The Best of the Decade 2010-19: My Favorite Non-Review Blog Posts, of Those I Wrote (or Edited)

Please forgive a bit of hubris but I am somewhat proud of this blog.

No, it isn't really any kind of great accomplishment, hasn't earned me a dime, hasn't made me famous, isn't very influential, hasn't led to other opportunities, etc.

But while it technically dates back to 2004, I consider my first gamut of Best of the Decade posts--back in December 2009--as the origin of my maintaining it with regularity.

And in the past decade, I wrote--or for a handful of guest posts, almost all by my friend Ken Stasiak, edited--1,582 posts.

Some of these were rather brief Pithy Philosophies, while others were lists, as in year and decade end "Best Of" rankings and some "Ours Go to 11" picks on various topics.

But even, let's say, I wrote 1,500 blog posts for Seth Saith averaging 1,000 words per article, the 1.5 million words I published in 10 years nearly doubles Shakespeare's lifetime output.

And while I have no idea how many of the estimated 1.38+ million pageviews Seth Saith garnered this decade constitute actual readers of articles vs. individuals finding one photo or non-human robots--nor do I know why I spiked to 50,000 pageviews for a few months or dropped to under 6,000 in some after that--that makes for an average of 11,500 pageviews per month across the 2010s.

Sounds pretty good to me.

Especially as I'm happy to have anyone read anything I write.

Also making me proud is that most live theaters around Chicagoland--via their PR representatives--now invite me to Press Nights. I was reviewing shows long before this was the case, but it's a nice perk and one I never take for granted.

Reviews--of theater, rock concerts plus the occasional opera, comedian, movie, book, museum, restaurant, etc., etc.--by far comprise the bulk of SethSaith.com posts.

But there were many other pieces I was proud of, and I thought I'd highlight just a few of those. (Note: Some earlier pieces may have missing photos or other formatting issues; I'm not bothering to re-edit anything now.)

Societal Changes and Concerns

● The Erosion of Associative Learning

● The Commonality Conversation, or One Small Suggestion Toward How To Stop Bullying

● Whatever Happened to the Creative Cluster 

● A Code of Conduct for Live Events

● Impact of the Beatles' First Appearance on Ed Sullivan

● Global Warming

Profiles & Interviews

● Ralph Frese

● Rohina Malik

● Ginger Zee

● Britni Tozzi

● Robert Katzman

● Larry Smith by Ken Stasiak

● Me

Tributes

● Tom Petty

● Chris Cornell

● David Bowie

● Prince

● Philip Seymour Hoffman

● Robin Williams

● Whitney Houston

Travel Recaps & Guides

● Washington DC Guide

● London Guide

● Detroit Guide

● Japan Recap

● Mexico City Recap

● Taj Mahal Photos

● Boston Recap

● Valuable Travel Resources

Film Musings

● Citizen Kane vs. Casablanca

● The Socio-Cinematic 70s: When the Movies Had Something to Say

● The Beautiful Oeuvre of Catherine Deneuve

● An Appreciation of Asghar Farhadi

Art

● Stuart Davis: Modern Before His Time -- an Art Exhibition in a blog post

● Federico Zandomeneghi Makes a Surprising Impression

● Early Works by Abstract Artists

● Diatribe on Contemporary Art

Chicago Dining World Tour

This was a series of 50 or so dining recaps of restaurants in Chicago representing different cultures and ethnicities. It ran from January 2013 through June 2014, with this being the first post and this being the last. Searching the blog for "Chicago Dining World Tour" or clicking here will bring up all of them, starting with the last one.

Other Random Favorites

● The Boss Hits 70: Celebrating Bruce Springsteen on His Birthday

● Exlploring Chicago's Legendary Sunset Cafe

● Exploration of Cambodia's Killing Fields, in Chicago

● Proof That Life is a Crapshoot: A Somewhat Random, Somewhat Revelatory Look at the 2009 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft

● Celebrating Immigrant Pride in 'Six Words: Fresh Off the Boat'

● Retracing My Life Via Google Maps

● 50 Self-Indulgent Selfies at 50

The Best of 2014: Looking Back at Some Favorite Blog Posts Before Moving Forward

Per a variety of measures, both personal and universal, it would probably seem foolish for me to call 2014 a wonderful year.

I only worked for about 4 months, and a job that I expected to continue into the New Year hasn't.

I was healthy but in an unhealthy way, which is to say I didn't lose the weight that would undoubtedly improve a lot of things.

I did not experience any major life events, or even notable developments, whether romantically, financially, professionally or otherwise.

So some people might think I had a pretty crappy year, and perhaps in some ways I did.

But I've never been one to base my day-to-day happiness--or even my measure of "success"--on my job or income level, even when I've had relatively prosperous years and earned considerable professional praise.

To whatever extent I can, I try to find some way, or perhaps several, to acutely enjoy every day--and ideally to enlighten myself along the way.

As this blog illustrates--even just through my series of Best of 2014 posts over the past two weeks--I have enjoyed a great deal of quality entertainment, culture, dining and more. And even more so, I'm grateful for wonderful family and friends, old and new, who are worth more than me than riches ever could be.

So with some positive employment prospects but nothing near definite, I'm beginning 2015 with hopes that things may improve professionally--for me and others--but appreciative of just how terrific 2014 was overall, especially in terms of things that truly matter.

So before looking forward, I thought I'd look back once more at 2014 and some of the things I wrote in this space.

According to statistics provided by Blogger, Seth Saith once again had over 200,000 pageviews in 2014, and I can't deny that writing and maintaining it--for no monetary gain--is one of the more fulfilling aspects of my life.

So forgive my self-indulgence in sharing a few of my most-read and otherwise favorite Blog Posts.

For the most part, these won't include reviews--you can find links to some of my favorite shows & attractions in my Best Concerts, Plays, Musicals, Other Live Entertainment and Museums posts--but more in-depth pieces I (and occasionally others) wrote on a variety of topics.

Nelson Algren

Top 5 Most-Read Seth Saith Posts:

1. Outstanding Retrospective Takes Kandinsky Out of the Abstract
2. The Socio-Cinematic 70s: When the Movies Had Something to Say
3. Celebrating 'Black History Month' with Direct Links to the Past
4. Guest Post: In His Old Neighborhood, Nelson Algren's 105th Birthday Party Celebrates a Chicago Gone By -- written by my friend Ken
5. Alone in a Paradise, Neil Young Captivates the Faithful  

Other Favorites of Mine

- A Legend in His Own Time...and Place -- Chicago Concert Review: Buddy Guy at Legends
- A Master of His Art: An Appreciation of Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014)
- "How Can There Be Global Warming When It's So Friggin' Cold?"
- It Was 50 Years Ago Today, The Beatles Taught the World to Play: The Impact of Their First Appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show
- Pulling the Christopher Wool Over My Eyes? -- Pondering the Current State of Art
- Neo-Bohemian Rhapsody: On Great Cheap Jazz and Perhaps Even the Sound of Salvation

Catherine Deneuve

- Crunching Numbers for the Boss (and Reasons to Believe Bruce Springsteen is the Greatest Entertainer of Our Time)
- Happy 100th Birthday, Wrigley Field! -- Celebrating a Century of Splendor (and Futility)
- All Things Must Pass: On the End of Hot Doug's and the Admirable Antithesis of Conventional Wisdom
- Another Frank Lloyd Wright Tour -- of Chicago's Emil Bach House -- and a Guide
- The Beautiful Oeuvre of Catherine Deneuve
- Are You Ready For Some Futebol? Jordan and Paolo Preview the World Cup (Providing Help for Neophytes Like Me) -- follow up pieces: 2, 3, 4
- Magic in the Night, 30 Years Burning Down the Road: Remembering My First Springsteen Concert
- London Beyond the Werewolves, Again: An Updated Travel Guide
- Brennan, Buscemi and Greer, Oh, My! -- A Salute to Character Actors Who Always Make the Scene
- Revitalized by the Resurrection of Death -- A Pioneering Punk Band, a Great Documentary and the Beauty of Life's Surprises
- Mourning the Death of Greatness, Lamenting the Lack of Its Rebirth -- On the Passing of Robin Williams and Other Legends

Germany 7 Brazil 1

- With Incisive, Insightful 'Flash Boys,' Michael Lewis Deftly Decodes the Dubious Blur of High-Frequency Trading -- Book Review
- A Story of Friendship that Begins on the First Day of Kindergarten, 1973
- Sorry Haters, but I Still Love U2
- Subterranean Passages: Down in the Pedway, Time Remains Fixed 'Aroundthe Clock'
- Fundamental Transference: Great Artists' Expressions of the Abstract Didn't Come Straight Away
- What a Pane in the Glass: Rueing the Impending Closure of Navy Pier's Smith Museum of Stained Glass
- Takin' It to the Streets: A Friend's First-Hand Account as Chicago Comes Alive in Protest on Thursday Night - written by an anonymous friend