I’ve been wanting to blog. I’ve been dying to blog. But in a previous incarnation of WP, my blog was hacked by idiot spammers who managed to worm their way into posts whose comments had been closed for years and years.

Thanks to a tech friend of mine, most of what could be fixed is fixed and I’ve moved to a different Web host. I know there’s still tweaking to be done. If I thought my categories needed an overhaul before, well, I’m in real trouble now. Some of the categories are listed twice! I can’t get my old Archives and Categories pages to display what they should and have no idea why or how.

Commenters’ Gravatars are supposed to show up, but they don’t, or at least they don’t on the old posts and when I wrote a test post along with a test comment. That plugin is now built in to this version of WP and I even set up the default picture to display if someone doesn’t have a Gravatar. But what-the-fuck-ever. Oh, and I have to redo all my old Ubernyms, you know, the plugin that explains stuff, specifically for new readers, like who Hopper is, etc., except now I’m using one called Acronyms.

I realize part of this is because of the server move, but still — WP changes so fast it’s like, if you turn your head, just for a moment, you’re left behind. Fuckers.

…and by that, I don’t mean Blagojevich! The title of my blog is a play on the word “blog,” obviously, but also on Blagojevich’s name because the guy, as many of you know, lived down the street when I started this blog. We’ve since moved but he still lives down the street — just a different one. And I live in Chicago (well, duh). Hence, “bloggo chicago.”

I would like to make it clear to the public that I did not pay anyone for use of the title.

This blog is not corrupt unless some fucking hackers have managed to infiltrate the server or whatever, because I occasionally get spam comments on old posts, on which commenting has been closed. I’ve also been getting spam users registering; apparently they just love my blog. Fuckers. They’re so obvious.

*cough* Anyways, I’ve had two relapses since August but my condition is improving, which also means I’ve been busy trying to get better, trying to spend less time online. But I miss the blog and I’m trying to find a way to manage reading your blogs again. Admittedly, Twitter is so much easier than blogging. And there’s still Crackbook. I’ve suddenly had an influx of friends and it’s hard to catch up with everyone. Etc., etc.

So here’s an overview of what’s been going on in the past month, and I may expand on them later: Brian’s paternal grandma suddenly passed away in the beginning of November; one cat was diagnosed with heart disease; another cat ate a frickin’ lily and had to be rushed to the animal ER — all of which happened in the span of a week: election week, during which I had the stomach flu! Early voting is a wonderful thing.

As for the blog itself, I’ve decided to shamelessly use Amazon Associates links for past and future book, DVD, etc. reviews. Don’t like it? Don’t read it. Still working on cutting down categories but using tags. Maybe I’ll go ahead and add the tag widget soon, even if it isn’t complete. What the hell.

Here’s a shout-out to one of my oldest blog friends, who lit the fire under my ass to get this thing going again. Hi, April!

Is there anyone else out there who uses these plugins? It seems to be working fine, other than the fact that the little icon thingy doesn’t appear on the Basil’s Pancreatitis of the Pancreas post? Click the link or simply scroll down a few posts.

Sideblog, on the other hand, is working great, other than the fact that the SB Widget is no longer listing the Sideblog posts along with the regular posts. Now it only lists the regular posts.

Yay!!! My custom template from before WP had widgets has now been widgetized! I’ve missed this template so much. Weblog Design Studios did an awesome, awesome job! I’m happy! Wheeee!!!!

OK, so like I said, part of my blog overhaul includes consolidating post categories so I can get rid of others. Does anyone know if there’s a way that I can move all of, say, the Star Wars posts into the Current Affairs/Pop Culture category at the same time? Or do I have to do it one . . . post . . . at . . . a . . . time . . . ? God, I hope not.