Happy New Year!

2012 was an interesting year for me in many ways. I started this blog at the end of last March, and so far have managed 48 posts on the main page, and a half dozen or so others on additional pages. The main page has had over 7,000 visitors since I started tracking things in early May (a lot of traffic was due to my handful of James Bond posts...thank you, 50th Anniversary!). Not too shabby of a start...though a mere drop in the pond compared to some of the other excellent (and very prolific) blogs I follow. I'll try my best to double the number of posts in 2013...though as a new father, I'd better make no guarantees.

Yes, this past year was also the year when I became a first-time dad, at the tender age of 45. My son Kenji was born on September 28th, and has been a source of real joy for my wife and I (as well as multiplying my stress levels exponentially). I'm a lot busier now than I was in those comparatively carefree days when I first began this blog, but I hope that, over time, as I adjust and find a way to balance the demands of parenthood with my sundry hobbies, I'll be able to stick to a more controlled and regular posting schedule here - time and personal sanity permitting. 

It's been a fun experience, putting this little corner of the blogoverse together, and I want to thank all those who have bothered to read my scribblings, and especially those who've been kind enough to leave comments and give feedback - it's always very much appreciated. A special thank you goes out to my best bro Clayton Walter of Claytonology, who put in many hours masterminding the banner and background design and overall layout of this site.

One blogger whose work I've read and admired for a long time is Colin over at Riding the High Country. He covers many kinds of movies but specializes in highly articulate, in-depth analysis of film noir and westerns, and his site is strongly recommended. When I first jumped into this blogging game, Colin was one of the first to reach out a hand and give me feedback and encouragement, and has continued to do so over the past year, for which I shall always be grateful. On top of all that, he recently passed some awards on to me: the Versatile Blogger Award and the Blog of the Year 2012 Award. Thanks again, Colin - you're a mensch!


Versatile Blogger - The rules for accepting are as follows:

•  Display the award certificate on your website.
• Announce your win with a post and include a link to whoever presented your award. 
• Present 15 awards to deserving bloggers. 
• Create a post linking to them and drop them a comment to tip them off.
• Post 7 interesting facts about yourself.

Blog of the Year 2012 - The ‘rules’ for this award are simple:

1. Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award
   
2. Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.
3. Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award – http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/   and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)
4. Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them
5. You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience
6. As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…

It'll take me a while to figure out how best to handle the rules and stipulations of the Versatile Blogger Award, but I'll tackle the Blogger of the Year Award right away.

Following are a Baker's Dozen of wonderful blogs that I regularly read and enjoy, and feel are each highly deserving of the title Blog of the Year 2012:


Tipping My Fedora

Sweet Freedom

Silver Screenings

Chess, Comics, Crosswords, Books, Music, Cinema

Flix Chatter

Thrilling Days of Yesteryear

Classic TV and Film Cafe

Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

In So Many Words...

Tales of the Easily Distracted

From the Archive: A British Television Blog

My Love of Old Hollywood

Pretty Sinister Books


As for "7 interesting facts" about me (see the Versatile Blogger Award rules above), I can't vouch for their actual interest, but I can offer up these personal tidbits:


1. I've lived in four countries in my life: the U.S., The U.K., South Korea and Japan (where I currently reside), and traveled to an additional 13.

2. Whilst living in England, I saw Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke perform the two-man play The Secret of Sherlock Holmes, live in a Manchester theatre. (I still have the theatre programme around somewhere...)

3. In my quest to be just a wee bit like Jonny Quest, Doc Savage and James Bond, in my travels I've managed to ride in or on: a camel, an elephant, a horse, a rickshaw, a tuk-tuk, a jeepney, a cyclo, a hot air balloon, and a mosquito boat.

4. I taught Tae Kwon Do for 5 years, and have a 2nd degree black belt. (I'm awfully rusty now, though I do wallop the punching bag at the gym on a fairly regular basis.)

5. My uncle (mom's younger brother) married my adoptive dad's older sister. They were happily married for over 20 years, until my uncle sadly passed away in 2011.

6. Strangely enough, I also happen to have 3 fathers: one biological, then my first dad (who  married my mom when I was a baby), and from age 9 on, my second dad Bruce, who adopted me and became one of the best things ever in my life.

7. Besides watching movies and TV, reading mystery novels and miscellaneous film books and faffing about on the Internet, I like to scuba dive, hike, lift weights and cook (I make a mean meatloaf). I don't like sipping pina coladas, however.


Well, that's enough guff about me for now. Thanks to my small but loyal band of regular readers for your support over the past year, and best wishes to everyone for a fun and fantastic 2013. May your movie watching be full of newly discovered gems, old favorites and as few stinkers as possible.