100 Things About 2007

This is my 400th post. I listed 100 things about me in my 200th post, and considered adding to that. But since it’s a new year, I thought I’d relive some of my 2007 highlights … 100, to be exact.


1. I moved at the beginning of 2007. I left the ‘burbs, returning to my favorite area of town. I hope to never leave Decatur again.

2. Among other cool things, Decatur has long been one of our major lesbian neighborhoods. Possibly because in the Southern tongue it’s pronounced “dick-hater.”

3. While I love my life in Decatur, I have not become a dick-hater. It’s flattering, though, to go to the grocery store sans makeup and still get hit on.

4. My cup runneth over in the romance department the first few months of 2007 … “runneth over” being the key phrase.

5. A bit dramatic, a bit over the top by spring — so I took a boy break by the time the azaleas were blooming.

6. That break is ready to be broken.

7. Other than the rom-drama, my scariest 2007 moment was my brush with Karl Maldenism.

8. Luckily, the gin blossom faded away and left my nose intact, thanks to a pharm cocktail of antibiotics and steroids …

9. … although the steroids wreaked havoc on my body. Hate the ‘roids. My body is still raging from the ‘roids.

10. Runner-up for scariest moment: My eyelash bonfire during the Horrific Move of 2007. They’re back, too.

11. I thus stopped scaring small and mid-sized children by May, and was back to batting eyelashes by June.

12. (I’ve been sorting through my 2007 blog archives to fill this list. I didn’t blog much last year, did I?)

13. (Did I live a boring, noneventful 2007 — or was it just too busy and exciting for me to sit down and write about it? I’m still not sure.)

14. My mother and my sister had surgery last year, and both mended ahead of schedule.

15. We Coffey chicks are super-women.

16. Thank you for your comments and e-mails; your thoughts meant a lot to me.

17. The professional side of my life went very well in 2007.

18. The creativity level was cranked to 13, and I knocked off a lot of office socks.

19. But, really, do you want to read about the corporate Cup? Yeah, let’s move on to important things.

20. My beloveds were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

21. I’m still brimming with R.E.M. pride.

22. Rumor has it that the new album will be awesome — their best in years.

23. I was hoping for a March 25 release date, since that’s a Tuesday and my 49th birthday.

24. I think my undying love for R.E.M. deserves that honor. Don’t you?

25. But it’s coming out the following Tuesday — April Fools Day. The only fools will be those who don’t buy the album.

26. On an R.E.M. side note, I kept to my promise of a Peter Buck post ban after finding my blog was monopolizing the Technorati searches.

27. But I still love him.

28. In a non-sexual, non-stalking way, of course. I just want to be his best friend.

29. Is that creepy?

30. I saw nearly 30 concerts in 2007 — my busiest live-music year in a decade.

31. The best were Glenn Tilbrook (he’s funky — he told us so) …

32. … Wilco, in the pouring rain …

33. … Rufus Wainwright, Judy Garlanded to the nines …

34. … and Stevie Wonder, under the stars on a balmy night.

35. I hope to hit even more live shows in ’08.

36. After all, R.E.M. will be touring ...

37. … and I’m hitting the road for some Wilco shows.

38. Didn’t hit the road as much as I would have liked in 2007.

39. I enjoyed a holiday weekend in Chattanooga.

40. And I left my heart again in San Francisco.

41. I scored cocktails, appetizers, and dishing with liter-hottie Write Procrastinator while in The City — and that may have been the best part of the trip.

42. I went all self-indulgent on you with a new blog series, Mix Tape Fridays. You know I can’t resist a chance to blog about my favorite tunes.

43. I published twenty mix tapes and four holiday tapes — 864 songs.

44. Guess who appeared on every mix tape? Yep: R.E.M., or a Michael Stipe or Peter Buck appearance.

45. Second most appearances (excluding Warren Zevon on his tribute tape): The B-52’s and Elvis Costello tied with nine, followed by David Bowie.

46. I spend way too much time on these mix tapes: coming up with themes … pulling songs … working out the flows … rearranging the order for better segues … logging tracks on the Excel spreadsheet.

47. (I am nerd. Hear me roar.)

48. I listen to the mix tape tracks all week at work, which is interfering with me listening to actual albums.

49. But one must sacrifice in the name of art, right?

50. I hope I’ve turned a few of you onto new acts via these mix tapes. They definitely get conversations going in the comment box.

51. My favorite album of 2007 was Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky. It’s the album I played most often this year.

52. Because of the mix tape phenomenon (well, it’s a phenom in my mind), I didn’t get to fully listen to many of the new albums I like.

53. If I had listened more to 2007’s crop of new albums, I’m sure Spoon’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, The Black Lips’ Good Bad Not Evil, Of Montreal’s Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer, Nick Lowe’s At My Age, The National’s Boxer, and Modest Mouse’s We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank.

54. But I don’t want to fake a list since I didn’t listen as I should.

55. Favorite book — by a landslide — was Robb Sheffield’s Love Is a Mix Tape — and Robb’s going to be at my corner bookstore in a couple of weeks!

56. I can’t thank Artful Dodger enough for telling me about it.

57. It made me laugh — it made me cry — it was better than Cats.

58. And it inspired the ever-popular Mix Tape Friday posts. (See #42.)

59. Speaking of authors, I enjoyed a few brushes with liter-hotties in 2007.

61. Michael Chabon was the prettiest — and I finally learned how to pronounce his name.

61. Wesley Stace was the most entertaining, with Chuck Klosterman coming in at a very close second and Brock Clarke placing third.

62. But my greatest ’07 liter-hottie moment was when the much-adored Sherman Alexie sang Kiss’ “Beth” to me as he signed my book.

63. I’ve hated that song since it came out in 1976. That is, I hated it until Sept. 1 at 6:12 p.m.

64. I hate to admit it, but the most disappointing book in 2007 was Armistead Maupin’s Michael Tolliver Lives. It wasn’t bad; it was just okay.

65. I didn’t see as many ’07 movies as I would have liked … but I have some favorites.

67. My top movie was Once. How could it not be, with a perfect combination of great music and romance?

67. Plus, we saw Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová in concert in November, which increased my movie love.

68. Other fave flicks included King of California and Waitress.

69. Boy, I didn’t see much, did I? I have a lot of DVDs to see in the coming months to get me ready for awards season.

70. The most important movie news in my 2007, though was my first weekend solo show.

71. I’ve repeated the solo movie outings, and have yet to be mistaken for a homeless person.

72. TV didn’t offer many stellar moments for me in 2007.

73. The Sopranos finale, of course, was fantastic.

74. My favorite show of the year was Mad Men ...

75. ... and second favorite was Pushing Daisies.

76. And, of course, the Bravo staples: Project Runway and Top Chef.

77. My 30th class reunion was held in November, but I didn’t attend.

78. I did, however, reconnect with the person I most wanted to find. Thank the Google gods for blogs!

79. Since Favorite High-school Boy found me, we’ve had a great time catching up and one-upping each other on music and books and bawdy jokes.

80. He’s firmly back on my favorite list, thirty years later. Cool, huh?

81. We had a great time getting together when he was home for Thanksgiving …

82. … and even more fun during his Christmas visit.

83. I can’t wait for his Arbor Day visit. Lucky for me, Georgia observes Arbor Day in February.

84. On the friendship side of my life, many of my beloveds went through some tough times this year.

85. Breakups seemed to be the theme for the last half of the year.

86. In hindsight, I think most of them are much better off getting away from their not-at-all-better halves,

87. but there will be challenges for them this year as they venture back into the dating world.

88. Lucky for them, they have a professional dater on hand to give them advice.

89. All in all, 2007 was a great year,

90. filled with music and baubles and books and merriment,

91. fun times, fabulous friends, the joy of being a Decaturite once again.

92. A bit of adventure, a (wee) bit of maturing, and some gloriously giddy moments.

93. What do I want in 2008?

93. A lot of adventures …

94. … a new friend or five ...

95. … more blogger meet-ups (already met one in 2008; story to come this week) …

96. … more interesting blog posts …

97. … a smaller ass …

98. … a Democrat in the White House …

99. … more time to read your blogs …

100. … and a year filled with R.E.M., margaritas, and fish tacos.

* * * * * *

It Was Forty Years Ago Today

But I covered that story 365 days ago.

* * *
UPDATE: Check out Thunderbird’s tribute.

* * *


Oh, this is my 300th post.

* * * * * *

I Asked … and I Answered

I’ve been enjoying the interviews going around our little corner of the blogosphere, so I wildly waved my virtual hand when my new favorite blogger, Artful Dodger over at Rants Raves Life and Anything Else That Comes, ran his Gizmorox interview.

I enjoy Rants Raves etc., but I also love his nom de blog. I had a thing for Jack Wild after seeing him play the Artful Dodger in Oliver! I quit baton lessons because they were scheduled at the same time as H.R. Pufnstuf, and I was not going to miss my Wild fix. I could have been a majorette …

The Artful Dodger threw five good questions at me. Let’s see if I can give him — and y’all — interesting answers.


Artful Dodger: What was your favorite concert ever?

Cup: You had to start with the toughest question, didn’t you? So many great shows … but I’d have to say R.E.M.’s closing show for the Green tour (Fox Theater, November 13, 1989). The boys came out, started with “Radio Free Europe,” and performed Murmur all the way through “West of the Fields” … took a break … came back, performed Green from beginning to end … then played “Wild Thing,” “Fall on Me,” “Low,” and “Finest Worksong.” Scrivener was there, too (and one of these days, I’ll dig up that boot and make you a copy, sir). It was the last time I heard a lot of those songs played live.

First runner-up: The Warren Zevon show at Center Stage in January 1991 … because I got a backstage pass … and Warren kissed me. I need to tell that story sometime …


AD: Name your top five favorite albums of all time and why.

C: I’ve covered them in my soundtrack series (which returns in May), so here are the albums and the links to those posts (these posts are damn interesting, I must admit, so click away):

• R.E.M.: Murmur: Probably my favorite album ever.

• The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: The album that changed my life and turned me into a music fanatic.

• Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed: I think it’s the best Stones album. And who can live without a Stones album on your top-five list?

• Warren Zevon: Excitable Boy: One of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard. He could tell a great, vivid story in just three or four minutes. And the weirdest sense of humor …

• Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong: Ella & Louis: We grew up listening to the standards, and nobody can sing ‘em like Ella and Louis. Simply brilliant.


AD: How did you get into blogging?

C: My friend Paul and I have had one helluva entertaining e-mail conversation going since 1997. We pontificate … we bitch … we make each other laugh … and we’re damned impressed with some of the words that come out of our fingers. He started bugging me a few years ago to start a blog and share that brilliance with the world. I’d become addicted to reading blogs — first Paul’s and Jeremy’s, then any interesting blog I stumbled across. Finally, one night about a year ago, I just sat down and started A Cup of Coffey. It’s been quite an experience and a good writing exercise for me.


AD: If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

C: I’d go back to around 6 p.m. on January 10, when I backed into the brick foundation of my new abode, my first day moving. This time, I’d notice the slight curve in the drive as I backed out. Still makes me sick to look at my bashed Beetle bumper. There are a couple of more private moments I’d pick first … but I’ll keep those private.


AD: What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?

C: Sit out on a covered porch (or in my new home, in front of the screened door to the deck) … bottle of wine next to me … book in front of me … iPod playing behind me. Or lie on the sofa and watch back-to-back-to-back-to-back movies.


Want me to interview you?
• Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me!” If your e-mail address isn’t on your blog, e-mail me.
• I’ll send you five questions.
• You’ll answer all five questions on your blog.
• Include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

C'mon, kids, let me get all nosy on you.

* * * * * *

Happy Blogday to Moi!

I started this little corner of the wired world one year ago this evening. At the time, I thought I’d have a handful of readers — Dan, Paul, Jeremy, the sister, a few friends. I never realized people outside my immediate world would care to read about my obsessions. Nearly 300 posts … 33,000 hits from every non-frozen continent … 3,100 peeks at my profile … hundreds of R.E.M. mentions later … and I’ve been humbled.

I’ve made some real friends through the blog, friends here in Atlanta and as far across the country as you can get from Atlanta. I’ve found a few beaux, thanks to a post here or a Google there. And I’ve made several virtual friends, people I’ll probably never meet, but know on so many levels.

This is reading like an acceptance speech, isn’t it? I guess this is my own hall of fame induction ceremony. An inflated sense of self-worth, maybe? Well, hell, it’s my blogday!

I’ve learned a lot — about music and life and politics and books. other parts of the country and the world — thanks to your blogs. I’ve discovered some great writers — thoughtful ones, funny ones, honest ones. And so many folks with whom I can obsess about R.E.M., concerts, and the latest great new album.

Thanks to the blog, I got off my ample a** and ventured back into experiencing the things I love. I saw more concerts last year than I did in the previous three combined. (The concert roll to your right is helping, since locals contact me about shows they want to see, too.) Discovered new writers for my shelves. New movies, TV shows, even a local Shakespeare troupe (beginning rehearsals this week for May’s performances).

I know I’ve been a slack blogger in ’07 … but you wouldn’t believe my workload. Heck, I don’t believe my workload. I’m a couple of weeks from the downslope, so expect daily posts again very soon. You haven’t read enough about R.E.M. lately, have you?

* * * * * *

100 for 200

The tease went out earlier this week: My 200th post was coming up, which I planned to celebrate with a blogging tradition. The wait is over: Here’s my 100 Things About Me post. My cousin Marni recently published hers, and she’s been bugging me to write mine, so this is as much to please her as it is to entertain y’all with my nerdy trivialities.

So, without further ado:

1. My favorite band is R.E.M.

2. I love R.E.M. more than I have most of my beaux.

3. I get teary-eyed every time R.E.M. walks on stage. I’ll probably cry at tomorrow’s induction ceremony.

4. I’m the oldest of three kids.

5. But in most ways, I’m the youngest.

6. I’ve never been married.

7. But Dan and I lived together for nearly eight years.

8. I’ve never had children, and I’m too old to start.

9. But I have the best niece and nephew in the world.

10. I have three cats. Maggie (thirteen years old) and Otto (six years old) live with me; Dan got custody of Max (three years old) when we split up.

11. I say the first things I notice about a man are his eyes and smile.

12. But it’s really his ass and legs.

13. And his ring finger.

14. Number five on my top-five list fell off because I know someone who knows him, so he’s no longer a mystery and therefore cannot be a fantasy.

15. I don’t have anyone to fill his slot.

16. Bruce Campbell and David Duchovny are on my top five (now the top four, I guess).

17. I have Mulder and Ash action figures, and they stand on either side of my home monitor.

18. The other two on the list are George Clooney and David Letterman.

19. If Jon Stewart was taller, he could be my number five. Possibly Colin Firth (yeah, Colin Firth). Or Clive Owen. Maybe Hugh Grant. Ben Affleck before he jumped the shark with J.Lo.

20. My eyebrows are graying faster than the hair on my head.

21. Our family was once featured in a Japanese commercial. I have no idea what we were hawking.

22. I have a Southern accent. But I talk very fast, so it can be hard to catch the drawls … except when I’m tired and the tongue slows down.

23. I’m the only Southerner I know who can’t stand ham. Or potato salad. Or sweet tea. Or football.

24. I wish I were an NPR person, but their calming voices put me to sleep while I’m driving. I have to crank music so that I can dance and sing myself awake. I’m ashamed.

25. I’m ridiculously afraid of rats.

26. I hate the rest of the rodent clan, too.

27. I have a crush on Oliver Platt’s hair. And Emmylou Harris’ gray hair.

28. In college I was the public relations/public affairs director for our campus radio station. I had a free pass to every music club in the city (these were the early days of R.E.M. and The B-52's and Talking Heads) and opening night tickets to every play and ballet that year. It was a great year.

29. I’m a sociable hermit.

30. I really like people, but I’d rather live way out in the woods and just e-mail those I know.

31. I distrust anyone who claims to be a people person.

32. Or says they like animals more than people.

33. I spend an average of two hours a day in my fantasy world. I’m 5’10” with legs up to here in Cupland. And Peter Buck is my best friend.

34. I fantasize more about playing guitar on stage with Peter Buck and Keith Richards than I fantasize about … okay, that’s a lie. But it is a regularly screened fantasy in my head.

35. I can’t play guitar, but I want to.

36. I couldn’t even play that plastic flute in the sixth grade.

37. I’m a bit tone-deaf, actually … but that doesn’t stop me from singing at the top of my lungs.

38. My singing sometimes scares my coworkers.

39. The first album I ever bought was The Beatles Help!. Sister bought Revolver at the same time.

40. I have a walk-in closet filled with CDs. I don’t buy many CDs these days; I'm more of an MP3 girl.

41. One wall is filled with R.E.M.-related CDs, including bootlegs and every side project or sit-in the boys have participated on. Yes, every damn one. I conduct quarterly Googles to make sure I'm current.

42. I aspire to have a collection that rivals Ben’s Treasure Trove.

43. I have nearly 30,000 MP3s. And I still haven’t finished ripping my CDs.

44. I’ve been to Strawberry Fields and the Cavern Club, Graceland, Al Green’s church, the R.E.M. church, the Texas Chili Parlor Bar — all spiritual, meaningful pilgrimages.

45. I dress in all black every December 18 to celebrate Keith Richard’s birthday.

46. I once kissed Warren Zevon.

47. I cry every September 7, the anniversary of Warren Zevon’s death.

48. I’ve been madly in love five times since college.

49. I’d like to fall madly in love one more time.

50. My favorite job, other than the college radio station, was working at a bookstore.

51. I love grammar — talking about it, reading about it, teaching others about it, pulling out my red pen and editing what others have written.

52. I plan to launch my Grammar Grrrl blog in October.

53. I never graduated from college, but I’d like to go back to major in literature and minor in art history.

54. I once got kicked out of a strip club. For dancing with a patron. And, yes, I’m still proud of that.

55. I failed my driver’s test three times before I (finally!) got my license.

56. I had four car accidents the year I turned thirty. Three were my fault.

57. My car insurance was rather high for a couple of years after that.

58. My favorite baseball players are Hank Aaron and Tom Glavine.

59. I got to ride in the 1991 World Series parade with David Justice and Mark Lemke.

60. I don’t like to admit it, but I was in a sorority for a year.

61. I have 11 e-mail addresses: seven Yahoos, one Gmail, one Hotmail, one with my home ISP, one office address. And I use them all.

62. I bite my nails.

63. I have insomnia. Or maybe it’s just that I love being up between midnight and 4 a.m.

64. I think I suffer from ADHD. Or, rather, others suffer because I probably have it.

65. My mother and sister agree. With the diagnosis and their suffering.

66. I love making lists.

67. I was twenty the first time I flew on a plane.

68. I’ve been to Europe nine times.

69. I’ve never read The DaVinci Code. I doubt I ever will.

70. My favorite cocktails are extra-dirty martinis and cosmopolitans.

71. My favorite beers are Guinness Stout, Fuller’s, and a good British cider. I like Thai and Japanese beers, too.

72. And I adore the frozen margarita swirl at Casa Grande (the swirl is sangria, folks). Who wants to join me for one (or four)?

73. I got paddled in front of my third-grade class for talking.

74. I couldn’t admit that to anyone until I was a junior in high school. Now I consider it a badge of honor.

75. I was a painfully shy nerd until junior high.

76. Then I was a semi-shy, boy-crazy nerd.

77. I’m no longer shy, but I’m still a boy-crazy nerd.

78. I have the best group of best friends ever.

79. I could get arrested in seven states (covering the four U.S. corners and the Midwest, I might add) and the U.K., and someone would be there to bail me out.

80. That’s my goal for 2008: to be arrested in the towns of and bailed out by my farflung friends.

81. I was the first sophomore to make the high school newspaper staff — the best newspaper in the state.

82. Nearly everything I know about writing was learned during those three years. And I support myself today with those skills.

83. I was in flag corps my sophomore year and pep club my senior year.

84. I was a WSB Great Young American in high school. That means nothing to you readers outside Atlanta. And yet I still feel the need to brag about it. Sad, isn’t it?

85. Fall is my favorite season. Especially October in Atlanta.

86. But spring in Atlanta is glorious. You should see our azaleas and dogwoods.

87. I love Christmas.

88. I have five coffin-like storage bins filled with decorations and wrapping paper.

89. And a box filled with the greatest Christmas CDs ever.

90. My mother and my best friend’s mother went to high school together.

91. And my mother’s father went to school with her mother’s mother.

92. I still have my tonsils and my appendix.

93. I’ve never had surgery.

94. I broke my wrist slipping on the brick floor of a Mexican restaurant.

95. Yes, I had been happy houring for three hours. But the restaurant gave me $1,000 so that I wouldn’t sue them.

96. I asked Dan what to put on the list, and he said to tell y’all I’m gregarious, fun, freckled, laughing, and girlie.

97. Until a few years ago, I thought Isaac Hayes was singing “He’s a carpet-laying man” in “Theme from Shaft.”

98. The correct line is “He’s a complicated man.” I prefer my lyrics.

99. I loved playing with Barbie when I was a kid. Through the sixth grade, actually.

100. If I still had a Barbie, I’d probably be playing with her instead of trying to come up with 100 things to tell you about me. But I love making lists.

* * * * * *

Blogging Milestone: Six Months of the Cup

Today marks the six-month anniversary of A Cup of Coffey, so I’m taking a few minutes to reflect and brag.

I have to admit, when I started this blog — after being pushed for two years by Paul and having Dan beat me to the Blogger Dashboard — I wondered if I’d have much to write about. It still surprises me that I have something to say nearly every day; in fact, there are several columns in the hopper, just waiting for a slow news day.

And, damn, I love a forum where I can upload and obsess about songs. And write lists.


A Cupful of Blog Stats

• This is post #197. I’m planning a blog tradition for post #200, so come back in a few days.

• As of five minutes ago, there have been 21,615 visits to A Cup of Coffey. Seriously? That many of you want to know which R.E.M. album I listened to last night? I’m flattered.

• There have been 1,669 peeks at my profile. I hope one or two folks have explored Tim Sandlin or Parting Glances or Warren Zevon after reading my lists o’ faves.

• I’m still surprised that every third post is not about R.E.M.

• I’ve cut down on how often I use fabulous and excellent and the rest of my overused words. They’re still here, peppering each column … just a little less each month.

• It took five months, but I was finally tagged. Twice.

• Not really a stat, but I’ve been introduced to several new bands and authors through this blogging experience. And for that I’m eternally grateful.

• I’m also thrilled about the people I’ve met through this blog.


Cup’s Googliest Posts

• Review: The BODIES Exhibition (March 14; my second post): I get at least one hit a day for this review. That post is even linked on some site for the traveling exhibit. It’s quite a fascinating, educational exhibit, by the way; go see it if it’s in your town.

• Who Knew That I Love Puppets? (June 16): I’ve been able to trace Beck’s tour based on where the hits come from, thanks to Stereogum including a link to this post in its Bonnaroo review. Beck’s puppets really were cool, possibly the coolest stage thing I’ve ever seen.

• Tonight’s Top 10: Beth's Sexiest Songs (April 2): If someone’s looking for a sexy song, they’ve hit this post. I get about 10 hits a week for sexiest songs (might explain last week’s stripper hits); I hope these folks are taking my list and your suggestions, and enjoying their extracurricular activities.


The Wall Came Down

Coincidentally, I had a blog first tonight: I met a blogger, the author of one of the first blogs I started reading regularly.

One of the interesting things about the blog universe is you have some level of intimacy with your blog circle — you know their secrets and heartaches, their triumphs and quirks, their brilliant and deep love for R.E.M. — and yet you’ve never heard their voices, nor seen them in the real world, nor know their real names. It’s a forum that allows you to be freer, more honest in what you write about since chances are you won’t run into them at your neighborhood coffee shop.

There are a few regular readers with whom I’ve become close — long e-mail conversations, non-blog discussions. I talk regularly on the phone to a couple of these folks and consider them true friends. But this was the first press-the-flesh moment.

As I came up the driveway I realized I was about to walk into a dinner party where I’d never met anyone sitting around the table, not even the host. The shy, nerdy kid inside me — the one who always had to look off to the side in the class picture because her glasses would cause a glare, and so she felt even nerdier — wanted to run back to the car. I didn’t, though. This was like being invited to sit at the cool kids’ table, and I was going to enjoy every moment.

The dinner party was a lot of fun. The Blogger Family is quite interesting and wonderful, very much as described on the blog, and I liked their friends. Added bonus: Since we read each other’s blogs regularly, we didn’t have to fall back on standard dinner party getting-to-know-you questions that can drag down the table conversation. They already knew I was a little too obsessed with R.E.M.

So, which of you bloggers is next?

* * * * * *

The Cup Runneth Over

Yesterday was a momentous day on these pages. At 2:35 in the afternoon, Cup of Coffey had its 10,000th hit! I dug through the data to see who put the page over the top, and that 10,000th hitter was none other than HollyC (or possibly RCOFCHS) — a blog virgin until this page premiered, now a regular reader and commenter. (Janice, I hate to break it to you, but you were so close at 9,999.) HollyC (RCOFCHS) wins a lifetime supply of friendship … and a cocktail next time we get together.

Keep coming back, folks! Your comments always entertain me.

* * * * * *

Cup of Coffey Hits the Cs!

Today is my 100th day of blogging — and this is my 100th post! (Hold your applause until the end, please.) It has been an interesting adventure for my OCD, online-addicted soul.

The Facts

• 7,900+ hits across six continents. I seem to be most popular on the coasts, including the coast of southern England (Simeon?). Picking up steam, though, in the Midwest and, interestingly, Malaysia.
• More than 400 of you have viewed my profile (and a couple of you have had some interesting comments about my photo).
• Surprisingly, there have been few R.E.M.-centric posts, and just 25 mentions of my boys. But don't fret; look for my paean to Peter Buck later this summer. (Sorry about the Keef obsession in early May, dear readers, but I was worried. Still am.)
• Last week's Beck post was linked on Stereogum.com (thanks for letting me know, Robert)! I'm one step closer to realizing my dream of becoming a pompous music writer.
  

The Not-so-obvious Facts

I started A Cup of Coffey as a writing exercise. I’m a copywriter in the corporate world, but my fantasy is to move to the literary side of the written page. Since I began on March 13, my creative juices are flowing again … I’ve begun work on two short stories … and the on-the-job writing is livelier.

I originally thought my blog would be read by Paul and Dan and Jeremy (a.k.a. the Bookstar boys, who reconnected with each other via my comment boxes), and not many others. But many of my friends and family are reading it, and I’ve reconnected with folks who had faded from my life (welcome back, Dayle!). I’ve also met (if “met” can be stretched to include reading their words and exclude knowing what their facial features look like) some (very) interesting people through my blog or theirs. I even inspired my cousin to start her own blog (you go, Marni!); I just wish some more of you would start blogging (Kathy, your stories and the boys’ adventures would make a great read).

It’s been wonderful to have a forum through which I can obsess about bands and tunes, and not drive Dan crazy with the spouting of musical minutiae. I’ve even been introduced to new artists, thanks to other bloggers (Scrivener, I think you’ve introduced me to the most, so you're like a superhero in my world).

My bookshelves are expanding, too, thanks to your recommendations. (Garner's Modern American Usage came today, Professor Bastard, so I’ll let you know what I think next week.)

The most entertaining result of my first 100 days is my friends’ newfound fame. Now, when I say “my friends in Connecticut,” folks reply, “you mean Renae and Greg.” Who knows? In another year, they could have their own reality show on MTV: "Grown-ups on the Oasis Trail."

Anyway … it’s been a helluva lot of fun. Hope you’ve enjoyed reading A Cup of Coffey as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. And look for me in your comment boxes.

UPDATE: My blog evolved from my long-running e-mail conversation with Paul, which has been going strong since 1997. I neglected to give him props for his encouragement. He bugged me for two years to start blogging, and never complained when I didn't participate last year in our I Hate Leno blog. He walked me through (well, e-mailed me through, to be exact) the early stage — so, thanks, Paulie!

* * * * * *

One month. 34 posts. 2,300 hits.

Today marks one month of this blog. It's been a fun, interesting 31 days. I’ve reconnected with people I haven’t talked to in years — in some cases, the (now) adult children of friends. I've met other bloggers, and have a good time reading their posts and commenting back and forth. There are some wonderfully weird, creative, entertaining folks writing out there.

It’s great having a forum for indulging in my obsessions (just five R.E.M.-centric posts?). Blogging is now a daily habit I look forward to. And the cherry on top: reading your comments.

Take a moment to click on the map at the end of my links section. The red dots show where my 2,300 hits have been clicked. Across the U.S. (including Alaska), scattered across Europe, parts of the Middle East and India, South America, even Down Under. I’m glad I’m writing deep, meaningful posts for the world to read.

Pretty cool, huh?

* * * * * *

OK, so the name is corny

Welcome to my blog! Paul and Renae have been bugging me for months to start one ... so I'm finally taking the plunge. It's my own personal Algonquin Round Table, a chance to write Noel-Cowardish epistles on art and film and the world of politics and R.E.M. No doubt I'll write important columns, probably collected and published by a prestigious imprint. Oh, heck, let's admit it: It's a chance to go on and on about my love for Letterman/hatred for Leno, pontifications on the latest episode of Isaac Mizrahi's talk show ... and, of course, R.E.M.

* * * * * *