The Terrible Twos

This here little blog turned two yesterday. Perhaps not a reason for a new national holiday, but it's an opportunity for me to reflect upon the last year's worth of posts, and basically the last year in general. In going over the numbers there were actually fewer postings this year than last, which is partly because of the demands of the new job at Fantastic Fest and also partly because the muse doesn't seem to hit as much as it does when you're working a job that actually requires you to work. My previous job was one that afforded me more free time than my bosses realized, which was part of the reason why I ended up doing so much more writing in 2007. The scene changed in 2008, and though I'm not complaining about the job or it's demands, I find myself working on this when I'm off the clock, and that can be draining sometimes. Too tired to think, to tired to write, not always writing my best; it's not always easy. I know that things can be a hell of a lot worse off, but I had more time on my hands when I was making more money and less content with what I was doing. Now I make less and bust my ass more, though I'm much more content. It's a bit odd.

There's also the matter of life itself and how that has changed. The early part of last year was a tough, tough time for me, and it gave way to a lot of self-reflection which gave way to a lot of writing. I think some of my best stuff came from this period, though I'm really not sure I'd be willing to go through it all again if I had that opportunity, because it hurt like a son of a bitch. Still, it was a productive time, and all of the pre-move writing from last year (up to late April) was done with a certain passion that I feel is a bit lost. This time last year I hoped to move onto writing full time (or at least enough to make a living out of it), and while most of my non-HQ 10 writing these days is more along the line of Fantastic Fest sales pitches, it's great to have HQ 10 to be the place to go when I've got something to say about this art form that I love so dearly. Writing is a groove that can sometimes be tough to fit into, but when it's right there's a lot you can get going out of it. I'd like to think that, for the most part, I'm getting it more right than wrong. But that's not really up for me to decide.

Some personal faves from the last two years:

February movies

The George A. Romero interview

In a Lonely Place - The Movies

The Forgotten Movies (all of them)

The Children of George and Steven

Taurog! Taurog! Taurog!

Laserdiscs Remembered

All those Fantastic Fest reviews

Remembering George Willig

That's about it. Thanks for reading!