Positive Trends!

Hey! Looking at our blog post-per-month trend pattern, since we've been back in the cyber-air, it appears that we've had some positive and negatives in our content output. As far as general posts, here's the data:



June -- 7 (better than none)
July -- 38 (big upspike)
August -- 35 (minor downturn)
September -- 31 (trending down, but still over a post a day)
October -- 12 (red flag)
November -- 7 (an appauling low)
December -- 12 (uptick at 13, with this post, and counting)

Our all-time record for a month is the very first month, January 2006, after we started this blog. The number of posts we had that month was 86. Wow. Ken must have had a lot to say. Not sure if that record will ever get broken, but maybe we oughta just take a month and try (that would take some major league begging from you, our three commenters, if we were going to try that). We trended down every month except March/April, 42 then 43 respectively, until we took our hiatus in September. At that time, there was much rejoicing. We've quelled that rejoicing quite well, though, in our major league comeback (very few sentences have two words starting with "Q" in them, but this last sentence I wrote managed that feat QUITE effortlessly - get ready for another upcoming "q-word" in the next sentence).

Now, as far as sheer quality posts, well, we're still looking for our first one of those. Please do us the favor of telling us if you read one.

What does all this meaningless drivel mean? Well, one, it scores another post for us so in a year when we chart stats again, it'll look like we were really writing it up last December!

More critically, though, it means Ken needs to post a lot more.

Pick a Picture for Rich

Bottom line: Rich needs a user profile picture.

But knowing him like I do, I know that he won't ever get around to actually choosing one. And he certainly wouldn't want to use an actual photo of himself. That's just our lovable Mr. Pearce.

So, we need to help him.

Your mission is straight-forward. Below you will find five potential user profile pictures. Rank them from Most Rich to Least Rich.

Then, I've got the dubious task of hand-holding and cajoling to get him to upload it onto his profile.

Good luck to all of us. It's a worthwhile cause.

a)

b)

c) d) e)

And Now a Word From Our Sponsor

Word.

Oops! Just remembered, we don't have a sponsor.

Not that we're boycotting posting or anything, but once Ken wrote up the Realm All-Time Favorite list, which took hours and hours to find and link all those posts - no kidding - we wanted to give folks time to read over their favorite posts of our last 400 or so and vote accordingly, especially for those who haven't been here from the beginning - which, really, is most. Only a handful of people have voted so far, and we were hoping to garner a few more votes, so please vote if you have not yet. When "newbies" come to The Realm, it will give people a decent list to check out to find out some of our better, more thoughtful, more commented on, etc. posts -- a cover of sorts by which to judge the book.

After a day or so, I'll move this post down and put the All-Time Favorite post on top once more. After these few days of voting, our normal posting shall resume, for better or worse. What's more, I might bump the Raindrops post up to cherry pick a few more comments. Some of Ken's more recent posts have unexpectedly gathered a bunch of comments, and I can't have those lame ducks overtaking the classic Raindrops post. I apologize to everyone for that, because I'm just as guilty as anyone for driving up the numbers on those posts. But the buck stops here. Yes, I'm that small.

Okay, carry on, all. If you've already voted and come here looking for more content, we apologize. You're welcome to discuss anything that's come up in the world or your world in the comments of this post. If there's anything at all, we'll talk!

Thanks again for voting, everyone that has and will! Also, I want to personally thank Ken and tell him right here, with nothing but love, THANKS FOR WORKING UP THE ALL-TIME LIST, Bud! You're awesome! Very much appreciated!

More Birthday Fun at L-Squared's Work

Over at Laura Leigh's blog, she had this post of what two of her co-workers did for a another guy at her work's 30th birthday. How supercool is this (see picture on right and/or go to link)?

Those white Styrofoam cups were filled with water, and that guy had to dump out so many of them just to get to his chair in the office. This had to take some hours of work to create, and a lot of time to take down as well.

LL's Useless Info Tuesdays filled with fun trivia are always great, too. Here and here are examples. Buuuuuuuut with the goods, there's always the bads. And these are just plain evil. Mayonaisse 1 and Mayonnaisse 2. How the most abominable substance in this and the forty-seven closest galaxies in the universe of which we're aware, designed to weed out, addict, and ultimately annihilate the majority of humanity and any other unsuspecting lifeforms that are seduced by the noxious atrocity, make it onto a nice blog like Laura Leigh's, I'll never know. As Popeye the Sailor Man puts it so perfectly, "Disgustipating!" I'd much have tasted the fig newtons she wrote about here even if they were dated 24 Nov 1888. Nonetheless, check out her blog. Just run from the mayo parts.

Also, as long as we're jonesing for more birthday festivities (because Brett turned 40!!!), what are some of the biggest and best birthday pranks you've ever seen or of which you've been a part?

Comments on the New Poll

If you haven't noticed, or just as likely, you're venturing into The Realm of Possibility for the first time (and if you're reading this post, WHAT A WAY TO START!!! I might add), our own Diabolical Genius, the author of fine, eclectic, and dare, I add, ingenious posts such as Poopy Doopy (post repealed and deleted), the Poopy Doopy Retraction, and Waterless Toilets among several others of similar quality, has laid out a new poll at the bottom of this page.

While these aforementioned posts are just the veritable tip o' the iceberg, as it were, in touching upon his undeniable aptitude, the poll he's constructed below involves just as much sagacity in aiding us build a more creative and engaging environment here at The Realm as those imaginative posts.

Not to intrude upon the brilliance of one such as he, but I did notice a few omissions in the poll I thought at least a trifle notable. Begging his pardon, I wished to use this post space to add those specific lapses:

When I visit the Realm, I'd like to see more...

• Posts about TV Shows and Movies


• Discussions/photos about the A-to-Z details of Ken in infancy through his toddler years


• Discussions/photos telling and illustrating the wonder years of Ken


• Discussions/photos regarding Ken's adolescent history and high school sports achievements


• Discussions/photos on Ken's rise to young adulthood including embarrassing collegiate and fanciful nuptial pictures


• Discussions/photos having to do with Ken's jobs since graduation


• Discussions/photos of Ken in the writing process, attending literary conferences, speaking at school engagements and other venues, etc.

Due to the poll's oversight, for which both of us apologize in hindsight, if you do wish for The Realm of Possibility to include one or more of the missing bullets listed above, please check "Other" in the poll, and then use the comments under this post to include which of the neglections you'd like to see here in The Realm of Possibility.

As always, we thank you for your patronage.

P.S. If you clicked the box regarding "Recipes", while I cannot speak for my counterpart, please allow me to say that what posts you'll receive there from me shall be 101 Ways to Fry Bacon and to Toast Toast and... that's about it.

All the same, if you have recipes you'd like to share, please e-mail them to realmsubmissions@gmail.com, as you would any post you'd like to extend to The Realm's audience. And perhaps, I don't know this to be true, but the chance exists, that perhaps, Ken has recipes.

Again, many thanks.

Bottom of the Page - Note Just to Ken (Please Move Along, Nothing to See Here)

Ken,

I noticed only two people have voted so far in the poll you set down at the bottom of the site. Now, I haven't voted - maybe you have, I don't know. Do you think it would be a good idea if I went and voted - can I vote more than once??? - so it looks like we have more traffic than we do? Or so I'd at least feel better? Maybe the masses of people that read our posts just don't ever make it down that far because they're all so caught up with the blog, they only need to read the top couple of posts. Ooooooooooorrrrrrrr, and far more likely as in about 101% to -1%, we only have two people reading the blog. That might help answer the question you posed. Not that I'm getting on Facebook --- that would have to be you. I'd always be rejecting "friends" and, even worse, be being rejected as a "friend", which you know tears me up, but my rejecting would still have to be done, and then that defeats the whole purpose. You're much more social than me - a sanguine you are. And though I'm continually hearing about it because sports figures are doing it, I really don't have that great of a concept of what Twitter even is. Stone Age me.

Thoughts?

Your pal,
Rich

Better Days Ahead - Realm Submissions

Brainstorming at lunch yesterday, Ken and I -- and when brainstorming, it's usually more Ken than I by a lot, and yesterday was no different -- struck on a thought of how to add some value to the site, to make it more fun and interesting for everyone, and hopefully make the folks that make a daily journey to The Realm or even just passersby, enjoy this site all the more... or at least some. Certainly, one of my hopes when I visit sites around the blogsphere - especially ones I want to return to - is additional content. Everyone is limited by time and circumstance, and most of us that create these websites know that it takes some effort to merely keep the blogs going, and all the more to try to make them exciting places to come. Which is one of our major goals with The Realm of Possibility -- we want this to be a stop in the blogsphere that people really look forward to enjoying. Not an easy task, but such is our endeavor. Content, especially thoughtful or thought-provoking, humorous, fun, adventurous, or illuminating, is the key to making The Realm a magical experience.

All that said, the best one attribute of our site has been our readers. You. Without the comments, suggestions for posts, witty banter, differing opinions, willingness to let go and play along, etc. from all of you, all this space would be is a place for Ken and me to shout into a vacuum. What's the fun in that?

With all that in mind, we want to open up the site a bit more, to allow any of you, wanting or willing to do so, opportunities to add content to this site. Now, we can't just hand over the keys to the kingdom per se... but we want to come as close as we can to that line without going over. In that vein, we want to put out this e-mail address of ours:

realmsubmissions@gmail.com

We realize that not everyone that comes here has a blog or wants one. Yet, they may have some tales, anecdotes, or humorous insights they'd like to see posted and commented on sometimes. Some people have a blog or multiple blogs, all of which have themes, and some posts they may want to write might fit better here at The Realm than at their own blogs. And it's always a good idea to have a suggestion box, and this e-mail address allows for that. We'll probably tack up this e-address somewhere around here before too long. Some of our better posts and ones most commented upon have been suggested by others (i.e. Thirteenismic, Bad Writing Well Done both from Wanda V.), and there's plenty of room where posts like those can go right here on our site.

We'd especially love to hear any original writing that you'd be brave enough to allow us to post and upon which others can comment. Humorous anecdotes are always welcome, as are personal stories, and clean jokes. Counter angles to something one of us might have posted (for example, I like Bono and wrote a post on him once; maybe you don't like him and want to give another side that's longer than a typical comment - write a post and send it our way) will certainly be considered. Movie or music reviews may well fit in. Make suggestions, advise us of interesting links, send prayer requests you'd like us or readers of the blog to go to God with, submit a meme or game. Really... we'll take a look at any post you write and send to our e-mail account, and if it fits The Realm, we'll put it out there with your name on it.

While I'm sure no one's going to be beating down the drawbridge to have a crack at the first non-Rich-or-Ken post that enhances The Realm, I really hope over time, you guys will take this seriously (in a fun way). Invite your pals to do the same; the more the merrier. Hear's hoping we hear from you!!!

[Ken, if you want to add -- or more likely subtract -- from anything I've written, please feel free to edit. Then, erase this last comment. Many thanks.]

Has It Really Been Three Years?

My goodness, where does time go?

Not that anyone's out there now, but that's okay. I'll write to myself and let Ken answer on the comments lines.

This'll be fun.

A lot's probably happened in three years. Heck, a lot's happened in the last couple of days what with the passings of some famous icons - Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Ed McMahon. Then, in the past year: peachy economy; a new president; my Dolphins made it back into the playoffs last year. A lot of movies, music and pop culture stuff. And Jesus is still King. A lot to rap about, right?

For anyone who stumbles upon this site, well, I make no promises, but I think I'll be blogging once more off and on. Maybe more off, maybe more on. Who knows. We'll see. Let us know how you're doing, and...

WELCOME!!!

Yawwwwn... Have I been sleeping long?

As the Crew Cuts and the Chords were wont to say in the '50's, "Life could be a dream, sh-boom".

And sometimes, I find myself sleepwalking through life, as if it were just that... a dream.

When suddenly, I wake up and realize that time and things, often important things like people, have passed me by.

It usually occurs when either circumstances surround me-- pressing in, threatening to strangle all of the joy out of living-- or at least it feels that way. Or when I get overly absorbed, obsessive even, about one aspect of my life whether its a leisure activity, a hobby, or an internal goal.

Then I just click off, check out, and go through the motions oblivious to the needs or feelings of those around me. This penchant was hammered home to me recently by the Adam Sandler masterpiece ironically or maybe not so ironically named, "Click".

I hopped into the theater expecting to baste in mindless, moronic slapstick and bathroom humor and instead was treated to a scathing, heart-wrenching indictment of my zone-out behavior. I suppose it is some consolation that I'm not alone, else why would they have made a movie about it, right?

But after my awakening comes like a cold splash of water, and I repent and resolve up and down not to repeat this pattern, it seems much more difficult in practical terms to prioritize and establish balance.

There are so many demands on our energy and time and just enough Type A over-achievers who act as though all can in fact be accomplished if you just try harder (the concept of trying harder is a rant for another post) that its much easier to just say, "Aww, screw it. I'll be over here taking another nap."

Anyway, I'm not sure I've got this thing licked yet, but for what its worth, I'm baaa-aaack. And my intention is to resurrect the Realm of Possibility with more of the witty, thought-provoking discussion and banter that many of you have come to expect.

So, if you're reading this, stop by occasionally. At least between your own naps.

Well Wishing

So much I do and don’t want to say here.

When Ken proposed this blog back in December, I thought it was the greatest idea. Both of us were excited about starting something new and – hopefully – different both for ourselves and here in the blogsphere. Our two or three main reasons for starting The Realm, though there were others, were to 1) have fun in an avenue of writing that would let us be creative and express thoughts that we had that wouldn’t go conveniently into our novels, 2) try to get the Pearce & Story name out to people who otherwise wouldn’t know us so that when our novels did see the light of day (and Dorkman’s coming – with more to follow – there’s no doubt about that), our market would be somewhat expanded, and 3) to honor Christ in all of our efforts. In retrospect, we probably receive mixed reviews in all three categories.

One thing about blogging, especially for one with an obsessive and addictive personality, is that it takes up gargantuan amounts of time and focus. Perspective is what decides whether that time and focus is beneficial or wasted – and here again… mixed reviews. From the start (believe it or not), huge chunks of the free time I had in everyday life were spent in thinking up posts for The Realm – in the morning, in the evening, throughout the day, and sometimes into the late night.

Like a hammer pounding a nail, it’s been brought to my attention in a plethora of ways that a lot of the time I have used dwelling on the blog has taken away from other important obligations I have sort of dismissed. There’s no question, I totally enjoy blogging, and the medium could dominate my life if I let it. But the matter of fact is, right now, too many important things have taken a backseat to something I selfishly enjoy. Starting the list: my quiet times, my novel and short story writing, my career/job, my children, and my wife, to name a few. When I weigh who and what I’ve hurt compared to anything or anyone I’ve helped, the scale is imbalanced in such a way that it’s very difficult, despite my longing to continue blogging, to see it as the right thing to do. Not that I’ll give it up forever, probably, but for now, it’s not worth the cost.

So… for the time being and any foreseeable future, I’m going to leave The Realm of Possibility in the able and capable hands of my great friend, brilliant writer, and diabolical genius, Ken Story. In the past, we’ve discussed adding other writers to the blog, and perhaps Ken will do that. We’ll no doubt, continue to give Dorkman updates. I’m still hoping that The Realm hits 500 posts and continues on and on. Believe me when I say, these last six months have been awesome. The Realm of Possibility has meant, means, and will continue to mean a great deal to me. So keep having fun here. No sad goodbyes in The Realm.

On a more personal note, I want to thank everyone who has ever come to The Realm, the lurkers and especially those that have commented. All of you guys I consider friends, and hypocritical that it is and hypocrite that I am, I encourage you all to keep blogging. I’ve received eternal benefits from the blogsphere, and I thank you all for the posts you have written. That said, I’m going incognito for a while in the blog universe to take a break and reestablish some of the more important relationships I have. I love you all, and once again: THANK YOU!!!

Round Here

Let's see what's going on in blogs we know and love:

codepoke's got a series of posts [I, II, III, IV] on leadership in the church, how it's integral with the family, and specifically, how divorce affects an individual's role in a church and its leadership. A lot of these posts are intensely personal, and the comments get pretty personal pretty quickly in a couple of them. Well worth the read even if, somehow, you haven't been affected by marital discord, separation, or divorce -- and since you'll probably, at some point, run into someone who has been affected, it'd be good to understand a different POV.

Along the same lines, imonk's got a couple posts on the subject of divorce, remarriage, and The Gospel (1 & 2).

Over at Maeghan's Daily Ponderings, her devotional blog, Maeghan has started her exegesis on Romans, and she's in Chapter 6 right now. Here are her takes on verses 1, 2, and 3. And all of you guys well know, anytime I get a chance to throw around terms that I have only vague understanding of -- words exactly like: exegesis, eisegesis, hermeneutic -- you know I'm taking it! At Maeghan's Musings, a touch of the lighter side, she has some cool posts as well. I especially enjoyed her list of quotes that she's collected over the years. Some really good ones in there.

In case your interested, Jared from Thinklings is now a fellow at the BHT. This post made it official. Now, you can read Jared's writings at about a dozen different places.

Loved this post from Bill at Out of the Bloo. But don't stop with just one.

At The Milly Times, she's got a post that makes me think Ken and I aren't the only ones who have no free time in our lives. We're just the ones who complain about it the most. Well, I do the complaining, and Ken just avoids posting at all costs.

Todd keeps on keeping on at Beauty Out of Ugly Things with a post that hits on Communion as well as a few others since the last time I checked around the blogsphere. Always meaty, always good -- characteristics that you don't always find here in The Realm, to say the very least.

There are others, no doubt, and I'm sorry if I missed you. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Douggie and b have forgotten their blogs!!! b, at least, has the pregnancy/final exams excuse that just doesn't cut it for Douglas. Really, I'm just kidding. If nothing else, I know how busy people can get. The lack of depth and lack of thought in most of the posts we've laid down lately has a lot to do with that same busy-ness. I'm officially giving our Blog a "D-" for the last couple of weeks; it just hasn't been very good. Nonetheless, we're just looking for a light at the end of that tunnel. And hoping.

Best of KCS (or Ken Story's Greatest Hits Post)

Since I've been out building a castle the last couple days, I haven't been able to post. The big party is tomorrow, so Saturday's probably out, too (I'll give the party update on Monday). Due to the lack of activity here at The Realm, I've decided to run a Best of KCS list of posts links to keep you guys occupied for the next couple of days. The CD cover pic is pasted over there on the left. As we know, Ken's the Big Train!

So turn down the lights, and turn up the neons. Point the lights on Ken and let him shine. This is his 15 minutes of fame! Drum roll please. Here's your Ken Story Greatest Hits list of links (Ba Ba Ba Bum!!!)






wow. That was a short list.

Would you believe I wasted our 300th post of all time on this? Go figure.

Something's Going On

All morning long and now into the afternoon, I haven't been able to see our blog... well, nothing but the header quote. Yet, I can write and publish a post like this one that no one will be able to read until the blog comes back up, which, of course, we hope happens in our lifetimes because if not, no one will ever get to read what I'm writing now.

Heeeeeeeeeey now. That gives me an idea. Just for the fun of it! I can say whatever I want, and no one can read it, heh heh heh.

KenisagoonKenisagoonKenisagoonKenisagoonKenisagoon.

Oops. What's that old saying about character is what you are when no one's watching?

Then, I guess, er, Ken is a nice goon?

"R" vs. "K"

In this corner is Rich.

In that corner was Ken.

Ken is now dead. That has to be the reason he's not posting. As I told Dugalug before (and he dared to mock - at his own peril):

Fear the Rich

Sorry if you were cheering for the other guy. If so, you lost.

(By the way, is that a mansierre on Ken in the picture over there on the right? Is that a skirt and high heels on Ken? Now, I almost feel bad for doing him in... naaaaaaaaaah.)

Enjoy the Silence

Hopefully, that's what you've all been doing. I had guessed that Kenneth would post something over the weekend, but it was based on zero evidence, so I should stop guessing on that.

My weekend was full, and lo, the NFL Draft was last weekend. Just FYI, all you need to know is the Miami Dolphins got (by round):

1) Jason Allen, Free Safety/Cornerback from the University of Tennessee
3) Derek Hagan, Wide Receiver, Arizona State University
4) Joe Toledo, Offensive Tackle, University of Washington
7) Fred Evans, Defensive Tackle, Texas State University
7) Rodrigue Wright, Defensive Tackle, Univerity of Texas
7) Devin Aromashodu, Wide Receiver, Auburn University

A big WAAAAAAAAAAAAAR EEEEEEEEEEEEAGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on that last pick. The AU (my alma mater) connection to the Dolphins continues, and that's a good thing. If anyone wants to comment on their team's draft or discuss mine in the comments, feel free.

I would hazard a guess, however, other than Dugalug or Brett, there ain't a lot of folks out there in The Realm who really even care. So back to the silence. Wisdom says it's better to listen than talk most of the time anyway, so perhaps having post-free weekends might give people a chance to comment on old posts or let budding conversations develop without throwing up something new that diverts attention away.

OTOH, this is blogging, and besides me, most people can walk and chew gum at the same time. So multiple posts running most likely makes for a better blog site than those with one or none (over a two or three day or week period). That said, I can't promise anything, but I'll start trying to maybe get at least one post up over the weekend so that anyone who drops by can read something other than the random (most excellent, of course) comment or two that might get added. Although, I must say, comments and comment streams are often better than the posts themselves, but it generally is posts that gets all that started. So, I'll try. More than this, I'll try to get Ken to post something on weekends as well.

In the end, there might still just be more silence. We'll see.

Bill Is Bill, And I Love It

Read An Open Question posted by Bill Roberts (De) at Thinklings. (Related, Bill also wrote Is the Bride Beautiful? back in February.)

Just read it. Then, post your thoughts here or there (at Thinklings).

What's Going on Around Here?

Every couple of weeks or so, I like to link what's going on in the blogs we know and like, so here goes:

Doug's latest is Missionary Impossible, and I think he's found his blogging stride with his Personal Reflection posts - not that the others aren't good, too. But his refective posts are his best, imo, so see them now. Plus, after being swallowed whole by Jeannie in our last post, who knows if he'll still be able to post while down in the depths of Ms. Eden's tum-tum?

Speaking of tum-tums, codepoke has a scientifc post on fermentation that a certain commenter, I won't mention any names but I like him, took straight into the gutter. However, codepoke's predestination piece is one you need to make some time for, because it's that good.

b's been sick and in bed, but not so sick that she didn't do more way-back-type research in her Baptist History update. She's almost codepoke-like in the way she throws out terms I knew nothing of, such as: Novationists (do they novate contracts?) and Montanists (are they from Montana?). You'll have to read her blog to find out. Not to mention she's been reading Milton's Paradise Lost, most likely while bedridden.

This is sort of against my highlighting other blogs policy, but I'll mention one of ours - Ken's IV post that is a riddle no one can figure out. But in the comments he's sure some denizen of The Realm will. A certain prize beyond measure for anyone who can unwind the mystery -- uh, the prize will be from Ken, of course.

Todd R.'s got at least five new posts since the last time I went "Around the Horn." You can find them at Beauty Out of Ugly Things. Check them out. They're always good. If you don't believe me, ask Doug. Oops. you can't. Barbara Eden turned him into a frog and ate him.

Bill's back posting again at Out of the Bloo. I've mentioned it before that he's one of my favorite people in the whole blog universe and certainly one of the nicest, and his "little" devotional blog is always worth checking out when you have a spare moment.

Then, there's Armando Salguero's Dolphins blog at The Miami Herald. Waitaminnit. That one's just for me. Sorry about that. My mistake.

Another recent commenter, Milly (who I think I first corresponded with over at Thinklings), has some great posts at her blog, The Milly Times. One thing I love is honest bloggers, and writing posts on Life After Death basically opens your thoughts to the world. Obviously, people are going to disagree on a topic that none of us totally know what is going to happen, so it takes some courage to put your thoughts out there, or even saying "I don't know," when so many other people think they do. Get to know Milly.

Lastly, Maeghan's commented a few times here (we truly hopes she continues), and it's only appropriate that we highlight her blogs. Her devotional blog is here, and there are a ton of treasures in her posts. Then, she also has her musings which are a little more lighthearted (in fact, they're not only musings but they're amusing), and since we here at The Realm love musing our own good selves (and since we certainly amuse our own good selves), we're only too happy to highlight other blogs that do some of the same stuff we do. It's almost like patting ourselves on the back, but pretending that we're doing it to someone else. What can beat that?

So all you guys and girls keep blogging. As you know, I only highlight blogs that are far superior to ours, so if you're not finding yourself in these lists, then you have some work to do. Am I joking? I just don't know. Happy blogging and happy reading.

1/2 Way to Party-time

This post represents our 250th. Way back at Post # 100, I said:

And what would a 100th Post celebration without a gala to back it up? Party at Ken's place Friday night everybody: 7:00 p.m. and we'll go for 100 hours without sleeping. Get in on the action now cuz there ain't gonna be another celebration until Number 500!

If you don't mind a small wager, what are the odds that we'll make that?

Not sure how many of you guys, and especially any of you girls, I saw at Ken's that Friday. Well, to be more specific, I can't even really remember seeing Ken... or his house... that Friday, but I'm sure it was because I was so dazed and amazed by the end of the bash. But there'll be a bigger and even better one at 500 posts, and you're all invited -- if we make it.

Which brings me to that last question. Now, that Ken has decided to be a troll instead of a poster and contributor here at The Realm, what really are the odds we'll make 500 posts? They can't be good, what with all my excuses for time crunches. Anyone besides Trollmeister Ken want to hazard a guess as to what those odds are? Or better yet, how 'bout just a "Yes" or "No." Will The Realm make it to 500 posts? 1000? How about 251? Or, better, how 'bout 252 because there's another Bill Mallonee post coming tomorrow, and I don't miss those, no matter how much fun Ken makes of me.

Done Too Soon

Looks like I posted Around the Horn about a week too early. Take a look:

Doug hadn't posted in a month, and now he's posted School Days and The Las! in the matter of a couple of days. Both are really good and help you to get to know about the Doug behind the dug-a-lug mask that he wears.

Then there's b. Her family's been moving. She's pregnant. But she's still a-postin'. Her two newest are about Baptists and units. Actually, one's about a TV show and the other is about a Christian denomination, but I won't tell which is which. You'll have to go read them for yourself.

codepoke. Whew. The guy's been a posting madman. Here's his site because he's posted too many times since a week ago for me to say here and here and here and here and here. The last "here" is one of codepoke's tennis posts, and if you like the sport at all, you ought to read some of his tennis writings. The man knows of what he speaks like I know about... well, there's not much I know that well. Since the blog isn't about tennis, those posts come infrequently, but whenever they do, codepoke's serving up aces, I assure you.

Ken may as well go ahead and link Todd R.'s Beauty Out of Ugly Things site, because there's hardly a blog I go to hoping for another post more than his. His two newest since his Lent post, are Snobbery and SCC and Words. Every one of his posts seems to detail his human journey, and they reflect into our own. Seriously good stuff there.

Certainly there's other great stuff out there, but besides Thinklings, BHT, and imonk, these are the ones I go to most often because I like them (and of course the people that write them).

So catch 'em if you can.

Around the Horn

Trying to cover all the bases, here's what's going on at some other blog friends' houses:

Doug hasn't written a post in about a month -- how very Ken-like -- but his last one was good.

b's got a post on persecution that reminds me how easy we have it here and how we should think about how perilous is the plight of Christians living or working in other countries

codepoke's put out two posts, this one and this one, since we highlighted his awesome post on Jesus's statement "I thirst"

Thinklings had an interesting post on teenagers not sleeping enough

I loved imonk's Jesus = Salvation post and comments

And Todd R. at Beauty Out of Ugly Things has yet another great post, this one on Lent

I might add a couple more if and as I come across them, but all these are good ones if you're interested, so be interested!!!