Fortunately for me, my class extended it's timeline by a few days without adding any additional content, and so I was able to finish last night despite the fact that I'd basically missed a week thanks to work and other factors.
This is what I think about when I consider returning to grad school, by the way. I travel for work. Really, an online program would be ideal for me to get a masters at long last, as I can't match the attendance that comes with being a 23 year old with nothing else going on but growing facial hair and caring about what sort of beer I'm drinking. I'm seriously considering the need for an MA, but, man, the idea of walking into a classroom again at age 38 or 39 sounds like a nightmare.
Yes, I agree that the education system and how we deal with college degrees in the US is broken, but the trend to want to turn colleges into trade schools also isn't really an option (they have something for that. It's called Trade School). MOOCs are seen as a possible way to share courses across universities, and it sounds good on paper. But I was sitting through a presentation at my conference last week and one of the presenters pointed out that most parents paying for someone's degree really don't want to hear that their kid was in a class with 40,000 other students, only 10% of which completed the course. It's really opening the door for private schools and any university to stroke parents on college tours to promise a generation of helicopter parents that their kids will get special attention by sitting in a class with just 50-100 kids.
But I digress.
Film. Comics. Sci-Fi. Superheroes. Pulp. Noir. History. Superman. 20th Century Archaeology.
Showing posts with label personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
Neverending Battle Fatigue
I recently attended a small Toy and Comic Expo here in Central Texas. I say small, but it had major cast members of The Walking Dead in attendance* (I don't watch the show, and I still recognized them), the event filled a few ballrooms, and had a Batmobile (you saw the pictures. No reason for me to show off further.).
But I also walked out without buying anything.
I've talked here before about how Cons are not my cup of tea, but at this Con, I felt like such an outside observer that I felt like I was at someone else's party.
I quit writing posts on how I was cutting back my DC Comics selections, and in short order, I will have stopped buying any new DC Comics. I just can't buy the new Superman stuff (Scott Lobdell on both main titles, really?) just to bridge my collection, just as I avoid the 90's mullet-era Superman for the convoluted contortions the writers were going through as they wrestled with the Post-Crisis rules imposed on Superman.
I don't understand the enthusiasm for most of today's comics from DC and Marvel, but I do get my fix from other books - like the stuff coming from MonkeyBrain, some from Dynamite and IDW, but my pull list has shrunk to about 3-4 comics on a good week. Last week I didn't pull anything, and I see about a week per month where that's true. Looking at the solicits for an upcoming month tells me that stepping away means it would be work to even try to get back into any of these comics, and at the cost and high likelyhood of a comic at DC getting the axe, it's not really worth it.
Walking around the con, I could identify only a fraction of the costumes on the attendees, and then, mostly from commercials I'd seen for video games while watching shows aimed at a younger demographic, like Archer.
But I also walked out without buying anything.
I've talked here before about how Cons are not my cup of tea, but at this Con, I felt like such an outside observer that I felt like I was at someone else's party.
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| how your comics blogger feels on the inside |
I quit writing posts on how I was cutting back my DC Comics selections, and in short order, I will have stopped buying any new DC Comics. I just can't buy the new Superman stuff (Scott Lobdell on both main titles, really?) just to bridge my collection, just as I avoid the 90's mullet-era Superman for the convoluted contortions the writers were going through as they wrestled with the Post-Crisis rules imposed on Superman.
I don't understand the enthusiasm for most of today's comics from DC and Marvel, but I do get my fix from other books - like the stuff coming from MonkeyBrain, some from Dynamite and IDW, but my pull list has shrunk to about 3-4 comics on a good week. Last week I didn't pull anything, and I see about a week per month where that's true. Looking at the solicits for an upcoming month tells me that stepping away means it would be work to even try to get back into any of these comics, and at the cost and high likelyhood of a comic at DC getting the axe, it's not really worth it.
Walking around the con, I could identify only a fraction of the costumes on the attendees, and then, mostly from commercials I'd seen for video games while watching shows aimed at a younger demographic, like Archer.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Your Humble Blogger and His Next Ride
from the Central Texas Toy and Comic Expo
Jason and I went to San Marcos on Saturday. I don't collect much Batman stuff as there's so much stuff out there with the Bat logo on it. But I have always been fascinated with the various iterations of the Batmobile, largely because of the Batman '66 version, the 1989 version and the various looks from Norm Breyfogle when I started reading comics.
You will never not get me to get excited over a well manufactured replica.
Jason and I went to San Marcos on Saturday. I don't collect much Batman stuff as there's so much stuff out there with the Bat logo on it. But I have always been fascinated with the various iterations of the Batmobile, largely because of the Batman '66 version, the 1989 version and the various looks from Norm Breyfogle when I started reading comics.
You will never not get me to get excited over a well manufactured replica.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Weeks 4 and 5 of MOOC: Gender Through Comics
Attrition rates for online courses are fairly high. In the years I worked in distance education and eLearning, we always knew that external incentives were a huge reason anyone signed up for a masters program online and why they would complete the program. We didn't keep in-house stats when I was working at UT or ASU, as many students blended their learning between on-campus and online, but I believe in our cohort of 15 students to begin a unique program we designed, we only lost 3 of the 15 or so who started.
Massive Open Online Courses have an estimated retention rate of about 10%.
Depending on who you talk to, this is either a problem or it is nothing to worry about. What's interesting is hearing the various excuses and pointing of fingers I've seen lobbed in my personal experience over the years - from "it doesn't matter that the students leave in droves, they came in to get what they needed and left" to "if the faculty can't hold the students' attention, that's really saying something about the faculty".
What nobody is apparently willing to say is that maybe we already have ample evidence that this isn't working as originally intended. Moving the posts in the first quarter of the game turns it into Arena Football, it doesn't improve the NFL.
Look, if you have a TV show and if by week 10, you've lost 80 - 90% of your audience, your show is getting canceled. It doesn't really matter how great of a debut you had. If your whole network loses 80-90% of every program it runs, everyone is getting fired and you're shutting down. If you had a play, and by the time you closed the final curtain your formerly sold out house was left with 10% of the attendees wanly applauding, you'd figure maybe the place was on fire and nobody had told the cast and crew.
I find the idea that students are dipping into classes, getting what they need, and then exiting a naive and groundless assumption and, frankly, the sort of useless hand-waving that folks in higher ed are good at. I suspect they know better, but it's something to say until they put together some actual data on what's happening.
Massive Open Online Courses have an estimated retention rate of about 10%.
Depending on who you talk to, this is either a problem or it is nothing to worry about. What's interesting is hearing the various excuses and pointing of fingers I've seen lobbed in my personal experience over the years - from "it doesn't matter that the students leave in droves, they came in to get what they needed and left" to "if the faculty can't hold the students' attention, that's really saying something about the faculty".
What nobody is apparently willing to say is that maybe we already have ample evidence that this isn't working as originally intended. Moving the posts in the first quarter of the game turns it into Arena Football, it doesn't improve the NFL.
Look, if you have a TV show and if by week 10, you've lost 80 - 90% of your audience, your show is getting canceled. It doesn't really matter how great of a debut you had. If your whole network loses 80-90% of every program it runs, everyone is getting fired and you're shutting down. If you had a play, and by the time you closed the final curtain your formerly sold out house was left with 10% of the attendees wanly applauding, you'd figure maybe the place was on fire and nobody had told the cast and crew.
I find the idea that students are dipping into classes, getting what they need, and then exiting a naive and groundless assumption and, frankly, the sort of useless hand-waving that folks in higher ed are good at. I suspect they know better, but it's something to say until they put together some actual data on what's happening.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Massive Open Online Course, Week 3
Well.
This week was about how making comics is a collaborative process, and that mainstream comics, especially superhero comics, are rarely the work of a single person. There's a writer, artist, editor, etc... associated with every comic that hits the stand.
The process includes many voices, from the writer sitting at their keyboard, to publishers wanting to push circulation, to editors trying to meet deadlines, to artists who seem to reference Maxim photo-spreads all too often.
The comics we were assigned to read included several incarnations of the Marvel "nobody's favorite" candidate, Carol Danvers, aka: Ms. Marvel, aka: Nova, aka: Ms. Marvel, aka: Captain Marvel. I don't dislike Carol Danvers, but I also don't think about the character any more than I think about The Rhino or Arcade or Angle Man or something.
I didn't read the comics.
I was curious about the instructor's take on the production side of comics and how it would affect the narrative, and I thought the take was interesting, but... not what I expected. I had expected discussion of how artists can put their own spin on a script, how editors act as mediators working from their own opinions and company dictates, how design of characters can be managed and scrutinized at a very high corporate level, and that intention of writers can be changed by the time a comic is actually produced. And the fact that artists continually include shots of Wonder Woman's barely-covered butt from a low angle in all-too many Justice League group scenes.
This week was about how making comics is a collaborative process, and that mainstream comics, especially superhero comics, are rarely the work of a single person. There's a writer, artist, editor, etc... associated with every comic that hits the stand.
The process includes many voices, from the writer sitting at their keyboard, to publishers wanting to push circulation, to editors trying to meet deadlines, to artists who seem to reference Maxim photo-spreads all too often.
The comics we were assigned to read included several incarnations of the Marvel "nobody's favorite" candidate, Carol Danvers, aka: Ms. Marvel, aka: Nova, aka: Ms. Marvel, aka: Captain Marvel. I don't dislike Carol Danvers, but I also don't think about the character any more than I think about The Rhino or Arcade or Angle Man or something.
I didn't read the comics.
I was curious about the instructor's take on the production side of comics and how it would affect the narrative, and I thought the take was interesting, but... not what I expected. I had expected discussion of how artists can put their own spin on a script, how editors act as mediators working from their own opinions and company dictates, how design of characters can be managed and scrutinized at a very high corporate level, and that intention of writers can be changed by the time a comic is actually produced. And the fact that artists continually include shots of Wonder Woman's barely-covered butt from a low angle in all-too many Justice League group scenes.
Monday, April 15, 2013
A Pretty Nice Birthday
It was a pretty decent birthday.
Friday evening, Jamie and I had dinner with KareBear and The Admiral before they head off for Kenya for over a week. Once again, they're travelling with a Lutheran outreach group that assists with eye exams an giving out glasses to folks in need.
Dinner was nice, but we had an odd moment when, around when we were ordering, a pair of young women walked past the open window we were near, did a double take and came back. Then they stood there sort of smiling at us, then took out their phone and took a picture. As near as I can tell, they thought we were someone else, and, I think, someone famous. It kind of had to be us they were looking at, because there wasn't anyone behind us. I have no idea who they thought we were, but when they show the photos to their friends, they're going to feel real disappointed.
Saturday we had a few folks over for drinks. Thanks, if you dropped by.
You can't really tell, but Jamie made a Superman "S" on the cake with frosting. And, yes, I was wearing a tie. What am I, a farmer? Try cleaning yourself up every once in a while.
Friday evening, Jamie and I had dinner with KareBear and The Admiral before they head off for Kenya for over a week. Once again, they're travelling with a Lutheran outreach group that assists with eye exams an giving out glasses to folks in need.
Dinner was nice, but we had an odd moment when, around when we were ordering, a pair of young women walked past the open window we were near, did a double take and came back. Then they stood there sort of smiling at us, then took out their phone and took a picture. As near as I can tell, they thought we were someone else, and, I think, someone famous. It kind of had to be us they were looking at, because there wasn't anyone behind us. I have no idea who they thought we were, but when they show the photos to their friends, they're going to feel real disappointed.
Saturday we had a few folks over for drinks. Thanks, if you dropped by.
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| your birthday boy, and pal-Sherry back there |
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Course Update: Week 2 of Gender Through Comics Books
Update on 09/30/2021 - It's been 8 years since this post, and I do not know why it's getting traction now. For some reason, this post is getting a lot of hits all of a sudden.
I will say the following - in re-reading my comments I made at the time, I don't necessarily agree with these points exactly the same way now as I saw the issues then. I think I'm now much more able to just let a question hang, or a problem exist without a specific answer. Sometimes the challenge is the thing. I don't think I demand a different model now the way I did then, and am able to better just handle an open question.
Maybe it's growth or my eyes being slightly more open, or I'm older and have had the past 8 years to ponder these same questions a whole lot more as the world has allowed more voices.
Academia and criticism are hard. There's a reason not everyone gets to do it. And the topics in the class were challenging in a very positive way. I believe internalizing some of this course was very good for me, indeed. The methods and whatnot are up for discussion or critique, and they should be. But just know that it was a good experience and I'm glad I was asked to review my own thinking in many ways by the course.
Original Post:
As has often been my experience with a lot of course reading in theory classes, the full articles are going to start feeling repetitive. We've been presented the premise, and everything else is going to be supporting evidence - and this is why I was not a good student as an undergrad or, especially, during my glorious short, flamed-out career of not finishing grad school.
In this course, the basic concept is that "sex" is a biological designation and "gender" is a construct of personal and cultural choices. I believe this makes sense in context, and the readings made the concept pretty clear in Week 1. In Week 2, the one article we were asked to check out gave some more evidence. That's cool. But by the time we get to Week 3...
In this course, the basic concept is that "sex" is a biological designation and "gender" is a construct of personal and cultural choices. I believe this makes sense in context, and the readings made the concept pretty clear in Week 1. In Week 2, the one article we were asked to check out gave some more evidence. That's cool. But by the time we get to Week 3...
This week was a mix of reading Superman and putting some coin in Mark Waid's pocket by selling a lot of copies of Superman: Birthright. The task was to consider the construction of gender as it's played out less by instinct and more as part of a perception of roles of male, female and otherwise and how that's demonstrated by reading Birthright as well as Action Comics #1, an issue of Superman from 1960, and consider the ways gender is portrayed across 75 years.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Your Daily Dose of Good Cheer: Jamie
Our grand finale!
Really, what's not to like?
To folks who were in the right circles, it was not a secret (even from Jamie), that when I first met Jamie, I was quite smitten. She, however, was less interested in the guy who had just tried Jaeger and Goldschlager for the first time, and was stumbling around a backyard in San Antonio. Eventually, two years later, we made ourselves a thing. In April of 2000, we made it official.
Nineteen and a half years after that first, somewhat blurry conversation, and she's still my favorite pin-up.
While we won't retire the "dames" label, we're retiring "Your Daily Dose of Good Cheer" with our favorite dame of them all. Go out on a high note, I always say.
Today I am 38
"Champagne Year"
by St. Vincent
So I thought I'd learned my lesson
But I secretly expected
A choir at the shore
And confetti through the fall night air
I'll make a living telling people what they want to hear
It's not a killing, but it's enough to keep the cobwebs clear
Cause it's not a perfect plan
It's not a perfect plan
But it's the one we've got
It's not a perfect plan
But it's the one we've got
Cause I make a living telling people what they want to hear
But I tell ya, it's gonna be a champagne year
by St. Vincent
So I thought I'd learned my lesson
But I secretly expected
A choir at the shore
And confetti through the fall night air
I'll make a living telling people what they want to hear
It's not a killing, but it's enough to keep the cobwebs clear
Cause it's not a perfect plan
It's not a perfect plan
But it's the one we've got
It's not a perfect plan
But it's the one we've got
Cause I make a living telling people what they want to hear
But I tell ya, it's gonna be a champagne year
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Jamie Guest Post in honor of my b-day
Well, indeed. Jamie has sent me this to post for my birthday, which is tomorrow.
I wasn't sure anyone had noticed these posts over the years, but I've done them pretty routinely. I guess you can download the songs and make yourself a "decade in the life of" playlist.
From Jamie:
While combing through League archives in search of posts for the 10th Anniversary Spectacular, I kept coming across the special birthday entries where Ryan would post the lyrics to a song each year on his birthday. I found it fascinating to go back and discover which songs he had chosen, so I decided to collect them all and share them with you in honor of the League's birthday. Happy Birthday, Ryan!
A League of Melbotis/ The Signal Watch Retrospective: Special Birthday Edition: The League's Birthday Playlist
Year: 2004
Age: 29
Song: Streets of Laredo
I wasn't sure anyone had noticed these posts over the years, but I've done them pretty routinely. I guess you can download the songs and make yourself a "decade in the life of" playlist.
From Jamie:
While combing through League archives in search of posts for the 10th Anniversary Spectacular, I kept coming across the special birthday entries where Ryan would post the lyrics to a song each year on his birthday. I found it fascinating to go back and discover which songs he had chosen, so I decided to collect them all and share them with you in honor of the League's birthday. Happy Birthday, Ryan!
A League of Melbotis/ The Signal Watch Retrospective: Special Birthday Edition: The League's Birthday Playlist
Year: 2004
Age: 29
Song: Streets of Laredo
End of a Revolution: Today is the Day Before My Birthday
That's my way of saying, "I'm taking a few days off. It's my birthday".
I will be 38. I will be approaching middle-age soon. Before I know it, Jamie and I will be celebrating our 40th birthdays, which is weird...
At 38, given my lack of a post-secondary education and perpensity for distraction, I'm doing okay professionally. Especially when you consider I'm in an institution of higher education, a place were degrees and spending decades focusing on one thing are sort of the norm. Nobody has fired me yet, but there's always tomorrow.
I will be 38. I will be approaching middle-age soon. Before I know it, Jamie and I will be celebrating our 40th birthdays, which is weird...
At 38, given my lack of a post-secondary education and perpensity for distraction, I'm doing okay professionally. Especially when you consider I'm in an institution of higher education, a place were degrees and spending decades focusing on one thing are sort of the norm. Nobody has fired me yet, but there's always tomorrow.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
10th Anniversary Round-Up
Back on March 30th, this blogger marked his 10th Anniversary of writing. We want to thank everyone who had an opportunity to send something in!
If we missed your email or message, let me know, as we'd love to include you in this celebration. Also, feel free to send something in any time if you'd planned to do something but got busy.
Here are some links to the posts as they are now. Thanks again so much to all of you.
My own thoughts
If we missed your email or message, let me know, as we'd love to include you in this celebration. Also, feel free to send something in any time if you'd planned to do something but got busy.
Here are some links to the posts as they are now. Thanks again so much to all of you.
My own thoughts
Saturday, April 6, 2013
So, That Online Course I'm Taking - Gender Through Comic Books
Just as an FYI - I intentionally wrote my piece on portrayals in women in comics earlier this week before getting into the reading for the course I'm taking.
The course is: Gender Through Comics Books at Canvas.net and originating at Ball State.
Anyway, I work in higher education, currently in libraries, but from 1997-2006 I worked in Distance Education at large public research universities, UT Austin and Arizona State University. From 2007-2008, I worked at a smaller eLearning company here in Austin that developed mostly corporate training materials with the occasional foray into creating materials for educators.
When I left university distance learning, it wasn't because I was tired of the field. I thought eLearning was in its toddler-hood, but we were taking a leap to return from Arizona to Austin, and there weren't/ aren't that many positions out there for this, even with my sterling credentials. Working in a media shop developing stuff for corporations was a great experience in many ways, and I learned a tremendous amount I doubt I would have gained at The Academy (as we like to say when we're wearing tweed and drinking hot tea from small cups).
Back in 1999 or so, I remember watching a clip from 60 Minutes on The Future of Education. At the time, University of Phoenix was a rising star and talking heads were proclaiming that UofP had cracked the code. In a few years we'd all be taking our courses through them, and there was no point in resisting progress. They predicted (and were clearly relishing the term way, way too much) the concept of "rock star faculty", folks who would be THE faculty voice for a generation talking about America History 101, etc... Nobody was sure how it would work, but they were certain it was just around the corner.
It didn't happen.
The course is: Gender Through Comics Books at Canvas.net and originating at Ball State.
Anyway, I work in higher education, currently in libraries, but from 1997-2006 I worked in Distance Education at large public research universities, UT Austin and Arizona State University. From 2007-2008, I worked at a smaller eLearning company here in Austin that developed mostly corporate training materials with the occasional foray into creating materials for educators.
When I left university distance learning, it wasn't because I was tired of the field. I thought eLearning was in its toddler-hood, but we were taking a leap to return from Arizona to Austin, and there weren't/ aren't that many positions out there for this, even with my sterling credentials. Working in a media shop developing stuff for corporations was a great experience in many ways, and I learned a tremendous amount I doubt I would have gained at The Academy (as we like to say when we're wearing tweed and drinking hot tea from small cups).
Back in 1999 or so, I remember watching a clip from 60 Minutes on The Future of Education. At the time, University of Phoenix was a rising star and talking heads were proclaiming that UofP had cracked the code. In a few years we'd all be taking our courses through them, and there was no point in resisting progress. They predicted (and were clearly relishing the term way, way too much) the concept of "rock star faculty", folks who would be THE faculty voice for a generation talking about America History 101, etc... Nobody was sure how it would work, but they were certain it was just around the corner.
It didn't happen.
Reed chimes in on the whole 10 Years of Blogging Business
I've known Reed since... man, probably 1984 or so. If anyone was there when I passed the curve from "mild interest" in comics to full blown comics nerd, it was he. He was also the guy i knew who actually owned copies of Death in the Family, and so, one day while he and Jason were listening to Van Halen albums or something, I sat on his bed and read the whole run.
Anyway, Reed has been with the blog for years, though he only usually chimes in to defend his beloved Texas A&M Aggies (who are having a pretty good time of it these days). But he's always around... somewhere....
Congratulations on 10 years of blogging!!! It's hard to believe. It's hard to believe my oldest will turn 8 in 2 months, that Jas and I are 40 years old, and that my dad is 70! My dad turning 70 is actually the hardest to come to grips with.
Anyway, here is what I have appreciated the most about The Signal Watch (and The League of Melbotis):
* Your captions with photos and images. Whether it's crazy 1950-60s Superman covers, photos of your family, or images from Hollywood, you have the best captions!
* Your commentary and dialogue about your family (especially with and about your brother). I always check the comments section. Of course, I'm biased having known your family for so long.
* Daily Dose of Good Cheer formerly Dames in the Media That The League Once Dug. I never realized that it was originally done to increase web traffic on your blog. Regardless of the reasons, I'm a big fan.
* Your movie reviews. You have helped keep me from making poor decisions at the movies. Especially when you pan comic book movies. That usually seals it for me.
* I stopped collecting comics after I graduated high school so it's been nice to stay in the general loop of the industry through your blog.
* Your general writing. I am constantly amazed at not only the quantity, but the quality of the writing and how you keep things fresh on your blog for over 340+ days a year (you rarely take days off from your blog).
Again, congratulations on 10 years and here's to 10 more. Thanks for providing an entertaining break during my work day.
Anyway, Reed has been with the blog for years, though he only usually chimes in to defend his beloved Texas A&M Aggies (who are having a pretty good time of it these days). But he's always around... somewhere....
Congratulations on 10 years of blogging!!! It's hard to believe. It's hard to believe my oldest will turn 8 in 2 months, that Jas and I are 40 years old, and that my dad is 70! My dad turning 70 is actually the hardest to come to grips with.
Anyway, here is what I have appreciated the most about The Signal Watch (and The League of Melbotis):
* Your captions with photos and images. Whether it's crazy 1950-60s Superman covers, photos of your family, or images from Hollywood, you have the best captions!
* Your commentary and dialogue about your family (especially with and about your brother). I always check the comments section. Of course, I'm biased having known your family for so long.
* Daily Dose of Good Cheer formerly Dames in the Media That The League Once Dug. I never realized that it was originally done to increase web traffic on your blog. Regardless of the reasons, I'm a big fan.
* Your movie reviews. You have helped keep me from making poor decisions at the movies. Especially when you pan comic book movies. That usually seals it for me.
* I stopped collecting comics after I graduated high school so it's been nice to stay in the general loop of the industry through your blog.
* Your general writing. I am constantly amazed at not only the quantity, but the quality of the writing and how you keep things fresh on your blog for over 340+ days a year (you rarely take days off from your blog).
Again, congratulations on 10 years and here's to 10 more. Thanks for providing an entertaining break during my work day.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
10th Anniversary: Jake chimes in from the Shores of Oregon
As he says below, Jake is a relative new-comer to the Signal Corps/ Loyal Leaguers. If "new" is being around for two years. I've really enjoyed Jake's participation, his enthusiasm and his occasional voice of dissenting opinion.
And, yes, the Longhorns were the better team.
Of course, it helps when the founder and proprietor, Ryan, is the same age, and grew up watching and reading all the same stuff I did. He's one of those rare people who, with equal enthusiasm, can argue the social and cultural currents running through comics, or pick the winner of Mothra vs. the Giant Mantis. Then of course, there's Superman -- Ryan just gets him. There are few things I don't get, like his zeal for Jimmy Olsen comics. And I think he actually believes the Longhorns were a better team than USC in 2005.
More than anything, I appreciate Ryan's willingness to converse with his readers. As someone who is often clumsy and blunt wielding my opinion, I am grateful for his patience and forbearance.
So congratulations, Ryan. Here's to ten more years. Salud!
Monday, April 1, 2013
RHPT and 10 Years of Loyal Leaguership
I met Randy at a movie theater in Beaumont, Texas. He had come to Beaumont to visit JimD, meet me and catch a screening of Superman: The Movie. That's one of two times we've been able to hang out, but I've been there online to find out he was moving to Tennessee, getting married, and now, he's on his second child.
10 years, y'all.
Here to Randolph and making friends across the internets!
I had a version of this e-mail ready to go, but then I read Steven's letter, and managed to get an advanced copy of the 10th Anniversary post, so I re-worked it. Is that cheating?
I vaguely remember receiving an email from JimD many years ago telling me that I must read this blog a college buddy of his started. As with most things JimD recommends, I ignore it the first couple of times. (I do this despite JimD's amazing track record of recommending insanely awesome things). I - again - vaguely recall clicking the link, quickly scanning the first few posts, and moving on. A few days (weeks?) later, JimD's second email was along the lines of "you need to read his blog or he'll stop writing and that would be a tragedy". And for whatever reason, I clicked the link again and started reading a post. God knows what was the subject of that first post (probably comics), but I was hooked. I probably didn't start regularly visiting the blog for a few weeks (This was pre-Google Reader), but for at least two-thirds of the past 10 years, I visited League of Melbotis more than once a day, and commenting constantly. In fact, after Google Reader came along, I didn't add The League's feed because I would visit the site more often than Reader refreshed the feed. Good times.
10 years, y'all.
Here to Randolph and making friends across the internets!
I had a version of this e-mail ready to go, but then I read Steven's letter, and managed to get an advanced copy of the 10th Anniversary post, so I re-worked it. Is that cheating?
I vaguely remember receiving an email from JimD many years ago telling me that I must read this blog a college buddy of his started. As with most things JimD recommends, I ignore it the first couple of times. (I do this despite JimD's amazing track record of recommending insanely awesome things). I - again - vaguely recall clicking the link, quickly scanning the first few posts, and moving on. A few days (weeks?) later, JimD's second email was along the lines of "you need to read his blog or he'll stop writing and that would be a tragedy". And for whatever reason, I clicked the link again and started reading a post. God knows what was the subject of that first post (probably comics), but I was hooked. I probably didn't start regularly visiting the blog for a few weeks (This was pre-Google Reader), but for at least two-thirds of the past 10 years, I visited League of Melbotis more than once a day, and commenting constantly. In fact, after Google Reader came along, I didn't add The League's feed because I would visit the site more often than Reader refreshed the feed. Good times.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
NathanC on The League's 10th!
I don't recall exactly when I met NathanC, but i recall seeing him play in a band called "Barnyard Commandos" at my high school's rockfest. I know I'd met him before he met up with my brother at Trinity in San Antonio when they were both Freshmen. And, not only have we been pals ever since, but Nathan knew Jamie separately from knowing me back at Trinity, as well. So, longtime pal.
No matter what happens with this blogging business, I know that Nathan will still be popping up at odd hours at my house until one or both of us goes.
Lovin’ the League
I’ve told the League (I cannot in any way refer to him as ‘Ryan’ in cyberspace) many times that he should be writing a column for the paper. Or a book.
I’ve know Mr. League for close to 20 years now, and always found him to be a bright boy. But something in his nut cracked when he moved to Arizona. The dearth of cultural activities in Chandler turned him inward, and then led him to spew his thoughts upon the interwebs with the classic-era blog “League of Melbotis.” The life and times of livin’ large in AZ were supplemented by remembrances of better (and worse) times in Texas, including some of my favorite stories about working for the Mouse at Willowbrook Mall, or the rat at Chuck-E-Cheese.
The League writes well, and continues to do so with The Signal Watch. His online persona is honest and not without a little humorous sarcasm. He speaks for the frustrated observer of life and culture. His takedown of Johnny Clambake’s is legendary.
And he brings people together. As many have said before in this spot, the League of Melbotis was a social network when Marc Zuckerberg was only...
Oh, wait a second, Facebook started in 2004?
Well, you were a little ahead of the game.
No matter what happens with this blogging business, I know that Nathan will still be popping up at odd hours at my house until one or both of us goes.
Lovin’ the League
I’ve told the League (I cannot in any way refer to him as ‘Ryan’ in cyberspace) many times that he should be writing a column for the paper. Or a book.
I’ve know Mr. League for close to 20 years now, and always found him to be a bright boy. But something in his nut cracked when he moved to Arizona. The dearth of cultural activities in Chandler turned him inward, and then led him to spew his thoughts upon the interwebs with the classic-era blog “League of Melbotis.” The life and times of livin’ large in AZ were supplemented by remembrances of better (and worse) times in Texas, including some of my favorite stories about working for the Mouse at Willowbrook Mall, or the rat at Chuck-E-Cheese.
The League writes well, and continues to do so with The Signal Watch. His online persona is honest and not without a little humorous sarcasm. He speaks for the frustrated observer of life and culture. His takedown of Johnny Clambake’s is legendary.
And he brings people together. As many have said before in this spot, the League of Melbotis was a social network when Marc Zuckerberg was only...
Oh, wait a second, Facebook started in 2004?
Well, you were a little ahead of the game.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Jamie has her say on 10 Years of Blogging
Jamie and I have been together for over 17 years, married for almost 13. Of that, 10 years has been spent online. She really never has to wonder what I'm up to or thinking because: there you go. Just check the post in the morning.
She's been a sport about her supporting role in this endeavor, and her level of joy at participation waxes and wanes, depending on what's going on. I will say, I found it pretty hilarious (and telling) that we essentially end our posts the same way.
I have been extraordinarily lucky to team up with a partner who is as patient and understanding not just about my hobbies, but about this endless blogging business of which she's been a part. She's the light of my life, my north star, all that jazz... Love you, pumpkin.
When Ryan sent out a request for reflections on his ten years of bloggership, I immediately thought - "what better way to toast the League than the League's own words?". I decided I wanted to go back through League of Melbotis and The Signal Watch and select the most memorable posts from his impressive run.
Holy smokes, ten years. Do you have any idea how much material that is? That's a LOT of blogging. I would have regretted this decision had it not been a joy to comb through the archives in search of my favorite posts. The hardest part was selection. My first pass through all ten years netted no fewer than 50 entries. Fifty seemed a little too much for a "best of" tribute, so I have narrowed it down to 10.
I am well aware that everyone has different opinions and some of my selections may seem strange, but I tried to nail down those posts which I immediately remembered or to which I had a significant emotional response. So without further ado, in chronological order, I present to you:
10 Posts of Note: A League of Melbotis/ The Signal Watch Retrospective
When Ryan fist started League of Melbotis in April of 2003, we had lived in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler for almost a year, had yet to make any friends aside from one of the guys I worked with, and were gearing up for another soul sucking Arizona summer. The blog was a great outlet for Ryan's frustration and talent for writing. Some of the more common earlier posts took the form of relaying our outings in and around the Chandler area:
1. The Chandler Jazz Festival
League of Melbotis: 10 Years of Blogging
March 30th, 2013 marks the 10th anniversary of my blogging habit. Ten years, something around 5000 posts. That's just the blogs of which I've been chief proprietor. I also wrote briefly with other folks at Nanostalgia and at Film Fodder (a paying gig! I made, literally, about $1.25).
So, I've written and posted a lot. Big whoop. Sometimes I wonder if I've a small case of hypergraphia that's gone undiagnosed, but we won't dwell on that here today.
Pushing through the haze and trying to remember why and how... you start making up stories in your own head to make it sound better. But it's mostly right there in print. At the age of 27, looking down the barrel of 28, I kicked off the first blog, League of Melbotis.
So, I've written and posted a lot. Big whoop. Sometimes I wonder if I've a small case of hypergraphia that's gone undiagnosed, but we won't dwell on that here today.
Pushing through the haze and trying to remember why and how... you start making up stories in your own head to make it sound better. But it's mostly right there in print. At the age of 27, looking down the barrel of 28, I kicked off the first blog, League of Melbotis.
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| this is no fantasy... no careless product of wild imagination... |
Friday, March 29, 2013
Horus Kemwer shares some words on the eve of the 10th Anniversary
In the way things go with Horus, I have met him officially once. We ate food, drank beer and then liquor. We swapped stories. I was given a comic series to begin to pursue (Dungeon). I may or may not have met him previously in a bar in Beaumont, Texas. Flash Gordon and Superman were involved. So was RHPT and JimD. It's hard to say what really happened.
Horus can be found at Against the Modern World. And sometimes in Hong Kong.
On the 10th anniversary of the League:
There's only one blog which I have consistently read since I started reading blogs 7 or so years ago. There's only one blog I check on a daily basis (sorry JD, shouldn't have gone corporate). There's only one blog I started reading for one type of content (comics) and yet grew attached to the rest (the noir, the family updates, the rants, the pinups). There's only one blog I've ever contributed guest content to.
There's only one person I've ever met first on the internet, then met later in person.
That person is the League and that blog is his - the best all round blog I know.
~ horus kemwer
Horus can be found at Against the Modern World. And sometimes in Hong Kong.
On the 10th anniversary of the League:
There's only one blog which I have consistently read since I started reading blogs 7 or so years ago. There's only one blog I check on a daily basis (sorry JD, shouldn't have gone corporate). There's only one blog I started reading for one type of content (comics) and yet grew attached to the rest (the noir, the family updates, the rants, the pinups). There's only one blog I've ever contributed guest content to.
There's only one person I've ever met first on the internet, then met later in person.
That person is the League and that blog is his - the best all round blog I know.
~ horus kemwer
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