Dudes Wearing Umbrella Hats...

I'm Not Alone...

Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks Senator Mitch McConnell looks like the turtle in those art school test ads. Jon Stewart seconded my emotion last night. You can watch it HERE if you like.

This Is Fun...

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Sorry. There was some gunk on my 7 key that I was trying to scrape off. Please disregard this post.

Football...

I don't expect much out of the Bears this season, but I don't really care since I already got my Blackhawks Stanley Cup yayas this year. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the action, sans fantasy leagues. As for tonight's game, I'm afraid I can't bring myself to cheer for the Vikings no matter how ambivalent I am. Go Saints (I guess)!

I'll Take "Tea Party Douchebags" For $200, Alex...

You get one guess...

The Wedding Post...

As some of you may know, Megan and I got married yesterday. For the past three summers, her family has rented a vacation home on a lake up here for a week. The one they chose this year was ideally set up for a small wedding. There's a big, sandy beach and a dock with plenty of room for a tent. We each have a brother and a sister who stood up with us. We asked my uncle to get his $13 credentials from the Universal Life Church website so that he could perform the ceremony. We didn't hire a photographer or use a wedding planner or a deejay. The food, all of which was locally grown/raised, was provided by the guy who runs the co-op farm where Megan volunteers. It came off exactly the way we had hoped. Despite several forecasts that had called for thunderstorms, the weather was absolutely perfect and punctuated with a million dollar Michigan sunset. Megan's dad surprised everyone by arranging an awesome fireworks display. Later in the evening, after some serious imbibing, many guests ended up in the lake in various states of undress. I think you'll agree that Megan looked absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't have asked for a better day or a more wonderful bride. Here are some pics:

For Chicagoans (And Fans Of Old Style)...

Any dive bar that's worth a damn in Chicago has an Old Style sign out front. I found a fun Flickr group dedicated to all things Old Style. This is the Chicago I know and love:

Blogroll Retrospective: Epilogue...

Whew!

Well, that was a lot of fun. It was nice to see people stop by I hadn't heard from in a while. I hope that others who have not yet discovered these will trickle in over time. It was also nice to hear from some of you that this series has inspired you to get back into posting stuff. It's been a long time since I've had 70+ posts in a single month. If there are some of you who still follow this blog that I omitted, my sincere apologies. And now, back to the toilet humor!

Blogroll Retrospective: Genius Pending...

Last post: June 29, 2010

In most cases, whenever I start reading a new blog, I can identify another blogger who led me to it. Not so in the case of Jay of "Genius Pending". I'm pretty sure it was completely random. He hasn't been around here for a while, so I don't know if he still reads this. He's another Seattle-area blog-pal with some seriously funny-ass material. It's a nice mix of long stuff and short stuff. He's another one I hope starts posting again regularly.

Blogroll Retrospective: Son Of A Thomas...

Last post: July 21, 2010

There are quite a few Philly-area bloggers on my roll, including Son Of A Thomas. I think we discovered each other through comments on Zibb's blog. Like I've said a million times, it's another blog with a sense of humor that I appreciate. The author is a former radio personality who is currently seeking employment, so if you have any connections in that area, I'm sure he'd like to talk to you.

Blogroll Retrospective: Gingers Is The Watchword...

Last post: July 19, 2010

"Gingers Is The Watchword" is another blog I discovered because of its ubiquitous (nice) presence throughout our corner of the blogosphere. There you will find plenty of humor and pop culture, as well as some original music. Red was another participant in the aforementioned fantasy football league. Unfortunately, I snagged her beloved San Diego Chargers from under her - a move that eventually proved critical to my success. I hope she can forgive me.

Blogroll Retrospective: Extraneous Kickassery...

Last post: April 19, 2010

Seriously? April 19th? I think it's time to get back in the game, Jon of "Extraneous Kickassery" (one of my favorite blog titles, by the way). I discovered Jon thanks to Falwless's obsession with him. Of course he has the mandatory sense of humor. He's also one of the few bloggers besides myself who posts about sports. In fact, he orchestrated a fun little fantasy football league last season that - thanks to the upstart Cincinnati Bengals - won me $40. At any rate, I hope he finds his way back to posting at some point.

Blogroll Retrospective: Whiskeymarie...

Last post: July 21, 2010

Like so many other blogs I currently follow, Whiskeymarie's was one that was linked everywhere. She has a goofy sense of humor (like your truly) and I love the way she signs off on her posts (i.e.: "Happy Tuesday, my sweaty little aerobic leprechauns. Happy Tuesday."). I also like to see the posts of her and Gwen (Everything I Like Causes Cancer) raising hell together. If they ever need a volunteer videographer for their misadventures, I hope they keep me in mind.

Blogroll Retrospective: Cora & Scope...

Last posts: July 22, 2010

Okay, for this entry, I've decided to combine two blogs in honor of their recent nuptials. That's right, these two actually beat Megan and I to become the first bloggers in our little circle to become husband and wife (as Cora would say, "Squeeeeee!"). I discovered both of them through Zibbs. I've actually met Scope at a Chicago function and, who knows, now that Cora is moving to Chicago I may have the opportunity to meet her on one of my future trips. It has been fun to watch their relationship blossom as someone who had had a similar experience. At times I've wondered if - now that the wedding is over - they'll have anything new to post about, but somehow I don't think it'll be a problem. Congratulations, you two! I wish you all the best.

Blogroll Retrospective: The Imaginary Review...

Last post: February 23, 2010

Jeez. Another Canadian. Here is another case of one of my favorite bloggers falling off the face of the earth. If you have never visited "The Imaginary Review", do yourself a favor and check out some of his archive. He has made me laugh out loud on several occasions. He is to comedic prose what Vikkitikkitavi is to political essays. He's a craftsman. I seriously hope he is not gone for good. He is funny as shit and we all know that shit is fucking hilarious.

Blogroll Retrospective: Katrocket...

Last post: July 21, 2010

I swear. You let one Canadian onto your blogroll and pretty soon the whole place is infested! I'm just joking, of course. I used to follow Katrocket on the now-nonexistent "Rocket Radio" blog. Her new blog is billed as a photography site, but she still takes time to write and make with the funny. I can't really recall how I stumbled upon her other than the fact that she was linked to a lot of other blogs I like. One of these days I need to do a Canadian tour and meet all these Canucks with their uppity socialized medicine and what-not.

Blogroll Retrospective: The Vegetable Assassin...

Last post: July 18, 2010

I have tremendous respect for anyone who can tolerate living somewhere colder than I do. When she's not fending off hordes of rodent invaders, The Vegetable Assassin is posting some of the funniest stuff out there these days. Plus, she can string together obscenities like nobody's business. I discovered her thanks to The Other Side Of Normal, the now dormant blog of her significant other. She is also an amazing artist. Be sure to check out her series of Airstream paintings, some of which are on the sidebar.

Blogroll Retrospective: Miss Alex...

Last post: July 20, 2010

Miss Alex of "Fonzie Sox" is another NYC connection. One of us found the other through Casual Slack from what I can remember. She has the same sort of goofiness as Jen and often contributes photos to the Fee Feasible blog. She is an artist who recently made the move from Jersey to Manhattan and has been writing about that as of late. Her posts are very open and honest and full of vibrant photography.

Blogroll Retrospective: KimDeC...

Last post: July 11, 2010

The only other food blog I follow other than Megan's is KimDeC's "My Lil' Kitchen". I discovered her over on Zibbs' blog. I think they live in the same area and that she has actually met him in person. Anyway, she takes beautiful photographs of some mouth-watering recipes - especially the pasta dishes. This is yet another case of two blogs that don't really have anything in common - hers is about cuisine and mine is about toilet humor - and still we read each other's stuff. I think that's cool.

Blogroll Retrospective: Bill Stankus...

Last post: July 20, 2010

I'm not sure how many of my other readers follow Bill Stankus's "A Moment Of Miscellany". I discovered him after he started commenting here. Whenever there's a comment from someone new, I always check out their blog. Bill is an accomplished woodworker from the Seattle area. He's actually published books on the subject. He also posts beautiful photographs and informative mini-essays. It is a very no-frills, serene blog. He's also a big Carlin fan which indicates we would get most likely get along.

Blogroll Retrospective: Suzel's Sass...

Last post: March 21, 2010

Where did Suze of "Suzel's Sass" go? I found her because she was linked to a ton of blogs I liked, so I figured I must be missing out and gave hers a look. I was. She had plenty of short posts (I've told you about my short attention span, right?) and they were packed with humor and, as the title implies, sass. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her much on Facebook, either. Suze, if you see this, be sure to check in every once in a while so we don't worry. With that, I will proudly add you to the list.

Blogroll Retrospective: Impeachment And Other Dreams...

Last post: July 9, 2010

DGuzman of "Impeachment And Other Dreams" (which has since been shortened to "...Other Dreams") was a regular commenter on several of the political blogs I frequented. At the time, she and I were dreaming of the same thing - getting Dubya the hell out of the White House. She writes passionately about progressive issues and always with humor. She also has a blog that documents her love of birdwatching. I haven't seen her around here for a while, but that's not unusual. Perhaps this series will bring her out of hiding.

Blogroll Retrospective: Everything I Like Causes Cancer...

Last post: June 16, 2010

Alright, I'm starting the second act of this retrospective with Gwen of "Everything I Like Causes Cancer". I found her through either Zibbs or Falwless - I'm not sure which. I was hooked immediately. Gwen is a riot! She does not shy away from gross-out humor. She's also very gracious. She was so kind as to send me a copy of a documentary she had. She's had a bit of a dry spell this past month, but I'm sure she's just gathering material that she'll release in a torrent of posts. I happily welcome her to my blogroll.

Blogroll Retrospective: Intermission...

Well, that brings me to the end of my current blogroll. Fear not, though. The love-fest will continue after this brief interlude. The next part will be tricky. For one, I have no idea in what order I discovered the remaining blogs. I'm also not sure who is still around and who isn't. I don't want to slight anyone by omitting them, so if I do, just give me an gentle e-shove and I'll be sure to feature you. The retrospective will continue shortly, so stay tuned...