Well, it is that time again. Another year has passed and been chronicled here at davidcomeaux.com. Just the other day, my family was asking me what I did last year over the new years holiday. I had no idea. “Time to consult the blog”, I thought to myself.
So, in the spirit of self-consultation, here is some of the best (and worst) posts of this past year. Some of these blogs attracted quite a few comments, while others were apparently profoundly uninteresting to the majority of readers that visit this site. I’ve rated the following posts as “hits” or “misses” according to the number of comments they recieved. However, I thought there were quite a few good posts that attracted no comments from readers here. Of course, I am the author of this stuff, so perhaps I am a little biased. At any rate, here is 2007 in review.
January
I started the year in a reflective mood, mulling over a past relationship. Later in the month, I moved on to complaining about two of my favorite subjects: the weather and poor internet writing.
Hit
Popularity Problems - a post in which I wonder, “Is there anything more unpopular than poetry these days?”
Miss
All the personal introspective posts, especially this one about the death of my cell phone.
February
February was not a strong blogging month - only a few personal entries contemplating hte end of my collegiate career and not one single comment. Nothing but introspection this month, no real hits or misses to speak of.
March
March found me reading John Cage and Ann Hudson among others, but readers were more interested in my waffalings about happiness.
Hit
On Happiness, “But I tend now to try and see both happiness and sadness as two sides of the same coin - part of life in all its great chaos and complexity, part of myself - a person who can embody both good and bad, who is large enough to contain contradiction, paradox.”
Miss
All things literary, including this poem
April
A solid month of posts that began iwth a consideration of the American political left and ended with a discussion of reading habits. In between, I ranted about names and cried over the Virginia Tech shootings.
Hit
Don’t label me - I’ve got a name, “Our names - they are our past, they are our future, and they are all destined to one day stand for us as the final link between our life and death. Is your name ready?”
Miss
I went to school today and lived, “When I came in, I fixed a sandwich and turned on the television. There on the screen were pictures of the students and their families. I turned off the television, went into my room, and wept.”
May
May was a big month for me - college graduation! Browsing through the archives, you’ll find more discussions of reading and books, John Cage, and a “life update” in which I outline a few future dreams. Honestly though, the major action this month was taking place offline: graduation and Dave’s wedding at the end of the month. I also got to see Leo Kottke in concert, a personal guitar hero of mine.
Hit
Life Update
Miss
Under the Weather. Short version: Can I get some Advil please?
June
June found me traveling: to Denver and around Baton Rouge on the job hunt. A good month of posting, especially if you were into economics here at dc.com.
Hit
In the meantime - a post about economics and productivity that generated a veritable firestorm of comments!
Miss
My Denver vacation posts (reader jealously perhaps?)
July
July was another strong summer month of writing - quite a few more posts about reading, and the beginning of an essay series that stalled out before it really got started. July was also the beginning of the wildly popular Tuesday Love, a weekly post that I quickly realized was very difficult to keep going.
Hit
Tuesday Love: First Edition
Miss
Potter Mania - I go to the big release party and run into an old flame - dc. com readers don’t give a muggle or a hogwarts.
August
The beginning of this month found me on the move again, this time to Galveston, TX to visit friends. There was also plenty of love to be had for gossip and romance stories as well as some worry over hurricane season. I also started a new job this month, my first as a college grad.
Hit
Tuesday Love give or take a few days
Miss
What is normal?
September
My birthday month - I blogged frequently about adjusting to the no-school, all work routine. This month also saw me playing lots of banjo, making some light graffitti, and a near-death (for me at least) car accident at the end of the month.
Hit
Tuesday Hatred: Cathartic Moments - a spiteful inversion of the Tuesday Love.
Miss
Some Banjo Love and other musical thoughts - a great post that attracted no comment.
October
October was a bad blogging month and the beginning of the end of the year decline here at dc.com. In only 3 posts, I talked about David Sedaris, Halloween, and poetry. In my own defense, this month was also the beginning of all kinds of health issues related to the car accident I was in at the end of December. Indeed, October was just a preview of what was certainly the worst month of this year for me: November.
November
One bleak post was all I could muster this month. I was very sick, having dizzy spells and panic attacks three to four times a week. I was like a walking zombie at work, and I’d get home in the afternoon only to go to sleep around 9 or earlier. In fact, all I really wanted to do this month was sleep. I got very depressed over how difficult it was for me to function, and I spent more time in doctor’s offices this month than I ever have before in my life. A few failed medications, an MRI, and one trip to an internal medicine specialist later, I finally began to come out of the mental fog I had been living in since the end of september. Apparently, when you suffer a severe concussion, symptoms can linger for months that can seriously impair your ability to function. There’s a lesson here kids: Protect your brain! I’ve had some painful injuries before, but having my cognitive abilites screwed up really hurt my quality of life. Lesson Two: whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger - I’m a better person for having gone through all that, though I won’t want to do it again anytime soon!
December
Another pretty slow month, I found myself grasping for perspective after nightmarish November. A difficult end to an otherwise exciting year of change and transition.
As I was writing this review of the year, a couple of things jumped out at me about the site and my writing here.
First, if comments are any kind of judge (and they really aren’t), readers here prefer an opinionated post over an introspective one, and regular features (like the Tuesday Love) are very popular comment items. Posts about poetry, art, or music ellicit very little response from the regulars around here.
Second, writing (and I presume reading as well) has slowed down dramatically at the end of the year. I attribute this to the work schedules of Dave and I, my accident, and also to a third issue that I’d like to end this post with.
It seems to me that dc.com is undergoing a sort of identity crisis at the moment. About five years ago, Dave convinced me to write on this site as a contributor and a friend. We spoke of chronicling our college journey together, and that we have done. Now, though, we find ourselves at a crossroads. My college career is over, Dave’s is ending shortly, and neither of us are the teenagers who started this blog together. What I mean to say is that both Dave and I have moved into different phases of life, and I would like to see the site somehow reflect that transition. Clearly, an old 2003 style entry no longer fits into the content here, so where are we headed in 2008?
Well, its certainly up to the webmaster, as it is his site, but I’d like to see the site evolve as the author’s lives have evolved. I don’t have all the answers, of course, but maybe it is time for a site re-design (does anyone visit the defunct writing section?).
For my part, I’d like to see things change, emphasis shift. Music has become a huge part of this site - I’d like to see it featured more prominently. Also, I wonder if it isn’t time for me to forge my own web identity. Dave and Jon as it exists now is so 2004. 2008 is Dave and family and Jon out-in-the-world!
Maybe some reader feedback would be helpful? Where do you see this site going? What would you like to see when you come to dc.com in 2008?
