It’s been a couple of months since I wrote anything on the site that wasn’t explicitly music or entertainment-related. After posting my State of The State piece, I’ve slowly been working myself back into fighting shape. The emphasis should definitely be on “slowly”-I’m still trying to figure out what I want this site to be, even at a basic level. And a portion of this site will always be a work in progress. However, one thing that’s been figured out is that I want to have it here, as an outlet for myself and for a select few people I think have distinctive voices and can add something to the distinctive conversation that I think this space represents. It’s nice to not have the pressure of wanting Popblerd to be this big all-encompassing thing anymore.

It’s also nice to have the dependability of regular columns. They ensure that the site won’t go dark for any appreciable period of time. Flyte Brothers is a whole-year project, and I intend to have enough Jheri Curl Fridays columns lined up to last into perpetuity (or until I get tired of writing the column.) Despite the fact that I didn’t actually watch the Grammys (a topic for another column,) I posted my annual preview and wound up with about a 50% success rate as far as predictions go. Not bad, right? As releases ramp up, the tour schedules fill and I get ideas for other columns, I’m sure that there’ll be more frequent posting here. Even if we’re not at 3-4 posts a day like we were a year ago, there’ll be more than enough to keep you occupied, and hopefully engaged. Quality over quantity, right? Plus, me and my friend Pete are working on a new site design that should be pretty cool.

Off-site, it’s been a pretty busy month. I’ve done some traveling-working with my pal and podcast partner Zack on a couple of upcoming projects that I’m really excited about (but I’d rather keep under wraps for now.) My day job keeps me fairly busy, and I find myself back in a classroom for the first time in two decades for the spring semester. I took the Boston subway in my underwear (as part of a legitimate event, not because I’m a perv!,) got to shop at Jerry’s in Pittsburgh, which is like a record store Mecca, and I’ve got a DJ gig coming up tomorrow. Speaking of DJing, I got to man the decks for my friend Sean’s wedding this past weekend. More importantly, I officiated the ceremony-yes, I am a licensed officiator/minister. It’s weird-the gravity of being chosen to do something so important didn’t really hit me until the day of the ceremony. On days when I’m feeling not as good, that experience will be great to think back on and appreciate as evidence that there are people out there who respect or like me enough to make me such an integral part of a once-in-a-lifetime day for them. Pretty intense.

This particular iteration of this column is kind of a spitballing exercise for me, and I plan to update this weekly, as well. Structure is good. There’s plenty I want to talk about-future columns might be less conversational and more confrontational. I’ve already had ideas for editorials that cover race and sexuality, two topics that (for fairly obvious reasons) rank high on my list of hot-button issues. But for now, I just want to get my feet wet, remind you to look around, and enjoy the month that was…