I changed my Twitter icon a while ago, and recently updated my profiles on pretty much any social media network that requires an icon so that I'm using the same image everywhere.  What's funny is that because most icons are small, people don't seem to really "see" the icon, and it's only when someone takes a closer look that I get the question "What the heck is that photo, and where did it come from?"

First, I claim no ownership of the image.  It was taken by Jake Lasker, who I don't know except from Twitter, where he first contacted me.

The backstory as he explained it to me was that he took this photo at Comic-Con 2010.  He saw Joss Whedon walking along and asked him if he would stop for the picture.  It was one of those quick random encounters, and Lasker walked away happy because he got to meet someone whose work meant so much to him.

It wasn't until a full year later that he took a closer look at the photo and realized that somehow he had timed it perfectly to capture me, standing behind them, totally unaware that there was a picture being taken.  I'm sure this happens all the time at Comic-Con, where there are photos being snapped almost constantly, but it's pretty unusual for someone to actually recognize you in the background and send you the picture.

But more than that, I think the photo basically sums up my identity as an online writer.  When you come here to read about "Cabin In The Woods" or "The Avengers," you're here because you're interested in Joss Whedon and his work.  That's as it should be.  But hopefully the reason you pick HitFix and Motion/Captured is because of the experience I personally bring to my reporting and reviewing and because my 15 years of online reviews is a body of work that counts for something.  I'm that dude in the background, and again… that's as it should be. 

Make sure you check back here, or on Facebook, or at Epix HD this coming Sunday when I'll be conducting a live-chat with Whedon and Goddard about "Cabin In The Woods" (which I'm finally allowed to tell you I loved), something I think you'll really enjoy.

My eternal thanks to Jake Lasker for putting things into perspective for me.

ONE THING I LOVE TODAY appears here every day.  Except when it doesn't.