500th Published Post!

It has finally happened! A milestone that measures just how active I have been on this blog now for the last year and a half or so, particularly.

Oh, it started, technically, back in December of 2010, with a few posts. Some of those early posts, I actually like. Others, admittedly, not so much.

The very first post I ever published was a concert review of a Prince show. I did not know what I was doing, and it showed. That was a horrible review, lacking in information, passion, or pretty much anything that would make such a review interesting. It was, and remains, kind of a source of embarrassment more than anything else, but it seems unfair if I were to take that down. That's a part of my personal history, as well as that for this blog. Also, perhaps this is wishful thinking here, but maybe it is a testament to how far I have come? That might be a particular conceit that I try to avoid thinking about, however.

But that first year, from December 2010 until the earlier part of December 2011, I was not nearly as active as I really should have been.

All of that began to change in December of 2011, when I began making much more of a point in posting here, trying to add a relatively substantial post on a daily basis, or at least close to a daily basis.

I was not entirely sure at first that I could keep it up, although looking back now, I think that it is safe to say that I have!

I do a lot of writing, but admittedly, keep much of that strictly separate from this forum. So, to be able to do as much as this, completely separate from my "other" writings, was actually quite a bit of an accomplishment, if I say so myself!

Here, I try and write non-fiction. That means writing about the world around me, and trying to make it as diverse as possible. In the course of the last year and a half, I have written about the news and done op/eds on the news and on politics, and written more philosophical material, as well. There have been items on science, some items on archaeology and expositions. Recently, I have begun to add "This day in history" bits, which I get from various websites. But I have written more lighthearted stuff, also. Personal stories, perhaps sometimes including things about my son or girlfriend, or other family members. I have written about sports, sometimes quite a bit in a short period of time. Ditto with music, which has included album reviews, concert reviews, and special focuses on particular artists, or even band versus band rivalries. Sometimes, I even tried my hand at photography a few times, and that with something far less than a professional-grade camera!

A lot of it has been fun!

It has often times allowed me to do one of my favorite activities: find out about new things! Fascinating things, in many instances! Some of it has even required doing research, in some cases relatively extensive research.

As with almost anything, there have been times when I got really hot with the writing, and contributed something every day, for a long stretch of time. A good, huge streak, like a winning streak for a sports team. The longest one started almost immediately after coming back from my last real vacation or trip with my son, way back in late August. From late August all the way until the present blog, I have contributed at least something every calendar day. There have been numerous times when I felt I had nothing to write about, or was exhausted and really did not feel like writing anything, or working on one of the "Drafts", and convert it into something that I felt was ready to be "published" on the blog. Yet, this blog is something that I take as a personal challenge, and I enjoy maintaining strong streaks. I do not get paid one penny for doing this, and it is a pleasure to do. I enjoy the challenge of contributing on a consistent basis here.

There are some ideas for blog entries that I have been juggling with for a while, and it becomes such a long wait, that I cannot help but wonder when the opportunity will arise to actually submit them, to "publish" them. In other instances, there are ideas of what could be really great blogs (or what I assume might be really great "dream" blogs, in any case), but they have not exactly gotten off the ground entirely.

For a one-man operation, and one many who works not one, but two jobs, while balancing numerous other responsibilities, including fatherhood, I think I can be satisfied with how "The Charbor Chronicles" have shaped up so far. Not perfect, to be sure. But pretty damn good, given the circumstances, if I say so myself.

Let's see if I can get another 500 posts and, if so, how these fare! I am enjoying the ride thus far!

I was so excited by these numbers, that I had to post a picture which showed the numbers, with one post numbering 1,000 views, and "The Charbor Chronicles" numbering over 10,000 views in all. Now, that post has well over 1,000 views, and this blog has well over 11,000 views! I thank everyone who has decided to pay a visit here, and am especially thankful for those who have added their comments, which have so far been mostly supportive. Thank you!