Blogroll Retrospective: Johnny Yen...

Last post: April 23,2010

I don't often have the attention span for blogs with long posts, but I make an exception when the writing is good. That is the case with Johnny Yen of "Here Comes Johnny Yen Again...". I think I either discovered him through Grant of Lulu, who had known him in Chicago. JY does some outstanding political writing and great stuff about Chicago - the city I grew up in and around. Like me, he's a long-suffering Cub fan. He's another one I was lucky to meet while in Chicago for Lulu's going-away party. He's been busy with nursing school so his posting is sporadic, but I see him pop up on Facebook every now and then.

Blogroll Retrospective: Gizmorox...

Last post: July 9,2010

I'm having trouble remembering how I first discovered Gizmorox of "My Head Is A Box Full Of Nothing". At his point in my blogging experience, the interconnectedness was becoming more and more complex. One thing we shared was that we both lived in areas with seasonal tourism - she had the beaches of South Carolina and I had the lakes of northern Michigan - so I could relate to her stories of tourist hoardes. Plus, like all of my reads, she's funny and into popular culture. I'm saying this a lot, but her blogging has waned over the years. Apparently she has been active on Tumblr lately.

Blogroll Retrospective: Coaster Punchman...

Last post: April 6, 2010

I discovered CP of "Coaster Punchman's World" through Lulu who went to college with him. I think the thing that hooked me were the series of "Mama Jin" (may she rest in peace) posts. They were hilarious in a train-wreck sort of way. CP is another one who was at the big Chicago meet-up. It was great to meet him and his husband, George (no matter what the state of California might say!). Another genuinely nice guy, I hope he gets back to posting more in the future.

Blogroll Retrospective: Sans Pantaloons...

Last post: July 8, 2010

Finally, my first foreign blog-pal! "Sans Pantaloons" (or "without pants") hails from Scotland and has another blog whose name grabbed my attention, again from the Altman/Casual Slack wing. He is a master of the photoshop, among other things. He also caught me in a rather compromising position with a sheep. He posts a lot of his beautiful artwork, much of which follows the Mackintosh Arts & Crafts style. He's got an endearingly weird quality and is a hell of a nice guy.

Blogroll Retrospective: Family Tree Junkie...

Last post: September 11, 2009

I'm pretty sure Teri at "Family Tree Junkie" was another Casual Slack connection. I'm not sure if I finally scared Teri off, because she used to comment here all the time. The thing is, I understand how blogs like mine can eventually lose whatever it was that made them so damn interesting in the beginning. At any rate, Teri has been a great, long-time blog-pal and someone that still frequents the Facebook machine. I apologize that, as a Philly fan, she had to witness their demise at the hands of my Chicago Blackhawks this season.

Blogroll Retrospective: Say It Ain't So, Geo...

Last post: November 16, 2009

Geoff of "Say It Ain't So, Geo" is another one of my childhood friends who got the blogging bug. He is a pop culture devotee who mostly posts about movies he's seen. Come to think of it, I just realized he started a new movie review blog and that I was too lazy to change it on his link. He starts each review with a limerick, thus - The Limerick Critic. Like so many others, Facebook seems to have lessened his desire to post things.

Blogroll Retrospective: Mish Mash...

Last post: April 23, 2010

Amy's blog, "Mish Mash", is one I discovered through Jen. Or she discovered me. It's hard to remember. Anyway, she possessed the primary quality I looked for whenever I'd start following a blog - a sense of humor. Plus, she seemed to appreciate the crazy shit I'd post with her frequent comments. I know she became a Cheesehead a while back (she moved to Madison, WI) which may have contributed to her diminished blogging output over the past several months. As with others, Facebook has helped me keep track of her. I don't know about you, but that beer picture is making me awfully thirsty!

Blogroll Retrospective: Casual Slack...

Last post: July 5, 2010

What first drew me to this blog was its name. It sounded so laid-back - a trait that is right up my alley. Jen at "Casual Slack" is my blogging soul-sister. Like Anne Altman, she and I have similar styles - mostly short posts with a picture. I can't tell you how many times one of us has posted something obscure only to discover the other one was thinking of doing the exact same thing. Jen also maintains a wonderfully bizarre picture blog called "The Fee Feasible Prophecies" (don't ask me what that means. Perhaps Jen will explain in the comments). Like Grant, I met a ton of new people through Jen's blog. She also gets credit for one of my all-time favorite posts that makes me laugh to this day. Unfortunately, she is another one who posts a lot less frequently than she used to.

Blogroll Retrospective: GETkristiLOVE...

Last post: July 6, 2010

I think GKL of "Two Minutes In The Box" and I started our blogs right around the same time. I was immediately drawn to her blog thanks to our shared love of winter sports. I think I discovered her through her sister, Vikki. She is one of the few people who seem to take interest in my documentary movie posts. When I met her at one of the Chicago get-togethers, she even gave me a copy of the doc Dogtown & Z-Boys. She has been dealing with a couple of tough injuries lately that have kept her sidelined from all her sporting pursuits, especially hockey. She joined me in cheering on the Blackhawks this season and hopefully someday she can introduce me to some of her favorite Colorado powder spots.

Blogroll Retrospective: Land-O-Lulu...

Last post: Not available.

Well, this is a sad discovery to make. I guess I didn't realize Lulu's blog had gone private. Lulu gets credit as matchmaker for Megan and I. She was another Grant connection and I liked being able to add another Chicagoan to my roll. Megan and I met her in person for the first time while spending our first Christmas together in Chicago. She and Megan had been blog-chums before we met. They were both high school teachers at the time. Lulu (Lauren) has been teaching in Bangladesh for the past few years and often posts exotic pictures on Facebook. I'm not sure if her blogging days are over or if I need to get an invite to her now invite-only blog. Either way, she's another blogger whose posts I miss.

Blogroll Retrospective: When Harry Met Salad...

Last post: June 13, 2010*

Actually, "When Harry Met Salad" is not the blog where I got to know Megan (that one is still floating out there in the intro-nets). Most of you know the story here. Megan and I met via Grant's blog. We started e-mailing back and forth. She was also one of my stops (Norfolk, VA) on my east coast road trip. We met in person, fell in love, blah blah blah, and now we're about to get married. Her favorite things in life include: feet, Michigan winters, and when I say things like "Don't worry about it!" Her current blog describes the different ways she tricks me into eating vegetables. Well, not exactly, but she loves taking pictures and trying new recipes, so if you are into food and pretty pictures of food, you might want to spend some time there.

*- Her original blog has not seen a new post since September 23, 2007.

Blogroll Retrospective: A Cup Of Coffey...

Last post: April 17, 2009

Beth at "A Cup Of Coffey" is another Georgia blogger (Marni's cousin) whose writing I was drawn to. She shares a love of music and, like most of the people I've met here, has a sense of humor. Actually, I had intended to meet both Beth and Marni on the east coast road trip I mentioned earlier, but due to time constraints, I was unable to make it down that far south. You can bet that if I ever do make it to Atlanta, I'm enlisting both of them as tour guides. As you can see, Beth hasn't posted anything in over a year, but Facebook again has helped fill in the gaps.

Blogroll Retrospective: Marni...

Last post: July 8, 2010

One of the things that was unexpected when I started blogging was how I would connect with such a disparate group of people. Marni of "It's A Pug's Life" is a mother of two from Georgia who was one of my earliest commenters. I'm not exactly sure who found who, but we both frequented the same circle of blogs. She helped me muddle my way through the "Lost" series with her weekly summaries. I've found that Facebook has been a nice supplement to blogging, especially when it comes to those who don't post as often anymore. Maybe it's my curious nature, but I've become interested in what you people are up to.

Blogroll Retrospective: Two Can Anne...

Last post: July 9, 2010

Another one of my biggest blogging influences has been Anne Altman of "Two Can Anne". Her philosophy is "quantity, not quality", even though she usually achieves both. She's another one I found through Grant. I liked the fact that most of her stuff was short and included a funny picture. I modeled my own blog after hers. I got to meet Anne and her beloved Doodle-cat in Manhattan on my aforementioned east coast road trip. She's even funnier in person, which is not to say her blog isn't funny, because it is. Anne's posting has declined as well, but she has a newborn son, so we'll cut her some slack. And whereas Vikki is 7'3" tall, Anne is 2'5". She fits in your pocket.

Blogroll Retrospective: Bells On...

Last post: July 1, 2010

Those of you who have read Vikkitikkitavi's blog, "Bells On", know what a phenomenal writer she is. I've said it before, but I can't think of anyone on the internet today - amateur or professional - who can write about politics and current events the way Vikki does. Her posts are funny, fiery, and full of heart. If anyone should be getting paid to write, she should. I was lucky enough to meet Vikki at a Chicago gathering a few years ago. Most of you probably don't know this, but she's 7'3" tall! Unfortunately, she only blogs sporadically at this point. I'm pretty sure I discovered her through Grant Miller.

Blogroll Retrospective: Flannery Alden...

Last post: June 23, 2010

Flannery Alden was the first person to comment on this blog that I didn't know personally. Her blog is called "Prone To Whimsy" - something I consider myself to be as well. Flannery and her husband Doc hosted me for a night while on an east coast road trip. They introduced me to their friends, showed me around Canton, OH (home of the Football Hall of Fame), gave me a free bed, and even sent me on my way with a belly full of french toast (and a mild hangover). Like me, Flannery doesn't post as often as she once did, but thanks to Google Reader, I never miss a new post. I'll probably use the word "genuine" a lot during this series, but it really does describe Flann and her family. Them's good people.

Blogroll Retrospective: Frank Sirmarco...

Last post: Not available

So we're up to #3 and I've already come to my first defunct blog. Frank is one of my closest friends from high school. He started his blog, The Sirmarco Letters, shortly after I started mine. He also partnered with me on our now-stagnant "Progressive Christianity" blog. Frank is currently busy at home with a 1-year-old son, but that's not why he doesn't blog anymore. He doesn't blog anymore because he doesn't like us and is way too cool for this shit.

Blogroll Retrospective: Grant Miller...

Last post: July 8, 2010

Grant Miller Media (or The Official Site Of Grant Miller to we old-timers) is a giant in the blogging world. Few are as prolific. He has been steadily putting out hilarious stuff on pretty much a daily basis for longer than I've been blogging. Grant and I went to grade school together and hung out all through high school. We reconnected through MySpace of all places in 2006 and he told me about his blog. Soon after, I started this one. Grant helped introduce me to a lot of cool people by letting me guest-post while he was on vacation. I've seen him since at various Chicago-area blogger meet-ups. A genuinely cool, funny guy, as I'm sure those of you who have met him will agree.

Blogroll Retrospective: Nevada Thunder...

Last post: June 9, 2010

Nevada Thunder was started by two brothers that I'm friends with from Elmhurst. I went to school with their brother, Jay, who I think still reads this and occasionally comments. They post mainly news stories for liberally-minded folks. We started our blogs at about the same time. I've known both of them in real life since high school. I usually see them when I'm Chicago and played fantasy football with them a couple seasons.

Some Guy's Blog: A Blogroll Retrospective...

I was just thinking about how much my blogging output has declined since my peak in 2007. I looked at my blogroll and was sad to see how that's the case for many of my longtime blog-pals. So what I thought I'd do is work my way down the list and write a little bit about each person, how long it's been since their last post (or if their blog still exists at all), and how I found their blog. This way, it will be a long time until I run out of subject matter, plus, I may just drag a few of you out of seclusion in the process!

When I get to the bottom, I will continue with the people whose blogs I follow through Google Reader. I'm gonna try to plow through these, so you'll have to keep up.

Yet Another "Knowing The Difference"...

Boysenberry

Quisenberry

Why Are Republican Senators Always So Creepy-Looking?...

Left to right:

Sen. Jon Kyl (AZ), Sen. George LeMieux (FL), Sen. Tom Coburn (OK), Sen. Jeff Sessions (AL)

They'd like to talk to you for a moment about how unemployed citizens are spoiled rotten in this country and must be taught a lesson and the only way to teach that lesson is by impoverishing them.

A Statement Made Yesterday By My Soon-To-Be Wife That - Even With Proper Context - Seems A Little Odd...

"I'd marry a chair before I'd marry a canoe."

Now It's Our Turn...

Step aside, Canadians, and watch how it's done.

Happy America Day!
to all my American friends
from America.

Dare To Dream...

I'd stand on guard for thee.

Happy Canada Day
to all my northern chums!