2010 ... the redeux

Okay folks ... yes, it's me. Yes, I'm posting here again (dusting off cobwebs and everything). I've constantly popped in here and said "I'm back" and "More to come" ... and then disappeared for months at a time again. Honestly, I can sit here and make all sorts of excuses, and all have some validity. Issues, both professional and personal, kept creeping up and chipping away at my time. There's been a lot of chaos, as I try to get a couple of projects of my own going forward while juggling other work, and still balance having some semblance of a "normal" life. Then, thanks to quick and easy use of Twitter (which you can find me on here), I started doing updates there and just let this slide away. Eventually, Stacking the Deck just faded for me. After all, I didn't even know if anyone was still out there paying attention to this.



But today, something hit me. When I started this blog, I did it under the pretext of giving people a peek inside my life. I originally wanted it to be a place where you could come in, like a virtual zoo, and see a "pop culture journalist" in its semi-natural environment. But the truth of the matter is, this was also a place for me to toss out those random thoughts, ideas, streams of consciousness, etc., that I might not find (or want) another outlet for. Sometimes, that means venting some steam. Sometimes, showing off a little work I've done. And sometimes it's just rambling on. But no matter what, it's been a way for me to put myself out there and also polish my own quirky style of writing. In other words, it's as much for me as it is for anyone reading this. So ... why did I really stop? I don't have the answer. But it's been far too long since I've been here.

So, what's to come from 2010? Hard to say. Right now I'm back to freelancing regularly for a couple of places. Also looking to get the big relocation project under way after a number of unexpected setbacks. As far as other stuff? I'm might be helping a couple of people with some PR work in the entertainment industry. "Might" is the operative word here, and the project is something that could be big, especially for comic book fans. But too often I've been in the "might" position and seen things fade out before getting rolling.

One thing I still plan to work on myself is the creation of a podcast. Yes, I know there are endless numbers of podcasts out there of varying degrees of quality. And I'm not going to lie and say I think the one I'm working to put together will be the greatest out there, or revolutionizing the genre. Instead, I plan for it to be the same thing I planned for the blog here ... an outlet as much for me as it is for anyone listening. Look, if there's one thing I learned from all my time writing reviews, it's that we all have an opinion. You can love or hate whatever I think (or just not care), but I want to at least have fun doing what I do. The plan is for the podcast to center on a few people just talking up (or down) the things we find interesting in the pop culture industry. Comic books, video games, gadgets, movies, etc. Occasionally we'll toss in some surprises and such, but the point is just to have fun with it. And hopefully, you guys will have fun listening to it as well.

This post illustrates one of the big reasons I've decided to come back to Stacking the Deck and trying to MAKE the time for it. Sure, Twitter is quick and easy, but sometimes I've got more to say than what will fit in 140 characters or less. And yeah, I've got a lot of those Facebook friends I keep up with, but it's not exactly home to a lot of thoughts. I'm not going to say this post is an example of what to expect from this blog. Like me, it's constantly changing and evolving. But I will try to keep my word from before and let any of you interested pop in here and get a little insight into the life of at least one "pop culture journalist". Or better yet, just to get a little more insight into just me. And maybe, just maybe, somewhere along the way, I'll learn a little something too.

And now, those three words I haven't said in a long long time ...

"End of line ..."