I was in the neighborhood...(Guest Editor Picks)

My name is
Russ.  I am a forty-something dude living in Kansas City where
I work as humor writer for a small greeting card
company.  I have a blog called Inner and
Outer Demons where I mostly post my amateur cartoon work along with some sloppy
memories, snack food
reviews and occasional rants.  There are also many drawings of
pears for some reason. 
???

J-Land is like a little neighborhood with many
houses, and none of us have the time to visit even a
fraction of them -- which is why I'm keeping my list
of recommended journals short.  I made myself whittle it down
to four even though I could easily list five or six times that
many  Let's get started...

Go visit Rachel
when you have a few minutes, but don't be surprised if she's too busy
to chat much.  She's a working mom with a very full life and
somehow manages to handle emergencies of all kinds with humor and
style.  Her blog is very current and very American in
that she's our live correspondant on the frontlines
of this country's recessionary battle.  It aint pretty out
there, but Rach makes it seems like it'll all
be okay. 
Somehow.

If you knew me at all you'd know that when I call
someone "a little crazy" I mean it affectionately and as a
compliment.  Having said that -- Debra
is a little crazy.  Or maybe just her life is. 
Possibly both.  I never ever know what I'll find when I visit
her trailer.  It could be some photos of her latest crochet
project or a vivid account of her battle with a snake in the
bathroom or drawings of a talking lemon.  She's got a good
heart and a great mind that's always sizzling with ideas.  I
should mention that she kinda didn't want her blog highlighted here
because she feared  feeling the pressure to "step up
her game" for new readers.  Don't you change a thing,
Deb! 

There are lots of reasons why I love to drop in
on MJ. 
She has her own personal struggles, but her talents and
passions greatly outnumber them.  Among her many interests are
music, history, art and horror movies.  (Just try to
stump her with a movie trivia question.  I dare
ya.) She also has a Halloween blog that you don't want to miss
reading once this godawful Summer is over
with.   You'd be lucky to meet one person like her in
your lifetime.

And, finally...I love to drop by Jackie's
place at the end of the day.  It's a very comfortable place to
be.  Inside, you'll find cats napping in the window, homemade
soups simmering on the stove and fragrant bread in the
oven.  Outside. you'll see birdfeeders full of
activity and a very, very beautiful garden.  Her
amateur photography looks decidedly non-amateur.  This planet
doesn't look like such a bad place when you see it through Jackie's
eyes.  In fact -- it looks perfectly
wonderful!

There are more places in the neighborhood I wish
I could lead you to, but this short list will have to do for
now.  Have a wonderful weekend.  Take
care.