Tag Archives: WordPress

Cutting the List

by Revis Edgewater

It’s a rare occurrence for me to spend much time on this blog these days. I pulled it up today in hopes to add a post on here. Not sure what to write, I pulled up the reader and sorted through the posts that others had put up. While doing this, I noticed that the majority of posts were written by the same five or six people. I felt like I needed to change this, so I searched for some new posts.

The first suggested topic was the word “comics”. I went ahead and clicked on it and read a few of the posts that popped up. There were a couple that I liked and I followed the authors so I’ll be able to go back and read a few of their older posts when I get a little more time. I also commented on one or two while I was at it.

After spending that time looking for new bloggers to follow, I went back and tried to figure out why my current “Followed Sites” list was so heavily occupied by only a few bloggers. What I discovered was that many of the bloggers I’ve followed over the years no longer blog. Most of them, in fact.

I went through my list and unfollowed any blog that hadn’t posted anything in over two years. There were a lot more than I expected.

What I was left with was a list of twenty-four blogs, two of which I started following today. Honestly, at first I was going to use one year as my measuring stick, but it would’ve left it at closer to fifteen. For some reason, having that few on my list bothered the hell out of me, so I left them on it.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to browse through the various blogs out there and try to build my list back up. Even if I don’t post as often as I used to, I’d like to still be out there in the blogosphere, reading those who chose to put themselves out there for the world to see.

Here We Go Again With the Questions

by Revis Edgewater

I’ve seen a couple of people do posts where they answer questions. I thought about doing the questions that they did, but there were over 100 of them, and I don’t have time for that. So, instead, I decided to find a random question generator and told it to give me 20.

Here we go.

Which do you like better, Google or Apple? The only Apple product I’ve ever used is my wife’s iPad, and that hasn’t been very much, so I’m going Google on this one.
Do you like bugs? Hell no. Those little bastards are always trying to get in my house.
Which do you like better, ninjas or pirates? Look at my header picture. Is there a pirate on it? No. Is there a ninja? Yes. I think you have your answer.

What is your favorite eye color? Well, mine are blue, my wife’s are green, and my daughter’s are blue, but starting to kind of creep on over to the green side. So….blue/green?

Have you ever shoplifted? When I was in high school. I stole some football cards from a convenience store. My younger brother tried to do it too, but got busted and promptly ratted me out. So, in order to keep the cops out of it, we had to clean the store for an hour every day after school for a week. I took the first week. He was supposed to take the second, but when it came time for my brother to do his, he got pink eye and I had to do it for him. I got hosed….

What is your favorite fruit? Pineapple, provided it’s not cooked. I hate cooked pineapple.

Do you like roller coasters? I did before I hurt my back. Now, not so much.

Have you ever cut someone else’s hair? I want to say that I have, but I don’t specifically remember doing it.

Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Nope, and I don’t plan on ever getting any. I don’t have anything against people that do those things, they’re just not for me.

What is your favorite drink? Sunkist, although I’m trying to cut back on drinking soft drinks.

Have you ever been stopped by the police? A couple of times, but the only ticket I ever got was from a cop in Detroit for not wearing my seatbelt. 

Which do you like better, black socks or white socks? Whichever kind keeps me from sticking my bare feet in my shoes.

Do you have pets? My daughter has a fish named Kiki. He’s a betta, or a Siamese fighting fish if you want to get technical. However, because he’s purple, my daughter says he has to be a girl. I tried to explain that just because it was purple, that didn’t make it a girl, but she wasn’t having it.

How many pairs of shoes do you own? Four. One pair of dress shoes, one that I wear to work, one that I wear outside of work, and one I only wear when I’m mowing my yard.

How many books did you read last year? I don’t know. I didn’t keep count. Probably somewhere between 15-20, I’d guess.

What are your favorite hot dog toppings? Gulden’s Spicy Brown mustard. That’s some good stuff.

Do you like to dance? No. In fact, I dislike it. I will do it on a few specific occasions, however. If my wife or daughter ask me to, I will. Or if I’m drunk….

What is your favorite hair color? I honestly don’t have a preference. They all look good, depending on who is wearing them.

Have you ever dined and dashed? Nope. I’ve joked about it, but I’ve never actually done it.

Have you ever been in a play? Nope. The only acting I ever did was when I worked at Walmart and I pretended that I didn’t hate it there.

 There you go. Hope you learned something there. I didn’t. I already knew all those answers.

My WordPress Anniversary

by Revis Edgewater

I checked my notifications today and I got one that said it was my WordPress anniversary today. Seven years ago today I started this here blog. It honestly doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.

According to my site, I’ve published 707 posts during that seven years. That’s barely over a hundred posts a year. There are probably some bloggers out there that hit 700 posts in less than half that time. Hell, maybe the majority of other bloggers put up that many posts that quickly. I’m kind of on the outside as far as what the people around these parts do.

My 700 posts have been a mix of things. I’ve told you all stories. Sometimes they’re fiction. Sometimes they aren’t. I’ve told you about my beautiful daughter, Baby E, who just finished her last day of preschool on Thursday. The school celebrated it by having a picnic for everyone at the local park. She got to run around with her classmates one last time before going to kindergarten next year. It rained for two hours that day….the two hours we were down at the park. She was muddy and soaked by the time we got home.

I’ve told you Left 4 Dead, Star Wars, Spider-Man, and Superman stories.

I’ve told you stories about my own characters: Captain Procrastination, DICO, and other various tales such as Dead Set.

Lately though, I’ve been doing most of my writing offline. There are two books that I’ve been working on that are close to being done, but there’s still no set time on releasing them (As soon as I have something definitive for you, I’ll definitely post it). Those two projects are collaborations with other authors. The one I’m working on now is just me and I’ve found that working on a project alone means that I don’t write as fast as I do with others. Taking on projects with other writers forces me to focus more because I don’t want to let them down or make them wait on me.

Another reason I’m writing more offline is because I’ve been having trouble lately thinking of things to write about on this here blog. I used to have ideas pop into my head all the time. Now they’re few and far between. Maybe it’ll start coming back to me soon. Or maybe I’ll have to do another prompt post. I guess we’ll have to wait to see what the future holds.

To end this post, I’d just like to say thank you to anyone who has ever taken the time to read the words coming out of my fingers. There are a lot of blogs out there, many of which have much better writers than I, that you could spend your time on. The fact that you chose to spend yours with me is truly humbling. I’m grateful for every one of you. I wish you all a wonderful night

 

The Lie Revealed 

by Revis Edgewater

I did a post where I offered forth six tidbits. Five of them were true. One was a lie. The original post can be read here, if you’re so inclined.

Now that you’re caught up, I guess it’s time to let you know what it was:

  1. I have never smoked pot. – This is true. I have been around other people when they’ve done it, but I’ve never done it myself. It’s not that I’m against it, or have a problem with people who do it, I just can’t stand the smell of it. It literally makes me sick to my stomach if I’m around the smell of it too long. It hasn’t made me puke yet, but it’s come close.
  2. My birthday is the same as my stepmother’s, except for the year. – This is true. Though many years separate our births, my stepmother and I were born on the same day in July.
  3. My wife’s birthday is the same as my stepsister’s, year included. – This is true. They were actually born just an hour apart from each other. My wife is the older one, for those who are curious.
  4. I graduated high school with a guy who ended up on the cover of the Madden NFL video game. – This is not true. While it is true that I went to high school with Shaun Alexander, the cover boy of Madden 2007, we did not graduate together. He graduated in 1995. I graduated in 96.
  5.  I went to 4 different high schools. – This is true. I spent my freshman and the first half of my sophomore year at one school. I finished my sophomore year at my second school. I started my junior year at my third school. Midway through my junior year, I transferred to the school that Shaun Alexander and I would graduate from.
  6. They  threatened to kick me, my older brother, and our friend out of school during my freshman year for sexual harassment  because we wrote a song that basically  called my friend’s ex a whore. – This is true. I don’t remember what we actually said in this song. I just remember that the basic premise of it was that we were calling her a whore. We recorded it, my friend gave it to one of his other friends, and that other friend was stupid enough to take it to school and play it for people. The next thing I knew, I was being called to the office. I don’t want to say I’m strangely proud of this, but I kind of am. I don’t really know why either. It’s not exactly a moment worthy of pride.

 

There you have it, folks. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. G.I. JOE!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry. I had a flashback.

Anyways, I hope that helps you get to know me a little better. I doubt it will, because I really didn’t tell you anything worth knowing. Oh well. Better luck next time, I guess.

Revis, An Introduction

by Revis Edgewater

It was suggested that my first post of NaBloPoMo be an introduction. I’m not very good at talking about myself, so this will probably cause more questions than answers. I’ll endeavor to give it a go regardless.

On this here blogosphere, I go by the name Revis Edgewater. I am 38 years old. I’m married to the most beautiful and incredible woman on the planet (Mrs. Revis), and we have a 4 year old daughter together (Baby E). They are everything to me. Now, because they are everything to me, and the weekends are really the only time we get to spend together, I’m going to be reposting a serial story that I did a while ago on Saturdays and Sundays this month. I chose this story for a couple of reasons. 1. I just reread it recently and, even if it’s not my best work, I really enjoyed writing it. 2. While you can find it on my blog, it was actually originally posted on StuphBlog, the blog I used to share with my brother.

I have been blogging on here for around 6 years now. I have not been as big a part of the blogging community as I would like. That’s mainly because most of my free time is devoted either to spending time with my girls, or working on numerous writing projects. I have one solo project going on. I also have a couple that I’m working on with my writing partner, Matt of The Matticus Kingdom.

As far as a theme of this blog, or an answer as to what it’s all about…. there is none.

What you see on this blog are just the ramblings of my mind. That can be stories, a few poems, things that happen to me, or just random stuff that pops into my head. There really is no rhyme or reason to the things that I post. I just post on whatever comes to mind and hope people like it.

So, if you like what you read, you’re welcome to keep coming back. If not, no hard feelings. Either way, I hope you have a great day.

Sincerely,

Revis Edgewater

My First Community

by Revis Edgewater

I’m not as active here in the WordPress community as my brother, and some of you others in the Stuph Maphia. I’m just a guy who shows up every once in a while and tells a story and shares some tunes. I’ve had a wonderful experience here. I’ve interacted with many of you out there and it’s been a blast. I look forward to what little time I can spend with you all every day.

In my mind, WordPress is the third online community I’ve felt like I’ve been a part of. The second one was the Xbox Live clan that twindaddy and I were a part of. Most of the people in the clan were from the Cincinnati area, so we actually got to meet a lot of them in person. Even though we never got back together as a group once the 360 came out, there are a few of them that I still talk to today.

I discovered my first online community around 2000. In the summer of 1999, I moved back to northern Kentucky from Detroit. When I got here,I moved in with a friend of mine. After I had gotten all of my stuph moved in and, for the most part, situated, I noticed that he had a weird looking box hooked up to his television. I asked him what it was and he told me it was his WebTV.

I, along with probably most of you who are reading this, had never heard of WebTV (which was later bought out by Microsoft and renamed MSNTV). Basically, it was a device the size of a VCR that hooked up to your TV and you could get online with it.

Even for that time, it was fairly basic. You could go to web pages, but they were usually difficult to navigate. There was no mouse, just a wireless keyboard. For the most part, all it was good for was discussion groups, email, and chat rooms. No matter what, though, I will always remember the WebTV vividly for two reasons. One, it was where I discovered my first online community. And two, I was on my WebTV, either reading or typing an email, in 2001 when my younger brother came into my room and said, “A plane just crashed into the Trade Center. Come on out and watch the news.”

Anyways, after telling me what the hell it was, he turned it on and showed me how it worked. I thought it was kind of cool, so he added an account on it for me. I was iamspartacus (Leave me alone. I had just watched That Thing You Do and, for some reason, I thought the way the drummer said that line was hilarious. Looking back, I’m not sure why I found it that funny). I messed around on it for a few months, but never really got into it.

Then, one day, I came home from work and he was on the WebTV, in a chat room. I sat down and asked him what they were talking about and he said, “Anything.” I watched for a little bit and saw that everyone in the room knew everyone else in the room. When a different person came in, it was like the “NORM!” shout from Cheers all typed out. I wanted to talk to these people too. So, he handed me the keyboard.

Instead of signing in under my own name, I stayed and pretended to be my friend for a while. I was eventually caught as I was apparently a better speller than him. He took the keyboard back and told them what he had done. They all lol-ed and said that I could start coming in under my own name if I wanted to (it was a private chat room. You had to have permission to get in there. I never did find out how my friend found it). I started going there under my own name and it was great.

It took me a little while to start opening up to them. After all, this was all new to me. When I finally did, I found that the people there were even cooler than I originally thought. There were many nights when I’d be in that room for hours at a time. Because of this, it became too much of a hassle for me and my friend to share one WebTV box. So, I ended up getting my own.

Because I couldn’t take my name from his box with me, I had to choose a new one. I went with Spartacus2405. Well, they already knew me as Spartacus, so I just picked a different version of it. Eventually, they started calling me Sparty for short. I got to know a lot of them very well. My friend and I even met a couple of our fellow chatters who happened to live about an hour away from us. It was the first time I ever met somebody I became friends with online.

I moved out of my friend’s house and took a break from WebTV for awhile. I went back once I got situated again, but a few of my friends had stopped chatting. I stayed with it until I bought my first computer. As much as I liked my WebTV, it was slow and I could do way more things on my new PC. Unfortunately, I let my WebTV subscription run out before I got my contacts out of my email address book, so I lost every email address I had. To make matters worse, I couldn’t access that chat room from my PC. It was WebTV only. I was never able to talk to any of them again.

I’m not often nostalgic, but every once in a while, I think back to those days and wonder what some of them are up to now. Do any of them even remember me? Unless, by some miracle, one of them reads this and remembers, I guess I’ll never know.