Now We Are 11.

11 years ago, I started a joke...I mean I started a blog, the one you see before you. Time has marched on, and so have I, pretty much...but the blog remains here, like an abandoned home that was once the pride of the neighborhood but is now neglected and forlorn, with peeling paint, overgrown weeds, and hanging shutters. Still, if you do desire, most of what I wrote on it, back in the day, is still here, so I hope from time to time someone will visit and enjoy whatever disjointed thoughts I was thinking hard enough to allow them to escape through my fingers and get out on the InterWeb via this very outlet.

If you really miss me, I can still be found on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook.

See ya next year, perhaps! And, as always, may every song you sing become your favorite tune.

Happenings Ten Years Time Ago.

10 years ago today, I wrote my first blog post here at what I named The Johnny Bacardi Show. It has been a year since I've posted anything here, I know, and that makes me sad. I used to look forward to coming up with stuff to write about, and enjoyed the links and feedback I got upon occasion. Unfortunately, at some point a couple of years ago it began to feel like more of a grind and an obligation than anything else, and some of the writing that came somewhat easily early on became harder and harder, so this blog has become like a house that has been vacated, but nobody has bothered to move all the stuff out.

Still, I had some good times, have met a lot of interesting people, even got paid for one shining moment to write something...so I can't complain too much.

Don't see the hiatus ending anytime soon, I'm sorry to say...right now, at this stage of the game, not much about my life is conducive to writing, for fun or otherwise. High-stress job  (I know that's all relative), apathy about so many things I was enthusiastic about just five or so years ago, family obligations, blah blah blah...there are many culprits. Perhaps things may change for me someday, who knows, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. I no longer have any illusions that my writing will lead to anything that will improve my life in any way...well, any more than it actually has by now. In a lot of ways, it's become sort of an exercise in futility for me, repeated over and over, and these days I rarely have the energy to fight it.

Anyway, just because I'm not writing here doesn't mean I'm not findable here on the Intarwebs. I have been known to get on Tweeting jags on Twitter about all sorts of things, even comics sometimes, so by all means follow me if you're on there. I also post stuff, mostly images, on Tumblr from time to time, and that one is the closest thing I have to what this site used to be. The LiveJournal is still alive, kinda dormant like this one unless I get in the mood (and have the time) to sketch something, and I put it up there. As of right now, I still review comics about once a month at Popdose...I'm kinda overdue right now in getting the latest one done. After putting it off for about eight years, I am finally, slowly but surely, rebuilding and redoing my Thriller site, this time in blog format. Please check in from time to time, I do want to get it done but it's difficult to get the time, energy, and desire to do it. I'm on Facebook too, because, well, why not.

And so, here we are. Ten years. That's quite a long time, and sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I had had the energy and wherewithal of, say, a Mike Sterling, who has put something up almost every day since he started, or Laura "Tegan" Gjovaag, who has done the same. Who knows. A lot of the blogs that started out when I did are similarly no longer active, a victim of their owners either succumbing to ennui or moving on to higher-profile (and hopefully paying, in some cases) gigs. Does that mean blogging is dead? I doubt it, but in the wake of Twitter and Tumblr and so on, it certainly doesn't seem to be as widespread as it once was, and maybe that's for the best; there were a lot of, shall we say, undistinguished blog sites that sprang up so many years ago. I think perhaps the cream has risen to the top and a lot of the chaff has fallen by the wayside, if you'll forgive my mixed metaphors.

OK, enough rumination. If you have made it this far, I thank you most sincerely, and I appreciate it more than you'll ever know. Happy birthday, Johnny Bacardi, you old bastard. See ya in the funny papers. Or webcomics on your Kindle. Or whatever. As if you could even afford a Kindle.

Number nine...number nine...

As of today, this blog has been in existence for nine years. Hard to believe. Like Sandy Denny once sang, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes".

I'm really sorry that I don't update it like I used to, but that's the way it is for me these days. I can't bring myself to delete it, so here it will stay, patiently awaiting me to write a little on it, for old times' sake, if nothing else.

Thanks to everyone who's ever read me here, or commented or both. Lots of love to you all.

Where the hell am I, anyway?

I'm still alive, and I do intend to take up blogging here again eventually. There just aren't enough hours in the day and enough energy to pursue it like I feel it ought to be pursued, it seems. But I do miss the days when I'd post several times a week, and keep thinking about a way to get back to that...so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I'm still reviewing comics over at Popdose.com, Tumblring and Twittering like mad, and even post the occasional item of interest over on Facebook, if you're desperate enough for my company to befriend me there.

Look for a post that I'm sorry I have to write later this evening, then stay tuned- keep me in your Google Reader feeds, whatever you do to follow blogs...and who knows? I may be back sooner rather than later.

So...how's it going?

Having a good new year so far?

This is my first post here of the year 2011. I really hate that I don't update this blog as often as I once did, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Life in the Meat World is hectic and often frustrating, and I often have trouble getting myself in the proper mental place to write. I do still post stuff all over the place at odd times, just not here...and while it's possible that I'm spreading myself too thin, often it's just quicker and easier to post in those places. And those places are:

Twitter, of course. I'm always blathering on about something there. I hope you'll follow me in case I accidentally say something profound in 140 characters or less.

I've been posting mostly images of this and that on my Tumblr blog, called I Come Tumbl'n. That's kinda taken the place of the images I used to post here. Last night, I thought I would start a mini-feature of sorts, in which I'll post a page a day from Thriller, until I decide to stop.

Speaking of Thriller, I'm afraid I'm not going to be upgrading the venerable old website anytime soon; although I did reserve a Wordpress blog a few months ago with the idea that I might recreate it in blog form. Someday, I'll give the series and its creators a proper spotlight.

I'm on Facebook, and post a lot of links and videos there, which probably irritates my friends and family no end but I do get positive feedback as well, so feel free to friend me there if you like. I deleted my MySpace page last week, so don't look for me there.

If you miss my opinions and thoughts on recent comics and graphic novels, please check out my more-or-less weekly column over at Popdose, Confessions of a Comics Shop Junkie. Perhaps someday I'll start capsule reviewing my new comics purchases here again, but it won't be anytime soon.

I've also been invited to participate in a group blog about pop culture called Poplitiko; many, many fine writers have contributed already. I haven't put anything up there just yet, but I plan to do so as soon as I can get some coherent thoughts together. Chances are it won't be about comics; my first post will most likely be about my favorite year in music, 1974.

I still post the odd sketch on the ol' LiveJournal, as well as my DeviantArt page.

Geez, I am spread thin!

OK. How about some personal stuff! Actually, it had crossed my mind to make this blog more diary-like, but I'm not sure how much I want to do that. I din't think my personal life is all that interesting. I'm still working at the small print shop full time, though decreased business has caused the owner to cut us back to 4 days a week instead of 5...this is not a pleasing development, but we've managed to get by OK so far. Needless to say, I am considering my options and have been looking around for other jobs, but let's face it, my age is a handicap now. I've also begun to entertain thoughts of a career change for the first time in my life...but what, I can't say right now. Anyway, I still work part-time at the radio station, and right now, during basketball season, I'm getting enough hours to almost make it worth my time. That will all come to a halt in April, and I'm now considering trying to find a second part-time job to help make ends meet. Busing tables or working in a kitchen doesn't sound as bad to me now at 51 as it did, oh, 20 years ago.

Recent TV and movies I've seen and enjoyed include the Coens' True Grit and of course Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (I know, I haven't done proper movie reviews in ages). I've begun to watch the AMC series Breaking Bad on DVD, and am liking it quite a bit so far. I actually won an autographed copy of the documentary Who is Harry Nilsson...and Why is Everybody Talkin' About Him?- autographed by the director, not by Nilsson, of course. Actually, I have Harry's autograph already, obtained years ago for me by a friend at a Beatle convention. Long story. Anyway, it's fascinating, informative, and often moving- and while I can quibble with this and that and how it is or isn't presented, I recommend it highly if you haven't seen it. As far as currently airing programs go, right now I'm loving the FX series Justified, and am looking forward to the return of HBO series Boardwalk Empire and Treme.

Musically, I took money I got for Christmas and ordered a bunch of recent albums, such as the Black Keys' Brother, Tom Petty's Mojo, Band of Horses' Infinite Arms, Justin Townes Earle's Harlem River Blues, and Paul Simon's self-titled debut. Of all the new ones, I really loved that Band of Horses the most, though they were all very good. Some better than others. My music listening habits are random and varied; I'm liable to start the day in a Prince mood and wind up listening to Jethro Tull by days' end.

I also took some of that Christmas money and ordered the first four volumes of Fantagraphics' Popeye comic strip reprints; while I had read several of them here and there over the years, and liked them a lot, I had never read a sustained run of them. I have to tell you, that is some inspired, wonderful, insane stuff. If you think you know Popeye from today's comics or the cartoons, know that this is a whole 'nother thing, like those comics and films cranked up to ten and dosed with something stronger than spinach. They're quite amazing and very enjoyable, and I haven't really gotten into the acknowledged peak of Elzie Segar's tenure yet. I'm also still getting and reading lots of comics; current favorites include Keith Giffen's Doom Patrol, which is selling poorly and probably won't be around much longer, damn it; Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt's Sixth Gun; Jeff Parker's entertaining Thunderbolts; Aaron and Guera's Scalped; David Hine and Moritat's surprisingly good take on The Spirit; and the Hellboy books, with a number of creators including Mike Mignola and Guy Davis, are as solid as always. Invincible Iron Man. Batgirl is intermittently interesting, as is Batman, Inc. and Booster Gold. And I know I'm forgetting some, so I'll stop now.

I'll wind this up. I don't know when I'll post here again, but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. Thanks for reading!

Happy Blogiversary to Me.

Yes, 'twas on this very day, seven years ago, that I decided to start writing stuff on the Internet for public consumption. Even though I've slowed down a lot (or perhaps spread myself a bit thin) over the last few years, I have no intention of stopping completely anytime soon, and as always, I appreciate each and every one of those of you who stop by and read, no matter how infrequently I post. You're all aces in my book.

And appropriately enough, this is my 100th post of 2009! Time was, I had 100 by April.

The long dark night of the soul continues.

Like Batman here, I am still bereft of the necessary inspiration and energy to blog, so I will remain absent from your feed readers and so on for a while longer. If and when my darned old drunken crack whore muse returns, then I shall once more inflict myself upon you all. And again, I remind you that I continue to Twitter and Tumbl at a pace that I wish I could match around these parts. If you just can't make it through the day without a little piece of me in your hearts and minds, then please check me out and follow over there. I appreciate each and every one of you. Well, most of you, anyway. You, and you...and definitely you. Not you, but I can find it in my heart to forgive you if you make the first move.

Good luck, and good night.

State of my Union 2.

Hello, it's been a while, I know. I just really haven't been feeling up to it, sorry. For pretty much the last two weeks, I've been fighting Bronchitis and the Flu, stuffed-up head, hacking cough, fever, you name it...not to be confused with the Tu-ber-cu-lu-cus and the Sinus Blues- or for that matter with the Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu. In fact, everyone in my house- me, Mrs. B., daughter Abby and baby Clara all had it to some degree, a real sick house we were. After trying to combat it with aspirin and Robitussin (sorry, Chris Rock's dad, didn't work all that well) the first week, and missing two days' work, I eventually went to the doctor on Saturday and got some antibiotics, which weren't strong enough...and after a sleepless Sunday night and an insane attempt to go back to work on Monday (my co-worker got laid off, y'see, and now I'm having to do the work of two people for the same pay) to keep from getting behind any more than I already was, I eventually had to break down and drag my haggard ass back to the Doc for another try. This time I got a very strong steroid shot, some stout cough medicine, and some stronger antibiotics, and after sleeping pretty much all Monday night and Tuesday, I felt much better, and went back to work today, more behinder than ever. Anyway, none of this is conducive to doing any serious blogging, and so this site has lain fallow for many a day. About all I could muster up the enthusiasm for was Twittering and posting stuff on Tumblr. But I'm here to tell you now that I fully intend to at least get the reviews of comics I read as far back as two weeks ago, which I've had in draft status for a while now, and some other stuff too while I'm at it.

And no, I haven't been to the movies either, so I have not seen either Coraline (remarkably still playing at my local theatre) or Watchmen. I did watch a film or two on TV, when I could concentrate on it that is, including the elegant, moving HBO film Taking Chance with Kevin Bacon, highly recommended, and Elvis' Blue Hawaii on TCM as well as Fort Apache with John Wayne and the insanely nuts Willie Dynamite with Gordon from Sesame Street as a ruthless pimp. Blaxploitation at its finest! I also screened a documentary about the making of John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band LP, which was quite well done, interesting and informative, and featured lots of screen time for the great Klaus Voorman, who even demonstrates how he played the bass part to "Hold On John" by playing along with the master tapes. I also watched the Dead Like Me direct-to-DVD sequel, mostly unsucessful at capturing what made the short-lived Showtime series so special, which is not to say that it didn't have its moments but was a bittersweet pleasure at best with some headscratching glitches in the storyline. Domo arigato to Johanna Draper Carlson for sending me the screener. Anyway, since 2009 has rolled around, I have been keeping a movie watching diary of sorts, thinking perhaps I'll draw from it to blog about movies a bit more here. You know, like I useta.

Been watching a little network TV, too- I got acquainted with Whedon's Dollhouse while I was laid up; it's not perfect, there are plot holes, and I'm not sure that Eliza Dushku has the acting chops for the demands of the role...but the concept is interesting if a little far-fetched, and they move things along at a smart clip, so it's quite watchable I think. For now. I tried to get interested in Leverage on TNT, and I might still try to go back and get caught up, but I kinda stopped looking for it after a couple of episodes. The new CN show Batman: The Brave and the Bold jumps all over the line of awfully-silly-to-awfully-cool, but overall it's a blast and I think Bob Haney would have loved it. CN's Adult Swim show Superjail is really something, too- sadistic violence and nihilism, all wrapped up in faux-60's animated styings, as if the Blue Meanies in Yellow Submarine were really mean. Clever stuff, if you don't mind the cartoonish gore.

Anyways, been doing a lot of thinking about my "blogging career" in general. No, I'm not gonna quit, don't get your hopes up, but it sure does seem more and more difficult to get the time and the desire to hold forth about this and that as time goes by. Burnout? I don't know. I still like to write occasionally about this and that, but don't really have the fire in the belly to write about music on a consistent basis, hence the fallow music blog, and even comics commentary, such as I provide mostly via reviews, sometimes is a chore- happy to have them done when I get them done, but boy does my tendency towards procrastination rear its ugly head. Oh well, worry not. I haven't been an everyday blogger for a long time now, and all I can do is hope that you can find it in each and every one of your hearts to merely add me to your RSS feed reader or whatever and that way when I do post something, there it will be for you to read. Or ignore.

Thanks for the well-wishes I've had lately, here and on Twitter and Facebook and hither and thither, and as always, keep watching the skies, I'll be posting soon.