A Decade of Potpourri

Ten years ago today I launched this blog/mission/quest/thing with a modest first post. Obviously things have slowed somewhat and I find myself in the odd position of thanking JJV for posting something, anything, well almost anything.

 The kids are growing, the layout cries for attention, and my social media feed is full of much the same kind of hate and foolishness swirling its way around the rim of the blogosphere in 2005. Although there are also cat videos. Now, of course, we have Twitter and Facebook and God knows what other means of getting on my lawn, which by the way really needs another reseeding.

So, Happy Birthday to the blog! Plus, it's almost rutabaga time.

Surely, the Best of Times

I was remiss/overtaken by real life in not noting Monday's 30th anniversary of the release of Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan. Fortunately I follow Leonard Nimoy on Twitter or I would have forgotten altogether.

The first time I saw it was in my hometown of Lyons, NY, at the Ohmann Theater. We knew most of the people who worked there - hell, we were in the same classes at school - so we got to stay in our seats and watch the second screening for free.

As the years passed and the odd-even quality of the sequels ground inexorably onward, it became apparent that we had not paid for the second viewing of something special. The combination of Olympian scenery-chewing and a genuinely exciting pace (damn the logical inconsistencies, full speed ahead!) makes it highly re-watchable. For a while in the 90s I would sometimes watch it directly after watching my VHS copy of Space Seed, never failing to observe that desert-planet living had really taken its toll on Joachim.

As always, we must give the last word to Admiral James T. Kirk, bracketed by what passed for subtle acting by Sr. Montalban:

Raising a Glass to 20 Years

I hope I am not stepping on my co-blogger JWT's toes here, but I would like to congratulate the Luther Happy Hour on twenty years of vague memories. Everyone on the blogroll, not a few of our commenters, and some of our children have been regular attendees at one point or another (except, well, this one and this one but hey, he's new and was here just a minute ago), and JWT himself was present at the creation. JJV, meanwhile, brought CRH and myself into the fold. This very blog was most honored to serve for a few precious months as one of the select means used to notify attendees of that week's location; these prose masterpieces (and I mean that) may be found here as well as via a link on the right side of the blog.

Happy Anniversary! I am pleased and honored to have been part of this tradition for so long. Here's to twenty more years, at which point we should really go grab dinner somewhere.

We've Gone to 11 But Are Not Stopping There

JJV will no doubt post something about the solely-Reagan-inspired events beginning on this day twenty years ago, but before he gets on that wellworn hobbyhorse I'd like to discuss something of much greater import.

I speak, of course, of this day eleven years ago when Laura and I got married. It was a wonderful day spent among family and friends, including the majority of the blogroll. I'd especially like to single out CRH for his excellent Best Man speech, and I suppose I should apologize for hiding on him in the sacristy before the ceremony when he came back after running some sort of wedding-related errand.

As it happens, CRH, Laura, the kids and I are in the Adirondacks today as part of our annual pilgrimage, and we shall no doubt raise a glass to the happy occasion, but I wanted to note the event in a slightly more public forum.

Happy Anniversary, Sweetie! I love you!

On a More Personal Note

Today Laura and I celebrate our ninth wedding annniversary. I note with pleasure that all of the masthead except JCF was in attendance that day; CRH, in fact, served as best man, and JJV did a reading for us. (Although if JCF were as quiet then as he is in these parts, he may very well have been there. Hey-oh!)

If memory serves today is also JWT's birthday; may he spend it with friends in the Fenway bleachers, pantsless.

Today is also the anniversary of the 1991 coup attempt in the USSR. And they say August is a slow news month...

Three is a Magic Number

As I was about to shut down the computer for the night I did some quick math, checked our archives, and realized that today is the third anniversary of Potpourri for $500. So Happy Anniversary to us! Little did I think that three years on we would have a multi-writer masthead, all of whom have posted at least twice.

I would like to thank my blogging colleagues -- yes, even JJV -- for providing our readers, who I also want to thank, with plenty to think about over the past 618 posts, starting here. I especially want to thank our maniple* of commenters for engaging in lively discourse or, failing that, clever one-off remarks.

On a specific level, thanks to EMM for indirectly inspiring this post's title.

*We don't have enough for a legion or even a cohort, but we are a happy few nonetheless.