Bowlful of Crickets

The road to hell must be plagued with abandonded blogs. I know I’ve contributed to that path. But I’m trying yet again. Bear with me.

 Enjoy this picture of some otters whild I try to get my act together.

So I updated my blog software- which delightfully removed the customization I added to my site.

I’ll dig in to the templates again soon and will provide you all with something new and exciting.

Until then, bask in the plainess of this blog!

So, the family and I loaded up the car and headed up to quaint little Long Grove, where we spent a day of fun and shopping.

I stopped into a British food store I truly enjoy with the hopes of scoring some nice candy- which I did.

But I left with much more. 9 cans of soda unavailable this side of the pond.

9 Jackass- nay, (Union) Jackass Soda Reviews coming your way in the following weeks.

Cheers!

Thud. I’m back.

Not sure if I’ll be writing much in ‘06, but I wanted to be sure this didn’t look like a new year’s resolution. Tried that. Failed. Miserably, at that.

So if you’re reading this, thanks for stopping in. I hope to be writing more (yet again) and hope you’re around to hear the thuds.

I think this blog has more lives that a hindu cat…(feel free to use that, I’m disowning that line).

I’m back, after almost destroying my blog. There were a few days there where Carlton was dancing on top of a very skeletal design. I managed to fix it now, so I will do my best to be sure that these efforts were not in vain.

Of course, the holidays are coming, I’ll be on vacation and I’m short a person at work. A bad time to ressurect this blog? Most likely. But on the other hand, I think writing will prove to be the release I need in these hectic times.

So, dear readers, let me whet your appetite for what lays ahead:

• The personal hygiene product that inspired me
• A "Fear Factor"-level delicacy I can’t stop thinking about
• Posture, self image, and where America’s Next Top Model and George Jefferson collide
• The 2005 Timmy Awards, drawing on the largest pool of albums I’ve ever listened to in a calendae year. Guitar-laden alternative will still dominate, I’m sure.

If you used to read this blog, thanks for hanging in there during the large periods of inactivity.

I saw Frapper on Torr’s blog. It’s a cool way to see where people in a group are located on a map.

Go to my Frapper map and tell me where you are. A lot of you, I already know this info, but let’s fill up this virtual map with virtual pins anyway, O.K.?

Another month goes by, my blog gets ignored by me, and most likely many of you. And I don’t blame you. This blog has been left for dead more than once, but it always bounces back. I hope to keep things going longer this time.

So, what happened while I was away?

1) I turned 38. It was a great birthday, had a few days off, spent time with the family.

2) I drank/acquired more Jackass Soda. Boy, am I backed up, more reviews coming soon…

3) Went apple picking. How nerdy and suburban can I get? VERY. This was a good old-fashioned hoot, and I hope we get to go again this year.

4) Watched too much hurricane coverage. It’s amazing what happened in the South. I spent a week in New Orleans during a turning point in my life (out of a long relationship days before, trying to find myself- while attending a webmaster conference) and it’s really a city like no other. I hope they can get the town back to something close to what it was- and I hope the folks down there can get back to "normal".

5) Acquired more new music. I’ve been wanting to do more music reviews, and that would be a good way to get me writing more. We’ll see what happens. The end of the year is coming and I already have some Timmy Award contenders. We’ll see if I’m on time this year….

So I made a posting in September. Maybe I get to another tomorrow, or maybe I’ll see you in another month….

Yes, this is still Tim’s blog. Only the name has changed.

But why the name change? And what’s up with the new name?

I never was 100% fond of "Confessions of A CD Junkie". I needed to have a title to start blogging, and unfortunately, that was the best I could do at the time.

I wasn’t too fond of the "Junkie" part- it would lead one to believe I was somehow addicted to CDs, which of course, I’m not- I can quit at any time.

Not to mention- these days, I rarely write about CDs and music. I still will, occassionally, but I felt a broader title may be a better fit.

So that leads us to…Bowlful of Crickets.

Well, I wanted something unique and off-beat. Check.

I thought back through the years and the phrase "bowlful of crickets" stood out in my memory…

Place: Illinois Wesleyan Cafeteria
Time: Late 1980’s, at dinner

It’s Chilli Tostada night, which means there is an extra container at the end of the salad bar, filled with black olives.

Not satisfied with many of the other offerings that evening, Tim fills a salad bowl with black olives and sits down.

Kevin looks at Tim’s tray and says. "It looks like you’ve got yourself a bowlful of crickets there."

Thanks, Kevin. Many years later, I do indeed have a bowlful of crickets.

I’ll probably continue to tweak the look a bit, but the name will likely stick.

My question to you, dear reader- did I choose wisely this time?

Thanks to all of you actually reading this. I wouldn’t be surprised if you abanoned me all together, thinking this blog was dead. It’s not.

I took an unexpected hiatus…basically, things got a little busy and I just wasn’t putting aside time to write. A pedometer-based walking competition at work also kept me away from writing (I walked a lot at lunch rather than write, but alas, my team still didn’t finish too well).

So I’m back, and I hope you enjoy reading my blog. I also hope I can stay on the horse for a while and keep writing.

So my fellow-blogging friend Jenny said "Hey, you should do a preview of all the stuff that’s coming soon in your blog." Well, Jenny, here is your long-distance dedication.

New Categories: I’m turning my critical eye to a whole new area of focus: Things you can’t eat or listen to. For now, I’m calling this category "Non-Perishables"- I’m certainly open to anything catchier. The next post you read on this blog will be in that category, hope you like it.

I’m also creating a Stuff About This Blog category, and you’re reading the first post I will classify under this- I may go back and associate past posts. And maybe we’ll go to Bed, Bath and Beyond- I don’t know if we’ll have time.

Jackass Soda: I currently have 11 sodas tasted but not yet written about. Three of them involve some level of cherry flavor, so perhaps I’ll combine those. Other fruit flavors abound, one tasted like flat ginger ale served in an ashtray and one is surely the hippy cousin of Root Beer. Were that not enough, there’s a bunch of new sodas coming out, and I’m always on the lookout for new and crazy flavors to try…

52 Foods: I’m still behind- I have four more foods tasted- form candy to popcorn- and four more in the house waiting to be tasted (two from The Philippines). There will be more new foods tasted.

Other Food Topics: McDonald’s World Headquarters is a short drive from the VasilCastle, and they’re about to open a McCafe there. The family is poised and ready to go when it opens. We might be talking multi-part post here…

Also: Burger King has the Ultimate Double Whopper for a limited period of time. It’s the sandwich the Enormous Omlette Sandwich has been stretching out your stomach for. You know I’m going to try one and I’ll tell you all about it.

Books: My quest to read 50 books in ‘05- or anything close to that number- has been abandoned. I am considering reviewing books I haven’t read (perhaps judging them simply by their cover) or even reviewing imaginary books.

CD Reviews: I’ve been trying to write more of these, but to no avail. I think the solution may be to write very short reviews and group them in a single blog entry, with album covers and a rating for each. That way you get a quick glimpse of what I’m digging and what I’m not. Sort of a periodical update of where this year’s Timmy Awards may go.

So those are the highlights- there will be more fun and surprises. Thanks for reading, keep on coming back!