Test 2

This is not a test. This is a re-boot.

This project started as a simple Tumblr blog in 2010 but hasn't had much of an update or a refresh in a long time. Since my work-life balance has started to have, well, some balance, I wanted to get back into some regular writing and commentary. So here we are.

In early 2019 I started to write a bit more frequently, and now we have a fresh new look and layout, and a sweet, sweet new logo as well!



(I started using Adobe Spark for some creative content stuff - and in the process created something of a new look for my style. Apparently, branding is fun!)

I spent a couple of days importing all of the old posts from the Tumblr blog (sans the Instagram cross-posts - you can get that info in the sidebar to the right, as well as all of the posts from an even older site that I created in the mid-2000s to keep family and friends updated) into one place. Now you've got over 250 posts that you can sift through when you're really bored. Go ahead, I'll wait.

[...]

Okay, all done? Good.

Though the moniker is "Admissions Dude" - and your humble host is indeed that - topics covered here will continue to be wide-ranging. Certainly you'll see some higher education and admissions-related stuff, but I'll also continue to delve into personal things as well. Family, friends, life, exercise, movies, music... and who knows what else?

Who knows? Maybe I'll tire of this thing again if/when life gets busy again, and then this will once again become a shell of an idea. But maybe not? Stay tuned to find out.

If you want to subscribe, you can hit the RSS. Or my Twitter feed will accomplish the same thing. Thanks for stopping by!

VivaChuckTodd.com

You may or may not recall that in a former life I was a stay-at-home-dad, as well as a writer and the proprietor of ThePajamaPundit.com, a blog focused on politics and media (and since I let the domain lapse, is now some strange website about what it takes to have a career in criminal justice – so disappointing). This was a simpler time. A time when my only concern was how worked up I would get over xenophobic commentary from Ann Coulter...

During my years as a blogger, my musings on the Internet led to my forming of friendships with several like-minded folks. One of those excellent individuals was Paul, a smart entrepreneur with a keen sense of wit and boatloads of humor in his back pocket.

Oh, and he was also more-than-somewhat obsessed with the MSNBC network.

This latter fact was displayed in vivid detail with his original entry in the “VivaVerse” (© Bert McBrayer 2016 - I’ll sell it to you for a good price Paul): Viva Chuck Todd (first post here), a fan website devoted to Chuck Todd, the smart political analyst at MSNBC.

At the time, very early in the 2008 election cycle, The Chuck was a budding analyst who was just starting to get some serious screen-time on shows like Morning Joe. His smarts and matter-of-fact style were refreshing. As it turns out, there were other political nerds who also enjoyed Chuck’s obvious smarts.

Geez. 2008 seems like such a long time ago. Just ask this guy.

After the sweet success of VivaChuckTodd, we Chukolytes demanded the obvious spin-off companion sites Viva Rachel Maddow and Viva Jonathan Capehart. Because, why not?

Nowadays, Mr. Fancy-Pants Todd is the host of Meet The Press and one of the most recognizable faces in the political media. So clearly Paul’s work made a huge difference in Chuck Todd’s career trajectory.

Go now. Check out Paul’s pet project 2.0. And check back often.

The only question that remains in my mind is, will there be swag this time around? I still have mine from the original:

Perhaps someday it’ll be worth something...

Why do you ask a question for which you know the answer?