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Vote or Die or Vote Confused

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I'm still trying to decide if I should be happy or worried that people sometimes google my name. I mean, afterall, I google friends' names all the time just to make sure they're living. I guess until I see "Ambra Nykol sucks" or "Ambra Nykol's SSN and phone records" as a search term on my referrer log, then I'll think the best and not the worst. Call me a nerd, but my daily (and I mean DAILY) comic relief is reading the list of Google, Yahoo, and other search engrine referrals to this site. But one in particular today totally had me laughing, and I just had to share it with the people:

"How to slipper my bad child"

For the civilized, let me *learn you: "to slipper" means "to spank". Among some of the more frequent searches that lead people to nykola.com:

- "shoe buying addiction"
- "Kerry is my homeboy tshirt"
- "Removing dreadlocks from cats"
- "men wearing womens jeans"
- "men in tight jeans"

I sincerely hope they found what they were looking for.

*It's time for me to finish the Nyktionary. You know it's bad when you start using slang to define slang. In anycase, the vernacular translation makes different verbial use of "To learn", which means to school, to educate, to enlighten.

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I'm working on gettings posts categorized and yes, I'm finally finishing up the Nyktionary. With new readers coming every day, I wanted to take this time to clarify a few things and outline this website's features as well as announce a new one.

First off, this is not a "political website". I leave that stuff to smarter individuals. I do opine on political issues, but it should be known that everything is fair game 'round these parts. So don't get all mad if you want commentary on a presidential debate and instead you get a photo montage of Al Sharpton's hair. If anything, I spend more time yapping about popular culture as it relates to politics. Discussing politics for too long makes me grumpy.

Still, according to Dan Leroy, in his National Review article, I am a "playful philosopher". Whatever, I'm just me. But philosopher? I'll take it. In any case, here are my features thus far:

General Commentary and Pontification (Politics, Culture, Race, and Theocracy): The majority of this site.
Requisite Monthly Rant: This is classified venting space on the topic of my choice.
Caught in a Fashion Faux-Pas: Exposing the cultural setbacks of fashion.
A Question I Need Answered: Ponderances for the masses.
(new!)Listmania: More on that later
(new!)The Culture Kids: Cut and dried social analysis from those crazy three up above jumping rope. Oh yeah, and they answer questions too.

(Now Defunct Features): CrazyWorld.

Lastly, let's talk names. Inspired by Jeff at Backcountry Conservative, who recently ranted on the constant mis-spelling of his blog title, and mis-appropriation of his name, I'm going to make this brief. My entire life, people have spelled my name wrong. But on the internet, there's no excuse for misspelling. Highlight, copy, cut and paste. You can call me Ambra, *Ambra Nykol, or Nykola (since it is the name of the site), but for crying out loud, not Amber Nychols! I'm not generally this sidity, but really folks, it's phonetic!

*proper pronunciation Ambra: "Am-bruh" Nykol: "Nee-coal" or "Nicole" Nykola: "Nee-coal-uh" or "Nicola" (think cough drops)

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I often want to tell new visitors to nykola.com to stay away from the archives because they are riddled with grammatical errors.

I am in the process of being interviewed for an upcoming article on abstinence education and I was troving my archives for my past writings on the issues surrounding sex-ed in schools. I came across a brief post I wrote back in March on the condom conspiracy. As a self-exercise in tightening up old pieces, I'm going to periodically link to old stuff. For newcomers especially, enjoy!
Jimmie Hatz: The Urban Condom.

Oh, and I'm not done talking about Alan Keyes. Coming up later today...

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Addendum (9/29): This site design will be changing soon.

I am happy to officially report that indeed there is a balm in Gilead. Yes; I have confirmed that there is emotional healing available after a nightmarish web fiasco. I feel like I just went through a nasty custody battle. The computer was trying to take my child weblog. Thankfully, in the wee hours of the morning, I won.

The last few days tested the repetoire of my Christian profanity. The number of "hecks, darns, craps and dangits" I've uttered over this past week are too numerous to count. But since my mother might be reading this, I'm going to say only "10 times" okay, geez.

If it wasn't already bad enough that my re-design sent me into literal configuration Hades, Blogger, my now old and defunct publishing platform went all illegitimate child on me and stopped working. To them I officially say good riddance! Don't let the door knob hitcha where the good lord splitcha!

Special thanks to Erica, a reader, Movable Type installer, and receiver of my late night complaining via yahoo instant messager. Erica, There is a special place in blog heaven for you.

About the re-configuration: If it's not abundantly clear, I try not to take myself too seriously and this is the design at which I arrived to convey that point. It'll make do until I "officially" have to grow up, mature and start using geriatric colors like grey, brown, and chartreuse.

I kept the black cartoon chick by popular demand. Now she's not only fashionable, but also "peering" over the edge of political correctness.

Comments are now imbedded. I'm actually a bigger fan of "pop-up" comments, but at 2 o'clock in the morning, you stop being picky. We'll see how much I like it. Comments from my old site are slowly being imported over. There's too much good stuff on there for me to just let it go. I've not abandoned links either. They are getting an overhaul and will be up shortly.

Lastly, as always, please let me know if you experience any difficulties with the site (e.g. slow-loading, strange layout, missing info, etc.).

Fret not. I'm back with a vengeance. New posts in a bit...there is much to talk about. I'm bursting.

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Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes, comments, e-cards, and emails. I had some trouble reading them because my vision has been deteriorating since I hit the big 23.

I also thank those who gave compliments on my hat, but still managed to poke fun at my horizontally striped shirt. Your names were filed under, "People I Should Party With".

Sincerely,
the nykola.com proprietress

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So when you think you're all cool and savvy, and almost done with a big weblog redesign, and you've even transferred all your old posts over to an entirely new platform and coded the whole darn thing (and it's really snazzy), and you're about ready to celebrate like a quarterback who just made a touch down, yeah, when that happens and then the system happens to ask you, "Do you want to delete author?", indicating the ending of yourself as an authorized contributer to your own weblog, for the love of all things pure, don't click, "yes". I did, and I learned my lesson expeditiously.

New website derailed for a week. I'm just going to shut up about it now. Not another word. One day eventually you come here and the new site will be up. Know that when that happens, somewhere in the city of Seattle, there's a little black girl partying like a rockstar.

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Nykola.com's owner turns 23 in eight days. She expects blog presents. In the meantime, for those of you who subscribe to this site via syndication (which seems to be quite a few) please take note that come Monday Friday, the re-design kicks in, the platform will be Movable Type, and the syndication code will change. If I were on top of my stuff, I'd know the new syndication pages, but I'm not so I don't. Stand by.

Lastly, links are getting an overhaul. I'd love to know of some really good and insightful weblogs out there that other people read on a regular basis. I'm desperately in need of more good reading.

Have a great weekend.

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There. Just thought I'd celebrate. Too bad my lazy behind hasn't moved over to my new site yet. Oh well, *raises champagne glass filled with Martinelli's apple cider* here's to many more...on channel four.

On another note, from the "Getting on my everylasting nerve files": The umpteen SPAM emails I get from Dr. Mbuto Ndiyande Ootchiecootchie Wa Wa from the republic of Congo/Angola/Niger/Zambia, asking me to accept money in the form of a Certificate of Deposit because his/her nephew/cousin/neice/daughter/spouse is dying/sick/dead/seeking political asylum.

I would like to think that there is a special place in proverbial hell for spammers--all of them. But that is very UN-Christian to even ponder right? Right.

With that, I offer you my all-time favorite internet soapbox rant (animated). I'm sure many of you have seen this, it's hilarious. Check it out here. Make sure you have the sound turned up.

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I'm finally back home in Seattle from a whirlwind trip and there are so many current events on which to opine. I have a few hilarious photos from Madame Toussaud's in Manhattan which I may post throughout the week. Residue from the RNC was everywhere. But first off, as promised I thought I'd recap my most pleasureable meeting of two other friends from internetland.

After getting caught in the pre-hurricaine storm and flooding in Richmond, Virgina, I high-tailed it to Washington D.C. to have lunch with and meet La Shawn Barber and Avery Tooley also of the Conservative Brotherhood. Needless to say, it was a blast.

So of course meeting people who you've either soley talked to on the phone or read their words is always an odd occasion. You always run the risk of A) Being disappointed or B) Being a disappointment. I mean, afterall, we can't all possibly be as "cool" as we come across in our blogs. I can't vouch for "B", but I know for sure that my expectations were met if not exceeded.

Avery is very laid back, hilarious and extremely intelligent, while La Shawn is just quite "lovely" and very astute. Between the three of us, there was lots of laughing, some good conversation, and it honestly felt like old friends getting together. We talked a bit about writing and our blogs and such and really, everytime I do that, I feel this big cloud of nerdom descending on my very existence. It's true, we were all a bunch of a nerds--Hip ones though.

Continue reading "Three's Company Too">>>

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