We Are One!

Happy birthday to me.
Happy birthday to me.
Happy birthday dear meeee.

Happy birthday to meeeee eeeeeee
eeeeee eeeeeeee eeeeeee eeee eee!

Well okay, it's not actually my birthday, that's in two months - cards and really good red wine always welcome - but it is The Dionysian's first anniversary.
I've been writing this nonsense for a whole year! My goodness, I feel a review coming on. How very clichéd and self-referential.
Navel- gazing, anybody?

"What do you think of the show so far?"
"Rubbish!"

I have noticed one thing, which is the fact that I've slowed down rather a lot. It might be because I've got other projects on as well as this or that I'm busier as a househusband than I was as a University Groundsman but mostly, I think, it's because I don't like repeating myself.

That could be a bad idea. I've noticed that many writers, particularly ones on witchcraft, base a whole career on self-repetition by producing a series of books which - in content at least - tend to be updates of previous books. Boring but useful. I'm just not sure I've got the patience.

I've also managed to offend a few people, although surprisingly nowhere near as many as I'd expected. Perhaps the ones who would be offended have stayed away (which would be very sensible) or perhaps most readers are too polite to say anything. I can't believe that most people agree with me. That's highly unlikely.
I really pissed-off the guy from the BNP, though. I consider that a plus!

I've also changed the status to "adult" so I can post pictures of people who have genitalia without Google feeling the need to cancel me.

Let's have a look then.

Using the magic of "tabbed browsing" I can look at the things I've written about over the past year. There's been quite a lot, actually.
There is a fair bit of social politics involving stuff like disabilities, vegetarianism, surveillance culture, drinking, environmentalism, generosity and honesty.
There's some stuff about art, music, film and poetry. There's also deeper stuff about Will and Identity. There's been a SubGenius rant.
There's a lot about love, sexuality, affection and nudity! I like nudity, okay?

The most popular by a long measure (in terms of response) has been the one where I called Jesus a Pagan. In fact the comments were four times longer than the articles.
It certainly seemed to hit the right chord (A Major!), and I'm getting feedback still after slightly more than three months. I even met, a couple of weeks ago, a very nice young fellow called Simon who is a church minister and used that post as the basis of a sermon. I don't actually know what he said - for all I know he could have vilified me as Satan incarnate - but I'm still rather chuffed!

One of the great things about writing a blog is getting the comments, including the ones which tell me I'm wrong. They validate my existence and prove that I'm not ranting into a vacuum. There's not much more pointless than intellectual masturbation, so huge thanks to everybody who has commented and I'll do my best comment on your own blogs (I will, Jake, honest!).

Look to the Future

So what's in store for The Dionysian over the next year?
Errm. . . Dunno actually! I never really plan these things, I just respond to stuff which affects me in some way. I do have some vague ideas about fnords and radio advertising and probably more stuff about nudism and sexuality. I'll definitely be plugging WNBR again next year, and likely one or two other projects and events.

In the end, though, what is the Dionysian for?

Am I saving the world? No, but I'm trying!
Am I giving people something interesting to read and talk about? It would appear so. Phew!
Am I helping my friends do the same? Hope so!
(Note: All the blogs bar two under the heading, "A Rather Good Read" are personal friends. One is my wife! The exceptions are Qelqoth and Ms. Coco LaVerne - and I'm bound to meet Ms. LaVerne's PA, Paul Harfleet sooner or later)

Upon final analysis, The Dionysian is no more than this: A self-created platform for a middle-aged dilettante to ask questions and express his opinions about the world he lives in. No more or less than that, really.
I hope it gives you, dear reader, pleasure and interest in its perusal.
If it does then I'm happy too.
If it doesn't, sorry but there's a whole internet out there to explore. Go find something that does!

And now, because it's my "birthday", I'm going to decorate the post with lovely naked people.
Because I can!

Love,
Seán

P.S. The photos are by the following people (from top down). Please check them out on their Flickr photostreams:

phheww, siberfi, DGHdeeo, spinneyhead, SunCat

If you object to my pinching your picture, please tell me and I'll remove it.