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July 29, 2006
Bloggiversary
It's the ultimate conceit, I suppose, that we bloggers have -- that anyone cares about a specific date on the calendar upon which we finally took the plunge and began for whatever reasons to put our thoughts and experiences out there for the world to see ... and respond to. But because we are linear beings, we do focus on dates, arbitrary though they are. And because we do, bloggers tend to note their bloggiversary as an event worthy of noting. For me, July 29 is that date; today is my three year bloggiversary.
It's become cliche almost, to say "I started this blog for writing practice." Funny how that is ... the people I've found to be the best writers are the ones who say they need practice. Funny, but telling, I suppose. But such is the story of how TCC came to be. Being a corporate speechwriter was beginning to make me feel a little, I dunno, stifled when it came to exercising my creativity. So with Doc's encouragement and without much fanfare, I started jotting down thoughts and recounting tales.
I will spare you the extended soliloquy about how I can't believe that this little tool of writing practice has morphed into my 15 minutes and big career break; even I've grown a little tired of that legend. But I do have to acknowledge that virtually everything about my life today is related to having started this blog. It's not exaggeration to say that nothing in my life would be what it is today if I hadn't started TCC three years ago today; it's just fact. This blog has gotten me promotions, gotten me stamps on my passport, led to getting me the newspaper clippings that now hang framed on the wall near my desk.. it's helped me buy a nicer car, move to a nicer home, it's gotten me friends, gotten me opportunities... hell, it's even gotten me dates. Pretty damned amazing. Life's a trip, ain't it?
In the past three years, I've written about anything and everything. It's hard to narrow it down to few favorite posts from the lifetime of TCC, but I do have some that I particularly enjoy looking back on. For example, I love that I will forever have a written-the-next-day perspective on what it was like to be in Boston the night the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. And recounting stories from vacations past gives me a window to remember the week of Dave's wedding or getting hit on for group sex by a Greek-Israeli immigrant in a surf shop on the North Carolina shore.
I've been able to tell my dad things I find too hard to say in person. I finally put down in words my thoughts on the Kennedy assassination after getting to spend three years in the mid-90s being paid to investigate it. I remembered being in suburban New York on September 11, 2001.
As the Mudge, I have often shared muscial thoughts -- on musical heroes who've passed, on new bands I've discovered, and on coming to terms with no longer being musically hip. I've occasionally tried to be funny -- and while I usually fail miserably, there've been a couple of times where I think I might have come close.
I've done plenty of navel gazing on this blog, from retelling the legend-in-my-own-mind story about moving east to seek my fortune to daydreaming during a very rough stretch of my life about where my ultimate escape might be, to freaking out about having to grow up and at least play at being a corporate professional, to not knowing what to do with myself now that I'm actually successful and not just trying to work my way up anymore. I've said goodbye to childhood heroes. I've said goodbye to blog friends.
Along the way, I met all of you. Some of you I knew in person already; some I have since met; some I will meet in person in November at the Philadelphia 8K; and some of you I will likely never meet in person. But all of you have contributed to the success of this blog, and by extension the successes in my life since I started it. So instead of celebrating the existence of my silly little corner of blogtopia (y! sctp), I'll close by celelbrating your place in my corner of the world. Thank you for reading, friends.
Comments
yay that's so exciting!
Posted by: A Disturbingly Cynical College Student at July 29, 2006 10:58 AM
Congrats mudge and thanks for the grteat reads of the last three years!
Posted by: usefulguy at July 29, 2006 01:33 PM
Instead of trying to be funny, you should try to be funny looking.
Less effort.
ha ha ha!
Posted by: thebeav at July 30, 2006 01:46 PM
Thanks for reminding me about all of the time I've wasted reading your incoherent drivel over these past three years. The reality, though, is you've kept a lot of us informed, incensed, and in stitches with your writing. Long live the 'mudge (or at least his archives)!
Posted by: The SpinMD at July 30, 2006 03:46 PM
I'm relatively new here, so even though you may be all of three years old, my eyes are coming to it as fresh as if it were yesterday. Or a couple of months ago, but who's counting. Better late than never, say I. And so, thank you for the collection of links to days gone by. I look forward to catching up!
Congrats. And many happy returns.
Posted by: Jennifer at July 30, 2006 04:26 PM
This is an anniversary worth marking, and celebrating. Thanks, from all of us at Visigoth headquarters, for making your site a must-read. Congratulations.
Posted by: anonymous at July 30, 2006 10:57 PM
YAAAAAAAY Mudge!
Posted by: Jill at July 30, 2006 11:11 PM
Congratulations and thank you for three years of great writing and stimulation. It has been a daily/weekly habit of mine for almost two years now. I usually stay out of way and just lurk about, but today I need to say thanks. As time has passed, I find my thoughts and positions are influenced by your writing, wit and sense of humor. Long live TCC.
Posted by: Alan Hawthorne at July 31, 2006 06:02 PM
Thanks to all of you for reading and for the kind comments. And mostly, for reading. You make it all worth doing.
Posted by: Curmudgeon at July 31, 2006 09:14 PM
