What Now?: Life After the Great Blog Relaunch

Yesterday's ranking and mini reviews of 2020 releases was also my official launch to the blog being a hot, razzle dazzle, spectacle of oohs and aahs that is engineered to entertain while most of us are trapped at home. I may eventually change up the layout and design of the site to really rocket-blast the declaration that the site is brand spanking new and ready to topple an army of ferocious pandas. But I think, the most important thing for a site devoted to prose and words is to have articles and written pieces. For now, I will spend the energy and time that I have for the site on actually writing fresh posts.

But what in this golden new era will I be writing about?

Why, thank you for asking. I have plans. Oh, so many plans. But I am also well-aware that I have a really bad habit of being over-ambitious to the point of crushing my will and excitement with daunting goals that do more damaged than being underneath fifty elephants surfing on a blue whale.

As I realized with my mini review piece that continued to be delayed, life in the 'new normal' has some obstacles. Everyone staying at home means that everyone is home. Those two delightful kids that danced all the way to school and dwelled there for a few hours are now dancing a lot closer to my office. They like to spend time with me. I like to spend time with them, but it means interruptions are the new king. On top of that, online schooling has barged into our life, and even though in theory it is teacher-led, the nearest adult to aid them with their schoolwork often turns out to be me. Plus, Danika can't read yet and we don't want our kids to be glued to a computer screen all day, so many of the activities still need my guidance and attention.

Plus even though, the main reason I'm delving deeper into blog-centric projects is due to lots of client work drying up and this is my way of turning that into a positive by finally taking a chance on seeing if I can grow this site; there is still some client work and that has to remain a priority for writing.

This all means that the I need to be flexible. I need to make sure the blog remains fun. I can't let my ambitions pound me down into the ground like sledgehammer bashing a wooden stake or even a meat steak -- but that seems like a horrible waste of good meat.

So, I have many projects lined up but there isn't going to be any regular posting schedule for any of them. Other than I will aim to always have at least one thing posted a day. Some will end up more common columns and pieces than others. Some will end up being good ideas that never hit the landing and will hobble over into the corner permanently. Here are several things that I'm going to attempt as regular features. These are also working titles for the pieces that almost assuredly will almost never be used after this post.

Exploring the MCU: I promised this almost a year ago and that seems enough anticipation to make it reality now. Last year, almost every movie site seemed to rank from worst to best all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, but I felt that I needed to revisit all the movies before being able to properly make my own list. It is also one of the most successful, popular and influential movie series ever. It would be cool to start from the beginning and see how it evolved by looking at what worked and what missed and how they started building an interconnected universe that made it into something revolutionary in cinema.

I'll Be There for You, Again: I'll review the entire Friends TV series. I'll look at what made it one of the most successful TV series ever and why decades later it continues to find a new audience. Plus doing this then gives me an excuse to rewatch all the episodes again.

Slumming It with The Simpsons: My favourite TV series of the 1990s was The Simpsons. I also realize there was a reason I stopped watching it in the 2000s. I wanted to at least review all the episodes from the first several years up until what I believe was its peak. If this turns out to be a popular review series, maybe I will stick with it longer -- if I even get that far, because you, know, over-ambitious.

The Weekly Untitled Fiction Series: I'm going to write a story that will come out in episodes. The hope is weekly, but fiction doesn't always come as quickly as other forms of writing and the plan is to write it as I go (or at least, not have the entire story written before releasing the episodes). My hope is this will provide a different form of entertainment for readers less interested in movie reviews or my daily musings. I did have a story already planned but then a soul-crushing pandemic hit, and it now may be a little too dark. So, I'm trying to think of something a bit more uplifting and positive. Or maybe I'll change my mind again, but either way, there will definitely be a fiction series on here and this is the thing I am the most excited about presenting.

Revisiting the Collective: From 2012 to 2014, I was the pop culture columnist for The Collective Publishing. It was a blast because I was given huge creative freedom to write about whatever I wanted and then got paid for it. Unfortunately, the site never took off the way it had hope and the owner eventually had to shut it down. The site is no longer available online, which means all the pieces that I wrote on there are gone. My plan is to repost some of them but add a few modern thoughts and analysis. At the moment, it seems like a fun idea.

Parenting Poonbah: With the kids being stuck at home, I am sure there will be many adventures and memorable experiences. I will write some of my reflections and anecdotes as a dad of two imaginative and precocious children.

Red Hot Takes: There is still news in the world and sometimes, I'll have some opinions and thoughts on it that I'll just need to share.

Blue Chilled Takes: The past had news too. and I may have some long-overdue thoughts on it.

What Was It That I Ate Off the Floor?: An in-depth analysis of things that I picked up off the floor and then ate.

Brand Spanking New Reviews: I review new movies.

Retro Reviews: I review movies that are not new.

Pot Shots: Several years ago. I actually was paid to write abut politics and I really enjoyed discussing politics. After the few years of political discussion becoming slightly less fun than ramming a screwdriver into my eye, I swore I'd stop writing about politics. Well, this series would be my return to thoughts, opinions and analysis on major political events.

The Mind Menagerie: A column devoted to an honest discussion and look at mental health, and my own journey with emotional challenges as I attempt positive thinking to overcome anxiety and depression. My hope is being open with my own challenges and my strategies to overcome them can help others.

Get Lost: Confession time, I have never watched an episode of Lost. Unlike the other TV series reviews where I will be revisiting and offering new perspectives, I will be experiencing Lost for the first time and enjoying all the different twist and turns.

Who Farted?: Answering one of life's more important questions.

Creative Chaos: My own personal journey as a budding novelist and creative writer, as I'll go through my creative process and break down some of the challenges of my current creative projects. I'll also share things that I've learned and break down some of the creative techniques that I notice in other works.

Living with The Americans: I believe The Americans is one of the best TV series ever. I want to review it so others can discover it.

The Link Exchange: Where I promote my work from other sites. When it is appropriate, I may also share how I came about writing the piece.

Future Book Excerpt: A series of long form articles about major pop culture moments that may eventually be the inspiration for future pop culture books. Or actual excerpts from currently planned books to whet your appetite.

I Have No Time to Write Anything Today So I'll Distract You with This Picture/Video/Link/Silly Comment

Finding the Force: Obviously, I must review all things Star Wars including all the movies and major series like The Mandalorian and Clone Wars.  

Once Upon a Disney: Like the MCU series. I intended to review every theatrical animated Disney feature. I'd like to explore how Disney has changed over time and what has made them the masters of animation. I'll look at what movies deserve the label of classic, which ones may be delightful surprises and what has not aged as well with time.

Wrestling with the Past: I've got a truckload of old wrestling tapes. It makes sense to revisit them and review the shows to see how they hold up today. I also have way too much wrestling history knowledge, so I can offer up some perspective and insight.

Tales of a Shut-in: Some anecdotes about how we're handling life during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the hope of offering some positivity and inspiration.

Killing My Childhood: I'll revisit beloved entertainment from my childhood and see if it holds up today.

The Movie Breakdown: I co-host a movie review podcast and you may have noticed that I post a link to it on this blog. I will keep on doing that.

Better or Worse Than Howard the Duck: I look at movies with poor critical reputation and judge if they are better that infamous flop, Howard the Duck.

Monthly Pop Culture Rundown: My plan is to record everything I see, read, and listen to each month and then share the list at the end of the month. I will likely leave quick thoughts on the things that I did not give a full review.

TBA: I know there are some series and columns that I'm forgetting, but also, there is sure to be some that I come up with in the future that will become regular posts.