When Google Reader Disappears Where Does That Leave Me?

Please, do not make the mistake of thinking that any of the following words about Google Reader are being written in jest.....I have never been more deadly serious!

I am sorry if it disappoints you to discover the depths of my ignorance, but I am bamboozled by the news that Google Reader  will be snatched away from us on July 1.  From the shrieks of anguish and rumors of Petitions protesting and pleading and such, I assume that this will affect us (Bloggers, that is).


I need your help in understanding the how and what of it, but more importantly, I definitely need detailed help in guiding me as to what to do about it.  (never mind the petitions......Google has become the Monster that ate Apple......do you really believe they are going to give a good goddamn about what YOU and I want?



I have a multitude of questions, but I will try to control myself.

*  Will our current and our history blogs contained in the files at "blogspot.com" need to be copied/exported/uploaded/downloaded/carried in a wheelbarrow to some other site name?


*  I have heard that a thing called "Feedly" could take over Google's activities for us.  Does anyone know anything about how that would work?  (What a terrible name...I will be deeply ashamed to be associated with a thing called Feedly, but I am ready to bite the bullet if I must).

*  Has anyone already taken steps to transfer over to another Utility Program ?  (my term not theirs)

*  Does anyone know anything about what to do first?

I am attempting to attack this problem early because it takes me so long to understand some of these things and to finally get it right and I cannot face the prospect of fucking up and being unable to blog or be blogged to.

If the answers to my questions are too long and complex to be given  in comments, please email me.
I think my email address is around here someplace or maybe in my profile...if not, I will fix that shortly.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  (!)



And now for something completely different......

I feel compelled to respond to several of the comments on my last blog in which I mused about the desire (but not necessarily the act) to acquire a few Finches  (the birds that is)

For any of you who may not have been paying attention, I was NOT born yesterday.  Not only have I heard the rumor that cats and birds do not always bond well (to the birds' advantage, that is), but I
have even been in the position of owning or being owned by a cat and a bird simultaneously. 

The fact is that, with a little common sense and a bit of caution, the two can coexist very nicely.  After discovering that the bird is simply not available as  a toy or a meal, , the cat will generally come to totally ignore the presence of the bird.....or so was my experience.  My parakeet, Chauncey, and my Siamese, Whozit, lived together peaceably for many years.....Chauncey was often allowed to leave his cage, fly around the room, sit on my finger and give kisses, learn new words and phrases and other endearing activities without being devoured.  The cat was simply shut out of the room during these jaunts.  Simple.  It worked.  You cannot believe that I would put a creature in danger simply to satisfy a foolish whim of mine, can you?  Of course  not....you just did not think before panicking and becoming hysterical.

As for the one comment voicing the often expressed premise that wild animals should not be kept in cages........there are meaningful arguments on both sides of that issue and I will not get involved in that.  BUT, in the case of cage bred birds who were born in cages, lived their lives in cages, raised their families in cages and ultimately died after a peaceful, pampered, w  ell fed 5 or 6 year life in cages I have a different take on the subject.  Perhaps the wild finches (which are I have been led to believe) different species from the pet finch varieties) have a freer, happier life.....I dunno.  I suspect that if the cage bred   birds were set free they would have a very rough time of it, might starve while getting acclimated to freedom, might fall prey to a multitude of predators and might or might not have as long a life span.  The ones I observed on my safari the other day seemed quite happy, content, certainly pampered and well fed, busy playing, flying around the spacious cages,  raising their young and doing other finch-like things, and one must also consider the hundreds of thousands of bird lovers who get enormous enjoyment out of caring for and watching these charming little birds.  Are they really criminals or monsters.  I say not so.

Forgive me if I get a bit nasty here, but I suspect that if you ask any wife, who married for security and the pleasure of being "kept", whether she was content with the deal, she would say "yes-mostly"............I merely point to the fact that, if those wives decide they are not content they almost always go out and find another "keeper" to feather their nest for them  (sorry....couldn't resist).  Rarely do they opt for the freedom to find some menial job, struggle, toil and ruin their manicures with dishwater.  But then, I could be prejudiced......the human pet happens to be one of my pet peeves.  Oh, dear...I do apologize......If I had an ounce of decency I would delete that last bit of fun with words but I obviously don't.

And on that note I will sit down and shut up.

Just don't forget my plea way back at the beginning.