Month: September 2002

I have to admit that I am a little biased with this site as one of the posters to Punclox used to be a reviewer here at The Weblog Review. With that said, here goes the review.

For some unknown reason, Orange Goblin chose to use orange as the primary color of the site. I don’t know why, but he did; and it fits the theme of the site. The rest of the look of the site is just your standard 3 column layout, with content in the middle.

But moving on to the actual posts we find an array of talented writers: each of whom post about different things. Yes their lives do cross in real life, but they don’t really post about their “crossed” events. Instead, they tend to post random links, funny stories, rumors about one another, and pretty much everything else.

And with any good site there are extras. The people at Punclox have their own way of speaking. They don’t always use common words that normal people would understand. So of course, they have their own little dictionary of words.

I have been following this site since it re-opened on their new host and continue to read it every day. It is worth going back through the archives to read all of the funny stuff they have come up with.
Punclox

Hurray for fun, funky, fabulous group blogs! The gang over at Punclox provided me with easy on the eyes entertainment for hours. Their blog has a nice, summery feel that gave me a warm fuzzy feeling in all the right places *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* Is it the bright oranges and yellows of their slick layout? The way the name “Punclox” made me giggle? The fact that it’s bloody minus 4 degrees where I am and anything could make me feel warmer than I am right now? Ok, probably not the last one, but definitely the first two and so much more.

The boys and girls over at Punclox (Orange Goblin, FATS32, Smog, Jamelapo, MXN, Jeaneye) invite you into their world combining a mix of random links and funny little anecdotes from their day into fun little entries. They have short bios of all the bloggers, and a dictionary of “Zacspeak”, a language frequently used by all. My favourite? So’ij.

They post frequently, in the time I spent at the site there was two entries added, making this a must for anyone’s daily read list.

I must say I really have no clue as to what Punclox means, but I will be going back each and every day in hopes of finding out. If not that, then at least for a few more giggles. I sincerely suggest you all do the same.

Punclox

The average fifteen-year-old’s blog would have bored me out flat, but not Arend’s. He possesses fair writing skills, has interesting things to say, and presents himself quite well. Although like most teens he does whine, a bit, his whinings are actually winningly humorous rather than roll-eyes-irritating. Arend’s ‘teenage angst’ is intimately adorable, with a nice blending of maturity and youthful callowness.

The design of the entire site is black on white – clean and simple, yet classy. Personally I liked it a lot, yet sometimes the huge blank spaces dominating the pages seem to be too much. The blog itself has all the writings squeezed to the left side of the page in two narrow strips, leaving a universe of whiteness on 3/4 of the page. Not to mention forcing me to read with my pupils focused to the left and causing the person sitting on my left to wonder if I was casting surreptitious glances at him. Another minor complain – the font is a bit too small.

Arend’s details can be found in detail on the site, including a lengthy description of the things he carries around in his pockets. If you take the time to click on the text links within his blog, there are plenty of pleasant surprises(Doodles on his biology text, to name one). My favorite ‘surprise’ is his apparently ‘ambitious’ project to send love letters to anyone who subscribes. I did. I’ve never received love letters from a fifteen-year-old.

“Forget” is a light, pleasant blog. Despite his modesty, Arend has a flair for writing, and his blogs show a fine balance between sensible optimism and subtle self-detest, perhaps not atypical of his age. I recommend Arend post up some pictures of himself(or even better, drawings), because I for one felt like knowing him better after reading.

Forget

Just like the slightly cartoonish-sounding title of the site, the first thing that crossed my mind when I viewed it was ‘corny’. The background is a wall of bricks, and cartoon bulldogs, bombs and smiling faces are littered through the pages. Further exploration confirms this. If you’re wondering where ‘”THE” Experience’ of the site is, just click on the link directly under the heading. “When reality and my life collide, causing a big explosion.” The ‘big explosion’ is a whole page of dazzling, sparkling, twisting, revolving, exploding, eye-blinding, downright annoying graphics. Truly the ultimate experience. Scrolling further down, I discover weird polls and pictures of hairy men’s legs and a dog wearing shorts.

All said, the blog is written by a married man who has lots to say about, well, everything. Music, movies, writing, politics. The blog gives the impression of a man who has a sense of humor, albeit a harsh one and often at others’ expense(“People I Don’t Like”, “People Who Should Just SHUT THE FUCK UP”, “Who’s the Gayest Boy Band” and so on). The blogger, cpb, likes to swear a lot. I’d say one swear word per sentence, average. Even his poems contain a generous supply
of four-lettered words. There are lots of links, about half of them related to cpb himself. Here is truly a guy who thinks a lot. He needs three seperate links to contain his thoughts and opinions, filing them under “Random Thoughts” – what goes through his mind on a typical day, “Inebriation Notes” – what goes through his mind on an Atypical day, and “In My Humble Opinion” – about whatever is on his mind. Overwhelmed already? There’s more! His writings, his other sites, and then some. If you are looking for a strong and often unconventional view of things in general, and you don’t mind foul language, this is the site for you. On the other hand, if you are have a ‘politically-correct’ frame of mind, stay away. You’d probably not be amused by polls titled “Who is the hottest tennis bitch?”. And be warned (or be informed, if you like this sort of thing): there is a picture of topless women somewhere on the site.

The page is easy to navigate in, with a sidebar, plenty of links and all of them neatly organized. As mentioned earlier, the design is a little corny, but the words are easy to read. No complaints here.

There isn’t much information about cpb himself, but there are detailed descriptions of how the site was born and, generally, we get to know all about the things that piss him off, which are plenty.

Overall, the design of the page is fine, there’s more than enough information to keep readers occupied, and some of them are quite interesting. You might find yourself shocked, yet grinning guiltily. Sometimes it might be therapeutic to point at other people and laugh. Do that at “THE Experience”.

THE Experience

Within two minutes of browsing Chewy Goodness, I had laughed out loud, twice! The person behind the blog, Steve, is a very funny individual, describing everyday observances with a witty and sharp voice that is never too harsh or acerbic. He doesn’t shy away from all of life’s particular eccentricities and quirks, writing about the wastelands of late night TV, our cultural fascination with buttocks, and the time he peed in a pastor’s bed.



Design-wise, Chewy Goodness is navigable and easy on the eyes, despite Steve’s protestations of “rudimentary HTML skills.” The overall grayness of the blog can get a little drab, but it does nothing to hinder your reading enjoyment.



In short, go read Steve. And make sure to visit his “About Steve-o” page. The “artist’s interpretation” of Steve made me smile, and his self-deprecating list of personal information just further cemented my opinion of him as a very funny guy. This is a really great blog.
Chewy Goodness