Saturday, December 14, 2013

The Top 10 of 2013


It was a good year in my little corner of the Internet. Here are my favorite blog posts from 2013:

10. "Tweeters on the Bus" (September 14, 2013). Media critique is something I've come to over time, and this essay on an after-action report of the 2012 Presidential election by CNN reporter Peter Hamby captures many of my frustrations with the media - its odd capacity for ironic distance from the very short comings it creates, its insularity and its unwillingness to take ownership of the fact that, at least at the national level, it does a poor job of informing the public.


9. "Happy Twitterversary" (August 19, 2013). What began for me as a way to pass time while waiting for my then-wife to move out became a community that helped me get through some hard times and allowed me to express myself comfortably, confidently, and most importantly, anonymously


8. "In Defense of Don Draper" (May 25, 2013). I love me some Mad Men and nothing brings me greater enjoyment than analyzing the characters of Sterling Cooper & Partners. This blog post from midway through Season 6 will either end up being prescient or moot.


7. "Malaise on the Left" (May 31, 2013). Reduces down, in one blog post, my critique of the President's all-too-often willingness to meet political foes he vanquished more than halfway. 


6. "An Ode to Appetite" (August 3, 2013). Just a fan boy's letter to an album he's known and loved for more than half his life.  


5. "Respectful Infidelity" (August 5, 2013). Sometimes you read something that makes your eyes bleed and sometimes you have to write about that experience (even if the article is click bait for bloggers).


4. "43" (October 19, 2013). The life lessons learned might seem pithy, but they have served me well. 


3. "Elizabeth Wurtzel Has A Sad … Or Something" (February 17, 2013). I can't even with people who reach their 40s and still act like they are in their 20s, particularly when they attempt to make themselves out to be unique snowflakes simply because they refuse to grow up. A fortiori for people who are gifted and talented but choose to squander that ability by navel gazing and embracing their own personal Peter Pan syndrome. 


2. "10 Things I Learned In Therapy" (July 25, 2013). After years of struggling with a lot of "issues" related to oh, the normal stuff people tend to allow to define them, losing someone very important to me (see #1) was the kick in the pants I needed to get some help. I'm happy I did. 


1. "Special Lady Friend" (June 22, 2013). What can you say about a woman who appears out of nowhere, you fall for the minute you meet and, six weeks later pulls out a Glock and empties the chamber into your heart? About 2,200 words worth, apparently. 

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