(Compiled on the first anniversary of BTQ)

The Complete Abridged BTQ: Side A

To commemorate our first year of blogging and provide a digest of BTQ for any new readers out there, I have assembled the following collection of our better posts. Some are oldies but goodies, and others are new classics (I use the term loosely, much like TNT). Individually they are just some decent posts, but taken together they spell absolutely fantastic.

Blog Crushes. Just read it. You'll learn much about the guy who calls himself Milbarge. Much? Maybe too much.

Milbarge's Lamentation and Lamentation Redux - the posts that first made you wonder whether we should institute a Milbarge suicide watch.

A different lament from Milbarge, this time asking, Where's My Social Safeway?. The answer to that question could have been Barnes & Noble, but fate intervened, as explained in Missed Connection.

A post entitled Motion for life to stop sucking: DENIED that is, amazingly, unrelated to the posts mentioned above.

A rant, that despite the title Mediocrity Masquerading as Mastery, is not directed at me. Another rant that will have you howling with laughter, again not directed at me, was penned by guest-blogger and BTQ-favorite Soupie, in his Open letter to fellow gym members. A classic question raised and the definitive answer given, in this post on In line versus on line.

Another question raised, but without any easy answers, in the post entitled, If I like their race, how can that be racist?.

Searing legal analysis, and Milbarge's raison d'etre, presented in a series of posts on Locke v Davey - here and here, R. Kelly and the 4th amendment - here and here, the gun industry and lawsuit-immunity - here, the rule prohibiting citation to unpublished opinions - here, and a blawgosphere favorite - his Ten Don'ts of Appellate Advocacy.

Not wanting to be pigeon-holed as a one-dimensional intellectual, Milbarge revealed that he is a double threat - an intellectual and a creative genius. He showcased his artistic side in a series of music-related posts, like his song parodies the Ballad of Mike Price: Volumes 1 and 2 and his lyrical take on the Blakely decision, as well as his take on song dedications and mix tapes. Incidentally, if mix tapes interest you, then guest-blogger Mr. FunBall's post on road-trip mix CDs is not to be missed.

Finally, one of my favorite Milbarge posts is this great post in which he effortlessly connected Ted Williams, the X-Men and the Ninth Circuit, and a post which is consistently noted as a reader fav is his post channeling SMP?.

"Complete Abridged" is an Oxymoron: Side B

Fitz and I decided to compile some best-of lists to commemorate the anniversary, and I suggested we each pick our favorites from the other's repertoire. We didn't consult on it. It's interesting to see what he picked, and he'll probably think the same of my list of the Best of Fitz-Hume. (For comparison, here is the last post I did like this, with me picking for both of us.)

Here is the prescient and ranting Fitz, demolishing General Wesley Clark (three posts) and then turning on John Kerry. Here are two posts on the liberal media.Oh, and a lovely one on the United Nations and one on Sen. Fritz Hollings.

Here's the political Fitz on wildfire policy, and in what I think is a brilliant post, on President Bush's speaking style and ability to connect with people.

Here is the sporting Fitz discussing Texas high school football and Friday Night Lights, two posts on deer hunting with shotguns, and a helpful primer on buying shotguns.

Here is Fitz the gourmet explaining the difference between "griling" and "barbecue" and here telling you all you need to know about cooking Texas brisket.

Here is Fitz the mirth-maker, sharing various pieces of trivia about himself, talking about movies he thinks are better than the books they're based on, bravely revealing some movies he's ashamed to admit he likes (or maybe just ashamed to like, period). And, in an all-time crowd favorite, a profile of a gunner in our law school class.

I'm leaving out a lot of his shorter posts, but a stroll through the archives is always worth it to find those little Fitzian gems.

Finally, one of the best things Fitz has brought to the blog is the connection to his brother, who is in the Army's Tenth Mountain Division. Fitz's interest and knowledge in military matters has been a great help to me in understanding some of the things going on overseas and has resulted in several memorable posts. Here is one about looted Iraqi gold, complete with pictures. Here is one about the war on drugs and Afghan poppy fields our soldiers leave unmolested. Here is one about Brother Fitz's experiences in Afghanistan, one with some pictures from Afghanistan, and one discussing the soldiers' take on the election. Fitz informs me that his brother will probably be going to Iraq in the spring, so let's all hope that getting temporarily blinded by flashbulbs while taking more pictures for us is the most dangerous thing he runs into over there.

So there you have it, my version of the Best of Fitz-Hume. Maybe we should start celebrating an anniversary every week so he'll have something to post!