The Most Self-Aggrandizing Post Yet

I did a little recap post around the new year, crunching numbers on this blog experience, and sharing some thanks with people that have pushed it along.

This is a different post and it took a little more pondering before it was ready to share. This post is about all of the things I’m really proud of writing in 2011. These are pieces that incited some internet haters (including one who hopes I get herpes), linked me up with fascinating people, or sparked some interesting conversations and counterarguments. Most of them are dear to my heart simply because the journey from hazy inkling in my brain to coherent explanation of my world view was particularly long and treacherous, and therefore more rewarding:

The Best Things I Wrote Last Year (in my very biased opinion)

• You Can Get Laid Without Being a Jerk – The letter to my brother (and the average college dude) about hook-up culture, consent, and why “no means no” is too low a bar.
• Are There Good Guys in Porn? An Interview with James Deen – I got a two hour phone chat with the 25-year-old reigning king of porn. He did laundry and talked about consent while took notes. It was excellent.
• Why I Don’t Care Who Sarah Palin Banged in 1987 and the follow-up on hypocrisy.
• Road Map to Your Reproductive Future – A handy-dandy diagram about sexual rights and recommendations published on Jezebel.
• What’s In a Name? Interviews and opinions on modern relationships and naming customs. I like how they do it in Iceland.
• Splitting the Check? Yes, please!
• That There Is Some Magical Shit – An ode to my rockin’ bod for National Love Your Body Day.
• Jennifer Egan Makes Me Do Crazy Things – The aftermath of my affair with A Visit from the Goon Squad, including an insane diagram and emails with Ms. Egan herself.
• To Put Out or Not to Put Out: A First Date Story – Handy flow chart with the age-old first-date dilemma, published on The Frisky.
• Talking to Your Daughter About Beauty- Fifteen seconds of fame on the Huffington Post is one thing, but this is the essay that confirmed for me that maybe this writing gig was not a pipe dream.

So there you have it. Shameless plugs, all of them, but if you enjoyed reading any of them half as much as I enjoyed writing them, then I’ll call 2011 a big success.

Related Post: The very first post on this blog!

Related Post: The best things other people wrote in 2011, parts 1 and 2.