Why the name of the blog has changed…

My readership, in their teaming dozens, may have noticed that the title of this blog has changed slightly. I took the word “beer” out. To be honest, I originally added it for alliterative effect, to follow “barbells” and “books” but also, beer was a major part of my life for a long, long time. If […]

The key to happiness is daring to suck, and suck badly…or the mystery of motivation.

The inspiration for this stems from a something I posted recently regarding regrets and a subsequent post I read on Stuart Danker’s excellent blog. If you think about it, our biggest regrets are those times when we simply “gave up” or chose the easiest solution, the path of least resistance. Conversely, one of life’s enduring […]

Who am I, what am I, what am I doing here?

(Spoiler alert – this post will buck all the hard won knowledge I have gleaned in 4 years of blogging regarding what sparks a reader’s interest. As a result, I’ll probably be able to count the actual views of this post on one hand. So be it.)

We all need a party-trick – or the fun of cultivating obscure, semi-useless natural talents

Talent is the natural aptitude or skill one has in any given action. If one is really fortunate, one is able to combine their given talent with their livelihood. If you have a calling, as the saying goes, you will never “work” a day in your life. What I’m talking about is something that comes […]

No country for middle-aged Goth dudes.

The country I live in is small by any standards and the capital city is more of a largish small town. It reminds me of when I was living on an island in that you constantly bump into the same people. It’s the sort of place that when you are in a public place and […]

Why some blog posts work and others don’t: an analysis

As a blogger, have you ever taken to the time to examine your readership statistics to discern what seems to garner the most attention…and what doesn’t? I’ve been blogging for a year now and have published dozens of posts. During that time, I’ve had some spectacular failures as well as a few relative successes. […]