I'd love to read more local blogs, but I can't find many worth my time. Erie-based blogs are rife with anonymous bloggers and anonymous comments -- which, of course, allows people to behave very badly behind their cloak of invisibility, saying things they could/would never say if everyone knew their "true identity." At the risk of sounding like a new-age, tree-hugging hippie, I don't need the negativity in my life. And, frankly, I'd rather spend my free time reading something that educates me, enlightens me or makes me a better person.

Enter Rachel Kaufman's blog "A Like Affair With Words."

Rachel was in intern in the Features dept. at the Erie Times-News this summer and she wrote a few stories for Her Times while she was here, including one on dreaming in our August 12 issue. She has two articles in our next issue of Her Times -- publishes this Sunday -- about the PA Women's Conference and about Naked Lady Parties.

It's obvious that Rachel is putting as much time and thought into her blog as she does her writing. If you, too, have a love, er, like affair with words -- check it out. You'll find it much more informative and positive that the usual stuff in Erie.

And, no, she's not in Erie anymore, but..for all we know, she has more ties to Erie than the dozens of anonymous bloggers and commentors who claim to live among us.

I get about 387 press releases a day this time of year -- I rarely read them, but this one made me laugh out loud.

If all press releases were this funny, more editors might actually read them.

The subject line of the e-mail was "Story idea: Gift for your Least Favorite Nephew"

Dear Heather,

The holiday season reunites us all with close and beloved family members— we sit by the fire and roast chestnuts, eat way too much food and for the most part, enjoy being around one another. But as you know, everyone has a family member that isn’t so dearly loved.