Horrible self-indulgence

Today is the first anniversary of the day I started this blog. I had been surfing the blogaxy for a while, so I decided I could do it just as well as anybody else, right? Hubris, maybe, but what the hell.

Blogging has been lots of fun. Most people who start blogs start off hot and gradually lose interest. Interestingly enough, I am posting more than when I started. I once went over a week without posting! Shocking! I think it's because I know people are reading this thing, so I like to give them new content. (Recently, however, I get the feeling only a few of you are reading - I don't know why; it's just a feeling. I know people are still there, it's just strange, and weirdly eerie. And spooky. And bizarre. I feel like I should pull a Pink Floyd and ask "Is there anybody out there?") I have no plans to stop, either, people! Anyway, because I am horribly in love with myself (like George Hamilton in that new Dell commercial - that cracks me up) I thought I would link to my favorite stuff over the last year. This includes stuff on Comics Should Be Good, because I would have been blathering on about comics here if Brian had invited me over there. I did, however, ignore the stuff on Mia and Norah's blog, The Daughter Chronicles, because that's more of a running commentary. You can still visit it often! Don't you want to know all about my cute daughters?

Here's my first post, by the way. It was quite unimpressive. Who knew the glory that would follow?

Rants about politics and society. When I'm angry, you need to know about it!

Stay at home mothers and why they annoy me. Calm down, I'm not talking about all of them.
I'm sick of the Lord. Yes I am.
Here's my angry rant about the election results.
Pulp Fiction versus Forrest Gump. It's the main event!
What we're teaching our children. Not good things.
American gods. Who we worship.
Why I don't support the troops.
Where the Iraqi things are. Apologies to Maurice Sendak.
Elections are meaningless. Ah, the bleakness!
Why I'm an underachieving bastard.
Illegal immigration and the problems with the government.
Why super-patriots scare me more than evil leftists.
Things I'm tired of.
Reflections on Vietnam.
Why I love America.
My education rant. Now this was fun!
Corollary to my education rant.
The future of America. Read about it with despair!
Why Christians should be liberal.
Thoughts about cynicism.
The saga of the Wilson 4.
I'm proud to be anti-Americanism.
Politics makes me ill. And I want to join in!
Human arrogance in the face of Hurricane Katrina.
Thoughts about downtown Phoenix.
Unintended consequences of laws. They rule.
Thoughts on entering politics. Look out, people - I'm taking the plunge!

My rants about popular culture.

I'm angry at U2. Sacred cows go down here at the blog!
Why Desperate Housewives isn't amoral.
TV shows that should be on DVD.
Thoughts on television.
Recasting Jason and the Argonauts.
Naked Marilyn Chambers with Ivory Soap. No, I'm not making that up.
A movie recommendation for you: The Princess and the Warrior.
Spin's top 100 albums of the past 20 years. This post holds the record for most comments on this blog - 26 of them. Yes, some people throw up a post about what they found in their toilet and get 150 comments, but I'm just a wee blogger.
Good or lucky directors? You be the judge!
Recasting The Maltese Falcon.

Fun personal information about my family. Because here on the blog we air our dirty laundry!

Things Krys and I say to each other because we're cool married people. Nothing dirty, I swear!
Thoughts about my father.
A fun note my wife wrote to me.
Something I overheard as I was walking to my soccer game.
My confessions. Shocking!
My surreal story.
Weird things I do in the bathroom. Again, nothing dirty! We're wholesome and Republican on this blog!
How I met my wife.
Why I'm exotic and you're not.

True Tales From My Childhood. I should talk more about my childhood, but these memories take a long time to recall. Sometimes they're too painful.

My First Time.
The Last Time I Wet The Bed.
The Girl With The Hat. NO ONE pointed out how weird it was that this was awfully familiar to a certain Prince song.

People who should look out when I'm dictator.

People who don't know songs by the bands on their T-shirts.
"Gold-collar" kids.
Men who wear sleeveless shirts.
People with poor elevator etiquette.
People named "Katrina" who change their names.

Totally random history.

Gregory of Tours.
Procopius.
Jean Froissart.

Shaved-head cat pictures. Just for fun, since he is now okay.

Smokey.
More Smokey.
Yet more Smokey.

Books I have read and what I thought of them.

American Aurora by Richard Rosenfeld.
The Queen's Man and Cruel As The Grave by Sharon Kay Penman.
The French Foreign Legion by Douglas Porch.
The Boxer Rebellion by Diana Preston.
The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman.
Shame by Salman Rushdie.
Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner by Paul Sammon.
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser.
Reefer Madness by Eric Schlosser.
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott and Tales From Fish Camp by Danielle Henderson.
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins.
Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner.

Great songs, according to me.

Part One.
Part Two.
Part Three.
Part Four.
Part Five.
Part Six.
Part Seven.
Part Eight.
Part Nine.
Part Ten.
Part Eleven.
Part Twelve.

Comic book stuff.

Philosophy in movies and comic books.
Why I don't buy Mark Millar comics.
100 things I love about comics.
Here's a geeky post about Psylocke.
Why aren't there more anthologies?
Why I didn't like Planet of the Capes.
Murder mysteries in comics.
I wonder if I'm Larry Young's bitch.
How to fix the X-books.
The Golden Age of comics.
A review of Nil: A Land Beyond Belief.
A review of The Batman Chronicles. It's at the end of the post, but you can find it. I don't mean to crow, but I love this review.
The history of American through comics.
Gender politics in comics.
My negative review of Owly, which pissed off a lot of people.
Why Sue Storm is a goddess among women.
Things I miss about comics.
Reviews of Deep Sleeper and Different Ugliness, Different Madness. Two excellent trade paperbacks.
Why I don't like Super F*ckers.
Why do comic book writers hate democracy?
Where are the Christians in comic books?
Should we hate Batman?
Comics I'm proud I bought.
The best "failed" comic books.
Review of The King.
Thoughts about Smoke and Guns.
Why I still buy monthly comic books.
Why do some comic book writers hate superheroes? Tons o' comments on that one!

The Award-Winning series: Comics You Should Own.

300 by Frank Miller.
1963 by Alan Moore and various artists.
Alias by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos.
Amazing Spider-Man #229-230 by Roger Stern, John Romita Jr., and Jim Mooney.
Amazing Spider-Man #238-251 by Roger Stern and a bunch of people.
Animal Man by Grant Morrison, Peter Milligan, and Chas Truog.
Arrowsmith by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco.
Atlantis Chronicles by Peter David and Esteban Maroto.
Aquaman by Peter David, Marty Egelund, and Jim Calafiore.
The Authority by Mark Millar, Tom Peyer, Frank Quitely, Dustin Nguyen, and Arthur Adams.
Automatic Kafka by Joe Casey and Ashley Wood.
Avengers Annual #10 by Chris Claremont, Michael Golden, and Armando Gill.
Avengers Forever by Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco, and Jesus Merino.
Aztek, the Ultimate Man by Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, N. Steven Harris, and Keith Champagne.

Sorry for the self-indulgence. I won't do it again. Well, until next October. I'll keep writing if you keep reading! Actually, I'm so full of myself I'll probably keep writing if no one is reading! Thanks to everyone who stops by regularly. I do notice, really, and I appreciate it. You will all be remembered when this blog turns into a propaganda machine that leads directly to my rise as dictator! Onward to the future!