1234: A Mini-milestone

Another milestone has arrived, giving me a few moments to pause and take a breather, look back over the accomplishments of the past couple of weeks, kick myself buttockally for all my weaknesses and failings (whether as a writer or a person) contained therein, then forge ahead until the next milestone, when I get to do it all again.

Good times...

With each new post my intentions regarding this blog as well as my life's work become clearer, at least to me. To the extent that I still allow myself to dream, I can foresee books and TV shows and all the stuff of an actual career being derived from what is currently a hastily compiled, occasionally over-written, slightly hysterical account of the calendar year as celebrated by yours truly.

Of course, I tell myself it'll be better next year, but I should know better than to believe myself when I say things like that. I'll never be happy with myself or my achievements, and no matter what I come to think of this blog I won't rest until it is a cake made entirely of icing, and may not rest even after that.

Rest assured, if even a tiny glimmer of satisfaction should manage to creep in upon the gloom that is my ego, I feel certain that my dread fear of being called arrogant will snuff it. My personal motto - the more you know, the less you know - has never been truer than it is at this moment. For every story contained on this blog there are a million which are not, and may never be, and it kills me what I may never know, let alone get to write about, because of the limitations of time and ignorance.

It should be fairly clear to one and all that, despite my fear and loathing of people, people are what the Pop Culture Institute is all about; whether they famously write books, corruptly run countries, or obscurely defuse bombs, my view of history is overwhelmingly people-centric. Writing about people allows me to express my interest in them without having to deal with their inevitable rejection of me. Where the threads of their lives sometimes cross, and often tangle, can be interesting; how inevitably they end up producing the rich tapestry of history is utterly fascinating.

Or, if you prefer... Uh, something less cliche?

There are now 774 posts separating this day from New Year's Day; I have no idea what those posts will contain, but I do know that I do not lack for subject matter, nor will I ever. I should probably get back to writing about Vancouver, which I haven't been doing for a few months now, nor have I been posting many of my own photos lately. I have yet to publish fiction, and there's also the pending matter of the puppets...

All in good time, friends. In the meantime I cannot stress enough that your comments are much appreciated. I've decided to lift the embargo on anonymous posts, and I am once again calling on everyone who can read these words to join me in building something unique: a community of people interested in studying the people's history, which is pop culture, and as ever the focus of the Pop Culture Institute.

~ MSM