16th Blogaverisary

 One score less 4 years ago...No no, that has been done before....

When in the course of human events....Hmm, a bit ostentatious...

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...wait, that has a bit of a ring to it...

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, greetings and salutations on this, the sixteenth anniversary of The FortyFive!

To be fair, the first three years were not terribly remarkable or productive ones:  by the lovely archives over to your right, you will see that I posted a total of 4 blog posts the first year, and only 79 in the first three years.  I suppose I though at that time that writing was just something that "magically" happened by inspiration and "If you write it, they will come".  It was really only when significant change started impacting my life - first a job change, then a job loss, then a move to New Home - that things really began to take shape in terms of a blog.

I have documented it elsewhere (buried in the archives, not doubt) that originally I had very high hopes for this blog.  This was going to be a place of great thought and discussion.  This was going to be my "ticket" to a life made purely off of writing.

It did not work out that way, of course.  A very, very few people make their living blogging; the 99.999% of us remaining do it on the side for one of two reasons, as I have come to understand it:  1)  We cannot help but write; or 2) We are sadists, who believe in continually throwing ourselves out into the InterWeb void for no reward but the task.

So no fame, no wealth, no independent life.  Why do you still keep after this, Toirdhealbheach Beucail, you may be asking yourself?

Any long time blogger will give you their own answer.  For myself, it has been one what the blog has done for me, not what I have done for the blog or the greater InterWeb.

Blogging has allowed me to engage in the practice of publicly writing my thoughts, my feelings, my ideas, in a way that journaling has not.  It has taught me the discipline of writing on a regular basis - especially from two years ago, when it became a goal to post something every day of the year. Which means writing every day of the year.

Blogging has also convinced me, in a way that nothing else could, of the importance of The Social Internet, that link of blogs that allows people to think, discuss, and exchange information in a way that Social Media does not and cannot.  We discuss and ponder; Social Media accuses and throws words as weapons.  If there is to be salvation of the Internet, it will only come from The Social Internet.

But perhaps the best part is that I have had the opportunity to meet any number of wonderful human beings.

Originally when I started this blog, I shared it among a few friends, most of whom I suspect have completely forgotten about it (which is fine, of course; people's lives get busy and go in different directions).  But over time, new people started showing up and commenting.  What I discovered was that in a great many ways, I was not alone in my thoughts and beliefs; I had intellectual brothers and sisters all across the globe.  They have come to be meaningful people in my life, the sorts of folks that one can have a discussion about potentially contentious subjects and discuss in a way that things are aimed towards coming to an understanding, if not an agreement.

For the silly part of me that values such things, I have been fortunate to see an increase in readership (so in a way, I did hit that "famous" part, just not in the way I anticipated):

And I certainly ended up in a great many more places than I had ever thought (why Russia remains my second greatest number of readership is beyond me; perhaps even your humble servant is of interest to the GRU):

The other reason I kept up with this blog, of course, was TB The Elder.

I do not know precisely when he started reading, but up to the end of last year, he was a daily reader of the blog, so much so that he had my brother-in-law install a direct link on his iPad (along with a link to The Book of Face and his solitaire game).  So much so, I sometimes had to temper my words lest he worry to much - more than once, I wrote about something at my job only to get the response "Is everything okay at work?  Are you getting laid off?"

This blog has effectively become a public journal of sorts in my life in a way my private journal is not.  It has documented a great many things, almost unintentionally:  four job changes, a move away, children growing up, and a rather large amount of adventures.  It has also documented in a way my own struggles personally, theologically, philosophically.  It has been of value to me, if to no-one else.

How long do I intend to write?  The blog just moved past its 4000th post this week, so at this point  it has the weight of inertia going for it.  And as I mentioned, this is a discipline, perhaps in some ways a spiritual discipline, but a discipline none the less.  It keeps me on a schedule, rooted in a task. It also keeps me thinking, almost constantly, about what would make an interesting post, about how to write about something.  In a way, although I only post once a day, in point of fact I am constantly thinking about posting or writing all the time.

Finally, of course, thank you, the readers. I know I try and say it at least once a year, but it really should be stated more.  Any writer desires that their writing be read by someone.  The fact that so many take some element of their precious day to spend a few minutes reading what I have written and commenting is humbling beyond words.  I am a better person from your comments and suggestions.

On to Year Seventeen!