Tag Archives: Blogging

The Funk Comes Marching In

25 Mar

March must the time of year when my creative side goes on vacation. This time last year, I went into a writing funk, and it has happened again. Heck, I am not even in the frame of mind to find an illustration for this post. My past few posts have not been good, and I know exactly why. I did not write them because I had something to write about. I wrote them because I felt like that something needed to be written.

My blogging mind has gone into complete blank mode, and the inspiration to put fingers to keyboard is not there. Last night, I kept thinking that I should write a post, but it never happened. It is better to write nothing than to write crap.

With all of that being said, I am not going to publish a post until something comes to me that is worth writing. That could be tonight. That could be tomorrow. There is no telling when it will be. However, it will happen when it is ready to happen.

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I Can’t Believe It’s Been Two Years

1 Nov

Two years ago, I started this blog, and it’s really hard to believe. I just went back and looked at the first post. To say the least, it’s not very good. It’s so bad that I am not even going to link it. The writing isn’t great, and it is obvious that I knew nothing about blogging. For instance, I spent the entire post introducing myself before realizing that there was an About page for all of that. It was a lot longer before I realized that putting pictures in a post helps out a lot.Two Years

It doesn’t feel like I have been going this for two years. My parents used to tell me that time goes by faster as we get older. I didn’t believe it, but I do now. My blogging time has definitely flown by, and it has also brought some big changes. Since I began blogging, I have gotten married. I went from a confirmed bachelor who lived by himself to a man with a wife, stepdaughter and a dog. The dog is a girl. too. I am surrounded by females, and I love it.

I haven’t really thought about what to write in this anniversary post. Usually, something pops into my mind, and I put it on the screen before I forget about it. Nothing good has come to mind, so I am going to dig into my stats and see what has been going on.

Since the first anniversary of this blog, the following things have happened.

Surrounded by Imbeciles has been viewed most by people in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.

It has been viewed the least by people in Qatar, Aruba, Uruguay, Mozambique, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea, Jordan, Mali, Bangladesh and Uganda.

The people who have made their way to Surrounded by Imbeciles have mostly read the following posts.

The Problem With Gas Pumps – This one carried the blog for a long time as people hit it constantly. However, it hasn’t been viewed in a while.

Into the Sunset – This is the one who got me Freshly Pressed. I just threw it out there without thinking and ended up getting hits all over the place.

Movie Wisdom – Burt Reynolds Edition – You would be surprised how many people want to know what Burt Reynolds said in his movies.

Listeria – Gunslingers Edition – Who was the fastest gun in the West?

Listeria- Western Actors Edition – They say Westerns aren’t popular anymore. I beg to differ.

Sometimes It’s a Western, Sometimes It’s a Porno – This is actually about something at work. However, people search for “western pornos” all of the time.

Victorian Brothelese – All you ever needed to know about the whorearchy.

The Great Pumpkin Carving Escapade – This one has climbed the charts in the past week.

Dirty Deeds and Thunder Chief – I bet you never heard this song by AC/DC.

The Cullman Comet – One of my favorite posts, this is about my meeting with Tom Drake, who has lived a very interesting life.

Before I go celebrate all of this blogging with a big glass of cran-grape juice, I also want to link two posts that I am really proud of. They haven’t gotten many views, and I am going to advertise them as much as possible.

The Smell of Cape Jasmine is an exploration of one of my favorite songs, and A Southern Legend is about an almost true southern legend. I hope you check them out.

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V for Versatile

29 Oct

I was going to start this blog by writing a paragraph filled with letters that begin with the letter V. However, I can’t think of enough, so I will just put up a picture of this guy.Vendetta

This is happening because I was awarded the Versatile Blogger Award by one of my favorite blogs, Chandler Swain Reviews. If you like movies (and who doesn’t like movies?), then you need to head over and check it out. Heck, he may have a review for the above photographed Mr. V.

I really appreciate the award and want to publicly thank CSR for reading this blog and sharing it with his many readers.

This award comes with several rules that should be followed. First, I am to provide a link to the presenter of the award. Mission accomplished.

Next, I am to display the award.Versatile

Isn’t it beautiful? Now, I am to list seven things about me that could be considered interesting.

1. When I was a youngster, I got lost in Sequoia National Park.

2. I don’t like peaches, but I love fried peach pies.

3. I have traveled to each of the 50 states.

4. Late one night, I fell asleep standing up.

5. I am pretty sure that I have the entire script of Smokey and the Bandit memorized.

6. I own a miniaturized replica of Mayberry, North Carolina.

7. I love my wife, and I hope she makes it this far into the post to read that.

Here’s the important part. I am to name 15 other blogs to receive the Versatile Blogger Award.

Trask Avenue – I have been reading about the street side activities at Trask for a long time. You need to see what’s happening on the corner.

Front Range Scribbles – Colorado has a music scene, and everything you need to know about it is right here.

Satanic Panic – Another great site about music, and the name of the blog is awesome.

Thoughts From The West Five – This has to be the most versatile blog being produced in Great Britain. We have been reading each other’s stuff for a long time.

Paint Later – This is a view of the art world from the Land Down Under. Don’t paint later. Paint now.

Senior Moments – These are some good Tennessee folks, and they do a lot of traveling. Go on over and read about their adventures.

Manu Kurup – This has to be the most versatile blog being produced in India. Some great writing is coming out of this one.

Dying Note – Another blog about music, this writer must live a mysterious existence. For awhile, they will disappear. Then, they are back with a vengeance. Go check it out.

Guapola – Hey, another music blog. I hope Guapola isn’t taking payola.

Cole Mining – This mine is filled with nuggets of wisdom and great writing.

Serendipity – A blog by two very interesting people. When you read it, I think you will agree.

Hasty Words – For some really creative writing, this is the place to go.

Carl D’Agostino – The cartoons always make me laugh and always make my day.

I should have numbered these. I keep losing track of how many I have listed.

The Nashville Fork – This one is produced by a co-worker. It’s about the food scene in and around Nashville. I know a lot of you don’t live around here, but there are also some great recipes that everyone can enjoy.

Boxer Sweeney – It’s drawings. It’s great drawings. I always wonder what is going to come up next.

That’s it. I have fulfilled the requirements of receiving the Versatile Blogger Award. I enjoy reading a bunch of blogs and wish I could have listed them all. Again, I thank Chandler Swain Reviews for the honors. I also want to thank everyone who takes the time to read this blog. Mr. V thanks you, as well.

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Twenty Thousand

22 Jun

I have been away from the blog for a few days and returned to find that it has gone over 20,000 views. I don’t know if it reached this number quickly or at a snails pace, but I know that I appreciate everyone who clicked on Surrounded by Imbeciles to read a few words. I hope that everyone has found something enjoyable in what they have read.

To celebrate reaching 20,000 views, this post is about a few “20,000” things.20,000

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – This is an easy one. The classic novel by Jules Verne turned into a movie starring James Mason, Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre, and a seal. However, it has actually been turned into a movie a lot of times.

The $20,000 Pyramid – One of many versions of the classic television game show. It was most famously hosted by Dick Clark and had contestants guessing categories by picking up clues from celebrities.

20,000 Days and Counting: A Crash Course in Your Life Right Now – This book by Robert D. Smith takes on the struggles of life and inspires people to succeed.

20,000 Patties Under the Sea – Obviously a play off the Jules Verne novel, this is an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. I don’t know what it is about, but I hope it involves Plankton.

Uprising of the 20,000 – In 1909, Jewish women who worked in shirtwaist factories went on strike. They gained better wages, working conditions and working hours.

20,000 Years in Sing Sing – Starring Spencer Tracy and Bette Davis, this 1932 movie is about a criminal who is sentenced to the the famous prison. The warden tries to help him. Do his efforts work?

That’s a few things connected to 20,000. Thanks for being one of the 20,000 that stopped by.

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A Post About Posts

10 Jun

I am always fascinated by what brings people to this blog and what they read when they arrive. Occasionally, I will go over to the stats page and see where the posts rank in viewership, and, the other day, I did just that. Some I knew would be there. Others were a little surprising.Eleven

“The Problem With Gas Pumps“, as it has for months, stands at the top of the list. In the early days of this blog, I wrote a sarcastic view of gas pumps and how they think we are imbeciles. For a long time, no one read it. Then, it hit big. This post controlled this blog for a long time, and I can’t figure out why.

“Into the Sunset” brought a huge surprise when it was Freshly Pressed. The idea for this one kicked around in my head for a few days before I wrote it. When I got around to it, there was no plan. I just typed. When I got the email that said it had been noticed, I sat there stunned.

“Victorian Brothelese” was another early post and covers my research topic in graduate school. I am sure you noticed the word brothel in the title. You can imagine the search terms that get people to this one.

At some point, I came up with the bright idea to look for movie quotes that provide life lessons. My first attempt at this was “Movie Wisdom – Burt Reynolds Edition“. I’m not sure people are looking for wisdom from Burt, but, from the search terms, I know there are a lot of fans of Smokey and the Bandit out there.

At another point, I decided to use our fascination with lists as a topic and came up with Listeria, a combination of List and Hysteria. Get it. Listeria. Anyway, two of those posts have hit the big time. The first is “Listeria – Gunslingers Edition“, and the second is “Listeria – Western Actors Edition“. There seems to be another theme there, as well.

“The Good, the Bad and the Presidential” gets a lot of hits from folks trying to find out which of our presidents was any good. I’m not sure that I can help them, but I have provided a handy list of who I think was any good.

One of my personal favorites is “Dirty Deeds and Thunder Chief“, an examination of lyrics that people get wrong. You would be surprised at how many people search for the exact words in the title. Perhaps, I should write a fictional biography of Thunder Chief and throw them off track.

Another favorite is “Sometimes It’s a Western, Sometimes It’s a Porno“. I love the search terms that bring people to this one. I didn’t realize that were so many people wanting Western themed porn. Honestly, the porn studios are missing a real opportunity here. Unfortunately, this post isn’t what they are looking for.

One of the best experiences of my life was meeting a man named Tom Drake, and I wrote about it in “The Cullman Comet“. This is a post that I would like everyone to read. Truly, he is an interesting man.

Finally, another early post has worked its way toward the top. “A Requiem for Josey Wales” is an examination of one of my favorite movies. For years, my mom complained because my father, my brother and I watched it every time it came on television. Then, she watched it and liked it. This is a movie that should be required viewing for every human.

Those are the titles at the top of the charts. It’s probably cheesy to link a bunch of posts like that, but, from a personal view, it’s interesting to see what draws people to this blog. It looks like these are the ones.

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Outdoor Blogging About Lightning Bugs and Time Travel

6 Jun

Tonight, I am doing something a little different. Instead of sitting at my desk or at the breakfast table, I am blogging on the deck. Dusk is my favorite part of the day. It’s that time between dark and light when you can see but not see. It’s that time when the shadows begin to echo with the noises of the night. It’s that time that I like to imagine vampires waking from their sleep. With all that going on, I need to experience it and not be shielded by the artificial lights of the house.

Actually, I’m not a big fan of artificial lights. I keep my office dark, and, when I am able, I keep my house dark, too. For some reason, things just seem more interesting when they can barely be seen. That’s probably why they keep the lights dim at strip clubs.

Here I am sitting on the deck, and I really notice the noises. I hear the neighbors talking on their deck. I wonder if people realize how far sound travels. I hear birds in the woods behind the house. I hear crickets chirping, one of the most lonesome sounds in the world. There is a dog barking in the distance.

When I was a kid, we played a game. Whoever saw the first lightning bug would win a prize. It could have been a soft drink or an extra thirty minutes before going to bed. Seeing the first lightning bug always seemed to be a moment of passage. In my mind, that’s when day truly turned into night. I just saw the first lightning bug, so it is night, now.Lightning Bug

I feel the urge to get up and catch one. That was also a fun game. Catch one and let it glow in your hand. It’s probably weird, but I also tried to find patterns in their mass blinking.

The neighbor just yelled, “Cold beer!” That’s one way to spend a relaxing evening. I’m not a big fan of beer, however. When I was younger, I hated it. Then, someone told me that I had to acquire a taste for it. That didn’t make sense. If I had to learn to like something, then why would I want it in the first place? There are other choices of adult beverages that taste better.Jack Daniels Logo

The light of my computer screen is attracting bugs. It’s always good to be typing and something is crawling along with the cursor.

It really is a nice evening. The trees are swaying in the breeze. Someone down the street is mowing their lawn. For me, it is a night for contemplating. When that happens, I think about the distant future. I guess that’s strange for someone who studies the past for a living. I tend to think of it as future history. What will historians of the future find when they look back? What will my house look like? Will it still be here? Will this be one of those neighborhoods of old homes like we have now? How big will the trees be? Will there be a George Jetson car pulling into the driveway?George Jetson

I don’t know, but I wonder. That’s why people have always been fascinated with time travel. We want to know what we, deep down, realize that we can never know.

Anyway, that’s what happens when I blog outdoors.

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Secrets Revealed

3 Feb

Those who have read this blog from its creation know why it came into being. I created it, and, as the number of posts grew, people began to read and some began to follow. I didn’t tell anyone in my personal life about the blog, but it wasn’t like I was keeping a deep, dark secret. It just didn’t occur to me as something to share. I lived my life, and, sometimes, I would get on my computer and write.

Today, I told my girlfriend about the blog. I know. It’s terrible that I didn’t tell the person closest to me. That’s why I told her. People all over the world read my words, and I wanted her to read my words, too. After all, many of the posts have been about my adventures with her.

So, today a secret was revealed, and it made me feel kind of like this guy.

Deep Throat

Deep Throat

With that being said, I welcome my girlfriend as a new reader of Surrounded by Imbeciles. I hope you like reading it as much as I like writing it.

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The Little River Band Sang…

1 Nov

“Happy Anniversary, Baby“, and I have been thinking about that song because it has been one year since the birthing of this blog. It started with the suggestion of a therapist who I don’t see anymore and, honestly, I thought it was a dumb idea. I knew nothing about blogging and didn’t understand why anyone would want to read what I had to write. For the first month, that proved accurate as the blog got 49 hits FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH.

Several times, I thought about stopping but realized that was the point behind the therapist’s suggestion. I have had a hard time committing, and this would give me practice at continuing something. It’s a year later, and I am still continuing. That fact has amazed me along with a few other things.

I am amazed that this blog has 252 followers, and I deeply appreciate each one of you. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all of the other readers who have stopped by along the way. I appreciate that you guys have taken the time to read my words and offer hundreds of comments. There are some great people in the blog world, and I am happy to have come into contact with a bunch of them.

I am amazed that people from 91 countries have clicked on one of my posts. ZZ Top went nationwide, and Surrounded by Imbeciles has gone worldwide.

Beard, Beard and a guy named Beard.

Wait, that last sentence brings something to mind that I would like to address, the title of the blog. Several people have told me how much they like the title, and others have told me that, with the content to the blog, I should change it. I find value in each one of those opinions.

The explanation for the title is given in the very first post. I didn’t realize that there was an About page for introductory purposes and wrote post for introductory purposes. That, along with the fact that I didn’t know what a Tag was, shows you how big of a blogging imbecile I was. Anyway, I am getting off track.

That post explains where the title comes from and explains my vision for what Surrounded by Imbeciles would be about – a sarcastic look at the human condition. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I haven’t been able to keep the sarcasm flowing. Now, I still throw sarcasm out there, but it is surrounded by all sorts of other views of the world.

In short (too late, I know), I am not surrounded by imbeciles. I am surrounded by great people with a few imbeciles thrown in. Because I actually know a few imbeciles, I am going to keep the name of the blog. Besides, it’s a brand. I don’t see Coke changing anything. Wait, they tried that once didn’t they?

Uh, ok.

I conclude this anniversary post by shamelessly linking the eight less read entries of Surrounded by Imbeciles.

THE BOTTOM TEN

Last – Never heard of Peter Burnett? Well, now you have.

Almost Last – Some important events have happened on November 25.

Nearly Last – Read ’em and weep.

Almost Last But Not Quite – Steve Jobs sold crack.

In The Last Five – The dreaded Winter Solstice.

Hey, It’s Not In The Last Five – The brain says, “Hey, give me a break.”

Not Nearly Last – What is true immortality?

A Safe Distance From Last – An ode to a cactus.

Again, thanks to everyone who has read this blog. I truly appreciate it.

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Logically, It’s for the Poet

8 Oct

When this blog began, the front page of WordPress was a listing of those blogs which had been chosen as “Freshly Pressed”. I found several blogs to follow by squeezing the melons in that section. Now, the front page of WordPress has changed to some sort of sliding pictorial format.

Example, “For the Foodie” slides into “For the Photographer”. I suppose that the slides show potential bloggers the variety of things they can write about in the WordPress world. It’s an alright front page, but there is one thing that I have a question about.

Why does “For the Poet” have a picture of Spock in a wig?

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Sweet!

3 Oct

I am sitting in the theater surrounded by men in tuxedos and women in expensive gowns. My eyes are closed. My palms are sweaty. I know that I am being watched on a split screen by millions of people, and they are watching me freak out. Suddenly, I hear my name called out. Everyone begins to clap as I hug the people around me. I give a big kiss to the blonde that is accompanying me, but I can’t remember her name. After all, we just met a few hours ago.

I can’t feel myself walking down the aisle and onto the stage. But, I know who’s waiting for me. Winona Ryder, the presenter, is smiling and looking at me with eyes that are saying this is not the only award I will be getting tonight. I give her a kiss on the cheek as she hands me….

Is it a dream? Kind of but not really. Today, I was honored to receive this award from Fern over at The Fur Files. Check out her blog. She writes about a bunch of things, including marriage and sex. Wait, marriage and sex go together?

I am not sure what rules I need to follow to complete the reception of this award, so I am just going to list my favorite Sweets.

I wonder if it is as sweet right side up.

Angels sang when Hot Tamales were first born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

This song by James Taylor.

Sweetness!

This song by Aerosmith.

The aforementioned Miss Ryder.

Thanks again, Fern.

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