Monday, February 23, 2009

Reboot

It's been five years since Michael Blowhard suggested I start a blog. I was hesitant, not believing I really had that much to say. I've since discovered not having that much to say isn't an impediment. The joy is in the doing. Many times I've been surprised when I started writing out of a sense of responsibility (as I'm always thrilled when any of the blogs I read has a new post) and ended up with something entertaining (or at least I thought it was).

Even so, I felt it was time to reevaluate some things. Frinstance, though I really liked my old template (with the dots and stuff), I felt a small remodeling was due. I like the minimalist blue-screen look of this new template, fitting with the "reboot" theme. It has one big flaw in that any pics that are too large flow over into the menus on the right, and I haven't been able to figure out a wholesale fix, so older posts with big graphics might look a bit muddled.

I also considered just closing up shop for a while, feeling I've had a good run. My readership has pretty much topped out according to sitemeter, and is even dropping precipitously. I gave it a long and hard look, and nearly hit the delete button about a week ago. But then I remembered what I wrote in the first paragraph: this has become something for me as much as it is for anyone who reads this.

Just for the sake of completism, another thing I considered was deleting all but the "greatest hits" posts. But as I read through those I was thinking of consigning to the bin, I realized that I kinda dug them, too. So, here it all is. For better or worse. Blame Micheal.

To that end, I offer most humble apologies for my sallying forth to the windmills if you've stumbled here and feel I've wasted your time.

And most humble thanks for those of you who still check in once in a while. I'll try to make it worth your while and maybe make you smile.

6 comments:

Whisky Prajer said...

The five year mark seems to be a significant one for bloggers, or commentators of just about any stripe. Nick Hornby called it quits on The Believer after five, and I've given some thought to retiring as well. Five years pretty much clears out the carburetor dung, I think. On the other hand, I'm realizing that my mind is beginning to mull over other issues, possibly forming unexpected opinions that it couldn't give proper consideration five years earlier. Why stop now, when things are just getting inneressing?

FWIW I ditched my counter once the stats leveled, figuring it was just one more application that slowed things down for the non-high-speed folks. Worse than that, it was having an effect on my subject matter. Fooey on that, say I.

Of course, February is a typically rough month to be blogging. But keep at it, please. I'm still enjoying the visits.

Sya said...

Congrats on your five year anniversary! I too mused about my lack of readership at that point, but I managed to brush it off and keep bumbling along. And I kind of think that deleting things would be pointless. Once things get onto the web, there will be a copy of it floating around somewhere, forever. Besides, silly posts have their purpose, even if it's no more complicated than getting a reader to chuckle like an internet acronym.

On image sizing: you can force an image into a certain size by adding a "width" or "height" attribute to the img tag (also see here for a tutorial). If you still want readers to experience the entire glory of the pic, you can always add a link to the full size.

Anonymous said...

Always thrilled when you have a new post! Keep up the funny work.

Anonymous said...

Thanks everyone for the kind words. Funny how we've all seem to have gone through the same cycle...

The Opinionated Homeschooler said...

Small is beautiful, my friend. Years ago I got linked in the same week to Mark Shea's blog and a major (at the time) homeschooling blog, and I was deluged by unfamiliar names in the comboxes. It was terrifying, and I didn't blog again until they all went away.

It's been a long time since the About.com boards. You're my longest-term internet "friend" (I have to put the quote marks; for all you know, I'm some hirsute guy in a basement in Panama), and it would make me sad if you stopped blogging. At any rate you'd have to make up for it by inviting Eudoxus, me, and the Offspringen to Colorado--preferably during the oppressive Texas summer--to meet your lovely family in real life.

I bet you don't really look like a floating Yellow Submarine guy.

Anonymous said...

Y'know, I do look more like him these days. I don't have the pile of groovy hair, but I have a goatee. I grew it as a goof during a vacation and my wife liked it, so it stayed. And, my home computer is in the basement

You're my oldest web buddy, too. It's been fun. I've learned a lot and have always enjoyed the benefit of your sharp intelligence. It helps to have friends way smarter than yourself (me being the one to the left of you on the bell curve).

I hadn't considered the downside of being huge. I wade through some of the blowhards' remarks and think "gad, I'd hate to have to field all of these."

So, awesome reality check, there.