Whither Shamus? And other mysteries of the blogroll.

For several months now, I’ve been puzzling over a few things.* Namely, what’s become of some of my erstwhile favorite blogs, and how/why have I been getting traffic from sites I’ve never been to or heard of until I started getting traffic from them?

M.I.A.:

Bad for the Glass
The Shamus was one of the greats. Formerly known as That Little Round-Headed Boy (alias Jack, alias Jackie!) The Shamus had impeccable taste in movies, music, and pop culture generally. That doesn’t mean I always agreed with him, but then he also had an uncanny knack for defending or supporting what from anyone else would seem like questionable judgment, entertainment-wise. I especially enjoyed, and will miss, his kooky lists like “75 reasons to love Burt Bacharach on his 75th Birthday.”

Though incredibly disappointing, his suddenly vanishing without a trace is not that unexpected. He was the unofficial Lord of Evanescence. Hated archiving. Constantly changed his layout. If anyone knows of some new iteration or incarnation, or the story behind his decision to stop enriching the quality of discourse in the blogosphere, please leave a link in the comments.

Look at Me. I'm So Important That I Have a Blog.
Done by Darren McLikeshimself, this was one of my favorite slice-of-life blogs. Every post—whether meditating on the foibles of being a 30-something Hoosier trying to make it in NYC, the sublime joy of guacamole at Chipotle, or the merits and pitfalls of sporting J.E.B. Stuart facial hair—was sharply observed and shot through with enviably wry wit and charming self-deprecation. Last I heard, he and Nabbalicious had loaded up the truck and moved to L.A. He did one post about Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, and then . . . crickets. Maybe he got a book deal.

NEW:

Deutschland Über Elvis
I occasionally get hits from this site, but there’s no apparent link or reference to me or my blog anywhere that I can find. The only thing I can figure is that that “Next Blog” random thing seems to think that anyone who enjoys reading the observations of an expat, gay, globetrotting marketing guru working out of Munich would like this one. Seems logical.

Wie sagt Man auf Deutsch: Faaabulouuuussss!

Clean Green Slate
Near as I can tell, this blog is relatively new and one of several done by a young attorney from the Midwest who’s getting married in a few months. I have no idea (okay, some) why she linked my site. We don’t seem to have much in common beyond law and an appreciation for The Weepies (abiding in her case; newfound obsession in mine). But I’ll take what I can get and be glad for it.

*Puzzling in tiny little 10- to 15-second bursts. It’s not like I was trapped in the inner circle of thought worried about these things. I’m a 1L with a 3-year-old for crying out loud. I’m lucky if I get to sit down for a meal.

6 comments:

Snag said...

Don't worry. Once you're practicing and have a five-year-old you'll have plenty of time for extended contemplation.

The Honourable Husband said...

MidB,

You DO appear on my blogroll. But I didn't label you as "A Drinking Song". I labelled you as "The opposite of headbang..."

You dropped out of copywriting to go to law school. I dropped out of law school to become a copywriter. See? It makes sense.

Love ya

HB8

Mr. Middlebrow said...

snag:
I knew I could count on your mentorly reassurance.

HB:
Ausgezeichnet! Thanks for the link. Love your blog.

Elvis McFatPants said...

All I have to say is the Elvis (although having nothing to do with Elvis) is all at once beautiful and angular. It is art.

I miss Darren though. As soon as he missed an update I emailed him. He replied stating that he just didn't have the heart anymore. Where ever he is I hope that he is safe and warm and that he is not in the gutter as a result of a crack-binge.

Anonymous said...

"The Shamus" is Larry Aydlette. He now writes a blog called Welcome To L.A. I started reading him during his Bad For The Glass days, before That Little Round Headed Boy.

I will still be reading him in a couple of months when he changes the name and URL of his blog and moves again.

Adorable Girlfriend said...

Oh look at Snag over here flirting with Mister MB.

Blogwhore!

Um baby love, the only linky love you ever needed was AG's. Did Fish not teach you anything?

P.S. At least you get linky love. And Dooce gets hate e-mail and Bossy gets rental cars.

What does AG get?

Nothing.

That's what.

Effin' patriarchy!