Third time is the charm, isn't it?
I've been terrible in the past about updating this blog. I make promises I can't keep, and then it fades into the back of my mind, and I never update it. That's not going to be the case this time. I have the free time to start writing more often, and I intend to keep this thing updated daily.
To get things started, there's a new page layout. Still some kinks to be sorted out, but I generally like how it looks like. Thoughts?
Come back tomorrow for more!
Showing posts with label about the blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label about the blog. Show all posts
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Keyword Search
So I was just checking to see what keywords are leading people to my site, and I thought it might be an interesting read. They are in order of most to least used:
ampersand comics
bruce wayne ampersand review
"expect the unexpected" batman
"hate joe quesada"
captain america magic
download the walking dead comic
guepardo muscles
joey q hates mary-jane
marvel nextwave -wireless
peter and mary jane
peter milligan the programme
quien vigila o los vigilante translation
soviet russia comic
superheroes in comics are shown to give comfort to readers during the cold war
the simpsons lost in translation
translation debate movies
why did loeb change ultimate thor
expect the unexpected mission
I have no idea what that last symbol actually is.
ampersand comics
bruce wayne ampersand review
"expect the unexpected" batman
"hate joe quesada"
captain america magic
download the walking dead comic
guepardo muscles
joey q hates mary-jane
marvel nextwave -wireless
peter and mary jane
peter milligan the programme
quien vigila o los vigilante translation
soviet russia comic
superheroes in comics are shown to give comfort to readers during the cold war
the simpsons lost in translation
translation debate movies
why did loeb change ultimate thor
expect the unexpected mission
I have no idea what that last symbol actually is.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Crisis!
This is basically my State of the Union address about this blog.
Last week, Kirk of the Weekly Crisis asked me to start contributing to his blog and I responded with something along the lines of "#@&% YEAH!". Kirk runs probably my favorite blog out of the many I read, and to even be asked to contribute to such a popular site is a huge honor for me. Today marks my first entry in the Weekly Crisis, A Look at Female Superheroes
This is the reason why I haven't been posting in my blog a whole lot this past week, the preparations and other things backstage have been keeping me busy. I had initially decided to try to keep updating both blogs, but later decided that it would be a little too much on my schedule. I want to contribute my very best effort into writing, and I felt that spreading it over two blogs would be detrimental to that cause. So from now on, all my comic-related entries (read: rants) will be in the Weekly Crisis.
If you enjoy my comic related writing, you should definitely head over to the Weekly Crisis, where I will be updating at least once a week. Additionally, you will also get to read the weekly comic book reviews by Kirk and the paperback reviews by Eric Rupe, who also just joined the blog.
This blog will also stay around, for all my non-comics related entries. I may also keep posting the Magic cards, haven't really decided yet. The posting schedule is basically "whenever I feel like or have time for", at least I get the handle of writing more and more on a weekly basis.
Last week, Kirk of the Weekly Crisis asked me to start contributing to his blog and I responded with something along the lines of "#@&% YEAH!". Kirk runs probably my favorite blog out of the many I read, and to even be asked to contribute to such a popular site is a huge honor for me. Today marks my first entry in the Weekly Crisis, A Look at Female Superheroes
This is the reason why I haven't been posting in my blog a whole lot this past week, the preparations and other things backstage have been keeping me busy. I had initially decided to try to keep updating both blogs, but later decided that it would be a little too much on my schedule. I want to contribute my very best effort into writing, and I felt that spreading it over two blogs would be detrimental to that cause. So from now on, all my comic-related entries (read: rants) will be in the Weekly Crisis.
If you enjoy my comic related writing, you should definitely head over to the Weekly Crisis, where I will be updating at least once a week. Additionally, you will also get to read the weekly comic book reviews by Kirk and the paperback reviews by Eric Rupe, who also just joined the blog.
This blog will also stay around, for all my non-comics related entries. I may also keep posting the Magic cards, haven't really decided yet. The posting schedule is basically "whenever I feel like or have time for", at least I get the handle of writing more and more on a weekly basis.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Rarely Asked Questions
Today marks the one month anniversary of my blog. It seems only yesterday that I was ranting about Final Crisis and Secret Invasion, yet here I am one month later, having accomplished a lot in a short time (at least with the goals that I had set for myself). And hopefully, there are bright things in the future of the blog. To celebrate this anniversary, I wanted to assemble a F.A.Q. about the blog and myself, even if no one is really asking these questions out loud.
1 - Is your name really Matt Ampersand?
Negative on both accounts. I've used the nickname Matt ever since high school because some of my classmates and my professors could not properly pronounce my real name (Matias). And I stole a play from the Ramones , using a fake last name that is more memorable and interesting.
2 - What's an Ampersand?
It's the symbol that comes up when you press Shift and 7, commonly known as the "and" symbol. More importantly, it is also the name of a character (read: monkey) from Y - The Last Man, one of my favorite comics ever.
3 - What's up with the monkey on the banner up there?
See above, and stop skipping questions!
4 - Why do you write like that?/ What's up with your writing style?
You have my AP English teachers to blame for that. Both of them pushed us very hard to develop our writing, both by teaching us new words (like eddy, it's a centrifugal whirlwind force usually in bodies of water) and by forcing us to write lots of essays. Somewhere along the way, I learned to intuitively and automatically make my writing seem more grandiose: no matter how much teachers deny it, good essays tend to be the longer ones, and that means going into lots of details.
5 - Hey, can you write about *insert topic here*?
I always like to hear suggestions from readers and I always consider them. I write about what I know about, and about the comics I read. Sometimes I won't feel comfortable talking about certain topics because I feel that no matter how much research (read comics or Wiki) I do, I won't properly be able to make interesting points or good arguments. I do read more Marvel than anything else, so the bulk of posts are probably going to be Marvel-related. I always try to keep things as fair and balanced as I can, but don't expect to see a series of essays about the Legion of Superheroes.
6 - Did you design the blog?
No, it is mostly a template (the information is at the bottom) that my wife and I tweaked here and there.
7 - I want to give you a job in the comic writing industry, with lots of cash and a brand new car, where can I contact you?
You can e-mail me at cassandratic at gmail dot com. I also accept all other kinds of email, with the exception of spam and any e-mail from African princes.
1 - Is your name really Matt Ampersand?
Negative on both accounts. I've used the nickname Matt ever since high school because some of my classmates and my professors could not properly pronounce my real name (Matias). And I stole a play from the Ramones , using a fake last name that is more memorable and interesting.
2 - What's an Ampersand?
It's the symbol that comes up when you press Shift and 7, commonly known as the "and" symbol. More importantly, it is also the name of a character (read: monkey) from Y - The Last Man, one of my favorite comics ever.
3 - What's up with the monkey on the banner up there?
See above, and stop skipping questions!
4 - Why do you write like that?/ What's up with your writing style?
You have my AP English teachers to blame for that. Both of them pushed us very hard to develop our writing, both by teaching us new words (like eddy, it's a centrifugal whirlwind force usually in bodies of water) and by forcing us to write lots of essays. Somewhere along the way, I learned to intuitively and automatically make my writing seem more grandiose: no matter how much teachers deny it, good essays tend to be the longer ones, and that means going into lots of details.
5 - Hey, can you write about *insert topic here*?
I always like to hear suggestions from readers and I always consider them. I write about what I know about, and about the comics I read. Sometimes I won't feel comfortable talking about certain topics because I feel that no matter how much research (read comics or Wiki) I do, I won't properly be able to make interesting points or good arguments. I do read more Marvel than anything else, so the bulk of posts are probably going to be Marvel-related. I always try to keep things as fair and balanced as I can, but don't expect to see a series of essays about the Legion of Superheroes.
6 - Did you design the blog?
No, it is mostly a template (the information is at the bottom) that my wife and I tweaked here and there.
7 - I want to give you a job in the comic writing industry, with lots of cash and a brand new car, where can I contact you?
You can e-mail me at cassandratic at gmail dot com. I also accept all other kinds of email, with the exception of spam and any e-mail from African princes.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Blogily Planning
You may have perhaps noticed that I have been slacking in updating the blog. This is not without a reason, for I have started a new job that consumes a good chunk of my day and because of the circumstances surrounding it, I don't have as much free time as I used to have. Does this mean the end of the blog? Most definitely not! I just have to start managing my time better, and for that, I have started doing this...
The mix of the bad quality of the picture and my "chicken scratch" (as my old boss used to call it) handwriting may hinder your ability to make out what it says, but the headline is "Ideas for Blog" and a bunch of things underneath it. Basically, during the public transportation ride to the place of my employment, I'm going to be writing down ideas and rough drafts for my writing pieces. This way, when I get home I already have a good idea of what I want to write about and how my post is going to look like. I have also something planned for the days that I do not get a chance to update with a full piece, which I hope some people will enjoy (not sure how many, as it deals with one of my other geeky habits).
Also, on the pictured, you may notice there's some entries with check marks (the ones I have already written) and some are marked as NMR, which stands for "Needs More Research". This means that I need to go back and re-read something before I write about, that way I avoid making a fool of myself like I did the other day with the Sandman/Batman entry. These entries are the ones that take longer to produce, so they are on the backburner until I get more free time (such as on the weekend) to read said comis. Some of the ideas I have written down are tied to specific events, releases and dates, so it may be a while until I actually get around to writing them (akin to the Valentine's day post). And finally, that is me behind the notebook, and I must say that I do not have big bags around my eyes as the picture would lead you to believe.
The mix of the bad quality of the picture and my "chicken scratch" (as my old boss used to call it) handwriting may hinder your ability to make out what it says, but the headline is "Ideas for Blog" and a bunch of things underneath it. Basically, during the public transportation ride to the place of my employment, I'm going to be writing down ideas and rough drafts for my writing pieces. This way, when I get home I already have a good idea of what I want to write about and how my post is going to look like. I have also something planned for the days that I do not get a chance to update with a full piece, which I hope some people will enjoy (not sure how many, as it deals with one of my other geeky habits).
Also, on the pictured, you may notice there's some entries with check marks (the ones I have already written) and some are marked as NMR, which stands for "Needs More Research". This means that I need to go back and re-read something before I write about, that way I avoid making a fool of myself like I did the other day with the Sandman/Batman entry. These entries are the ones that take longer to produce, so they are on the backburner until I get more free time (such as on the weekend) to read said comis. Some of the ideas I have written down are tied to specific events, releases and dates, so it may be a while until I actually get around to writing them (akin to the Valentine's day post). And finally, that is me behind the notebook, and I must say that I do not have big bags around my eyes as the picture would lead you to believe.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
An Apology, a Mission and a Plea
First of all, I would like to apologize because of the lateness of the last two posts. I had to make a last minute interstate trip that threw a monkey wrench into my schedule. I had planned to update from the hotel I was staying at, but I could not get my laptop to connect to the hotel's WiFi. My iPod seemed able to connect, but no way I am writing one of my posts (someone lovingly called my blog a wall of text, and they are mostly right) from that touch screen keyboard. I did finish the entries as soon as I got home, but it was already two days late.
Second, I want to make it my mission to be better prepared for situations like this. I want to have some back-up posts and entries that I could use to post if on a particular day I do not get to finish writing. I do not know what I will do or how, but I will see. Additionally, I want to start promoting this blog on more places. I posted the links on certain forums and whatnot, and I got huge spike in my hits but it seems that those people did not come back for the days after.
And finally, a plea to my apparently loyal readers (yes, all 20 of you). Please keep checking back daily and I would love to get some more comments. I realize that this is kind of faux pas, like when a band you are seeing is asking the crowd to "move around", but I am doing it anyway. I would love to hear more feedback, even if it is to tell me what you would like to see or what you would like me to stop doing ("Stop making your sentences so long!") or just to let me know that you are enjoying what I am doing. Feedback has been all positive so far (and boosts my ego), but I do not believe I could be doing everything right from the get-go. I am also aware that for any given site, only a small fraction of the readers take their time to post a comment.
Oh, and just a little easter egg from this post
Apology
Mission
Plea
AMP! I am so freaking clever!
Second, I want to make it my mission to be better prepared for situations like this. I want to have some back-up posts and entries that I could use to post if on a particular day I do not get to finish writing. I do not know what I will do or how, but I will see. Additionally, I want to start promoting this blog on more places. I posted the links on certain forums and whatnot, and I got huge spike in my hits but it seems that those people did not come back for the days after.
And finally, a plea to my apparently loyal readers (yes, all 20 of you). Please keep checking back daily and I would love to get some more comments. I realize that this is kind of faux pas, like when a band you are seeing is asking the crowd to "move around", but I am doing it anyway. I would love to hear more feedback, even if it is to tell me what you would like to see or what you would like me to stop doing ("Stop making your sentences so long!") or just to let me know that you are enjoying what I am doing. Feedback has been all positive so far (and boosts my ego), but I do not believe I could be doing everything right from the get-go. I am also aware that for any given site, only a small fraction of the readers take their time to post a comment.
Oh, and just a little easter egg from this post
Apology
Mission
Plea
AMP! I am so freaking clever!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)