It was 9 years ago today that I started this blog, A Shroud of Thoughts. In the years 2004 to 2005 blogs had become a bit of a fad. While blogs had been around since the mid-Nineties (and, in fact, the word blog was coined in 1997), it was in those years that the media really began to take notice of them. In fact, the cover story of the 19 December 2004 issue of Time was "10 Things We Learned About Blogs". In the years 2004 to 2005 it seemed as if everyone was starting their own blog, including myself. A Shroud of Thoughts largely owes its existence to a lady friend of mine who had her own blog. It looked like fun, so I decided to start my own. At that time it seemed as if most blogs were titled with some variation on the word "Thoughts." I then took the phrase "A Shroud of Thoughts" as the tile of this blog. It comes from Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage canto iii stanza 113:
I have not loved the world, nor the world me;
I have not flattered its rank breath, nor bow'd
To its idolatries a patient knee,
Nor coin'd my cheek to smiles, nor cried aloud
In worship of an echo; in the crowd
They could not deem me one of such; I stood
Among them, but not of them; in a shroud
Of thoughts which were not their thoughts, and still could,
Had I not filed my mind, which thus itself subdued.
I have to confess that at the time I really did not know what the primary focus of my blog would be. In fact, in the early days I did sometimes write about things of a more personal nature. It was in the first few months that A Shroud of Thoughts took shape as a blog devoted to pop culture and nostalgia, and I stopped writing anything of a terribly personal nature almost altogether (aside from being a very private individual, I suspect people don't find my life that terribly interesting).
Over the years I cannot say that A Shroud of Thoughts has changed terribly much. At one time I reviewed recent films on a regular basis, although I made a conscious decision to cease doing so with a few exceptions. My thought is that A Shroud of Thoughts is at its best when dealing with nostalgia, and it's not as if there aren't plenty of blogs that do cover modern films. Another change is in the number of eulogies I write in this blog. Eulogies of recently deceased celebrities have been a part of A Shroud of Thoughts since the beginning, but sadly it seems as if they have increased greatly in the last several years as more and more legendary celebrities have died. While I know people like my eulogies, I'd actually be happy if I never had to write another one again!
As is usual on this blog's anniversary, I have compiled a list of what I think are its best posts from the past year.
120 Years Ago Basil Rathbone Was Born 13 June 2012
Hedy Lamarr, Geek Sex Symbol 12 July 2012
Why Norma Shearer is Significant 10 August 2012
Naming Names: The Rise & Fall of Confidential Magazine Part One 19 August 2012
Naming Names: The Rise & Fall of Confidential Magazine Part Two 20 August 2012
The Week of 09/16 to 09/23 (includes The 10th Anniversary of Firefly, Chuck Jones' 100th Birthday, and What a Character: Eddie Anderson)
The Great Gatsby on Film--They're Always Miscasting Daisy 25 September 2012
The Beatles & James Bond: 5 October 1962 5 October 2012
Bela Lugosi's 130th Birthday 20 October 1912
Ben Cooper & Its Competitors: The Folks Who Sold Halloween 24 October 2012
The Gimmicks of William Castle 27 October 2012
The Golden Age of Christmas Movies? 21 December 2012
Perry Mason: The Case of the Disappearing Defence Attorney 11 January 2013
The Week of 01/13 to 01/20 (Contains A Tribute to Newton Minow on His Birthday, 121 Years Ago Today Oliver Hardy was Born, and Danny Kate at 100)
America in Monochrome: The Lack of Ethnic Diversity on American Television in the Sixties 30 January 2013
Who Was That Masked Man?: The Lone Ranger Turns 80 31 January 2013
The Week of 02/24 to 03/03 (contains The 70th Anniversary of George Harrison's Birth, Jim Backus' 100th Birthday, and The 80th Anniversary of King Kong)
The 75th Anniversary of Superman 18 April 2013
Harold Lloyd's 120th Birthday 20 April 2013
What Killed Bonanza? 25 April 2013
The 110th Birthday of Bing Crosby 2 May 2013
Bob Clampett's 100th Birthday 8 May 2013
The Loved One: The Motion Picture With Something to Offend Everyone 25 May 2013
Peter Cushing's 100th Birthday 26 May 2013
An Interview with Lyndsy Spence, Author of The Mitford Girls' Guide to Life 2 June 2013
Congratulations Terry. There aren't many out there who have made it as long as you. It's a great achievement. I remember enjoying a lot of these posts that you have listed here, but I was especially interested in the one you wrote about the casting of Daisy in Gatsby. Though I've read the book a few times, I never thought about the hair color issue. It made me see things so differently. Anyway, congrats again, and here's to many more years!
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