State of the Blog 2025

Blogging Year 17, here we go!  

I don't have any big changes planned for the coming blogging year.  The schedule will be the same...

Tuesdays: Family Adventures

Fridays: Star Trek

Occasional book posts

For Star Trek, it's onward with both Deep Space Nine and Voyager.  I should be well into Season 5 for the former and Season 3 for the latter by this time next year.  We have a movie coming up before long, too.

Family adventures will likely continue with the same themes: travel, food, film and games, more or less in that order of priority.  No big travel plans for this year but Spain/Morocco was far from a certainty twelve months ago so who knows?  I can virtually guarantee trips to Massachusetts, DC and Pennsylvania.  Beyond that, we'll see.

I am eternally grateful to those of you who stop by to read and engage.  As always, if any of you enjoys reading The Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing fine.  

State of the Blog 2024

Blogging Year 16, here we go!  Looking back at last year's State of the Blog, I'm pleased to report that sophomore year of college did, indeed, go a lot more smoothly for our child than the first year did.  Life is never exactly stress-free for any of us but their finding better balance helped my wife and I to do the same.  Here's hoping junior year is even better.

I don't have any big changes planned for the coming blogging year.  The schedule will be the same...

Tuesdays: Family Adventures

Fridays: Star Trek

Occasional book posts

Family Adventures will still likely be food-dominated, though I'd like to write more about our travels, too.  We don't take too many big trips these days, mostly weekend excursions plus visits to friends and family.  But you never know.

For Star Trek, it's onward with both Deep Space Nine and Voyager.  I should be well into Season 4 for the former and Season 2 for the latter by this time next year.

I am eternally grateful to those of you who stop by to read and engage.  As always, if any of you enjoys reading The Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing fine.  

State of the Blog 2023

Blogging Year 15, here we go!

As noted in my Squiddies post, the first year of the "empty nest" didn't go exactly as expected.  Our child definitely went off to college in western Massachusetts but not as enthusiastically as anticipated.  The adjustment - to both being away from home and the increased workload - was rough.  We were parenting hard for months.  Fortunately, they have gradually settled into their new world.  I'd still say they'd prefer being here at home cuddling with the cats without having papers and projects hanging over their head but who wouldn't?  College has become a home away from home and there are plans in place to make the work more bearable.  Fingers crossed for a positive sophomore year.

For my wife and me, while the kid's ordeal was certainly stressful for us, too, it helped emotionally to feel needed for a while.  It eased the transition to our new reality.

There have been other adjustments for me.  My social world took a big hit.  Important friends have moved away.  The year's developments have made me wonder if the longer one lives in New England, the more the geography of one's life gravitates towards Massachusetts.  So, in addition to my usual efforts to add to and expand upon my/our hobbies, I'll also be making a conscious effort to shore up my local support network.

Here at The Squid, the blogging schedule will stay the same...

Tuesdays: Family Adventures

Fridays: Star Trek

Occasional book posts

Food hobbies, particularly cocktails and restaurants, are likely to continue to be the main drivers for the Family Adventures posts.  For years, my wife has lobbied for us to take on the Vermont 251 project, in which one visits all 251 of our state's incorporated cities and towns.  I love exploring Vermont and 251 is as good an excuse as any.  It could be a great way to find new restaurants, too.

Movies are likely to take on a more prominent role.  Saying so almost feels like a jinx but I think it's a safe bet.  Our movie brackets have been great fun and going to the theater is more appealing now than it was a year ago.

Trek: I'll be reaching the end of The Next Generation soon.   While that's a little sad, the series wasn't at its best in its final season.  On the other hand, Deep Space Nine is only getting better and Voyager reflections will be kicking off soon.  Because of Trek's release timeline, I can almost guarantee at least one movie review this year.

As always, if any of you enjoys reading The Armchair Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing just fine.

State of the Blog 2022

Blogging Year 14, here we go!

Next week, we take our one and only child to college.  The impact on all three of our lives will be enormous.  My wife and I have spent the past nearly 19 years planning everything around our progeny.  Obviously, she'll still loom large but the parameters of our family life will be permanently altered.  It's a time for new beginnings for all of us.

My wife and I have talked about new hobbies we can take up and old ones we could renew.  Predictably, many of our ideas involve food: exploring Vermont's many restaurants, breweries, vineyards, distilleries, cideries, etc.  In our more adventurous moods, we ponder (guided) mushroom foraging or possibly even fly fishing.  A couple of weekend trips are under discussion and, of course... excursions to Massachusetts are likely to be more frequent.  I expect we'll be watching more movies.  We also may become opera nerds.

The blogging schedule will stay the same...

Tuesdays: Family Adventures

Fridays: Star Trek

Occasional book posts

Food is likely to remain the main driver for the Tuesday posts.  I'm in need of new inspiration for the cocktail hobby.  Perhaps some new books would help.  For Trek, I should be able to make it pretty deep into Next Generation's 7th season and Deep Space Nine's 2nd over the next 12 months.

As always, if any of you enjoys reading The Armchair Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing just fine.

State of the Blog 2021

Blogging Year 13, here we go!

It's going to be a big year for my family.  Our daughter begins her senior year of high school tomorrow.  Momentous occasions will abound.  Big decisions shall be made.  A year from now, we'll know the answers to many questions.  Big questions.  Suddenly, everything feels like a huge deal.

Obviously, I think a lot these days about things I want to be sure we do before she heads off to college.  I also project forward to the empty nest experience for my wife and me.  A few years ago, I told my wife that I don't want to be the sort of couple who waits for the kids to leave to get to know each other again.  I don't think we are that couple but I want to enjoy being that couple now.  So, as I think about how to spend my hobby time over the coming year, I think of new - and old - interests we should explore together. 

For instance, maybe it's time to give wine another try.  Mind you, it's still her default alcoholic beverage choice whereas I am a beer man.  Wine, particularly red, makes me sleepy.  That's not always a terrible thing but it's not what I want every night.  I also haven't been overly impressed by the classes we've taken.  Perhaps they at least taught us enough to do more informed exploring on our own.  Surely, there are compromises to be worked out here.  I don't know if I'll blog about wine again but you never know.

For now, I'm going to stick with the same blogging schedule...

Mondays: comic books

Wednesdays: family adventures

Fridays: Star Trek

As stated in yesterday's post, I am going to switch from Star Wars back to Marvel in comic books.  However, my Marvel Unlimited subscription runs out in January and I am not currently planning to renew.  So, I will probably move to a twice weekly, Tuesday/Friday schedule when that happens.

Family adventures posts will likely continue to focus on food, especially cocktails.  I will continue with Bitters of the Month as long as locally-available supply and shelf space allow.

As for Trek, I'm planning to continue as I have, beginning with TNG Season 5 right soon.  Deep Space Nine premiered during the middle of NextGen's sixth season so we should be able to explore that one together before long, too.  It will be my second time through DS9 as we binged it as a family this past year.  Without a doubt, it's my favorite of the NextGen era series.

As always, if you enjoy reading The Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing fine.  Keep in touch.

State of the Blog 2020

Year 12, here we go!

I don't foresee any major changes for The Armchair Squid in the coming year, at least not to the basic structure.  The current schedule is working well for me...

Mondays: Marvel Immersion Project
Wednesdays: Family Adventures
Fridays: Star Trek

I am certainly learning a lot about the Marvel Universe in a hurry, as was my intention.  Reading a comic book more or less daily will do that!  It's possible I will change course at some point as to the exact material I feature - all of those Star Wars comic books on Marvel Unlimited beckon - but count on Monday posts continuing through the blogging year.

Family Adventures posts will continue to be food-driven.  I'm excited by where the cocktail hobby is heading for me right now.  Exploring bitters and French ingredients (with David Lebovitz as my guide) is adding new flavors to the tool box and I am simultaneously gaining confidence in my capacity to design my own recipes.  Stay tuned on that last one.  Expect developments in the next couple weeks.  I should also get back to mocktails.  I said that last year, too, and only got so far with it.  If I keep saying it, maybe it will be more likely to happen.

I'll be starting Season 3 of Star Trek: The Next Generation this week.  In other words, we're about to dig into the good stuff.  Barring major unforeseen life changes, I anticipate seeing TNG all the way through to the end at this point.  Whether I'll eventually take on Deep Space Nine, too, remains to be seen.  Definitely not this year, though.  The overlap didn't begin until TNG Season 6.  So maybe Blogging Year 13.


As ever, I am grateful to those of you who tune in to read my drivel.  If you enjoy reading The Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing alright.

Let's have a great year, folks.  If you're a US citizen, please vote in November.  For the rest of you, please enjoy the fact that you have better public health policies than we do - probably best you don't vacation here this year.  For everyone, be safe and be well.

State of the Blog 2019

It's been ten years since I first launched The Armchair Squid - a full decade of blogging.  Back then, I had visions of developing a presence as an amateur sportswriter.  I began with tennis, then soccer, eventually the Olympics, baseball and more.  I've explored a good many other hobbies in the time since and the experience has been most gratifying.  As always, my blogiversary is a time to take stock and adjust course.  I have in mind a few changes for the coming year, including the broadening of one topic and a return to another.

Food will continue to be the main focus of my Tuesday family adventure posts.  Cocktails will still be featured prominently, though my approach to that hobby has evolved a bit.  Rather than a broad survey of recipes, I'd like to concentrate on a few of our house favorites, mainly Manhattans, high balls and gin and tonics.  As those are the ones we enjoy most, I'd like to hone my own process, tinkering with proportions, ingredients and such.  I'd like to continue with mocktails, too, as it's a nice way to include our daughter in the fun.  I'll be looking at other food projects in addition, particularly the wine hobby I share with my wife and my current efforts to lose weight.

Bigger changes are coming to my Friday posts.  It's time to take a break from music and get back to... drum roll, please... Star Trek!  I can hardly believe it's been four years since my last Trek post.  First, I'll have reviews of the first four movies, then I'll be diving into The Next Generation.  Even with the long hiatus, I feel I've been building up to this for a long time and I'm excited.

Many thanks as always to all of you who stop by to read my humble musings.  Who knows if blogging will still be a thing in ten more years.  I hope you'll join me in finding out.

State of the Blog 2018

“There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
- Thorin's final words to Bilbo, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien 

It's been a nice year at The Squid.   I don't have much tinkering in mind for Year 10, apart from digging deeper into the topics I'm already exploring.  Perhaps in so doing, I can do my part to help inspire a merrier world.

I'll definitely be continuing with the cocktails, furthering my own education in mixology and sharing what I learn.  I have a couple of non-fiction books about cocktails on my TBR shelves and some interesting looking recipe books on the wish list, including one for mocktails.  Our daughter's delicious non-alcoholic mixed drinks were a central theme of our Europe trip this summer and it would be fun to make more of our own.  I also need to be better at ordering cocktails when we're out.  I tend to be a beer man at restaurants, cold draft brew being so wonderfully refreshing.  But recently we were at Kitchen Table Bistro and I wanted a vodka martini instead with my oysters.  I didn't even understand all of the questions the bartender asked me about my preferences.  Thank goodness, my wife was on hand to translate.  Guess I need to learn the lingo while seeking out the best Manhattan in northwest Vermont.

As A Window Above enters Season 2, I am looking to bring a little more diversity to the mix.  I've gone pretty heavy with the classic rock and soul so far.  I genuinely love both, of course, but there's a lot more interesting music out there and I'm eager to write about it.  

Want to hear all of the songs I've featured in a convenient playlist?  Enjoy:

A Window Above

Finally, a little musical treat to kick off the new year:

State of the Blog 2017

Music is a central focus of my life.  I am a music teacher, now entering my 16th year in public education, mostly vocal but with increasing instrumental responsibilities.  Our 13-year-old daughter is also an active musician, playing three instruments: clarinet, bass clarinet and piano.  A same-age comparison with me is, in fact, a joke very much in her favor.  A healthy portion of our family entertainment budget is devoted to symphony concerts.  I'm all in on music and have been for most of my life.

However, I have generally avoided music as a blogging topic for The Armchair Squid.  I believe strongly in a compartmentalized life (apparently a typical Gen X trait).  As music takes up so much of my professional, family and personal time, it's nice to write about other things as a diversion.  I include musical details from time to time but the main subjects of my posts have been other topics. 

One of the most gratifying blogging projects I've ever completed, though, was 30 Songs in 30 Days with Mock back in the summer of 2011 (read here).  I still go back and read those posts from time to time.  Knowledge, devotion and sincerity all certainly contribute to quality of material, if I do say so.  As such, I think it's time to take a chance and make music a more prominent part of my blog.

I have a few more weeks with The Clone Wars, after which there will be a few changes to the posting schedule.  The family adventure posts will move to Tuesdays and music posts will begin on Fridays, except, of course, the last Friday of the month which is still dedicated to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse.  I'll continue to review other books as I finish them, too.

Thanks to all of you for stopping by, reading and sharing your thoughts.  If you're having half as much fun as I am, we're all doing great.  Let's have a great year, folks!

State of the Blog 2016

It was a stressful year for this blogger.  The stress manifested itself physically and painfully in late May when I got shingles, an old man's disease that saw fit to hit me at 43.  It was a wake up call, an occasion to step back and take a good hard look at my life.  Stress, unfortunately, is frequently unavoidable in life.  I am a teacher, a notoriously stressful profession.  While it is possible to remove and reduce some anxiety-inducing elements, the important thing is to manage stress as it comes.  That's relatively easy to do during the summer months.

The fall will be another matter.  I'm taking on new and modified professional responsibilities this year.  While I'm taking on the added load for solid, practical reasons, stress is inevitable, especially as I continue to juggle family and personal schedules, too.  Learning to manage the stress will be crucial to my mental and physical health.  Shingles can come back - 7-10 year intervals, is what I've heard.  Having a less stressful life seven years from now seems like a reasonable life goal.  Adding more responsibilities now is probably not the best strategy but it's a long-term goal.  My life is likely to look quite different seven years from now.

So, what does any of this have to do with the blog?  Well, it's going to be tough keeping up with The Armchair Squid this fall but it's vitally important that I try.  The blog is, in itself, an escape for me and it is also primarily a chronicle of the other things in my life that I do strictly for fun.  Maintaining the hobbies will be crucial and the blog provides incentive and encouragement to do so.  That said, time will be precious.

Fortunately, I devoted some time this summer to getting ahead on things.  My Clone Wars posts are all set through November so Tuesdays are good to go.  I shall do my best to keep Fridays humming along with The Cephalopod Coffeehouse, Mock Squid Soup and miscellaneous family adventure posts.  It is likely, though, that posts will be on the shorter side for a while.  I want to keep my hand in the game and keep in touch with all of you.  I shall endeavor to do my best.

State of the Blog 2015

We've recently made some changes to my daughter's bedroom - nothing much but she's a creature of habit.  It was enough to make her uneasy.  My wife love's rearranging furniture so obviously the fear of change must come from somewhere else...

It's not change that troubles me so much as uncertainty.  I like to have a plan.  I'm open to changing the plan but I still feel better if I've got one.  I know enough about life to realize that an openness to possibilities can lead one in interesting directions.

Such was the case for The Armchair Squid in Year 6.  Last August, I expected to carry on more or less as I had before: two monthly bloghops - one for books, one for movies; a weekly family adventures post on Sundays; finish up Star Trek's original series on Wednesdays, then move on to other things and book reviews as appropriate.  The bloghops are doing well but everything else went out the window over time, though for welcome reasons.  Fortunately, I have friends with good ideas.  Once Maurice Mitchell hinted that he'd join me for an exploration of Trek's animated series, I jumped at the chance.  A few months later, Andrew Leon suggested a similar project for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  Those two adventures took precedent over previous plans.  So it goes.

Now, as Year 7 gets underway, I have a plan for The Squid going forward.  But as always, I am open to changing the plan.  I hope you'll join me.


Tuesdays

via Wookieepedia

Tuesdays are for Star Wars, a franchise which has been the dominant force in my personal mythology since I was a tot in 1977.  While I know the movies - especially the original trilogy - quite well, indeed, The Clone Wars is new ground for me.  It's still early days.  We've only just passed the halfway mark of the first season.  All are welcome to join us, of course.  If you're interested, sign up here.


Fridays

Mock Squid Soup is a film society blog hop, held the second Friday of each month.  I have been very pleased to see this group develop over the past year.  Our membership is devoted.  The basic pattern at the moment is to pick your own movie to review one month, then one of someone else's the following month.  Keen to join us for September?  Peruse the list of movies here, sign up here and post your review on Friday, September 11th.

The Cephalopod Coffeehouse is in its third year.  This one's dead simple: on the last Friday of the month, post a review of your best recent read.  There's still time to jump in for August.  Sign up here and post this Friday.

All other Fridays will be devoted to generic Family Adventures post.  As in the past, travel, movies and food are likely to dominate.


That's the basic plan.  Miscellaneous posts for bloghop signups and book reviews will crop up from time to time as well.  I'll still touch on music when appropriate.

I am continually encouraged and inspired by the many friends I have made in the blogosphere.  I am eternally grateful to those of you who take the time to read and comment upon my humble posts.  I look forward to joining all of you for further adventures in Year 7 of The Squid.

State of the Blog 2014

The Squid is hungry.  While the bountiful waters of the past year have brought ample nourishment, he is never sated.  The Armchair Squid continues his quest for fulfillment, trolling familiar waters but also exploring new terrain.  Dear readers, I hope you will join in the feast to come.  It is Year 6 in the life of The Squid.

Blogging Projects

The Cephalopod Coffeehouse, my monthly bloggers' book club, has become the central feature of The Armchair Squid.  My friend Mock and I have also recently launched Mock Squid Soup, a monthly film society.  

I hope both will continue to grow over the coming year.  I find these and similar projects to be the best way to harness the creative energy of the thriving community that is the blogosphere.  I am always open to new ideas for working with other bloggers.

Good Reading

"Good Food Display - NCI Visuals Online" by Unknown - This image was released by the National Cancer Institute, an agency part of the National Institutes of Health, with the ID 2397 (image) (next).
This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information.
English | Français | +/−. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Thanks to our Family Book Swap this past summer, foodie books have attained prominence at The Armchair Squid.  As such, food and drink are likely to become important topics in the coming year.  More on that below in the Family Adventures section.  In addition to food books, I will continue my reviews of sports books, comic books, children's books and Asian literature.

"ST TOS Cast" by http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn13/etmassey/star-trek-cast.jpg. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia.

My Wednesday posts about Star Trek original series episodes have been great fun.  At this writing, I have two more episodes to go in order to finish Season 2.  I will continue this Wednesday series through the show's third and final season - I must in order to earn the merit badge.  At that point, I expect it'll be time for a break, an opportunity to explore other frontiers, closer to home.

Family Adventures

"Continental Breakfast" by William J Sisti - http://www.flickr.com/photos/willsisti/7692532844/. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Travel, film and food shall continue to dominate these Sunday evening posts.  As noted in the Good Reading section, food is likely to take a more prominent role.  Apart from eating, the best way to learn more about food is through cooking.  My Wife, as I have written before, is a genius in the kitchen and my own minimal culinary skills are rarely required.  However, I've long been encouraged to take up a cooking hobby and I think I've finally found one that holds long-term inspiration for me.  More on that to come, particularly once I get through Trek.  

Music

No changes planned for this topic.  Music in film has been a most gratifying subject over the past year and I fully intend to continue with it as my own Family Movie Night theme.  Music is likely to turn up in other posts, too.

via The Wonderful Wiki of Oz

I am eternally humbled by those of you who grace me with your time in reading my posts and sharing your thoughts when the spirit moves you.  Your friendship and encouragement are The Squid's lifeblood.  I look forward to our journey to come in Year 6.

If you're interested in previous State of the Blog posts, please visit the links below:

2013

2012
2011
2010

State of the Blog 2013

Squid do not molt in the wild.  But here in the blogosphere, The Armchair Squid undergoes annual transformation, shedding the skin of the previous year and preparing for new adventures ahead.  As the interests of the blog's humble author shift and reader interests shape the conversation, The Squid seeks greater refinement and more nourishing feeding grounds.  To this end, the blogging motto for Year 5 in the life of The Squid is a very simple one: Embrace the Inner Geek.


Blogging Projects

I have been very pleased with the first three months of the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, my bloggers' book club.  The idea: each month, participating book enthusiasts shall post about a favorite book from the previous month's reading.  Bloghop meetings are held the last Friday of the month.  I hope the concept will continue to evolve and expand during the coming year.  If you would care to join us, I plan to keep a sign up list in the upper-right corner of my blog for as long as the group remains viable.


Good Reading

I've got big changes planned for these posts.  Comic books have been a major guiding factor in the course of The Squid over the past two years.  Inspired by comics, I tested a new concept during a slow week in February: reflections upon original series Star Trek episodes.  I've only posted two over the past few months but with the dawning of Year 5, Trek entries shall become a weekly feature at The Armchair Squid.  I'm aiming for Wednesdays.  Embrace the geek!

I will continue my more generic book reviews as well: comics, sports books and children's literature.


Family Adventures

I'm hoping for more family travels in the coming year - not big trips, necessarily, but perhaps more frequent ones.  We have a lot of friends we haven't seen in a while and I do regret not making it to the ocean this year - good goals to work toward.  I'd like to give camping a go next summer, too.  I did a fair amount of tent camping as a kid but we've never done it as a family, apart from one overnight in the backyard.

I'm planning a theme for my own Family Movie Night choices this year - more on that in a bit.  Food, always the best incentive for getting everyone out of the house, may make occasional blog appearances as well.  Family posts are likely to launch on Sundays.


Tennis

via hermes' helix

The Armchair Squid began as a tennis blog.  I cut back a bit on my posts in the past year - weekly during Majors rather than daily.  I intend to continue the same for Year 5.  The US Open starts on Monday.  Expect my picks to win soon.


Music

via Popdose

This is my trickiest blog topic.  Music is my day job and I do my best to keep blogging and work separate as much as humanly possible.  But music is everywhere and it's silly to pretend that it's not important to me in the rest of my life.  Generally, it has worked best for me to connect music to the other topics I blog about.  For the coming year, I plan to explore music in film.


In conclusion, I am eternally grateful to all of you who have shared in my explorations.  To borrow from Jon Wertheim, if any of you enjoys reading The Armchair Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing pretty well.  I hope you'll join me for Year 5.

If you're interested in previous State of the Blog posts, try the links below:

2012
2011
2010

State of the Blog 2012

The protagonist.  In literature, in film and in sports, identification with the protagonist keeps us coming back.  As Year 4 begins for The Armchair Squid, it is time to narrow focus and, perhaps, to explore this unifying theme.  While new directions are always possible, the following are my priorities for the coming year.


Blogging Projects

These are a lot of work but they are definitely the best way I've found to network with other bloggers.  A to Z is already on the calendar for April.  I even have my theme ready to go.  Quick-shot blog fests have also been great for me over the past year.  If anyone hears of anything planned for February or March, let me know.  Those tend to be my slow months.


Good Reading

Image via Comic Bastards

As I said in my Squiddies 2012 post, I started blogging about comic books last fall almost as an afterthought.  I did not expect them to be such a rewarding topic for the blog in general.  I plan to continue my explorations over the coming year.  I will certainly follow the Cannons' Double Barrel project and will encourage you to do the same. Beyond that, I'm not sure where the path will lead.  I am considering taking the next step in comic fandom and becoming a subscriber.  There is no better demonstration of the power of the protagonist than there is in the world of comics.

To do the topic justice, I do feel I need to educate myself in the visual arts in general.  I'm not sure what, if any, direct impact this will have on my blogging but I hope it will at least make for more meaningful posts.

I will also continue to explore children's literature - with my daughter and on my own.  There will be sports books, too.  Baseball and football books are on my to-read stack at the moment.


Family Adventures

This time last year, I set a goal to get my family out of the house for something fun at least once a weekend.  This past Sunday, I asked My Wife how she felt about it and she seemed more or less satisfied.

"I don't want you blowing up at me sometime about my 'stupid plans,'" says I.

"Well, I can't promise that..." she retorts.

Photo via The Idea Buro


Generally speaking, I've found that the best bet for getting everyone out is the promise of food.  The most gratifying topic as a blogger, however, has been movies.  We watch loads of them - mostly in the comfort of our own living room but we make it to the theater from time to time as well.  Truth be told, it's more or less the family hobby.  As such, I will focus on film for my family adventure posts in the coming year.


Music

As my goal is to keep my blogging life separate from my professional life, this is a tricky topic.  I am a music teacher, you see.  But there are always intersections between music and the other subjects I write about.  I will resume my celebrations of college marching bands (not my job) this coming fall.  In the spring, I will turn my attention to music's role in another favorite sport.  More on that in a bit.


Tennis

No changes planned here.  I still feel the Majors are the best point of contact for the casual fan.  My Curtain Calls are at the very heart of what The Armchair Squid is all about, no matter the topic.  After all, each player from the biggest star to the humblest journeyman is the protagonist of his/her own story.


Baseball

The Baltimore Orioles have been a joy in 2012.  I highly recommend following a team as I have this year: watch the pitchers for a few games, then the hitters, then the pitchers again, etc.  Keep an eye out for new faces.  Of course, it doesn't hurt when your team is winning.  As fun as it's been, I'm planning a new baseball direction next year.  After college football, baseball has the strongest connection to music of any American sport.  I will explore that relationship more in the 2013 season.

I haven't forgotten about my bold proposal, either.  At the moment, the Nationals appear to have the best chance to upset the apple cart.  The Orioles and Pirates are currently in playoff position, too.  I'll check in on this one at regular season's end.


Curling

No changes here, either.  Women's World Championships will take place in Riga, Latvia, March 16-24.  The men will play in Victoria, BC, March 30th through April 7th.


Fantasy Sports

I'm paring down a little bit here - just baseball and football, no tennis or college football.  I will continue to celebrate the individual players who do well by me.


In conclusion, I am eternally grateful to all of you have shared in my explorations.  To borrow from Jon Wertheim, if any of you enjoys reading The Armchair Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing pretty well.  I hope you'll join me for Year 4.

If you're interested in previous State of the Blog posts, try the links below:

2011
2010

State of the Blog 2011

It has been a year of evolution for The Armchair Squid. No longer merely a sports blog, the Squid has moved into the realms of literature and music. However, I believe that both sports and the arts are expressions of culture, reflecting different aspects of the human experience. A balanced life - that of an individual, a family, a community - should contain elements of both. In the coming year, the third in the life of the Squid, I shall continue to explore sports, literature and music. Further evolution in new directions is always likely. The Olympics are coming up next summer and that is certain to influence my posts.


Blogging Projects


Mock deserves full credit for getting me involved in blogging projects this past year. First, he tackled the 30 Comics in 30 Days challenge for his own blog, Stay on target... Then he discovered both the A to Z challenge and the 30 Songs in 30 Days challenge and encouraged me to try. Both were very positive experiences.

I definitely plan on doing A to Z again. I already have my theme ready to go. I have also designed my own challenge: 12 Books in 12 Months. I encourage you to join us for it. The details are here.


Books


Image via The Guardian

Books have become the life blood of the Squid and I have a number of projects lined up for the coming year. One is the 12 Books challenge mentioned above. I also have set a goal of reading The Hobbit to my daughter before the Peter Jackson film comes out next December. Then there's DC Comics' New 52. Mock, a true aficionado, has been feeding me comics for about a year now. I didn't read them much at all as a kid, devoting myself to Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons instead. As such, it's like a whole new world for me. I'm also a sucker for a good marketing campaign and thus cannot help being intrigued by DC's upcoming relaunch of 52 titles, including their most popular series. Justice League #1 is set for release on August 31st, the rest to follow in September.

Oh, I'm also trying to write a book. I've sort of hit a wall for the moment and could use some encouragement. It's a book based on my Orange Crush experience and youth soccer in general. I still think it's worth doing but I need to rethink the project a bit to make it work.


Family Adventures


Photo via Bruce Fong's Blog

I've already told My Wife that I'm taking responsibility for winter enjoyment this year. The Vermont winter, while frequently beautiful, is long and arduous. It's all too easy to feel snowbound and not leave the house for weeks at a time except when you absolutely must. I think we need to be more deliberate in combating that feeling this year. In truth, winter isn't even the toughest part of the year. The transitional seasons in November and March are brutal, too. So, perhaps my project is better described as Weekend Enjoyment.

My vision is to get all of us out of the house once a weekend for a non-errand outing, even if just for a leisurely walk in the neighborhood. The ideal activity is one that appeals to all three of us, gets us outdoors and doesn't cost much. The first condition is essential, the other two negotiable. There will be weekends when the idea of being outside is not remotely appealing but getting out of the house will be necessary anyway. Also, there may be weekends when the one thing we all really want to do will cost a bit. There will, indeed, be weekends when dragging everyone out of our cozy hibernation den - self included - will be enough challenge in itself. But it is for those weekends in particular that I feel this is important.

As mentioned in my Squiddies post, I'd like to take and post more photos this year. We do truly live in a beautiful place. I think photography will help me to appreciate that more often.


Baseball


Image via http://baltimoreorioles.devhub.com/

It's been a fun year with baseball, only moderate tinkering required for Year 3. The Baltimore Orioles will continue to be my primary focus and I have a new look planned for their 2012 campaign. The Chicago Cubs will still serve as my glimpse into the National League. I certainly hope to go to more Vermont Lake Monsters games next season. My bold proposal experiment shall continue as long as it remains viable. The Milwaukee Brewers, though, are the most likely team to upset my apple cart and they're looking pretty strong indeed right now. As much as possible, I will explore baseball's connections to other elements of culture: music, books, film, poetry, etc. I now understand why baseball has long held such appeal for professional writers.


Music


Photo via ullman211

This is a tricky one. Music is my job and I originally started the blog as something that would be completely separate from my daily work. But there's no denying the success of the 30 Songs in 30 Days experience for me so I'd like to find ways of incorporating music in future posts. To that end, I plan to explore the connections between the worlds of music and sport. Luckily, there are plenty.


Fantasy Sports


Image via Ghosts of Wayne Fontes

I shall continue posting my fantasies: baseball, football and tennis certainly. I also will be expanding my college football exploits (That sound you hear is My Wife groaning in despair. Don't worry, dear. This won't mean actually watching more games.) I intend to make a better showing in our college bowls group this year and as such, I will follow the regular season more closely. Care to join my pick 'em group? All are welcome...

Yahoo! Group #1978
Password: mockmock

Also, there is no stronger link in America between sports and music than that which exists in college football. Stay tuned.


Curling


Photo via Aww Dip

I will once again follow the World Championships but what I really want to do this year is get out on the ice myself. Mock has also convinced me to try broomball. Maybe mine could become the broom sports blog!


Tennis

Photo via Free-Extras
I will continue to post my Curtain Calls for Slams and to follow my Golden Squid. Interestingly, tennis is the only sport I've mentioned so far which is still a Summer Olympic sport. However, the real fun of following the Olympics is the chance to see the sports that don't get much or any exposure otherwise. As such, I'm likely to focus more of my Olympic attention on those than on tennis.


Photo via Executive Chairs

As I said last year, if anyone enjoys reading The Armchair Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing pretty well. I'm looking forward to Year 3. I hope you'll join me.

For comparison, here's last year's State of the Blog.

State of the Blog 2010

The Armchair Squid is one year old today. I started this blog with what I will admit was a rather amorphous vision. The idea first hatched as I was watching last year's Confederations Cup soccer tournament. During the last World Cup (2006), I served as commissioner for My Wife's work pool and wrote humble missives to help guide the uninitiated. It was good fun and I thought I might give it another shot in 2010.

However, as you may have already figured out, my primary sports enthusiasm is for tennis. Not long after my soccer thoughts, I was watching Wimbledon and thinking about how frustrating it is that the press follows such a small sample of the hundreds of players who participate in a Slam tournament. 128 players in a singles draw means 128 stories. I thought I might find a way to showcase some of the lesser-knowns and my Curtain Call idea was born. It was with these two ideas that I launched the Armchair Squid last August.

Years ago, my mother asked me why I like sports so much. It is an interest which I developed entirely apart from my family. She wondered if it was my love for numbers. While I am certainly a numbers geek and the sports page definitely fed me plenty of them, I didn't think that was it. I believe that what I really love about sports is its wealth of stories. Every game is a story and if you watch (or play) live you get to watch the story unfold as it happens. But really, a game is a great confluence of stories. Every player has a story, as does every team, every coach, every season, every franchise, every city and on and on. Naturally, every fan also has a story, too. After the US Open finished, I didn't want to just twiddle my thumbs until the Aussie Open came around. I wanted to keep writing. And so, I decided that my story as a fan would be my starting point as I explored other topics.

This jumping around and dabbling here and there has been good fun but I'm now at a point where I'd like for the blog to have a better defined direction. It is my intention, therefore, to narrow my focus to a few specific areas rather than the entire sports world. At least for the moment, those areas shall be:

1. Baseball
2. Fantasy Sports
3. Tennis
4. Curling
5. Books
6. Family Adventures


Baseball

I'll definitely see my bold proposal project through to the end of the season. I have some ideas as to how the postseason would play out in my ideal universe. Whether I bring it back next season will depend on how things work out this season.

But what I'd really like to do is reconnect with the team I grew up with, the Baltimore Orioles. I've written a lot about the Cubs this season. I like the Cubs and I certainly like the fact that they're on TV a lot but I can't deny that I feel a touch disloyal. I'm not prepared to shell out for a broader TV package so my relationship with the O's will continue to be one of the long-distance variety. But I think of all those baseball fans in the pre-television era who never got to see their team in action. If they could do it, so can I.


Fantasy Sports

I'm still not sure what took me so long to get into fantasy football or fantasy baseball. Perhaps in my subconscious I knew the risk of addiction. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much before it was all Web-based but I'm sure glad it's a part of my life now.

I need to find some more specific directions with fantasy sports but it is certainly a hobby ideally suited for blogging. I will continue to showcase the players who do well by me. I also want to explore ways to be a good commissioner - the fantasy sports equivalent to a dungeon master - and to develop the perfect league. Stay tuned. This will take some flushing out.


Tennis

I definitely want to continue with the Curtain Calls, partly because it's a fun way to follow a Slam but also because it's really the essence of what I want my blog to be. I also feel that the Slams are the best point of contact for the casual fan. I'm still hoping to convert average sports fans to my sport of choice.


Curling

I was puzzled over what to do about this one as television coverage in the US is essentially nil. So, anyone with an interest would have access to all of the same Web resources as I do. How could I offer something different? Wouldn't you know, the Canadian Broadcast Company would come to my rescue. A TV series version of Men with Brooms is premiering this fall. While we don't get CBC in our satellite package, the network has an outstanding website on which one can watch programming. So, it is my plan to blog reviews of the show. Beyond that, I'll certainly check in with the world championships when they come around.


Books

Apart from actually watching sports, books have been my fuel this year. I have been delighted to find so much quality sports writing and fully intend to continue my exploration. I'll certainly share my thoughts on the books I find.


Family Adventures

We're sure to have plenty of them and I'll write about them when appropriate. In many ways, these posts are the most fun for me to write. My Favorite Athlete is also my favorite subject.


It is entirely possible that other subjects will creep in from time to time. I may, at some point, get off of the sports track but it's working for now so I'll stick with it.

I am tickled pink that anyone would read and enjoy my blog. To paraphrase Jon Wertheim, if anyone enjoys reading The Armchair Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing pretty well. I'm looking forward to Year 2. I hope you'll join me.