It's been a year since I wrote about my Top 8, so I was surprised to discover the other day that almost all of them have changed:
- Gmail: Still number one. No matter how much I try to hold it at bay, it's always the first and last thing I see on the computer . . . and I'm on the computer a lot!
- The American Conservative: My friend Rod is so prolific I can't subscribe to his feed, but I do check the site at least once a day.
- Google Reader: This is where I get my other blog fix-es. Just about all of them are personal friends, but I do enjoy a few places to lurk as well. (Don't click there unless you want to become a permanent lurker too!)
- Yelp: I discovered this site last winter we didn't have a kitchen and ate out several times a day. I quickly climbed to Elite status and now enjoy free fun outings from time to time, as well as obsessively chronicling my trips to area restaurants. (You can review anything on Yelp, but for my sanity's sake I've limited it to eating establishments!)
- Amazon: Despite having read this fantastically depressing memoir about the side effects of quick-ship policies, I cannot wean myself off this giant e-tailer. It drew me in with a free Prime membership for a year, then offered me half-price for another year: basically, whatever I want is at my doorstep within 48 hours, and often in 24. Plus, free movies and TV shows to supplement Netflix' more meager offerings (we eventually cut off our DVD membership, but continue to watch instant movies from time to time.)
- SquareSpace: I'm a dedicated convert, and we're actually in the process of moving to the new platform, which is totally different, in a much better way. Stay tuned for the facelift.
- Rosetta Stone: Frantically trying to finish the program before school starts, or at least get further than halfway! I really have enjoyed the method and have a couple of ideas for integrating its philosophy into my classroom.
- The New York Times: I might grouse (and I do!) about the unabashedly liberal bias and paid-only availability, but the fact remains that, perhaps because it's so large, its articles are better-written and more diverse than almost anywhere else. Which reminds me that there's still a handful of pieces I want to share with you before I return to the Paris series. Here we go!
