Blog: A love story

For those who may not pay very close attention (everybody), April marks five years and roughly 45,000 visits at this site. This is post number 1,433.

Even without recent slowdowns, this site had given me far more than I have given in that time. There has been some great moments, like a certain homework assignment and subsequent Blair-a-lanche. But this blog turned into much greater things for me. It taught me to articulate and debate, and gave me great confidence in my abilities to publish online.

Back in the old days of Blogger, a working knowledge of HTML code was necessary, and I spent hours learning the language so my site wouldn't look just like the template. I read incessantly looking for new material, and learned everything I could about subjects so I wouldn't look like a idiot when I put something out there.

I credited this blog for making the difference in a 2005 job interview; I was certain my confidence running web sites was the difference between myself and other candidates.

Now, five years later, I work as a communications specialist and manage a massive web portal. I help shape decisions that affect people's lives on a daily basis, and am responsible for the communications and image of a massive organization. I'm not trying to brag, there are certainly far more important jobs; I just find myself stunned at times what's happened since I signed up for a Blogger account.

For that, I am in debt to Tom D. (happy birthday Heath!), who was a first generation blog reader and convinced me I would enjoy it. Among many others, he introduced me to Blair, Powerline, and Iowahawk. He has been a devoted reader all this time, and provided plenty of material as well (click link under his name).

The last five years have been quite a ride, and I owe a lot of that ride to this insignificant web site which, as it turns out, appears to have had great significance.

Thanks to all for sticking with it over the years. Though I can't claim more than a handful of fans, I can certainly claim the most loyal fans in the sphere.

Cheers to you!

Anything but this...

Brett Favre can retire, Obama can be re-elected, life could be discovered on Mars, I don't care. But Steve Carell cannot, must not, leave The Office.

Is there no God? And, if there is, in what world is this just?

Barrett for representative

Scroo-Loo and I attended the GOP endorsing convention this morning and I am happy to report that Bob Barrett won the party nomination for district 17B. Don Taylor and Russ Goudge were gracious enough to throw their support to Bob, which put him over the top against Sheldon Anderson.

It was a good learning experience and we were pleased it turned out the way it did.

And so it begins...

Scroo-Loo and GD⁴ enjoyed the sunshine this afternoon out on Little Lake, the first fishing trip of the season. Not a single nibble on this day, but no one seemed to mind.

For me, the primary reason for the trip was to make sure Johnson was running smoothly. In that regard, the trip could only be characterized as a smashing success.

Since the fish weren't biting though, I did find the time to take this picture and send it to Boz with the caption "Eat your heart out."

I didn't hear anything back until I got home, where this message awaited me: "Just wanted you to know that my thoughts are of you...dying a horrible, painful death."

My, my. Such hostility.

Sissy fraud

I tuned into this clip to listen to Obama stumble to try and name a single ChiSox player - the team he professes to absolutely adore. While you listen to him avoid that subject, watch him throw one of the worst pitches I have ever seen: