Manolo says, ayyyyy! The Manolo has been in ill most of the day with the bad cold, sleeping and taking the medicines, and so it is only only now that he has remembered that today is the third anniversary of the Manolo’s Shoe Blog!!

And so he belatedly shouts…

Happy Anniversary!!!

It was three years ago, on October 16th, 2004, that the Manolo invented the shoe blog.

It is hard to believe, but three years ago, the Manolo could count the number of the fashion blogs on the fingers of the single hand, and now, marvelously, there are thousands of them, each more wonderful and amusing than the next.

And this is exactly as it should be.

We live in the era of miracles and marvels, when for the first time the tools of mass dissemination and entertainment have been placed directly into the hands of the humble.

And in response to this opportunity, millions of the humblest have taken up these instruments and set about making their own music, each playing his own song in his own way. And together these millions of peoples, all playing as loudly and as passionately as they can, have produced the glorious and cacophonous music of freedom.

And the Manolo has been proud to add his little song to this symphony of noise.

He is also proud of those who have chosen to ally themselves with the Manolo.

Never teh Bride at the Manolo for the Brides, Izzy Gallant at the Manolo for the Men, and Mr. Henry at the Manolo’s Food Blog, are all old friends, who have been joined by our new friends, Raincoaster and Glinda at the Teeny Manolo, Plumcake and Francesca at the Manolo for the Big Girl, Twistie writing on the weekends, and Spirit Fingers at Ayyyy!.

The Manolo is convinced that taken as the whole, there is no group of bloggers anywhere who are as consistently funny, or write as well, as these peoples. That the Manolo has brought them together and given them the place to be read, is among those things of which the Manolo is the proudest.

Finally, and most importantly, the Manolo must thank those peoples who have been most instrumental in the success of this enterprise, the many thousands of the internet friends who each day visit this place.

The attention, generosity, and love the readers have given the Manolo over the past three years are without compare, and can never be repaid. All the Manolo can do is recognize that he has been truly blessed, and say thank you for all that you have given.

You are indeed most super fantastic!

Manolo says, the Manolo’s friend Linda has alerted the Manolo (via the Professor Norm) to this fascinating visual test.

For the Manolo, the dancer is going clockwise, only by looking to his left and thinking about doing his taxes can the Manolo convince the dancer to go anti-clockwise, but as soon as he blinks, she returns to her previous clockwise dance.

These results do not especially surprise the Manolo, except that the Manolo believes himself as being exceptionally verbal.

Go now and take this test and report your findings back to the Manolo

Manolo says, but now the question is, did you miss the Manolo?

Manolo say, ayyyy! The Manolosphere crashed this afternoon! And for several hours all of the Manolo’s various blogs were unavailable to be read by the Manolo’s many internet friends.

Many and profuse apologies for this inconvenience. The Manolo’s web-hosting peoples assure him that it is all fixed now.

Manolo says, the Manolo has been mentioned in the traditional press several times over the past few days.

Today, in the International Herald Tribune, in the article entitled Flashy and tailor-made: rag trade blogs, the Manolo is briefly mentioned.

He is also been name-checked in the pieces in the Burlingame Daily News and the New Delhi Times newspaper.

Manolo says, those of the Manolo friend’s who have been the long time readers of the Manolo for the Brides may remember the wonderfully amusing blogger, Twistie, who substituted for the Never teh Bride while she was away becoming the Bride.

Well, the Manolo has invited the Twistie to become the official Weekend Blogger of the Manolo, and she has already put up her first post at the Manolo for the Brides, the marvelous piece with the title of When Wedding Disasters Strike. Here is the excerpt.

I’ve heard many old saws and superstitions about weddings over the years, but only one has held absolutely true at every wedding I’ve attended in more than forty years: something always goes wrong.

It may be large, it may be small, but it will happen.

Rings get lost, the wrong flowers or cake get delivered, someone loses or rips a piece of wedding finery, vendors fail to come through, it rains when the happy couple have no plan b for weather, personal grudges between guests lead to small acts of violence…and the list goes on.

But this is not all, the Twistie will also be weekend blogging at the Manolo for the Big Girl, and has begun there with the provocative article entitled, Death to the Little Black Dress.

I’m short. I’m fat. My feet are shaped like cubes. I am concentrated. There’s a lot of me packed into 5’2”. I have opinions and find them to be very true. I’m curious. I’m interested in the world around me. I’m comfortable in my own skin at long last in my mid forties. The child in me has never completely grown up, and I’d hate to think she ever would. I will do my best to share with you good advice, interesting facts and trivia, my quirky humor, and the beauty that is waiting to be seen in your own mirror.

You go, girlfriend!

And now the Manolo has Mr. Henry, Isidore Gallant, Never teh Bride, Plumcake, Francesca, Glinda, raincoaster, and Twistie; all of them funny, all of them smart, all of them super fantastic writers of ability and verve.

The Manolo sincerely believes that he has the best group of fashion and lifestyle bloggers on the whole internet. But, go judge for yourselves, visit these blogs and read what has been written there.

By the way, next week, on Tuesday, the Manolo’s group of fashion and lifestyle blogs will grow by one, and his group of writers will grow by one, with the addition of one of the funniest peoples on the internet, someone whose own blog was one of the Manolo’s all time favorites, but who has graciously consented to join the Manolo for the betterment of all mankind.

But the Manolo will save that surprise for next week, in the meantime, go read the postings of the Twistie, you will enjoy them.

Manolo says, once again, the Manolo’s modest empire of fashion and lifestyle blogs has expanded, this time to encompass the new blog devoted to all matters childish and child-rearingish, yes, it is time to introduce you to…

Teeny Manolo!

As always, the Manolo is certain that this will become one of your bookmarked, regular stops on the internet, for the two bloggers he has asked to help him at this blog are unusually funny and smart writers, the sort of peoples you will want to read daily. Naturally, they also share the Manolo’s Philosophy of the Super Fantastic.

And so now you must go and read this new blog.

Manolo says, many apologies for the scarcity of the posting this week. The Manolo is yet again in motion. This week he will be travelling to Salt Lake City. If any of the Manolo’s friends have any suggestions as to where the Posse Manolo should dine and shop, the Manolo would consider it the great kindness.

Manolo says, if you have perhaps been wondering why the postings of the Manolo have been so slow this week, it is because the peregrinations of the Manolo have taken him up the coast of California, through the Big Sur, and into the most beautiful, if somewhat twee town of Carmel-by-the-Seaside.

Naturally, the Posse Manolo (the abbreviated version) did many Carmel touristy things, which included, but was not limited to, the visit to the Mission, the tea at the Tuck Box, and the shopping rampage through the tree-lined streets.

This morning, the Manolo finds himself in San Francisco, where he will be for the next two or three days, visiting with the friends, and doing what the Manolo does in beautiful and vibrant cities filled with restaurants and shops.