Each year right before Xmas, I digitally leaf through my blog posts and select what I think are the best ones (or most representative) and repost them in the hopes of selfishly boosting my hits and visitor numbers. Her are the all-time stats:

Views 281,304

Visitors 174,752

Posts 1,140

Comments 1,816

The exercise also provides me with touchstones to what was going on in my life. For example, I appeared on a few podcasts, but that seems like it was two years ago, not this year.

Anyway, fun ahoy, let’s get started.(Hit the headline in the box to trigger the link).

January

I love the blues and jazz, so that means I love Etta James.

Etta James’ Artful Suffering

February

I aint no musician, but I can write me some country lyrics, dammit.

An Existential Country Song in Search of a Tune

March

Twice I wrote about AI-produced illustrations. Here’s the better one.

AI Don’t Scare Me (Yet)

pS AI

April

Of the dozen interviews I did, this one’s the best:

Interview with Rodger Nichols

PS: AI generated the illustration at the top.

May

I enjoy writing about music in this format because I can provide musical clips to support my arguments:

An Appreciation of Bob Dylan’s “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands”

June

Caroline, our friend David Boatwright, and I visited the Terrace Theater to see the Flannery O’Connor biopic.

The Hawkes and Flannery O’Connor

July

Here’s the preface to my new book that’s coming out next year. There’s actually going to be an audio version as well.

Preface to Long Ago Last Summer

August

The Self-Help Book I Wish Someone Would Write

September

Celebrated, if that’s the right word, the 35th anniversary of Hurricane Hugo.

Hurricane Hugo Anniversary Ramblings

October

Wasted a lot of time worrying about the election and its aftermath if what I feared might happen happened.

Wesley’s Weave: Dark Musings on Election Eve

November

Alas and alack!

Wesley’s Weave: Dark Musings on Election Eve

December

Framing the collection with another post about music.

James Brown Silent at the Apollo

Thank you for reading, especially my regulars like Caroline, Bill, Dana, Robin, Cathy, Kathy, Phyllis, and Furman.