When I first boarded the Internet express back in 1999, I was fortunate enough to discover a few different online communities with hobbies, interests, sensibilities, and misfit vibes similar to mine. A couple of those places humored me and didn’t complain when I stuck around for as long as those communities existed. While many contemporaries, rivals, and extras have come and gone, it’s been a grand old time chatting, debating, spitballing, and growing older in real time while maintaining virtual connections with some of those folks over the past decade-plus. The most gratifying part is watching their creative endeavors in assorted arenas, as cast members (so to speak) have found ways to put their talents to use, been rewarded with moments of success, and/or kept dreaming even bigger dreams.

Historically speaking, Midlife Crisis Crossover has been terrible at plugging friends’ projects. You’d think it would be one of the many natural uses for a nicheless blog like mine, and yet…here I am, smacking my forehead and feeling sheepish about the oversight. If I can’t pass along their good news and upcoming projects — especially for the magnanimous one or two among them who’ve kindly passed word along about this site to their own connections since its inception — then what can I pass along?

In that spirit, MCC offers the following items of interest for your perusal. It’s been a privilege to share membership in the same online community with each of these contributors, who deserve the success they seek in their respective walks of life. If said success includes a product with a “Special Thanks” section, here’s hoping they keep the little people in mind. LOUD COUGH.

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* Fruitcake: a Short Film — Writer/director Seth Sherwood’s potentially disturbing vignette about 1952 housewives seeking emotional fulfillment through radical brain surgery is now in the final two days of its Indiegogo campaign. With a cast that includes Elyse Levesque (Stargate Universe, Cedar Cove), Erin Boyes, and Morgan Peter Brown, Fruitcake will depend on the outcome of this campaign to determine its production values, which may not reach the level of Mad Men but at least deserves to outclass your grandma’s vintage Betty Crocker commercials.

* The day Peyton Manning returned to Indianapolis — Last Sunday our Indianapolis Colts hosted the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium. Current Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is well known ’round these parts as the QB who brought the Colts to their first and only Super Bowl victory in Indy’s name. Over on The Colts Authority, a few big fans were given the chance to put in their two cents about Manning’s first Indy appearance since his controversial departure. Best of Show was an admirably detailed piece by Garrison Carr that placed the awkward reunion in proper historical context with a passion for the sport in general and objective memories of Manning’s contributions to our city in particular. Longtime MCC readers who recall my disdain for sports can rest assured that it’s quite a feat when something about sports attracts my attention.

* ShadowDog Productions — Indie filmmaker Dexter Goad may be based in North Carolina, but his prolific CV proves Hollywood residency is hardly mandatory for those driven enough to pursue their creative visions by any means around. Current irons in the fire include a locally syndicated TV series called Dead Room and a proposed charity project called Shorts4Cancer. You can also check out his YouTube channel and his blog about the process.

* How to lose 230 pounds in the hardest ways imaginable — Last month on his official site, Dallas-based syndicated DJ Terry Jaymes published a chronicle by guest writer Rock Ledoux about his struggles with obesity, his recent medical tribulations, his brushes with death, the painful process of losing half of his 460 pounds, and the lessons he learned from trauma after trauma. It was excruciating at times watching that phase of his life play out in slow motion as events occurred, but those of us in his online support system are amazed at the results, up to and including the part where he survived at all.