2007 in (very) brief

First half: insanely terrible

Second half: pretty amazing

Difference? 2000 miles, thousands of dollars, lake vs. ocean, freezing vs. mild, endings vs. beginnings

In other news: A little bit of blogging--MEGO, 1-800-Roosevelt, California Scheming--here and there, as the year winds down. Can't say I'm sorry to see this one go.

'Tis the ... season?

As the first real snow his Chicago, folks out here in the Valley talk about "winter" arriving because we've had three days of kind of misty cloud cover. These types of seasonal disconnects continue to take up too much of my braintime. Little else will for the next month, as the first quarter here at school comes to a close and the holidays rapidly approach. It's crazy to think that we've already been living here for almost four months. Time truly does fly.

Lots of new blog posts this week. My Eyes Glaze Over continues to be where the action is, with more thoughts on Amazon's Kindle and Facebook's missteps; my Punk Planet blog saw an update on the sorry state of music at Stanford; 1-800-Roosevelt gets the usual updates, including the man's Amazon wishlist for those that care; and even California Scheming gets in a holiday mood with a broken set of Christmas lights that can be yours on the cheap!

Back from Hell

So it may not have been a great Run DMC album (RIP Jam Master Jay), but it's certainly how I'm feeling: finally free of the cold that has dogged me for a month, finally free from the houseguests that have brought (welcome) distraction, finally free from the lurking feeling of not belonging here, I'm now able to focus on work, on family, and on building a life (albeit a temporary one). At least, that's how it feels tonight. Cross your fingers for continued health and clarity of mind.

Lots of new stuff, starting with some housecleaning on this site. A couple ancient bits of writing are off the main page, now in a new sidebar called "where I used to write." Let's face it, those letters to Bush aren't coming back, and I never did find a reason to enjoy Twitter, so those two are confined to the electronic dustbin. Or something.

New writing in My Eyes Glaze Over and in Punk Planet. New photos, as always, in 1-800-Roosevelt. A new Geek Tour is formulating in my head, don't you worry. But Craigslist has gotten worryingly bland--I'm sure the start of holiday shopping will change all that--so don't hold your breath on a new California Scheming in the next week.

Houseguests and Blogs don't mix

A seemingly endless stream of out-of-town guests has made it so not much blogging has gotten done lately. Sure it's wonderful to see friends and family, but don't they know there's work to be done! I mean, those jokes about Craigslist ads aren't just going to write themselves, are they? Who's going to do a Geek Tour when you're driving folks down to Half Moon Bay every week? It's a hard knock life I'm leading right now, I know.

The only update of note is in MEGO, which has a lengthy discussion of Amazon's new Kindle e-book. Also lots of new pictures of my son in 1-800-Roosevelt, as always. Also of note, the always reliable Paul Davis drops the bomb on Razor over in the Battlestar Galactica blog, What the Frakk, additional comments by yours truly. Once this holiday week is up, things return to normalcy for a while so hopefully more updates then!

Things change, seasons don't

There must be some other method for judging the passage of time out here in California, because the usual weather-related cues aren't cutting it. Somehow we've wandered into November with the same gauzy glow that has accompanied August, September, and October. While 70 and sunny is no reason to complain--and please don't interpret this as such--it's still disconcerting to not be able to look out the window and say, "Ah, fall."

Plenty of new writing: The death of a visionary celebrated at Punk Planet, a brief look at Google's OpenSocial in MEGO, plenty of cuteness (including halloween--don't miss the whale costume) in 1-800-Roosevelt, and a couple new ads in California Scheming. Enjoy!

Exhaustion level 30

It was one of those weeks that could only have ended up at a health clinic full of screaming children on a Saturday morning in the middle of wine country. Everyone's fine, thanks for asking, but I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation.

New writing up this week in Punk Planet, in MEGO, in California Scheming, and of course more photos at the kid blog.

But that's not all! Because four active blogs aren't enough, I'm happy to announce the start of Geek Tours--it's opinionated sight-seeing around the nerdiest corners of Silicon Valley. This week's entry stars a very oddly named restaurant in the heart of Apple's campus. That site's still a work in progress, but you get a map as a sidebar, so hey, that's new!.

chest colds all around!

My first California cold has settled into my chest more completely than we've settled into our new tiny home. It's been a week where I've felt just awful and exhausted all the time. These things happen I suppose. Lots of blog updates this week: my Punk Planet blog got an entry about major labels' latest attempt to remain relevant by buying into the touring industry (and vice versa); MEGO saw a few, including a long piece about the newly redesigned Chicago Reader; California Scheming got two new ads posted, one creepy and one just stupid; and even the Battlestar Galactica blog, What the Frakk, saw some action this week. I guess colds are good for blogging!

like the sun on my face

A warm glow was everywhere this week, as we all finally began to live scheduled lives again. Don't get me wrong--a month of free time was a welcome thing, but it's nice to wake up in the morning and know what happens next. It was weird to go back to school though. Even though I've been teaching for four years, and I was prepared for some things (like how much of a disaster most 18-year-olds are), returning as a student again was still a strange feeling. But strange in a good way, like the first time you eat something truly new.

Posts all over the place this week--the ubiquitous (albeit cute) photos of Roosevelt (video this time too) lead the pack, like always, but also two posts in MEGO, one in California Scheming, and--believe it or not--even one over at Punk Planet, which actually expands on the previous paragraph here and talks about, among other things, burning my hand on a soldering iron.

Well, that's settled

Finally feeling settled in our cabin in the woods; the runs to Target have fallen into an every-other day routine, instead of an every-other hour fiasco. Getting our bearings in this new area we call home--an area so concentrated with wealth and extravagance that every corner you turn gives a new reason to gape anew. Every corner also gives you a new reason to remember just how little you fit in, with your worn shoes, dirty car, and screaming child.

Much of the blog action fell on the shoulders of young Roosevelt this week, with 1-800-Roosevelt seeing multiple updates a day thanks in part to learning how to hook my cell phone up to the blog--all sorts of excitement just floats right in out of the air now. My Eyes Glaze Over also saw an update this week, a brief discussion of the New York Times decision to end TimesSelect. And California Scheming also got some love, with a couple new Craigslist ads, including one racist children's book for sale.

Life, part two

Two-thousand miles now separate me from where I used to live to where I now live. Come Wednesday, my home in Chicago will belong to someone else, so returning isn't an option. It's a strange new world, but it's an exciting one. Most of the blog action this week has come in the form of 1800Roosevelt, with lots of photos of the boy in his new surroundings. Also of note, a summation of our drive out on my Punk Planet blog. Finally, a whole new blog has been added to the list: California Scheming, where I look at my new surroundings through the lens of Craigslist.

Situation: Toilet

So let's see YOU shut down your business, sell your home, pack your entire home, and somehow maintain regular blog updates. Not bloody likely. That said, while the metablog hasn't been updated in some time, I have been writing little bits here and there. The sale of the Chicago Reader prompted a flurry in MEGO and 1-800-Roosevelt has seen a regular injection of cuteness, while (perhaps understandably) my Punk Planet blog has seen less-frequent updates and What the Frakk appears to be down with a bad FTL drive right now. For the time addled, I'm now experimenting with Twitter as well.

6/10/07-6/16: The Calm Before the Storm

A fairly straightforward week this week, the last in probably some time. Enjoy it while it lasts, I suppose. The Punk Planet blog saw two posts this week, one about Chicago theater folks' the Neo-Futurists asking for zinemakers to send their stuff; the other documented the call for help put out by friends and publishing stalwarts McSweeneys. MEGO followed the McSweeneys announcement as well, dabbled in Google AdWords, and looked at the implications of the New York Times' latest advertisement numbers. And, of course, cuteness abounded in 1-800-Roosevelt. Happy reading.

a week away = a week blogging!

We've moved the show out to the suburbs for the week to get a break from the routine. The change of venue brought with it a change of attitude and all sorts of new blog posts! In my Punk Planet blog, I talk about the din of the cicadas and how it's so different than the sounds of the city. In MEGO, I write about the continuing specter of Ron Burkle, cross post to a Punk Planet entry, and comment on someone else's quantification of the changing state of print. In 1-800-Roosevelt, you're treated to a rousing rendition of "The Cream Song," and more pontificating about cicadas. Enjoy!

read 'em and...

I believe in site-specific blogging, meaning I don't think a catch-all blog is the way to go. I want my blogs to be about specific things, from the very serious to the personal to all points in between. As a result, I don't want to have a single blog--I want lots and lots. This page collects feeds from each blog I write and puts them all in one place. Enjoy!