We near the end of another decade and I thought it was time for some reflection. It was a monumental one for me. I got married, had a child, and became an uncle. I said goodbye to friends, family, mentors, and heroes who passed from this world to the next. I stormed Scotland. I braved Disneyworld. And I chased ghosts… lots and lots of ghosts.
I published two novels, dozens of short stories, a handful of comics, and I saw my artwork grace the covers of a whole host of works by some of my favorite writers in the field.
And in a decade that saw me turn forty, I can honestly say it has been the best decade of my life.
I have a lot to be thankful for, but even more to look forward to. I can only hope that the next decade is as magical as this one has been.
Now, let’s close this blog entry out with a bang with the Decade’s Best in Television Entertainment (according to yours truly):
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THE BEST TELEVISION OF THE ‘OO’s
1. LOST
Not only the best show of the first decade into the 21st Century, but the best show ever. It’s mythic in scope — epic in vision — and all-out mindblowing in execution. It is an action packed adventure on an Island littered with rabbit holes that lead the viewer to ponder theoretical physics, comparative mythology, classical literature, and Jungian psychology. LOST is the proverbial enigma wrapped inside a riddle, but at its heart, LOST is about characters and therein lies the hook.
2. Supernatural
The 21st Century’s answer to the Hardy Boys, Sam and Dean Winchester are caught up in the ultimate battle between good and evil. Sure, they hunt and slay ghosts, monsters, and demons, but it’s more than that. Supernatural is about family ties… the bond of brotherhood… and it’s about the strength found in that bond that carries you through, even when faced with the deepest and darkest horrors imaginable.
3. Veronica Mars
If Supernatural is a modern take on the Hardy Boys, then Veronica Mars is this Century’s Nancy Drew. It lasted only three seasons, but television has rarely been better. Veronica Mars was smart, whitty, and everything you could ask for, with compelling mysteries and fantastic characters that week in and week out left you begging for more. It was a crime that it wasn’t renewed for a fourth season, but the three we were blessed with still resonate.
4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel
It’s hard not to bow down at the altar of Joss Whedon. He turned the world on its ear with the creation of the Slayer, a teenage girl destined to battle the forces of evil while quipping wisecracks and maintaining an impeccable fashion sense. Add the stoic Angel into the mix — a vampire curshed with a soul — and you have not one, but two shows that reinvented the genre and made an indelable mark on pop culture.
5. Survivor
The ultimate reality show, Survivor took the world by storm by taking a group of normal, everyday people and sticking them in the middle of nowhere in a fierce competition for One Million Dollars. A psychological experiment played out for our entertainment, we watched as these survivors manuevered, plotted, and schemed against one another, hoping to outwit, outlast, and outplay their teammates to win the coveted monetary reward. Rarely has watching 16 people slowly starve to death been more fun.
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There you go, kids. Chew on those for a bit and watch for my ruminations on the Best of the Decade in both Movies and Books in the days to come... and please accept my thanks for helping to make the start of the twenty-first century one for the ages.








