Gas Pains

Tom grew up in Milwaukee, bartended in Wauwatosa in the '70s and moved here in 1984.

Commentary, observations and musings about the outdoors, life in general and maybe Tosa politics and personalities will be the order of the day. He savors a lively debate as much as terrific cooking.

Blogging About The Blog

Blog Housekeeping, Colt Model 1911, Dangerous Groundhogs, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Firearms, Gas Pains Hall of Fame, Gas Pains Kraut, GI .45, John Browning, Sauerkraut, Scott Walker Deer Management, Scott Walker Hunting, Tosa Rules Brookfield Drools, Union Bargaining in Wauwatosa, Union Goon, Union Negotiations, Union Thug, Wagering

Another year of blogging is over the keyboard and it is useful to look back and ask - Was it all worth it?

I think that on balance it was.  To be honest there were some days I thought to myself  - What the heck are you doing this for, Tom?  This should be fun and not drudgery.  You have a family and a day job.  Plus you have other interests you know.  In the final analysis I'd like to think that the old blog is a healthy outlet for releasing some of my excess impulsivity and hyperactive tendencies and apparently there is a following.  Here is what The Mothership has to say:  Gas Pains is 7th overall out of more than 200 NOW blogs that have received page views in 2011.

Drilling-down into the data we learn that four posts surrounding the tumult in Wisconsin last spring concerning getting fired, union goons, a game of chicken and a friendly wager set the pace for the year.  It's hard to say if I struck a nerve or tugged at someone's heart strings but  these were exceedingly popular and got everything off to a fine start.

Filling out the balance of the year were the usual themes of gardening, hunting, music, critter identification and the unscheduled random musings and idle chit chat.  These are all perennial favorites.

Feel free to set me straight but the sense of the supporting cast here at Gas Pains is that variety might just be a winning formula.  Therefore the staff keeps poking me to not become too one-dimensional.  No cut-and-paste blogging here as that would be lazy.  Never take yourself too seriously and above all - do not become morose.

On behalf of everyone here at Gas Pains we thank you for your loyal readership and insightful comments.

That's it?  You don't usually shut your trap so easily.  Have you nothing else to say?

Good point.  I do have something further to add.

Not only is this blog enjoyed by my 80 presumably loyal Tosa readers - it also happens to be enjoyed all over the place.  As evidence of this universal popularity try this simple Google search.  Google the phrase 'deer camp 2011'.   You will see that the number one hit is, well, my deer camp.  How about that.  We'll have to wait and see if it can remain in that position for the next year or so.  If it does, that post might be eligible for further recognition.

Which is a natural segue to my unveiling of The Gas Pains Hall Of Fame.

The Hall of Fame? What's that all about?

The Gas Pains Hall of Fame constitutes whose posts that have withstood the test of time and by virtue of their broad appeal (as evidenced by their number one ranking by Google)  now reach beyond the borders of this tiny hamlet of Wauwatosa and have appended themselves into the community of the world wide web.  Check them out - admission is free.

In no particular order I present to you the first five Hall of Fame inductees:

Never Grab a Groundhog (search: groundhog aggression)

A Bircher, Truther, Birther and an Oathkeeper Walk into a Bar  (search: birther bircher truther)

Gas Pains Kraut (I admit to doing this purposefully but search:  gas pains kraut)

John Browning's Legacy (speaks for itself - all search roads lead here)

Scott Walker, Deer Management and Hunting (search:  Scott Walker deer management or Scott Walker hunting) 

One more thing. 

Of all the MyCommunityNOW sites - WauwatosatosaNOW is again the top site.  BrookfieldNOW continues to languish in distant second-place.  Tosa rules - Brookfield drools.

Cheers!

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