Good afternoon. You've stumbled across Toad Hall, my first attempt at a blog. As the subtitle above states, this blog is indeed all about me -- or, more precisely, the things that interest me on a long-term basis (e.g. the theatre, passenger rail, Mensa, comic books, gay rights) or that have captured my attention for whatever reason (e.g. items in other blogs, cartoons and comic strips).

Since I'm new to all this, I'll no doubt be making the rookie mistakes everyone else does. A little forbearance on your part, gentle readers, will be much appreciated...as will advice. Understand, though, that advice given may not be followed immediately, if at all. It's all about me, remember?

Some explanation for the title of this blog. For reasons I won't go into at this time, one of my nicknames in college was "Toad". (Oh, all right. Sitting in the dorm common room with my group of friends, my favorite seating position was on the floor, sitting on my haunches, occasionally bouncing up and down if something struck me as humorous. A friend referred to me as "the toad" and the name stuck.) Also, one of my favorite pieces of literature is Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows", wherein the local squire's house is "Toad Hall". Since this is to be my house in the blogosphere, it seemed a logical choice.

I would hope that (1) I post here more often than not, and (2) I manage to provide you, gentle readers, with some amusement. Just remember: It's all about me.