone and everyone to read. More importantly, there are very good reasons why I can't and shouldn't.

And frankly, it's killing me.

Because if you're still reading this, then I've probably known you, or had you as a reader, for long enough that you're probably wondering what the hell happened to me.

Because if you're still reading this, you're probably one of the people whose opinions and love I value enough that I'm going to need your help in the next year.

Because frankly, I need an outlet more in-depth than Twitter and less personal than Facebook.

So here's the other thing:

On March 1st, this blog is getting a makeover. I'll be moving it to a new server, shaking up the layout a little, and converting it to a new CMS, though the site address won't change. The ranting and raving and silliness will stay the same, only there will be some things that I don't want to share with everybody, some things that I may need to share and say, but only within certain circles. I'm tired of keeping it all pent up and I've done that for long enough.

If you're still reading this blog, and you're been a loyal reader or friend or even a long-time lurker, email me at (sassy{at}sassyblonde{dot}net) with the title of this post in the subject line or comment on this post and request an access key. I'd love to have you in the circle.

Til then, I'll be cleaning house and doing some renovation, and I'll see you on March 1st.

UPDATE: So, snow and circumstances being what they've been around here, I'm going to have to ask you guys to wait around a little longer, which actually ends up being appropriate for a lot of reasons. I've gotten all your emails and comments, and if you can hang tight for a few more weeks, I'll have the next phase ready on April 1st.