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!

I'm Four...

I neglected to acknowledge the fourth anniversary of the launch of this blog a few weeks ago. To honor the occasion, I've done a little remodeling as you can tell. I'm also going to change the direction of the blog just a bit. I am no longer going to post anything funny or gross. There will be no mention of the following on this blog from here on out:

• mucus (dried or moist)
  
• turds/dingleberries
  
• pubes in food
  
• flatulence
• hemorrhoids
• Dick Cheney's shriveled nutsack
• maggot puke
• spelunking in Aretha Franklin's cleavage

Nope. All done with that. From now on, this blog is gonna be classy, dammit. I'm going to post about ballet and opera. About literature and fine art. There will probably be lots of posts about tea and crumpets. And in those posts the crumpets will likely be frosted with crocodile semen.

Crap. Nevermind.

A Snot-Related Post...

I spent the day sanding hardwood floors - a back-breaking pain in the ass. The one reward is, at the end of it all, the sawdust and snot combine to form the most exquisite boogers - ones you can tell your grandchildren about.

Documentary Film Of The Day: Tales From The Script...

I always seem to enjoy documentaries about filmmaking. I've watched really good films about editing and cinematography. This one is about screenplay-writing. It's a series of talking-head interviews with screenwriters at varying points in their careers. There are plenty of great stories about breaking into the business. They talk about the creative process and what it's like dealing with studio executives, directors, and actors. It offers about an hour of extra footage - something I always appreciate. If behind-the-scenes stuff interests you, I think you'll enjoy it.

Netflix it HERE.

Something Told Me I Needed To Be In Chicago Today...

I drove down this morning and I'm glad I did.

Way To Go, Hawks!
2010 Stanley Cup Champs

Fonzie Bear...

Documentary Film Of The Day: Visual Acoustics: The Modernism Of Julius Shulman...

I'm not sure how much interest this film will be to those who don't really give a shit about modernist architecture, design, or photography (or learning about new stuff in general). I'm interested in all of them, so I enjoyed this one. Julius Shulman is widely regarded as one of the world's preeminent architectural photographers, especially of the modernist homes of southern California. He was in his nineties when the film was made and unfortunately died in 2009. He had worked with architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, and Frank Gehry. It is beautifully shot and has some neat, illustrative graphics. Again, this film caters to very specific tastes, so please don't complain if you Netflix it and find it boring.

You can add it to your queues HERE.

Another Installment Of "Knowing The Difference"...

Cap'n Crunch

Cap'n Crotch

There Are Very Few Things I Find It Hard To Joke About...

The ongoing oil leak is one of them.

Ignoring for now the debate over whether we should be drilling for oil offshore at all, I'm going to accept the fact that it's happening and will likely continue for the foreseeable future. I'd like someone to explain to me how it is not grossly criminally negligent for the drilling company to NOT have a safeguard in place, ready to deploy at a moment's notice, when engaging in a practice as potentially risky as offshore drilling. To me, it seems pretty obvious. If you are going to drill for oil in the middle of the ocean, clearly the worst-case scenario would be some sort of failure that results in both loss of human life and a catastrophic breach of the oil line. Since the second part of this worst-case has such profound impact on so many things, why is it wrong to expect any company doing this sort of drilling to provide proof that they have a mechanism that has been subjected to rigorous testing that will immediately stop a leak? To think that, at this point, people still don't have a clue how to make this shit stop makes me fucking sick. And for those who would say I'm just some freedom-hating hippie liberal for demanding the strictest regulations and oversight possible, go fuck yourselves.

Next Stop, Lord Stanley...

Some Guy's Blog salutes the mighty mighty Chicago Blackhawks on their sweep of the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference finals.

Gerbert...

I was just sitting here and the word
"Gerbert"
popped into my head.
I'm wondering,
"What the hell is Gerbert?"
"Where do I know that word from?"
Turns out it was some
CBN children's show
from the early Nineties.
I'm sure I didn't watch it,
but it must've seeped into
my subconscious somehow.
Probably because Gerbert's head
looked kinda like
a three-cheeked ass.

You're Gonna Think I'm Shitting You...

I got my very first cell phone today.

I have mixed feelings.
Clearly there are benefits,
but I always took pride in
being able to resist for so long.

Edited to add:
Megan, who got an iPhone today,
snapped this incredibly flattering photo
of me acquainting myself with
my new phone.
It makes me laugh: