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

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!

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!

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’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.

]]> http://blog.vasilcastle.com/2005/12/15/back-again-again/feed/ 0 http://blog.vasilcastle.com/2005/10/21/where-you-at/ http://blog.vasilcastle.com/2005/10/21/where-you-at/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2005 05:28:00 +0000 Tim V http://blog.vasilcastle.com/?p=222 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.?

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….

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?

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.