"Lock the doors and close the blinds -- we're going for a ride..."

Well, folks -- It's June 30 today.

This means two things primarily -- first and foremost, it means my son, Av, is now officially closer to being 3 years old than he is to two. (His half birthday was yesterday.) Which means he's closer to learning how to properly talk back to his parents, promoting insolence, debauchery, and decadence. I, for one, am looking forward to it!

But it also means we're a day away from July. The summer month that seems the hottest, humidest and swelteringest. And also, from a vocablulary standpoint, the made-uppest.

July used to be a great time for television -- as summer repeats of season-long shows would choke the airwaves. Missed that episode of "According to Jim" back in November? Have no fear; you can likely catch it again over the summer. But now with the phenomenon of "summer replacement series," only a few choice shows are repeating (Lost, House) and everything else is replaced with the shows that would never catch on during the "real" TV season -- like "Dancing With the Stars" and "Big Brother."

I was trying to figure out what I would do on this blog for the month of June. Two ideas came to mind:

• I could re-run a "Best of Shiny @ Mindsay" series -- re-posting some of my best blogwork throughout the past year and a half. This would include an "encore presentation: of my special 20 Years at Mindsay - 1985 - 2005 retrospective.
  
  
• I could post daily pictures of myself shirtless wearing a thong.

As much as you may disagree, I don't think these two ideas will suit the Mindsay community entirely well. As much as the latter would also serve as an appetite suppresant for those of you watching your figure, I have a feeling it would adversely impact my future aspirations to head up the Parents' Television Council.

Thus, I leave it up to you: What would you like to see in July? Would you like "all-request Thursdays," when I blog on a topic of your choice? Would you like me to dig deeper into my past 20-year Mindsay archive and pull out more blog entries? Do you want more pictures of Alison Stewart? Pontifications about roadwork in the DC area? Other stuff I haven't mentioned?

The point is -- it's up to you. In only a few days we'll be celebrating July Fourth in the United States -- a date which celebrates our fourthness and Julyesque way of life. And also our freedom. A freedom to choose. A freedom to read the blog you want to read.

This month is your independence day. Or month. Whatever. Declare your independence. Declare your choice. And choose what you want to see in July.