I'M IN UR BLOG CHANGING UR LAYOUT

Fireworks!

Big fluffy cats!

Sunny days!

What has me so cheerful? I NO LONGER HAVE TO MODERATE COMMENTS. Thanks to a recent merger of It's Lovely! Corp. and LOLcats Inc, I get to do all the fun stuff from now on while some poor intern at a desk made out of sawhorses and an old door has to deal with the trolls and Spam (mmmm, troll Spam).

So, hello, pussycat! I don't know what people who come to the Internet for the cute kittens are going to think about photos of moldy carpets and naked Estonian men, but Cheezeburger, LTD has confidence it will all be fine. I'll still be doing the writing, such as it is; I just don't have to do the technical side any more. This should be a relief for anyone who witnessed the "I think I'll change the layout, tra la la!" fiasco of earlier this year.

I'm really really really hoping I Can Haz Blog Empire will make stuffed Chairs for small children to cuddle up with. Please suggest that a lot in the comments. The comments I no longer have to moderate. And also please be nice to all the new readers who have no idea what's going on here. And also please figure out the name of the company I now work for and let me know what it is because I wasn't really paying attention and I swear they go by, like, ten different names.

Onwards!

(Fireworks found by Ben; cat found by Anna; glowing house found by Deedee; LOLborg vs Chair, which is not from a real estate listing, by me.)

Blogtastic: Shy Town

I wilt in hot weather, and humidity makes me cry... so I'm off to Chicago! If you're at the BlogHer convention, please find me and say hello. I'll be the one with no social skills pretending that no, I didn't really want to mingle, I'll just stand here and stare at the wall happily, tra la la...

Comment moderation is going to be even slower than usual the next few days. Sorry. Bigots and spammers are why we can't have nice things.

Wish you were there,
Sara



P.S. Home now. Here are a few quick notes on the conference.

housekeeping

I've heard from a few people lately that they can't get to this blog. Some of the problems are with Blogger, some seem to be random, and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it (I'm trying). Of course, if they can't get here they can't see this... hmmm. I may need to rethink this.

But for future reference: the best URL for this website is

http://www.lovelylisting.com

You might have something else bookmarked. You do have this bookmarked, right? And you're following it with an RSS reader, and with Google Friends, and -- brand new! -- on Twitter, right?

Right?

Hello?

Sigh.

For all your real estate / mug needs

Behold the glory that is THE MUG:
Mr. Zarquon made this after doing serious, soul-draining research into the world of real estate swag. Note the misused quotation marks! The meaningless slogans! The lovely portrait of the real estate agent Chair! What does it all mean? Nobody knows. Perfect for confusing your coworkers. Yours for just $14.95.

I knew that degree in political economy would come in use one day

What's this? Oh, it's just Money magazine's annual list of the 100 "best investments, strategies, products, and people in the world of money," that's all. Tum-te-tum. And leafing through, what do we find?



HOLY CRAP. This blog is the world of money's second best investment, strategy, product, and person! Lil' old It's Lovely! I'll Take It! We're number two! We're number two! We're number two!

To which I have to say: watch your back, FNBO Direct Online Savings Account. Watch your back.

Re this blog

It's Lovely! I'll Take It! makes the San Francisco Chronicle! I knew all my San Francisco love would be repaid eventually. Mwah!

Blogtastic! Press clippings and other thrilling mentions.

Slate: Hipsters, Tempura Burgers, and Pets Who Want To Kill Themselves

William Gibson: [a Twitter post]

Money Magazine: The Money 100

San Francisco Chronicle: Snark-a-licious!!!

Apartment Therapy: It's Lovely, I'll Take It! Real Estate Photo Blunders

The New York Times: The Digital Ramble | Creative Processing

New Zealand Herald: Sideswipe

The Sydney Morning Herald: Competition puts added touch to the sales pitch

Birmingham Post: The iPhone knows what you want ... and where you are (No, really.)

Blogger: Blogs of Note

Metafilter: Major selling point: Trash can lids

It's Lovely! You Found It!

I love it when people send me listings they've stumbled across. If you've found something good (by which I mean bad), please send me an e-mail.

Real estate websites are awful, awful things for the most part, and their links often don't work, so if you can include the MLS number and the city or town where the listing is, that's helpful.

I appreciate every e-mail I get, but I usually don't have time to reply. I'm sorry about that, but I'm doing this in the spare minutes I can grab. If I do use a listing you send me, I'll be sure to give you credit.

Thanks!