It's Been Three Years Already?

Happy Blogaversary to me!

It doesn't seem like my blog should be three years old already, but it is.  This blog has revealed so much in the past three years from personal stories to news stories.  For those who are fairly new to my blog, I would definitely advise you to backtrack through the 2011 archives.  I was on fire then!  I was putting out blog posts every other day!

Now, I don't blog as much as I once did and I apologize for that.  I blame another medium for distracting me from my writing...  my radio show.

If you have not heard the Talk 2 Q Radio Show, then you're missing out.  It airs twice per week and if you miss the live airing, then there are over 225 episodes for you to enjoy in the archives section.  The show basically gives me the avenue that I need to cover multiple topics and get instant feedback from my fans who call into the show.  Once you get a taste of that type of high, then it's hard to put out blog posts every three days and hope that someone comments.

In the blog world, a lot of bloggers only comment on your page if you comment on theirs.  With my mom and wife both struggling and ultimately succumbing to cancer last year, I didn't have time to read a lot of blogs.  I saw my pageviews decrease dramatically over the last six months of 2012.  Was it because I wasn't reading other blogs?

I'll never know.  But, one thing that I do know: people love my radio show.  I'm so proud of that fact.  I've interviewed actors/actresses, musicians, authors, professional therapists and of course, other bloggers.  We discuss everything from relationships, politics, sex, sports, current events, race relations and more.  It's truly enjoyable and I enjoy the fact that I've now established enough of a reputation that people reach out to me regularly to be on my show.

But, I do hope to get back in the swing of things in blogging.  That includes reading the blogs of others.  I still read Jewels, Idaho, Tsaritsa, Vinny, Squatlo, LogAllot, Lawfrog and Mooner regularly.  I may not always comment, but I still read them.  Those are the people who inspired me and / or collaborated with me, so I'll always follow them.  And most of them have been with me since the early beginnings of Thank, Q and just about all of them have participated on my radio show.  You probably could too if you'd just simply ask. :)

Anyhoo, I want to thank everyone who has visited my blog and I will leave you with a gift on my blog's birthday:

Three of my favorite blog posts - "Boonies Aren't For Me (Part I)," "Tippin' Isn't A City in China," and "Real Housewives of Panama City Beach"

Three of my favorite radio shows - "Let's Talk About Sex, Part X", "Meet the Cast of 'The Unwritten Rules'" and "Born Heartless"

Enjoy.

Is 400 Enough?

Well, I always thought that I'd blog forever, but I'm starting to feel that's not the case now. As therapeutic and enjoyable blogging can be, it can also be time-consuming. I've always tried to provide multiple blog posts per week to entertain my followers, but that requires sitting in front of my laptop an awful lot at times.

I may have hit a wall on this one.  It's blog post #400 and I'm not sure if I can keep up the pace any more.  I'm not saying that I'm quitting because I'll always have something to say.  Those who follow me closely know of another venue in which I make my points and discuss important topics. :)

But, despite the many crazy, college stories that I have left to tell and the many stupid people in this country who need to be called out, I have to ask myself, "is 400 enough?"

When I first started blogging, I thought I'd post a few blurbs and be done, but I got two followers early on and that drove me.  The posts kept coming and so did the followers and eventually the comments. 

Well, over time, the followers slowed down and so did the comments.  I wasn't putting in the same work in marketing/promoting and the content may have suffered a bit, too.

I've dealt with a work schedule that required a lot of nights and weekends.  I spent more time with my mom after February when her cancer peaked and ultimately claimed her life on June 2nd.  Now, I'm spending a lot more time with my father to make sure that he knows that he's not alone now that she's gone and nursing a sick wife.

So much has happened over the past six months and the aforementioned is only a part of it.  What was once fun has now become "a business plan to get more readers" and I never wanted it to come to that.  I read about SEO's, keyword bait, etc. because I'm constantly searching for followers/comments instead of simply writing for the sheer purpose of saying something that needs to be said.

I just wanted to be a guy who had an outlet to share his opinions.

Well, I'm still going to be that guy, but not as often as usual.  I'm not shutting my blog down, but the pressure to post 3x per week is out the window.  I hope that those who are new to my blog decide to go back and read some of the older ones.  Trust me when I say that a lot of them are still relevant or contain some funny story.  Here are ten suggestions:

When Elevators Attack, Part II

Real Housewives of Panama City Beach

Gettin' Funky

Cold Chicken Tenders

Would You Go to Jail for A Hamburger?

The Real Blogger Shore's Amazing Undercover Idol

Hooters & Bikinis

Torturing Telemarketers

The Cereal Killer

Boonies Aren't for Me

That should hold you for a while if you're new to the blog within the last six months.  However, I promise that I will post when I have something to say.  Will I lose some followers?  Maybe.  Will my presence eventually fade into the sunset?  Possibly.  Will I be happy to simply express myself and not constantly check analytics to figure out why one blog post isn't as popular as the other?  Definitely.

Flashback to Vampires

At least once a month, I'm going to flashback to previous posts for my new followers who may have missed out.

Two years ago today, I posted about how I absolutely despise modern-day portrayals of vampires. I thought that vampires should eat people and not co-exist with them. I still feel that way today. I tried watching "True Blood" back on Season 1 only to feel confused. I finally watched the first "Twilight" film and wondered how it made more than $20 at the box office. I just couldn't figure out the allure of these shows... Oh, wait!  I know now! Everyone takes their shirts off on these shows! It has to be the sex appeal because I cannot see any other reason to partake in either of these phenomenons.

Well, I like my vampire movies with a little more bite. Click on the link to open another window and journey back with me to this post to see why I once said that today's "vampires suck."


Vampires co-existing with humans: fair or foul?

Flashback to Murder

At least once a month, I'm going to flashback to previous posts for my new followers who may have missed out. A year ago today, I posted about how I thought that The Mrs. was trying to kill me. Yes, you read that correctly. I know that you're thinking to yourself. "Wait. What? Are you still with her?"

Yes, we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary back in April. However, she's still doing the same thing a year later that she did back when I thought she wanted to kill me. Should I be concerned? Go back in time and check out this post to open another window and see why I thought she was plotting against me...



What would make you suspicious of someone trying to kill you?

Flashback to Pros

 At least once a month, I'm going to flashback to previous posts for my new followers who may have missed out. A year ago today, I posted about how some guys just don't realize how good they have it. Some guys can have a great situation at home, but allow their ego to mess it up. Memo to all guys: if you put family first, then your ego won't ever deter you away from the correct decision in anything. This includes the career of your wife. 

You see, some guys can't tolerate not being the breadwinner of the family. A man may even limit the success of his wife simply because he thinks more salary equals more leverage. If a woman has a successful career when you meet her or aspirations of one, then do not deter her. Help her reach her goals or find someone else to marry if it threatens your tiny mind. But, don't ever try to turn a pro(fessional woman) into a housewife. Here's the story I'm referring to from a year ago...

Ladies, would you give up your career for a man? Fellas, would you ask a woman to do so?

Flashback to Something Stupid

From the Facebook page of La-A

At least once a month, I'm going to flashback to previous posts for my new followers who may have missed out. A year ago today, I came across something that left me shaking my head. There are plenty of people who want to give their children unique names.

Now, back in my day, "Quincy" was pretty unique. I only met two others up until I reached college. It's nothing compared to the names people have for their kids today. I've heard "ESPN" (pronounced es-spen), twins named "Orangejello" (pronounced oron-jalo) and "Lemonjello" (la-mon-jalo) and even an urban legend about a girl named "La-a" (pronounced la-dash-ah).

Yeah, you read that last one correctly. So, when I came across this particular name last year, I exploded in laughter before starting to sympathize with the child. At some point of her life, I'm sure some of her classmates will pick on her. Here's the post from a year ago with that child's unusual name...

What's the strangest name for a child you've ever heard?

Flashback to a Reality Show!

At least once a month, I'm going to flashback to previous posts for my new followers who may have missed out.  A year ago today, I had a crazy idea come true.  I wanted to take a bunch of bloggers and compile their creativity to create one crazy fictional story.  They all decided to take the plunge with me and create a story about all of us. The first story didn't release until 5/9/2011, but everything came together last year on April 27, 2011.

I present to you "The Real Blogger Shore's Amazing Undercover Idol Intro."

"I know you're staring at that title and wondering if I've officially lost my mind.

Maybe. I was on the Yahoo! homepage and I noticed some "news" stories about one or two reality shows and it gave me an idea: I'm going to write a reality show idea about bloggers and pitch it to FOX!

It will be called: The Real Blogger Shore's Amazing Undercover Idol! (Did I hit every major reality show title in that?) Basically, it's about some stereotypical bloggers who are stashed in a posh mansion in Helena, Montana. Why Helena? Because the mansions there are cheaper to rent than Beverly Hills. We're on a budget, you know? Now, stay with me.

This show will be very similar to MTV's "The Real World" which some people call the first traditional reality show. Like "TRW," you need an interesting blend of characters to sell the show. Here are my list of bloggers to join the mansion:"

Each one of us tells a part of this story, so you'll travel to each blogger's site to read "The Greatest Story Ever Told!"  You can find Part I here and don't say that I didn't warn you.  :)

For the people who participated in this, what's your take a year later?




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Flashback to the Boonies!

A year ago today, I told a story that I had not shared with too many people in almost two decades. After stumbling across the post again, I decided that I would release the story again because thanks to a Disqus error, every original comment was lost. So, I don't even know what people thought of what happened that night near Booneville, Mississippi. Besides, if George Lucas can release Star Wars 10 times, then why I can't I "recycle?" :)

So, I've decided that at least once a month, I'm going to flashback to previous posts for my new followers who may have missed out. I present to you "Boonies Aren't For Me (Part I)"

"We turn on the hazard lights and start walking. The trees overhead do not allow any light from the moon whatsoever, so once we get 200-300 yards from the car, the hazard lights do not offer any assistance in vision.

After walking for almost 10 minutes, I heard the most creepiest sound come from the woods that haunt me to this day. It was the sound of a baby crying. At least I thought it was a baby."

Continue here...




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Sunday Rewind 12.26.10

Another lazy Sunday and it's time for another oldie, but goodie. This is a flashback to a previous post. I hope you enjoy it!

I present to you... More Halle and Less Whoopi (release date: 10.4.10)

Hey, even Showtime's "Look" has reruns, right? LOL!