Happy Blogday to Moi!

I started this little corner of the wired world one year ago this evening. At the time, I thought I’d have a handful of readers — Dan, Paul, Jeremy, the sister, a few friends. I never realized people outside my immediate world would care to read about my obsessions. Nearly 300 posts … 33,000 hits from every non-frozen continent … 3,100 peeks at my profile … hundreds of R.E.M. mentions later … and I’ve been humbled.

I’ve made some real friends through the blog, friends here in Atlanta and as far across the country as you can get from Atlanta. I’ve found a few beaux, thanks to a post here or a Google there. And I’ve made several virtual friends, people I’ll probably never meet, but know on so many levels.

This is reading like an acceptance speech, isn’t it? I guess this is my own hall of fame induction ceremony. An inflated sense of self-worth, maybe? Well, hell, it’s my blogday!

I’ve learned a lot — about music and life and politics and books. other parts of the country and the world — thanks to your blogs. I’ve discovered some great writers — thoughtful ones, funny ones, honest ones. And so many folks with whom I can obsess about R.E.M., concerts, and the latest great new album.

Thanks to the blog, I got off my ample a** and ventured back into experiencing the things I love. I saw more concerts last year than I did in the previous three combined. (The concert roll to your right is helping, since locals contact me about shows they want to see, too.) Discovered new writers for my shelves. New movies, TV shows, even a local Shakespeare troupe (beginning rehearsals this week for May’s performances).

I know I’ve been a slack blogger in ’07 … but you wouldn’t believe my workload. Heck, I don’t believe my workload. I’m a couple of weeks from the downslope, so expect daily posts again very soon. You haven’t read enough about R.E.M. lately, have you?

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