This is it! We’ve come to the end of the Blogiversary Extravaganza, in which I’ve counted down the top posts of the year. Object, object, object, object. Ho-hum. I even had to throw in a few honorable mentions just to keep things interesting. (Hello, Soho Press, John Lennon’s Writing Wisdom, and the irrepressible Charlotte Brontë, dumping her hopeless suitor!)

This countdown has been fun, people! I’ve indulged myself by smothering myself in glory. And you were right there with me! Although you haven’t enjoyed it nearly as much as you have the countdown to the absolute worst posts of the year. Ah, people. I don’t know what to say. What is it about humans that love disaster so much? Must it be that way? Does it have to be the case that recalling the posts that blew up in my face has been more popular than traipsing back through the hits? Something wrong about that. Twisted. Perverse. (And I would do the exact same thing, of course.)

But now it’s time. The top post of the year. I hinted that it might be The Burger Car (still one of the most popular endings), or The Monster (which prompted perhaps the best comment of the year), or maybe The Spitwad (underappreciated but well loved in a sneaky way). The Sweater caught fire for a while and made a late run. The Mugs did their slice-of-life thing. Fell short anyway. Of course. They are The Mugs. That is their nature.

Only one Object could be at the top. And this one earned its way there. That’s right… the story about the time I shared an office with Jerry Seinfeld… the real Jerry Seinfeld… and if you remember the story you’ll know what that means…

The Jacke Wilson Blogiversary Countdown

Most Popular Post of the Year 2013-2014

A History of Jacke in 100 Objects #3 – The Blood Cake

The winner! And it’s a worthy candidate. Congratulations, Blood Cake. You spun my misery – not to mention the total disgrace of two of my co-workers – into computer-generated-frosting goodness. Kudos to you.

And to celebrate another one of my favorite comments, The Blood Cake also prompted this gem:

I started reading, and I could not stop. I had my daughter read the first two sentences, and she could not stop. Same with my wife…

Wow. Could there be a nicer compliment to pay a writer? I’m still overwhelmed, just thinking about it. Thank you so much – it is such a wonderful thing to hear!

And that goes likewise for you, dear readers. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This blog has been a tremendous boost for me, taking me from the depths of despair to the lofty heights of connecting with readers. I’m grateful to each and every one of you, and all the Likers, and all the Commenters, and the Amazing Reviewers (who deserve their own special circle of heaven), and the Even More Amazing Purchasers of My Books. I’m truly a lucky guy. You can’t see Jacke, but Jacke is smiling. And swallowing hard. And shuffling his weight from one side to the other. That’s right. Jacke is a little misty right now.

Ahem. [Blinks several times.]

And now, the waterworks is turned off. The dust has settled. Losers have gone home licking their wounds. Even the winners have lost their glow. Let’s get back to another year of blogging razzle-dazzle, with a bunch more objects, some more writers laughing, another round of small-press shoutouts, a rant or two, a promotion or two, and hopefully a few surprises to keep things full of positive energy.

Onward! And upward! (And thank you!!)