Other Writing

Think About It
Beginning in 1997, I began writing a regular humor column for the Nicholls State University campus paper, The Nicholls Worth. The column appeared in virtually every paper until I graduated in 2000. When I began working at my home town’s newspaper, I took the column with me there until my departure in 2005, at which point I began writing new columns exclusively online. Here is an archive of all columns currently online. Although I no longer write the column regularly, when the mood strikes me, it can rage again before you know it.

• Leggo My DVD (June 16, 2001)
• Wet Fun in the Summertime (July 7, 2001)
• An Ice Cream Romance (July 21, 2001)
• Good Intentions Gone Awry (August 4, 2001)
• Moviemaking 101 (August 11, 2001)
• Mailbag, Anyone? (August 18, 2001)
• Repetition, Repetition, Repetition (August 25, 2001)
• Is it That Season Already? (November 3, 2001)
• Christmas Carol Conundrum (December 8, 2001)
• Have a Merry, So-Called Grownup Christmas (December 22, 2001)
• Rage on the Red Carpet (January 26, 2002)
• Mom, Can I Have This? (March 9, 2002)
• Your 15 Minutes Are Up, Guys (March 16, 2002)
• Down and Out in Gotham City (June 8, 2002)
• Please, Touch That Dial (June 22, 2002)
• VHS, Pan-and-Scan and the Dodo (June 29, 2002)
• Heading For the Windy City (July 6, 2002)
• The Three Geeks Go to Chicago (July 13, 2002)
• Synthetic Kryptonite and Duck Comics (July 20, 2002)
• Raiders of the Lost Art (July 27, 2002)
• Walking Fish and Ronald McDonald (August 3, 2002)
• English as a Second Language (August 17, 2002)
• Public Education and Major League Baseball (August 31, 2002)
• The Next Change Coming To Your Pockets (September 14, 2002)
• Time For Another Hurricane Update (September 28, 2002)
• Be Kind to the Geeks of October (October 12, 2002)
• Harry Potter and Jesus: Together Again (October 26, 2002)
• Do It For the Children (February 1, 2003)
• When the Loonies Are Running the Asylum (April 5, 2003)
• The Quasi-Luddite’s Computer Quest (April 19, 2003)
• How the Men Recharge (May 21, 2003)
• Spiking Out TV Everywhere (June 7, 2003)
• Five Star Cinema (July 12, 2003)
• The Rise and Fall of the Muppet Empire (August 9, 2003)
• The Problem With Something New (September 6, 2003)
• How to Make it in Journalism Without Really Trying (September 20, 2003)
• Bumpy Things in the Night Or Something (November 1, 2003)
• Ancient Mysteries and Newfangled Toys (January 17, 2004)
• Of Mice and Muppets (February 21, 2004)
• The End of Father’s Day (April 24, 2004)
• Mutant Candy For Halloween (October 16, 2004)
• The Merging Mambo (November 20, 2004)
• The Sensational Season (December 18, 2004)
• Put the Cookies Down. Step Away From the Cookies (February 12, 2005)
• Soda Wars III: Revenge of the Fizz (June 18, 2005)
• Katrina: Wrath and Resolution (September 9, 2005)
• Browncoats United: A Love Story (September 30, 2005)
• Uncommon Courtesy (October 7, 2005)
• Back to the Bag (October 14, 2005)
• Halloween Hang-Up (October 21, 2005)
• Trick-or-Treat Traditions (October 28, 2005)
• NaNoWriMo Mania (November 4, 2005)
• Coup of the Animation Nation (November 11, 2005)
• A Little Thanks (November 18, 2005)
• A Christmas Kick-Off (November 25, 2005)
• What’s the Percentage? (December 2, 2005)
• How Come People Don’t Talk No Gooder? (December 9, 2005)
• Bye-Bye, Silly Old Bear (December 16, 2005)
• The Night Before the Night Before Christmas (December 23, 2005)
• Welcome to 2006: 2005 Plus One (December 30, 2005)
• March Down the Aisle (January 6, 2006)
• Life in High Definition (January 13, 2006)
• Hollywood Gets More Unreal (January 20, 2006)
• The Critic (January 27, 2006)
• An iDiotic Lawsuit (February 3, 2006)
• Let the Games Begin (February 10, 2006)
• I’ll Take My Chances (February 17, 2006)
• Postal Scare Tactics (February 24, 2006)
• Perchance to Dream (March 3, 2006)
• Your Horoscope For Today (March 10, 2006)
• Farewell to Chef (March 17, 2006)
• Eating Green at Big Red’s (March 24, 2006)
• Asked and Answered (March 31, 2006)
• Higher Edukation (April 7, 2006)
• Yay For the IRS! (April 14, 2006)
• Running Away With the Show (April 21, 2006)
• What’s Wrong With These Kids Today? (April 28, 2006)
• Things I Don’t Understand (May 5, 2006)
• Friends Like These (May 12, 2006)
• No Thanks, I’ll Wait For the Book (May 19, 2006)
• Harry Potter Goes Historic (May 26, 2006)
• Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer (June 2, 2006)
• Summer on the Tube (June 9, 2006)
• Save Me From Celebrities! (June 16, 2006)
• Braaaaaaaaaaaaains… (June 23, 2006)
• Pick Your Podcast (June 30, 2006)
• New Flavor Weapons in the Candy Wars (July 14, 2006)
• Oh I Wish I Were in San Diego (July 21, 2006)
• Clerks Versus the Critics (July 28, 2006)
• The TAI Mailbag: TV Edition! (August 4, 2006)
• Shaping Young Minds (August 11, 2006)
• Power of the Press (August 18, 2006)
• Happy Birthday to Who Again? (August 25, 2006)
• Trapped in the Avalanche (September 1, 2006)
• The Wedding Wince (September 8, 2006)
• What’s Your Excuse THIS Time? (September 15, 2006)
• The Scariest Thing at the Movies (September 22, 2006)
• Dealing With iCrap (September 29, 2006)
• Murder Most Fouled Up (October 6, 2006)
• Chilling on Friday the 13th (October 13, 2006)
• Tag! You’re Self-Actualized! (October 20, 2006)
• Your 2006 Halloween Tips (October 26, 2006)
• You Got Mailbag in My Internet (November 3, 2006)
• HOW Much For a Video Game? (November 17, 2006)
• Put Down the Turkey and Put Up the Tree (November 24, 2006)
• I Need More Pills (December 1, 2006)
• Christmas Shopping Made Easy (December 8, 2006)
• 2006: The Year of the Pain in the Butt (December 29, 2006)
• The Future is Now! Disappointing, Ain’t It? (January 5, 2007)
• Get Me On a Game Show (January 19, 2007)
• Grand Opening Gripes (January 27, 2007)
• Harry Potter and the Release Date of Storge (February 2, 2007)
• At a Premium (February 16, 2007)
• Save Me From Anna Nicole! (March 2, 2007)
• The End of an Era (March 9, 2007)
• Adventures in Podcasting (March 23, 2007)
• Mountains of Missives (March 30, 2007)
• Spring Break Fever (April 6, 2007)
• The Trepidation of Tax Time (April 13, 2007)
• They Call Me MISTER Petit (June 1, 2007)
• On the Road Again (June 8, 2007)
• The iNcredible, iNescapable iPhone (June 29, 2007)
• Video Warriors of the Uncharted Sofa (July 6, 2007)
• The Show Must Go On (July 13, 2007)
• A “Deathly” Attitude (July 20, 2007)
• Qs, As, and Assorted Other Letters (July 27, 2007)
• Back to the Field (August 3, 2007)
• School Days, School Days (August 10, 2007)
• Turn Your Radio On (August 18, 2007)
• Going Home Again (August 26, 2007)
• Podcast Sound Made Ea… Ee… Can We Do That Again? (August 31, 2007)
• Legends of the Fall (September 7, 2007)
• Ain’t It Amazing? (September 14, 2007)
• Et Tu, Chicken Little? (September 21, 2007)
• Is it Halloween Yet? (September 28, 2007)
• Fall Season Surprises (October 5, 2007)
• The Costume Conundrum (October 12, 2007)
• Why I Love Halloween (October 26, 2007)
• Up to the Challenge (November 2, 2007)
• New Shows From the Picket Line (January 12, 2008 )
• The Special Hell (January 19, 2008 )
• Get Yer E-Mail Right Here (January 26, 2008 )
• Peanut Butter in My Chocolate (February 9, 2008 )
• The Library Goes Online (March 10, 2008 )
• The Movie Merchandising Machine (June 6, 2008 )
• Come Fly With Me (June 20, 2008 )
• Back to School (August 1, 2008 )
• The Greatest Hazard of a Teacher’s Life (September 23, 2008 )
• NaNoWriMo 2008 (November 1, 2008 )
• Kanye West Hates Reading (May 27, 2009)
• Write What You Know (July 18, 2009)
• The Crappy Sequel Article Relocation Program (August 7, 2009)
• Christmas Shopping: A Quest (December 19, 2009)
• A New Commercial Race (January 21, 2010)
• A Dream Come True in Black and Gold (January 25, 2010)
• Conversations With My Sister: Super Bowl Tickets (January 29, 2010)
• Classroom Conversations: And His Brother Was in New Kids on the Block (February 2, 2010)
• Conversations With Erin in Vegas: Breakfast (February 15, 2010)
• A Brief Airline Rant (February 20, 2010)
• What Your Teacher is Really Thinking (May 3, 2010)
• Why I Do It (May 14, 2010)
• Conversations With Erin: Paintball (June 7, 2010)
• Airport Observations (June 10, 2010)
• Conversations With a Pregnant Sister (July 4, 2010)
• Time to Innovate (August 13, 2010)
• Conversations With My Sister: Optimus Brees (August 22, 2010)
• Teachers! Play Parental Contact Bingo! (November 19, 2010)
• What Your Teacher is Thinking II: Back to School (January 3, 2011)
• Another Crime Against Literature (January 4, 2011)
• Conversations in the Computer Lab (January 7, 2011)

My Life:
Occasionally, I’ll post an article or photoblog about things in my life — visits with Erin, family weddings, and the like. Here are some of those:

• The Longest First Date Ever (June 7, 2005)
• Wild Wedding Week I (January 10, 2006)
• Thanks to the Cast of It Runs in the Family (May 2, 2006)
• Fourth of July With Erin (July 7, 2006)
• Wild Wedding Weekend II (September 10, 2006)
• Blake and Erin’s Week in Pittsburgh (February 23, 2007)
• The Three-City Tour of Love Parts One and Two (June 25, 2007)
• The Three-City Tour of Love Parts Three and Four (June 25, 2007)
• A Wonderful Way to Start the Year (January 6, 2008 )
• A Wedding, Two Field Trips, and Endless Love (April 6, 2008 )
• The Petit Family Fourth of July (July 5, 2008 )
• Blake & Erin’s Vegas Vacation (July 22, 2008 )
• Costumes At Carl’s 2008 (November 2, 2008 )
• Thanksgiving in the Burgh (December 2, 2008 )
• Peppermint Pie (December 20, 2008 )
• Happy New Year 2009! (January 1, 2009)
• More “Don’t Drink the Water” Goodness (January 31, 2009)
• Erin’s First Mardi Gras and other Adventures (March 5, 2009)
• How to Have a Crawfish Boil (March 21, 2009)
• NOLA Comic-Con 2009: Pics and Podcast (April 29, 2009)
• The Real Start of Summer (July 7, 2009)

Toy Stories
I love toys almost as much as I love comics, and I like reviewing them as well. And since I started to get a lot of good feedback on these photoblogs, I decided to make them a regular feature here at the ‘Realms.

• American Heroes for an American Holiday – G.I. Joe figures including Hawk, Flash, Flint, a Python Patrol officer, and the Falcon/Nemesis Immortal two-pack
• Another Marvel Mob – Marvel Universe figures of Ms. Marvel, the Thing, and Classic Iron Man, and a Wolverine and the X-Men Nightcrawler
• Avengers Two – Thor and Captain America
• Back in the Armor Again – Iron Man 2 toys
• Back in Time – Mini-Mates from two different Back to the Future movies
• Batman and Friends – The Infinite Heroes versions of Batman, Black Lightning, Dr. Fate, the Spectre, and the Joker
• Bring in the Brits – The Marvel Universe Blade and Union Jack figures
• A Charlie Brown Christmas: Toboggan Run – Musical toy
• Crisis in Toyland – The Infinite Heroes Crisis on Infinite Earths set
• DC Universe Infinite Heroes – My first three figures in the line: Guy Gardner, Adam Strange and Professor Zoom
• DC Universe Infinite Heroes II – Featuring the Dark Knight Batman and Scarecrow, Flash/Mirror Master/Weather Wizard three-pack, Shazam! (Captain Marvel) and a few Mini-Mate photos
• DC Universe Infinite Heroes: The Gotham Group – The Commissioner Gordon/GCPD SWAT three-pack, and the Dark Knight Batman/Joker two-pack, plus the Flash and Gorilla Grodd Mini-Mates
• DC Universe Infinite Heroes: Hawkman and the Hard-Traveling Heroes – Hawkman and Green Lantern/Green Arrow/Black Canary three-packs.
• DC Universe Infinite Heroes: Lotsa Toys– Including looks at the Dark Knight Batman/Two-Face set, The Atom, Batwoman, Black Adam, Black Hand, Hush, The Question, Wildcat, the Defense of Oa six-pack and the Guardians of Metropolis 8-pack!
• DC Universe Infinite Heroes: Superman and the Teen Titans – three-packs with Superman, Supergirl and Wonder Girl; and Raven, Captain Boomerang and Starfire
• Figure Factory Presents… The Thing — Old feature of a buildable Thing figure
• A Gift From Erin — the 2008 Lenox Glass Superman Christmas ornament
• The Greatest Green Lantern in Plastic – Finally, I have a toy of G’Nort Esplanade G’Neesmacher!
• Haven’t I Seen You Somewhere Before? — Variant figures of Lex Luthor, Wonder Woman, the Flash, the Manhunters, Green Lantern, the Human Torch, and Disney’s Vinylmation
• Infinite Calamity – More DC Infinite Heroes
• Iron Mini-Mates – Mini-Mates from the Iron Man movie and the original Avengers
• Johnny, James, and Bruce – The Human Torch, Wolverine, and the Hulk
• Lego Batman and Mini-Nightwing – The McDonald’s Lego Batman toys and the Mini-Mates Nightwing and Starfire
• A Little More Vinylmation – Still more Vinyls, including the Muppet Show series
• The Many Faces of Bumblebee – A look at one of my favorite TransFormers
• March of the Multiplying Mickeys – More Vinylmation figures, including my sister’s Characters in Flight custom
• The Marvel Zombie Mini-Mates Present… Themselves! — A Halloween classic!
• Micky Goes Trick-Or-Treating – The Halloween-themed Vinylmation figures!
• Mini-Mates That Boldy Go Where No Toy Has Gone Before – A series of Star Trek Mini-Mates from Las Vegas
• More Marvel Universe — The Silver Surfer, the Human Torch, Daredevil, and Iron Man’s stealth armor
• More Vinyl Mania – A look at three Vinylmation custom figures by my sister, Heather
• Nola Comic-Con 2010 – Toys I got at the 2010 New Orleans Comic-Con
• Ring-Slingers, Kryptonians, and Public Enemies – More Infinite Heroes, including toys from the Superman/Batman: Public Enemies series
• Toy Stories Goes From Gotham to the Multiverse – The Batman: Gotham Knights 3-pack and the online exclusive Anti-Monitor
• Toy Stories Goes Urban – Disney Vinylmation “Fireworks” and Mighty Muggs Thing
• Trick or Treat, Charlie Brown – Halloween-themed Peanuts toys
• A Vinyl Avalanche – More Vinylmation toys, including the Holiday series
• Welcome to Hell(boy) — Four figures from Hellboy II: The Golden Army
• Welcome to the Marvel Universe – Iron Man and Spider-Man birth the new toy line
• What I’m Watching: Green Lantern-First Flight – I look at the animated DVD and Infinite Heroes toy, and the Justice League Unlimited Kilowog
• What I’m Watching: Wonder Woman – The Wonder Woman animated DVD and the exclusive Infinite Heroes toy that came with it
• Who You Gonna Call? – Ghostbusters Mini-Mates!
• Who You Gonna Call? Part 2– More Ghostbusters Mini-Mates!
• Yo Joe!: – Duke and Cobra Commander from the G.I. Joe: Resolute line
• You Are Now Leaving the 616 Universe – The X-Men Origins: Wolverine Deadpool figure and the Wolverine and the X-Men figures of the Beast and Cyclops

Other Stuff
And finally, friends, here are a few other articles that just simply didn’t fit in anywhere else.

• The Eighth Weasly (An examination of the Harry Potter mythos)
• Five Questions With Dave Kellett (A brief interview with the creator of Sheldon)
• The Importance of Story
• Who Will Die in Deathly Hallows (A Harry Potter 7 prediction)
• Pimping Your Indies #1 (Occasional CX feature on independent comics, to which many of us contribute)
• How I Review