* FIRST! *

Hello World.

It's me. Again.

This past decade, in some form or another,  I've been on the web "expressing myself" or "emoting" or "ranting and raving"... what have you. Needless to say, real life caught up with me and I've been absent for a while. And yet, like the tempting call from a half empty (half full?) bag of chips -- I just had to dip my hand back in for one more taste of fatty, salty goodness. (You can't have just one? Ok, metaphors. Enough!)

Somethings never change. I love lists. LOVE them. "Bulleted items." Mmmmm. "Agenda." Ohhh yes. "Action points." Wonderful. Lists are a neat and easy way to get to the point. So, without further adieu:

Why start this blog?

• I haven't written in a while. I have a frakkin' MFA in Creative Writing from NYU and...I don't write? At all? Really? Someone just flush my degree down the toilet. Use my published work to wipe, why don'tcha? I can't tell you how many writers (every single one of them) will attest to the fact that muscle memory and practice is all part of the craft. All the time. Every day. So, yeah. I shelved my "novel in progress". Have not written any poetry lately either. But blogging? Heck, that seems like something easy. Hey, it's a start. Baby steps, k?
• My brother and cousin started blogging recemtly and I felt inspired. (Check the side bar.) I am in no way a stranger. I kept a blog for 8 years that basically got just a bit too personal. The interwebs is no place to be airing out any and everything. So this new go-around is going to really focus on my pure unadulterated GEEK LOVE. All the things I read, watch, listen to... and food. (Yes, I blame Top Chef and Anthony Bourdain. I never was a "foodie" before. A fat boy who liked fried chicken and pizza -- ALWAYS. But all this food TV. Gah.  Do I really need to know what a coulis or ailoli is? And molecular gastronomy? Seriously, "sous vide" -- I actually know what that is now. And BTW, don't ever use it in a food cooking competition. You. Will. Lose. Please pack your knives and go.)
• I needed a kick start. After a tough year (which I will not get in to -- see above! Less personal, more happy fun times!), I'm in need of the proverbial "creative outlet". In my younger days, I would be getting poetry published, freelance writing for magazines, playing guitar and singing all around NYC, and just kicking some bubblegum and chewing some a$$! Let's get back to that as the status quo, shall we? WOOT! THERE IT IS! USA! USA!

What won't this blog be about?

• My adorable, beautiful, genius girlfriend does not want me writing about her. She will sue me. She's an actual lawyer, so I totally believe her when she says she is a-feeling all litigious. She may make a cameo here and there. But I will NOT write about her or our relationship. I will only refer to her as ERL. Whisper those letters and fear her wrath.
• No whining. Or as the Brits say "whinging". None of that. Please call me on this.

Anyhoo. By way of introduction, there you have it. The first post.

I'm already thinking of what to write about next. Blu-rays? Comics? Korean Fried Chicken?  All of the above?

Stay tuned, kids.

*The ERL read the above post and approved. She also thinks that I am "trying to hard". We'll show her, won't we! (I have no illusions. She is the boss. Don't rat me out! Shhhhh!)

I'm lucky I'm cute.