Ladies and gentlemen, H!!!!

Once again, here is a very special guest post from Ms. H. She was kind enough to help me out with this celebration, and happens to be marking her 200th post also! So sit back, get a nice cool glass of your favorite beverage, and enjoy! And check out her blog for a very special 201st post over there in the near future. . .

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February 13th, 2007, was a fateful day for the blogosphere. My good friend Flenker decided to rejoin the Blogger ranks, and started writing a little blog called The Politics of Lonely.

Some of you might question the timing. You might say, H, wasn't February 13th, 2007 the day before your birthday? And I might say, why yes it was! And you might say, H, didn't you start your blog (enter shameless plug for Random Mindless Ramblings here) just three weeks prior? And I might say, why yes I did! And you might say, H, does it bother you that Flenker started his blog the day before your birthday, just three weeks after you yourself started your own blog, and proceeded to not only post with more frequency -- hitting 200 posts two posts before you did -- but also more funnily and with much better quality of writing? And I might say, of course not. I am not at all envious of my friend Flenker's writing skills that are far superior to mine and his wittiness that I clearly do not possess.

Of course, I might also say yes, I am extremely envious of my friend Flenker's far superior writing skills and his wit. Actually, I probably wouldn't say it, but I'd definitely be thinking it.

However, I harbor no hard feelings toward Flenker. He may have followed in my footsteps and then one-upped me in every conceivable way, but it isn't his fault that he's more talented. He's made life much more enjoyable for everyone who's been reading TPoL, including me. I'm very proud of Flenker's work here.

Also, I think it's worth mentioning that I am the eighth most labeled item on TPoL over the past 200 posts, coming in behind Life of Flenker, Music Recommendations, Food, Sports Related, Hawkeyes, Weather, and Baseball.

I'm taking this opportunity as TPoL's 201st post guest blogger to reflect on some of my favorite moments over the past 200 posts.

Most recently, as part of Video Week, Flenker did an entire post of Hawkeye videos including the Iowa fight song, the marching band playing "In Heaven There is no Beer" and Warren Holloway's miracle catch in the 2005 Capital One Bowl. As a Hawkeye fan myself, those videos were special for me, but I think non-Hawkeyes were able to appreciate them as well.

There was the guest post I wrote about qualifications to be with Flenker. You might say, H, aren't you kind of hogging the TPoL glory right now? Shouldn't this be about Flenker? And I might say, it is about Flenker, and let's remember that I was the one who inspired him to start blogging again in the first place.

I loved when Flenker was interviewed by The Boob Lady and she asked him what the first thing he would do if he had boobs. He said that it would probably take him a week to leave the room because he'd be so preoccupied with them. It's funny because it's true.

The Flenker Thumbs Up rating system for movies is one of the greatest things ever invented. I'm disappointed that we haven't seen more of it and hope that there will be more Flenker movie reviews in the future.

Flenker's daily music recommendations have been top notch and have steered me in the direction of some great new music. It is through these music recommendations that I started listening to What Made Milwaukee Famous, among other great bands.

Flenker has written many letters over the past 200 posts -- to Barack Obama, McDonald's, Zach Braff, and others. My favorite of those letters is the letter to the super cute girl sitting across from him at the library. Sadly, nothing ever came of that letter, but keep your chin up, Flenker. There are other super cute fish in the sea.

Also, Flenker has never been afraid to impart other people's wisdom upon us. He shared Satchel Paige's Six Rules on How to Stay Young with us back in February. Take the time to review those if you haven't read them. Take them to heart.

You might say, H, I'm surprised you didn't mention Flenker's Ode to H that he wrote for you way back in April! And I might say, this isn't about me, is it?

Seriously, though, it has been a joy to read The Politics of Lonely over the past 200 posts and am looking forward to 200 more. Congratulations!