The Essential MCF: 2K5-2K6

Cloakfest 2K6 continues! Last year I chose highlights from my first season, and now, hard to believe, the Nexus has existed for two years! If you're just joining me, or missed a few episodes, now's a good time to get caught up:


OCTOBER, 2005

Best Blog Party Party 2K5
Season 2 began with the results of a vote to determine the best Blog Parties from Season 1. While few responses to the idea, and some unusual votes for breakfast cereals may have been the nail in the coffin of the blog party, its departure cleared the stage for some new ideas.

Trade Vocalists and Win
A band comprised of members from other bands I like inspires musings on other hybrids born from the ashes of defunct groups.

PBW: Ladies Man
J-No gets married, women try to hit me with cars and shopping carts, and I quietly realize that I need a better camera.

Depth of Soul
Lorna throws a Mystery Blog Party, and I try my hand at an sf short story.

Miles to go...
My favorite music teacher leaves this world, and I remember the impact his life had on my own.

POP QUIZ!, MCF Style...
I couldn't think of anything good to write, so I wrote a quick quiz, not realizing what I was starting.

A touch of O.C.D.?
As I get older my memory gets worse, and as my memory gets worse I become more obsessive about remembering things, the certainty that I've forgotten something costing me valuable time. While I still go through some of the rituals described in that post today, I haven't been repeating them as much, for example doubling back to my car to make sure the lights are off, the door is locked, the car is in park, and the hand brake is on.

PBW: Columbus, Time, and Travel
I look back on my music teacher's funeral, and share photos from a parade I played in with my dad.

Pop Quiz: MCF's Answers
I answer my own quiz. 11 bloggers, including some new names still around today, participated as well, inspiring me to ask more questions in the future.


NOVEMBER, 2005

"What next?"
My blog doesn't publish, my burgeoning O.C.D. causes me to be late for work, and as a result I miss out on entering a costume contest. Reminder to self nearly a year later: “STOP ASKING ‘What next?'"

PBW: "Would you like to see my mask?"
I've been making my own Halloween costumes since I was a kid, and the mask I sewed last year was one of the creepiest. I also continue to realize that my camera sucks.

Introducing the M.C.F.A.T.
Here's the first ever Mysterious Cloaked Figure's Astonishing Test, inspired by that successful pop quiz.

Caution on the Side of Erring
My “reckless” driving gets me in trouble...

M.C.F.A.T. I: Some Answers
Here are my answers to the first M.C.F.A.T.

PBW: So Far and yet So Close.
Caumsett Park is huge, and I took these photos with my old camera. I definitely need to revisit that place.

Got Me Good.
Amid the chaos and confusion of getting new carpets at work, Rey and The Greek pull off a prank that shouldn't have worked as well as it did, and may not have with any other victim.

PBW: Every Goodbye is Inevitable.
After a year, we finally say goodbye to a totaled car.

AVSPBT: What I learned today...
When my mom has surgery, it's up to me to cook my first Thanksgiving dinner. Things go better than we would expect.


DECEMBER, 2005

PBW: Shu in Winter
Neither snow nor sleet stay me from taking pictures.

Did I....Salsa?
Every now and then, I have to much to drink and make the mistake of trying to dance...

MCF Returns
After staying with a sick friend for a week, I return home. (I was wondering why the post the day before was so short.)

Shot in the Face
I get shot in the face and live to tell about it.

PBW: Reckson Effects.
As the holiday season winds down, I check out some great decorations and sculptures. One of my readers may recognize this as the post used to introduce him to the Nexus.

MCF's Year in Review 2K5
I present “awards” to my fellow bloggers and other things that entertained me in 2005.

365 Yesterdays and Tomorrows
I look at resolutions not kept, and all the significant events of the previous year.


JANUARY, 2006

11 Reasons You Should be Watching Scrubs
Scrubs is the best sitcom on television, and I explain why.

Avoid like the PLAGUE.
These movies were horrible, and for some reason I saw them all.

News from the Home Front
While staying with Rey again to make sure he doesn't have any more seizures while his family looks for a house, I call home and get a taste of what it would be like talking to my parents were I living on my own for real.

Not a number...
After finally seeing The Prisoner, I ponder its meaning and impact.

Fooling
I remember Chris Penn after his untimely demise.

Elves and Blowtorches.
Working on my own car, guided by my father, and dissuading him from dangerous solutions such as a blowtorch is very satisfying.

M.C.F.A.D. I: Draw Wolverine
I create an art meme. Two people participate. I hold off on a sequel until more respond. I'm still waiting.

Roth is the WORST.
I complain about David Lee Roth as a DJ, a job he didn't have much longer, proving I wasn't the only one with complaints.


FEBRUARY, 2006

Friday Night Physics
Comic books help a professor teach physics to his students, and his novel based on this teaching device opens my brain up to some heavy concepts(on a Friday night because I'm such a loser).

Who is this MCF, anyway?
Since I don't always know who I am, I compare notes with my audience via a Johari Window.

PBW: White Out
Digging out after a snowstorm is a major project, made more challenging by my dad's insistence to dig out during.

Tunnels and Codes...
I write about tunnels and codes, and conceal a message using the first letter of each paragraph.

Who is this Johari, anyway?
I examine the results of my Johari Window exercise.

To Tobay
A long walk on a windy beach leads to a tunnel...

Interview with Tater Happy, Part Deux
I interview a baby because his dad asks me to. The things I do for my friends...

Con Job
Getting in to an overbooked comic book convention is worth it when I get an autograph from one of my favorite writers from my collecting days.

Squeaker
The dark secret of a high school nickname is revealed.


MARCH, 2006

PBW: NYComicon 2K6
Here's a slew of pictures from that aforementioned convention. Do blurry babes, bots, and celebrities convince me to get a new camera yet?

MYCLOFIGS: The Final Results
After polling my readers, I find out the movies and stars people really liked in 2005.

”No relation.”
I ponder possible connections between (mostly) fictitious characters with common surnames.

Observations from a Park Bench
Near where I work, I see a lot of interesting recurring characters.

Graduation
I look back on a ten week writing course. Note to self: do something with those story ideas already.

PBW: Best in Philly
I tag along with a few friends on a pilgrimage...for Cheese Steak. Why was I still using that camera then?

M is for MCF
I use the alphabet to talk about a second date, one in hindsight that cemented how little we had in common. At least I liked the movie.

Photo Bad Luck Tuesday
When I finally treat myself to a real camera, it (of course™) does not work.

PBW: Adios, Amigo.
We bid farewell to Rey as he starts a new life out of state. The dinner with my college friends was shot on my old camera, but amid the preparations for a party at the office the next day I managed to exchange my new dysfunctional camera for one that, wonder of wonders, actually worked. The difference is clear.


APRIL, 2006

No Left Turns
If I'm going to do something stupid in my car, there will always be witnesses.

Pocket
It's funny; I don't remember all these famous people being here on my, or rather our, birthday...

PBW: Welwyn
An estate turned preserve is a great place to exercise my new camera as I wander from the serene to the spooky.

TPIAA
These are some common, and less common, acronyms found on the internet.

PBW: Cats and Dogs
A cat person has fun and doesn't get chased at a dog show. At home, his cats continue to recline on comfortable beds while the dogs run through the cold.

It's Easter, by the way...
Sometimes, we forget the importance of Easter as society focuses on more profitable holidays.

What makes great animation?
I answer this question to the best of my ability.

Asylum
I seek an abandoned one.

Fifteen Comics: Part One
Fifteen Comics: Part Two
Fifteen Comics: Part Three
In a hypothetical world, I decide which fifteen comics exist, and who writes and draws them.

Fantasy Not Final
I rave about Advent Children.

Obstacles
My dad and I fix a garage door, and I think about the things that get in our way in life.

No Feast 'til Brooklyn
Feast season begins as I misplace my face.


MAY, 2006

Condimentality
Who knew idle musings over condiments would inspire such controversy?

PBW: Target Rock
Not only do I find a nature preserve I'd never been to before, but I see a live fox! Sadly, there are no foxy ladies in the woods.

MCF and 102 Movies
Since posting this list, the number of films I've seen from it is now 40, up from 38. What have I been renting?

PBW: And That's a Lot
My dad's lot looks great through my new camera! Have I mentioned yet that I had a new camera by this point?

Reasons Wii
It comes out next month; should I get it?

No Mama's Boy
Other bloggers might be mama's boys, but I prove....that I'm no better.

50 Weird Things About MCF
I provide further proof that I'm a freak. People love a circus.

What ABOUT Breakfast at Tiffany's?
It was great. I need to get more old movies into my rotation.

PBW: Hiking With MCF
I go hiking, see a lot of birds, and give my new camera a workout. Have I mentioned the camera yet?

PBW: Airshow 2K6
I attend my second airshow, armed with--wait for it--a better camera.


JUNE, 2006


Sehnsucht is an awesome album, and it leads me to consider the merits of multilingualism.

Thundercast
When my vision of a Thundercats movie is realized, remember where you read about it first.

Hands On.
I sometimes envy those who work with their hands more.

Songs of Superman
Never before has one caped character inspired so many songs.

My Favorite Sunglasses
Sentimental value can make the loss of the most trivial items tragic.

PBW: MCF's Day of Thunder
I love road trips, and going to see my first NASCAR race proved to be a great one.

My Dad...
For Father's Day, I let my audience get to know my dad.

Run Time.
I wake up to the shock of a beloved aunt's death, and vow to lose weight and train for a race.

Wheel in the Sky
Saying goodbye to my aunt is hard. That was a rough week.

BP RETURNS
I decide to resurrect the Blog Party, if only once a year.

GET OFF MY PROPERTY!!!!!
For a few years after my friends and I grew up, this was a quiet neighborhood. Suddenly, there's a new horde of children swarming our block, much to my dad's chagrin.


JULY, 2006

MCF's Essential DCAU
The DC Animated Universe may be one of the best collections of related animated series ever created.

Blog Party VIII: The Returns
I post my contribution to Blog Party VIII, listing the three most important things that have returned to me.

I Will Not Be Stopped.
Surprisingly, my dieting and exercise doesn't waver as the race date draws closer. I recognize obstacles once more, as I had when working on the garage door with my dad, and I vow to overcome them.

PBW: Pilgrimage, Part I
PBW: Pilgrimage, Part II
I journey East to a wondrous outdoor religious shrine.

Knight's End.
Who knew that Knight Rider had an unofficial series finale?

Keeping Cool.
Suddenly, Summer flares up, and I reminisce about different ways to stay cool.

Stereotype Cast
Through the humor of Dave Chapelle, I tackle the tough topic of stereotypes.

PBW: Was I Prepared?
Before I reveal how I fared in the big race, I share some (gross) pictures of my preparation.

The Running MCF
I was happy to finish the 3.5 mile race in 33 minutes and 15 seconds, even though it was about thirty seconds slower than my best time a few years ago. I had trained and lost twenty pounds in a month, and came very close to where I was when i was in better shape four years ago.

20 Funny Films
I list my 20 favorite funny films, and a slew of runners-up.


AUGUST, 2006

MCF LI 1: Fire Department Parades
I debut a new feature in which I celebrate the things I love about Long Island.

"Be A Man" Movies
I look at ten movies that show what it takes to be a man.

P.i.t.A. Syndrome and the Surprise
A long day of music takes me from an irritation on the streets to a surprise celebration in a catering hall.

VBW: Summertime in Venice
For the first and only time, I star in my own movie on the internet. Perhaps I'll serenade you all with more melodies in the future when my schedule quiets down.

Where were you?
Is five years too soon to revisit a major tragedy? The closer we are to it, the less likely we are to forget.

The Video Games or the Violence?
Do video games cause violence? Only when someone says they do.

TBW: Terragen™ Blog Wednesday
I start to play with a 3D landscape generator.

Play it Again...and again...
I list five songs I can listen to over and over again.

Patience Pending
I struggle to be patient. I don't always win.

Man enough to admit...
The first person to make fun of me for listing chick flicks may get strangled with the cord from one of my video game systems.

To Be an Action Star
I spotlight 15 male action stars. Note to self: revisit this idea with female action stars in the near future.

Evil Men and Veterinarians
It's a heart wrenching tale about a broken puppy and the differences between people who care about animals, and bad people.


SEPTEMBER, 2006

It's Over
Hey, where did the Summer go?

Blogroll Heroes.
Blogroll Heroes: Team Two
Blogroll Heroes: Team Three
I immortalize my fellow bloggers as super heroes.

Phantasmic Links 9.4.06
I normally wouldn't include a P-link post in a collection like this, but the story of my dad imagining a fire early on a Sunday morning is worth noting.

PBW: Avalon
I discover yet another new nature preserve, a paradise with a bridge, stone steps, and unique sculptures.

First Days of the Rest of My Life.
I look back on my life through a collection of first days.

A Busy Euphoria
After fun times with friends the night before, I have a twelve hour musical adventure out of state that includes some profuse bleeding.

Things THEY Wouldn't Say...
“I'm going to stay up past 3AM combing my blog archives from the past year!”

Frogged and the Winds of Change
A bad review and some constructive criticism lead to a new look for the Nexus.

PBW: The Other Side of My World
Truth be told, I didn't actually spend a day in Japan, but walking through a Japanese style garden definitely transported me.

"What did I Say?" Friday
I asked my readers to fill in a blank sign I was holding as part of a contest, and got some great responses.

Cloakfest 2K6
I announce a three day celebration marking my second year blogging.

PBW: A Mysterious Cloaked Figure in King Arthur's Court
We went to take pictures of a preserve. We didn't expect the Renaissance...

My Brog.
My mom traps a mystery insect in our basement, one fortunate that I don't squish first and ask questions later.


OCTOBER, 2006

BBQ Heaven, Liberty Hell...
I love barbecues.

Deprivation
“one of the...
BEST. POSTS. EVER. BY ANYBODY. EVER.”-TheWriteJerry

PBW: Revelations II
The odds of me being recognized on the street have marginally increased...

* * *
Cloakfest 2K6 concludes tomorrow with my answers to readers' questions and predictions for the coming year.