All this build-up and yet….what?  By my count, this is blog number 1,745,963 with the actual entry count of all blogs now up to 74,352,891.  The phrase “just a number” takes on new meaning when you really begin to break down the whole notion of blogs.

Much like my “About” page, I debated for quite some time as to the content of this, My First Blog Entry.  I debated over content, I debated over length, I debated over…..well, suffice it to say, the whole process reminded me of when I was single and going into a bar…

When you go into a bar, you look around trying to appear casual to the point of seeming disinterest.  Of course, that’s the furthest thing from the truth.  Your mind is racing over Who?  Who do you want to sidle up to?  Who do you want to risk making a fool of yourself over?  Who do you want to buy beverages, snacks and maybe even dinner on?  And really, when you think about it, it’s an awful lot like perusing those 1,745, 963 blogs: There’s so many out there, which ones do you really want to risk an evening…even an hour…over?  Which ones are……………safe? 

And then, once you’ve selected a person to chat up, you’re stuck.  For better or for worse, you’re stuck.  You’ve been sucked into that gal’s/guy’s vortex and if it’s not going well….well, too bad.  You made your choice, now you have to suck it up, stick it out and hope for the best.  It’s really no different with a blog: You begin reading and in the best-case scenario, you get hooked by something.  Maybe you come back, maybe you don’t, but the experience was a good one nonetheless.  But the converse of that is a whole different story.  A bad blog, or B.L.S. as it’s known in the business (Blog Loathing Syndrome) is like a bad date only with money poorly spent, you’ll always make it back.  You can’t have time back.  It’s gone…forever.  10 more minutes, or an hour, two hours…you may have gotten hooked for all the wrong reasons and when you’ve finally been jarred out of your misery by the doorbell ringing — it’s the neighbors alerting you to the fact the roof on your house has just blown off and you didn’t even realize it because you’re deep into B.L.S. — you’re just this side of rabid dog rage. 

And with all that said, there’s one other teeny little factor that gave me reason for lengthy debate and procrastination: Is anybody even going to read this blog?  Blog 1,745,963, the first blog that sailed into Blog Harbor?  And how many will think “My God, someone give me my life back…”

Like that trip into the bar and taking a chance, so too does one chance a blog.  In the coming weeks and months, I’ll send out the prose, video and audio, and you’ll decide whether or not to come back.  Actually, it’s a lot like radio: I’ll host or co-host a show and if it’s interesting, you’ll stay through the break.  If it holds your interest for the full two hours, you’ll likely come back the next day if you have a free moment.

So for those who make the turn at Calency Point and enter Blog Harbor, you’ll be given a steady diet of sports, the other side of the news, pop culture and the quirky things in everyday life we often take for granted, or simply don’t notice. Also, the acclaimed travel series, “Nikos in Wisconsin”, returns after a long hiatus. And there will be interviews with newsmakers, newsmaker wannabees or people flat-out unworthy of anything newsworthy but it just seems right to have them on Blog Harbor.

Thanks for docking here and I expect to see you again at high tide.