About 25 new blogs in the Recent Additions section. But what's more...

To all of you who have helped maintain the site by notifying me of outdated links have been updated. You should now experience a slight increase in traffic (especially those of you who found MULTIPLE outdated blogs). Thank you!

Bag Wine Ruminations
This pick comes to us courtesy of Morgen from "It's a Blog Eat Blog World."
Interested in being a guest blogger? Click here to find out how!

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He's weird. He's twisted. He's funny. A guy
who loves loose-meat sandwiches, fried Spam, and of course, Wild Irish Rose. He's Matt-man of Bag Wine Ruminations.

His humor isn't for everyone, granted. I find him hilarious. He can take a routine thing, like a tour of his town of Springfield, Ohio, and turn it into a funny road trip.

He is a Bestest Blogger in the sense that he creates a sense of community and communication on his site -- he loves comments, and loves to comment on your comments! Frequently his wit and puns in his comments are just as funny as his blog articles.

His blog also has great reading material in the sidebar -- where most of us have ads, Matt-man has put things like Word Of The Day, This Day In History, a Quotation Of The Day, along with two games: hangman, which I thought I was good at until faced with words like "Thorax", and a vocabulary match game; again, I thought I was above average in the field of vocabulary words -- however, I am lucky to get 3 out of 5 on a daily basis with this match game, courtesy of The Free Dictionary.

Matt-man was at his best, recently, when he planned a dinner party: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. He invited Josef Stalin, George W Bush, and Jesus to his place for a dinner. No dates were allowed, but that didn't stop Stalin from bringing Gina Lollobrigida as his dinner companion. Matt-man's pre-dinner planning with Let's Get Ready To Rumble was one of the funniest things I've read all year.
Put all these funny, discordant elements into a blender -- with a generous dash of Wild Irish Rose, of course, and you have Bag Wine Ruminations. You never know what to expect, but I'll bet it will make you laugh.

Check out Bag Wine Ruminations. Say Hi to Matt-man, and tell him Morgen and Bestest Blog sent ya!

Controlled Chaos
Due to a little mix-up, I didn't run a Guest Blogger yesterday, so here it is today instead! This pick comes to us courtesy of Jessie from Hunna's Happenings.
Interested in being a guest blogger? Click here to find out how!

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With great honor I nominate Rob, the talented photographer and author behind Controlled Chaos for Bestest Blog of the Day!

Rob describes himself as an average guy living in Michigan but I believe he is above average! Rob’s blog highlights his superb photography and insightful writing skills. His photos add power to the words he writes and allows his readers to enter into his everyday world. Rob has taken the time to create an easy to navigate blog with several different sections for his readers to enjoy. Photos range from everyday shots to views from the Eiffel Tower. Favorite Quotes and Gambling Tips come free of charge for each visitor!

Rob even lets readers request photos. I would recommend checking out Quilldancer’s Daisies in the requested photos section. One of my favorite photos is the Artesian Well. Rob’s post titled Why God Let’s Bad Things Happen in his God/Philosophy/Prophecy section is moving.

So go visit Rob at Controlled Chaos and take the time to relax and enjoy his beautiful photos. Make sure to tell him that Bestest Blog sent you and that Jessie from Hunna’s Happenings says to keep up the good work!

The Ordinary Advertures of Tomas
So, you know how kids create an imaginary friend when they don't have any other friends to play with? Well, what if an imaginary friend didn't have any other friends to play with...well, you'd get Tomas and his ordinary adventures.

Ok, that description makes this blog sound kind of childish, but I couldn't think of a better way to write it without giving away too much. Let's just say, it's certainly good for a laugh. But trust me, you'll enjoy yourself more if you check it out and figure it out for yourself...it's a really creative concept!

It's kind of like a comic strip, though there are no drawings (damn, I'm really being mysterious here). Anyway, after browsing through them for the past hour or so, I thought I'd post a few of my favorites for you to check out (hopefully you'll look at all these and more!): Doubting Tomas, The Other Side, Doppleganger, and Self Portrait.

Sometimes the blogs I feature have a fair share of readers already, and I just help to add to that (in the immediate future and in the long run), this is not one of those blogs. Despite the fact that I think this is a really cool blog, certainly better than the average, this blog hasn't eclipsed 16 readers in a single day this past entire month.

So, go check out "The Ordinary Adventures of Tomas" and let's see if we can't obliterate that record for this and many days to come.
P.S. Who is it that sent you again?!?

Hey guys, less than 24 hours of bidding left on my eBay auction for "Bestest Blog of the Month" for September. Currently, the auction is about half of what last month's auction ended at ($41), even though this site has grown by leaps and bounds since then (about 300 new blogs have been linked in August). So either this thing's gonna shoot up in the last couple of hours, or someone's gonna have quite the bargain on their hands.

Plus, I've even added some extra incentives to be the winner that weren't offered last month (e.g. Premium Blog tie-in). Check out the eBay listing for full details. Thanks for looking and have a great Sunday!

For today's winner, I thought I'd do something a little different. This idea comes (indirectly) to me from Malinda of "Blah Blah Blog - The Soap Box." What Malinda did when she joined in here was visit the blogs that were directly above and below her in the directory--termed by her, her "blog neighbhors."

So, that's the winners for today. If you're reading this, go and check out your blog neighbhors--the blogs directly above and below you in the directory. Stop by, say hello...hey, if they're good enough, offer to exchange links. If you happen to find a blog that hasn't been updated in quite some time, report it here and earn some extra traffic for yourself.

If you don't have a blog neighbor, because you haven't joined up at the site here, it's as easy as checking out my link exchange program. No user names, no passwords...just add a link and send a quick email. Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow for our regularly schedule blogging. Also, there's 20-some new blogs to check out in the Recent Additions!

The Laughorist
As you may have guessed from the title, this blog comes to us from the "Funny Blogs" category. This is a really hilarious blog, one of the first blogs I linked on here. I've been meaning to give Paulie the award for awhile, but I kept forgetting. Sorry Paulie, I blame my ADHD. (But you must know all about this from your post on ADHD, note my use of parentheses).

The Laughorist recently hosted the "E Pluribus Unum" Humor Contest, where the goal was to come up with a new, humourous slogan for the USA. The winners? Both people who found his site through my site here. Click here to see what they'll be printing on our pennies any day now... In any case, it seems that Paulie's been getting some nice attention even with me forgetting to give him the award.

The winners received their choice of prizes from "The Laughorist Store". This is a Cafepress shop featuring apparel (shirts, shorts, thong underwear, etc.) with funny slogans on them. My favorite is the one featuring this... Kinda reminded me of the stuff you'd see at Spencer's Gifts. I even had to ask him to make sure he came up with these himself, I didn't want to give credit where credit was not due. But sure enough, they're his original slogans, and his son helped him with the graphic design.

So, please check out Paulie's hilarious blog, "The Laughorist" and stop by his store if you get a chance too. And, as always, tell him that "Bestest Blog" sent you!

Irish's Cartoons
Welcome to our 2nd edition of "Premium Saturdays," where we feature one of our Premium Blogs for the day.
Click here to find out how to become a Premium Blog!

Today, our winner is not only a Premium Blog, but "Bestest Blog of the Month" for August 2006 (as you can see in the top right corner there). And to tell you the truth, this blog is deserving of every honor my site can bestow on it (and probably lots of awards from other sites too!).

This blog features the cartoons of Mr. Irish. They are expertly drawn and very funny and witty. "Witty" I think is a great compliment because it implies a level of originality, not that hackneyed garbage you see in lots of comics like "Fred Basset."

Mr. Irish's cartoons are "Far Side" style, meaning one single square panel. In fact, "Far Side" isn't a bad comparison for the type of humor either (which is another great compliment, because I do love "Far Side"). But, honestly, I think Mr. Irish's actual drawings are better, they've got a unique style like nothing I've ever seen before.

So, I thought I'd share some of my favorite comics here: When Garlic Makes a Stand!, Young Minds, Cat Astrophe, Dating, and B Movies. All of these (and many others) gave me a genuine chuckle and I'm sure they'll give you one too.

So, head on over and check out Mr. Irish and "Irish's Cartoons". He really loves comments, so don't be afraid to leave some and any that give you a laugh...(and of course, mention who sent you in those comments)

Yep. It's that time of the month again. The time when the rights to become "Bestest Blog of the Month" are up for bids again. Click here to check out the EBay auction. The bidding starts at only a penny!

Also, this month I've added a little extra incentive to be the winning bidder. It involves a tie-in with the new "Premium Blog" feature, as well as our old (but exciting) "Random Blog" button feature. Check out the EBay listing for full details.

If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment here and I'll answer them for you. And if you haven't gotten the chance yet, check out last month's winner, "Irish's Cartoons", who will soon be on his way out to make room for what could be your blog!

I Am Woman, See Me Blog
This personal blog comes to us from Lizza who hails from the Philippines.

Many (but not all) of her posts shed light on life in the Philippines. She mixes these excellent posts with the perfect blend of posts on other topics. Her posts are always short and to the point, yet still very informative.

One things I really find great about her site was a feature she does entitled "Blogworld Saturday." Here she takes a sampling of the blogs she links to and reads regularly and writes up a sentence or two about what kinds of things they wrote about that week. Many of her regular readers were very thankful for the awesome blogs Lizza has exposed them to. You could all learn a thing or two from this idea (and hopefully a few of you adopt it and give Lizza credit)...IF YOU FIND A BLOG YOU LIKE, LINK TO IT AND TELL OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT IT! After all, that's what I do here and that's what Lizza is doing on her blog, in her own unique format.

Finally, I just want to thank Lizza for her dedication to Bestest Blog. She has probably visited and left a comment on about 90% of the "Blogs of the Day" that I've done since she joined up. Plus, many of the blogs she writes about in "Blogworld Saturday" are ones she found right here. So, thank you Lizza!

Lizza has been so kind to so many of you, I hope you return the favor and go check out "I Am Woman, See Me Blog". As always, let her know that "Bestest Blog" sent ya!

Dr. Blogstein
This pick comes to us courtesy of guest blogger Alex from R2K.
Interested in being a guest blogger? Click here to find out how!

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Dr. Blogstein, found in the funny blogs section, is likely almost too funny for the category. Not to take away from any other blog, but it is really just that good. The blogosphere is full of strange and sarcastic pages (mine for example) but few are actually consistently funny and clever. There is a strong feeling of community and many ways that the reader can get involved in the fun. This is one key to a successful blog. You can send Dr. B an email, leave a comment, or even offer him something funny you have found online. The best way to show off this page is with a sample of Dr. B's work:

Reader questions: Or, in an older post, when Lance Bass declared he was gay, Dr. B. added "In other news, the Earth is round."

Rather than ruin the rest of his jokes, I suggest that you go and check it out for yourself and let Dr. B know that Bestest Blog (and Alex from R2K) sent ya!

Dating Profile of the Day
This site has a simple idea with hilarious results. Search through actual personal ads and dating website profiles for ones that make you laugh. But don't worry, as Mimi promises, "NAMES AND LOCATIONS HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT THE TERMINALLY SINGLE."

This really is a funny site. Plus, I have a new-found respect for anyone who promises daily posts, because from first-hand experience I know how hard it can be some days. I like to categorize the humorous posts into (at least) 3 categories: (1) "Funny Typos", (2) "Why would they write that?!", and (3) "Just Flat-out Funny" (click for an example of each).

This site is new to my exchange, but I just had to feature it when I saw it. I hope Mimi keeps up the daily posts, because this stuff is hilarious. Go over and check it out at "Dating Profile of the Day" and let Mimi know that Bestest Blog sent ya!

It's a Blog Eat Blog World
The whole guest blogger idea was received so well that I decided to make it twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday (otherwise the line would have taken us into October already!). This pick comes to us courtest of Julie from "Flip This Body."
Interested in being a guest blogger? Click here to find out how!

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Morgen, the self-titled “gay gift shop owner†from Michigan, is the author of the hilarious It’s a Blog Eat Blog World, and I proudly nominate him for Bestest Blog of the Day.

First off, Morgen is freakin’ hilarious. Anything that he writes has me chuckling, if not rolling in my cubicle. He is able to take an every day occurrence and turn it into a stand-up comedy routine to rival Jerry Seinfeld.

Morgen’s posts vary in content; from the every-day wackiness of his small town shop visitors to the mating rituals of his pet chickens. He sets a weekly schedule of topics in the sidebar, ranging from “Herbal Soap Stud of the Week†(complete with a studly photo to match the herbal soap he’s featuring at his store) to “Seven Silly Questions Saturday†(he picks a different reader each week to interview with silly questions.)

By far, my favorite posts detail his trip to Egypt, where his flight landed in Cairo on September 11th, 2001. Yes, THAT September 11th. The stories about his trip are really compelling, very often ending in a cliffhanger that finds you logging on the next day to find out what happened. Lost passports, held at gunpoint by Egypt police, blatant come-ons from local men…and this is all before lunch on Day 1! Morgen includes “Extra Egypt†posts to explain specifics of Egyptian culture that are really fascinating (such as the definition of Baksheesh = the tipping that is expected everywhere you go for any service imaginable) and then he links back to these definition posts when mentioning the confusing word in his story, so as not to keep any of his new (or just forgetful) readers in the dark. Very thoughtful!

He LOVES reader comments and feedback, and he does a great job of involving his readers by posting a “Question of the Day.†He really wants to get to know his readers and tries his best to respond to each comment after they are made.

So check out Morgen at "It's a Blog Eat Blog World" and tell him “Bestest Blog†(and Julie from “Flip This Bodyâ€) sent you!

44 new links up in the Recent Additions--be sure to check em all out, lots of quality blogs in there, one in almost EVERY category. More importantly, I am finally caught up to date! So, if you've sent me a link exchange request at any point in time, it should be complete!! Hooray!!

Tripping on Words
"Who are Claire and Lara and Why Do I Care?" This is the title of the first ever post on this blog. The provided answer: "They are Travel Writers (among other things). They met at Stanford University, where they got degrees and tans (sometimes). They came up with the idea to quit life and start traveling for a year or so. In April of 2006, they started this trip. It will be going on until it ends. Until that time, you can read their blog."

Click here to view a map of the places they've already been. It's pretty incredible...and to think they're only in month 5 so far. The more you read this blog, the more amazing things you find. For example, I was just browsing through the posts and discovered that Claire's dad wrote the book about the Barry Bonds steroid scandal. Amazing...

Ok, here are some awesome posts I've collected about the various countries they've been to already: Spain, Italy, Greece, India, Turkey (posts are in sequential order).

Currently, Claire and Lara are current in the Himalayas and will be without internet access for 12 days (5 days more from the date of this post). But not only will Claire and Lara have this prestigious award to return home to, oh no no no. Their blog has also been featured in the "Blogs of Note" section on the Blogger.com homepage. That's pretty freakin' awesome! It's like being linked by (and linking to) a celebloggy (aka blog celebrity).

My only regret is that I didn't feature Claire and Lara's "Tripping on Words" blog earlier, because it is clearly deserving. So why are you still reading my stupid blog when you could be reading that of a "celebloggy". My only humble request is you let them know that "Bestest Blog" sent you their way!

So, this site has been fully operational for about 2 months now. We just hit 700 linked blogs and everything is going well. However, with so many blogs, it's hard for me to find if any of them are breaking the rules. This is where I need your help, but of course, I'll give you a little motivation, read on...

Blogs that are in violation of the rules meet any of the following criteria:
(1) Have not been updated in over a month (unless there's a post explaining not to expect new posts for some period of time due to vacation, illness, etc.)
(2) Pornographic or otherwise offensive material
(3) Do not host a link back to "Bestest Blog"
(4) Sites that no longer exist, or attempt to forward previously existing webpages to new URLs

So, part of removing a site from my directory involves removing them from the "Random Blog" rotation. The "Random Blog" rotation is basically a (very) long numbered list of URLs. The computer randomly generates a number, and the button sends you to that blog corresponding to that number.

So, say a blog I need to remove is #123 (the specific numbers don't matter). If I remove this blog, I need to place a new URL at #123 in case the computer randomly picks that number. That's where your motivation comes in...

If you find a blog that is in violation, when I remove its URL from the "Random Blog" rotation, I will replace it with yours!

Now, I'm not saying to go out of your way to find these blogs. I'm just asking that as you go about your regular surfing, whether it be by the "Random Blog" button or by the category directories, if you find a bad blog, come back here and leave a comment so I can take care of it (be sure to leave the bad blog's URL, as well as your URL so I know what to replace it with).

If you are not sure if a blog is in violation, but think it might be, post it here anyway and I'll double-check it myself.

Thanks for reading and thanks for your help! If you have any questions, as always, feel free to ask.

Life is falling to pieces: an illustrated journal
Edit: Serena is now up to her 49th entry, so if you haven't stopped by in awhile, there's plenty of new stuff to see.

When blogs first started out, before everyone realized the versatility they offered, they were mostly journals. The length of my "Personal Blogs" category shows that there is still a strong portion of journals out there. The main problem with a blog as opposed to a traditional pad and pencil journal is the loss of the personal touch.

Serena, however, has found a way to recapture the personal touch in her blog. Instead of typing out her daily thoughts, she jots them down on a piece of paper, complete with some impressive sketches, some personalized type-setting, and of course a mistake here and there. Then, she scans the paper and uploads it as an image onto her blog. GENIUS!

At the time of publication, she was already up to Entry #38 and posting new ones almost daily. If you'd like to start at the beginning, and I highly recommend you do, you can check out Serena's first post here.

So I implore you to check Serena's "Life is falling to pieces: an illustrated journal". Serena asks this question in her profile: "Holy crap, will anyone ever view this?" Well Serena, I can honestly say that after today, lots of anyones will view this!

More Cowbell
Alright, back to our regularly schedule program... Welcome to our first edition of "Premium Saturdays." It's just like the rest of my daily picks, except only "Premium Blogs" are eligible.

Today's winning blogger is Justin, a medical student at THE Ohio State University. First of all, you lot could learn a bit from Justin. I'm not talking about medical tidbits, no no no...I'm talking about the fact that if you reference a classic SNL skit in your blog's title, you've already got my attention!

Justin preaches that his blog is designed for those people out there clicking the "Next Blog" button (or in the case of this site, the "Random Blog" button). This is because he posts about a wide-range of topics such as business, politics, and entertainment. One thing all his posts do have in common though is they're well-written and informative...not just a bunch of hastily thrown together nonsense like I tend to see in some blogs. Justin has just already reached 100 posts in about 4 months (that's almost a post a day if you're doing the math!). So I'm sure we'll be seeing lots more quality posts in the near future--in fact, I'm counting on it!

So, please head on over and check out Justin's premium content at "More Cowbell" and tell him that Bobby sent ya!

Well, yesterday my wife got a call saying that a delivery man was on their way to our apartment with our lost piece of luggage (if you haven't been keeping up with this story, this luggage contained both our digital camera and camcorder, as well as all the pictures and videos from our trip). So, this is great news, right? Wrong!

The bag gets here, we open it up, take out the camera bag and it's empty! Someone stole our cameras and all our memories! And there's no doubt it was stolen...to get to these cameras someone would have opened a latch, undid a zipper, taken the camera bag out of the larger bag, undid the velcro, undid ANOTHER zipper, and taken out the cameras.

Now, the value of these electronics is somewhere in the neighborhood of $700. They were my Christmas present to my wife, and my wife's birthday present to me. Both were bought full knowing that we were going on this trip, and wanting to be able to remember it forever. But what's more than that, is all the memories that we will never get back. We saved up a long time to make this trip (we're both just students), and we took a ton of pictures and video under the assumption that chances are we'd probably never be back (we wanted to make the trip before kids were holding us back).

So, there's a good chance that the airline won't be refunding us for our lost luggage. There's a thing called the Montreal Convention that says that high-ticket items such as electronics and jewelry should be kept with the passenger at all times and not checked into the cargo hold. Of course, this was our intention, but in light of the hightened security due to the terrorist threats on transatlantic flights, this was not an optiotn. However, my wife read in the New York Times that despite this situation, they must abide to the convention. In any case though, I don't see any plausible situation that sees us receiving any sort of compensation for our lost memories.

It makes me sick that people like this exist out there. That someone would exploit the situation, with lots of people vulnerable and scared, to rob us (and I'm sure many others) of valuable goods and other priceless intangibles.

So, I spent most of yesterday on the phone, bitching and arguing and flat-out screaming at idiots who wouldn't even acknowledge that yes my stuff was stolen. They wouldn't use the word stolen, they kept referring to it as "missing." Anyway, I get done with that and log on here, thinking I'll make a quick pick for tomorrow and I have something along the lines of the following comment waiting for me to moderate:
So, first of all, this person doesn't know what free speech is. If you think you can go into "Burger King," stand there and continuously yell "Burger King sucks, don't eat here," and NOT be removed by the police, you are dead wrong.

Secondly, I'm not CHARGING anyone. The link exchange is going on the same as before. "Premium Blogs" are an optional donation! OPTIONAL!!! And what's more in exchange for this OPTIONAL donation, I am providing you a service in the form of additional blog exposure and traffic.

Plus, it just makes me sick that I've angered this person so much when with all that has happened to me recently, even if I did forcefully "charge" every single person I've linked to the minimum $1.00 of "Premium Blogs," and even if all of them did willingly fork over the money, I still wouldn't have enough money to recoup the losses I've suffered from theft.

After reading this, I deleted it, and said "F this," I'm going to bed. So, really...am I a bad person here? (I'll be back tomorrow with our first "Premium Saturdays")

I thought I'd try a fun, new idea...one that will help me maintain the ever-growing amount of work needed to keep this site going (it's a lot for one person to handle!)!

Every Tuesday and Thursday, I will be featuring a "Guest Blogger" who will make the pick of the day and write up a short article. And just so you don't think I'm trying to pawn off my work to you guys with no reward, here's your motivation:
(1) Recognizing a great blog you've found in my directory that maybe I've been ignoring (sorry, you can't pick your own, or your best friend's)
(2) A little extra exposure for your blog. At the top of the pick for that day I'll be sure to include something like "Today's pick comes to us from 'So and So' at 'Link to So and So's Blog'"
(3) A $1.00 Premium Blog credit

Anyway, I don't know if this idea is a good one or not. If I don't find any Guest Bloggers, I will still make the pick myself, no worries. But if anyone is interested, please email me at bobbygriffin@gmail.com and we'll get it set up.

Meathead Diaries
I love funny blogs, I love blogs with an original concept...ergo I love this blog. Guy Ernest is the best, he's cocky, he's a bad boy, he's competitive. He also runs this blog which features funny stand-up comedy audio clips (which you need Quicktime to run).

I think Guy probably considers himself the best comic in the world (me, I'm on the fence). His audio clips demonstrate how he is a master at multiple different forms of comedy: Alternative Comedy, Improv Comedy, HBO Television.

Guy may be cocky, but he's not selfish. He's willing to teach you how to be as funny as he is (well, no one is as funny as he is, but he'll teach you how to get as close as you can). He offers lessons in comedic topics such as: Observational Comedy, Song Parodies, Dennis Miller-ish Super Smart Comedy, and How to Deliver your Material.

If you've read this far and haven't already figured it out, Guy Ernest is not a real person, but a funny character, your typical "meathead". Most of the fun of this blog isn't exactly what is said, but how the character says it. Like Guy explains, it's all about delivery. As with most stand-up comedians, there may be some offensive material...consider yourself warned!

So please check out the comedic stylings of Guy Ernest over at "Meathead Diaries". And of course, tell him "Bestest Blog" sent ya (though, I'm sure Guy would insist that his blog is the bestest...or perhaps he'd claim that the only reason his blog isn't the bestest is because that's too girly of a word...).

Since my return I have added 52 new blogs, which can be seen in the Recent Additions. I am all caught up on blogs who left a comment requesting a link exchange. If you sent me an email directly requesting one, I'm sorry that I haven't gotten to yours yet, thanks for your patience. I'll have it up very soon!

By the way, have you checked out the Premium Blogs in the sidebar or by clicking here yet?

A Dog A Day
One of the things I missed most while I was gone on vacation (only than running this blog for all you lovely readers out there) was playing with our two Cairn Terriers, Bella and Beverly. Luckily, we had some leftover photos on our digital camera of them that we were able to look at whenever we needed to (before the airport lost it of course).

I was never a dog person until I met my wife and now I can't imagine life without them. This is similar to a quote on this blog: "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." (click the link to see the cute picture that accompanies the quote).

Basically this blog is all about 2 beagles named Nugget and Stewy (and sometimes about their canine pal Bruno, who, if I had to guess, I would see is a Maltese). Each day the operator of this blog (referred to only as Nuggy's Mum as far as I can tell) posts an adorable picture of their dogs, as well as a cute little story or sometimes an inspirational quote.

If you're an animal lover (and I know many of you are) then you'll definitely enjoy this blog, A Dog A Day, so please go and check it out! And tell them that "Bestest Blog" sent ya!

Digital Traveler
I thought I'd feature a "Travel Blog" today since I just got through travelling. And this was a perfect choice. My wife and I took a ton of amazing digital pictures on our trip, but they made us check the bag with the camera in it (normally I would have carried it on) due to heightened security and conveniently they "lost it." They didn't lose the suitcase filled with dirty laundry, oh no no no. Furthermore, Matt has written a "For Dummies" book on Digital Photography. This is coincidental because my wife and I used "For Dummies" travel guides to make our trip go smoothly. It's like this choice was fate.

Fate aside, Matt is definitely an expert in digital photography and there are a lot of amazing pictures on his blog, taken as he travelled around the world. If you'd like to read two chapters for free of his book, you can click here. He even teaches an online class in photography if anyone is interested.

Go and check out some digital photos by a professional (not like anything I could take, haha) and visit my first winner for the month of August, Matt's Digital Traveler and tell him that "Bestest Blog" sent ya!

Ok, separating all the categories into separate pages is all done. Unfortunately it took longer than expected and I am way behind on my linking, but things are coming along.

Also, the first 5 Premium Blogs can be found in the sidebar and by clicking here. Donations are now also being accepted via mail (not just paypal). To find out more about "Premium Blogs," click here. Remember, the minimum is only 1 dollar (and that's forever!).

Let me know what you guys think and if there are any problems with the new style.

This is for the people who may feel like this whole "Premium Blogs" thing is just a way for me to "cash in." I just want to say that I work really hard researching blogs and adding links and I am just looking to give anyone who wants to say "thanks" a little motivation to do so. Many blogs out there have a place for people who want to donate, but not many of them offer anything more than gratitude in return. Plus, I am not asking for an arm and a leg, I'm asking for 1 dollar. Not a dollar a month, not a dollar a year...a dollar (forever!). If you don't feel I've brought you enough enjoyment for you to give me that dollar, than by all means keep it. You'll notice that throughout the explanation of "Premium Blogs" I referred to the payments as "donations" and never "fees." That's because I want to continually stress the fact that they are optional and won't change your experience if you don't!

Hi everyone, I'm back! I know you didn't know to worry about me, because I didn't say where I was going, but I was actually over in Europe and my flight home was through London. So, in light of what's happened in the news recently we had a very tough time getting home and a very frightening plane ride back. I guess you could say I am a stronger person for having made it through, but all I know for sure is that I won't be flying again any time soon.

"Bestest Blogs of the Day" will start up again tomorrow (Tuesday) morning and continue without interruption far past the foreseeable future.

If you've requested a link while I was gone, please be patient as there were a lot of you. I'd like to say I'll have them all done today, but I honestly don't know how many there were to say if this is an accruate claim. As for the referral contest, I have no idea what happened to that post. I had my sister look over my blog while I was gone, and perhaps she accidentally deleted it. In any case, I'll start it up again soon, same prizes and everything!

I was a bit disappointed to make it home from my harrowing experience to see the negativity one Anonymous person has been posting in the comments. I've worked really hard on this blog, creating a fun environment for people to do their blog surfing and do not feel I have done anything wrong in the process. If you feel otherwise, I encourage you to click the "Flag Objectionable Blog" button at the top and let Blogger decide. I have turned on comment moderation, but don't think I'll be keeping it on long, but I really don't feel like watching people post rude comments about me on my own blog. If you wanna bad mouth me on your own blog, be my guest!

Though, I would like to say thanks to all my regular readers who defended my honor while I was gone. It's people like you who are why I work so hard at making this blog!