A variety of things that probably only I care about

Now three and a half months into 2013, I’ve managed to stick to my goal of posting every other day. Admittedly, a few of my posts were cheats just to keep on schedule (like this one, for example), and some of my reviews seemed a little more rushed than they would have been otherwise. In general, though, I’m really happy with the results. I remember the months-long drought last year when I fell out of the habit of writing, and I know I could easily do the same thing now that I’m taking care of a new baby on top of everything else. I didn’t have much hope that my planned schedule would last this long, and even with those questionable posts, I think the overall quality is improving.

I have noticed that some of my reviews end up being a little longer than I expected. Sometimes, it’s a lot easier to be wordy than succinct, and that may be a side effect of the posting schedule. On the other hand, my music reviews are often shorter, and don’t always describe the sound very well. I need to work on that.

Also, though I haven’t started recording statistics yet, I think that my average grade is dropping. I’m a lot more comfortable giving Cs this year, and I’m happy to see that! The grade distribution is probably closer to what I always imagined it. However, it does seem like I’m giving fewer high grades. I did just double-check that, and it’s not quite as bad as I expected: 1 A and 3 A-s so far this year. I have wondered if that’s the fault of the things I’m reviewing, or if my more hectic schedule (and life) is keeping me from appreciating the best ones as much. I don’t think that’s the case, but I plan to watch it closely. If this blog makes me enjoy my hobbies less, that defeats the whole purpose.

Despite that caveat, though, I’m enjoying this a lot. I think Cult of the New is closer than ever to what I intended it to be. However, I’m curious about what you think. If anyone reading this blog regularly thinks that things have gotten noticeably better or worse, I’ll welcome the feedback.