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11:36 a.m. - May 17, 2006 May 13 was my first year anniversary of writing on this here site. It was a kind of roundabout way that I started here. Back in June 2004, when Liz and Katie were going to LA, I had a high school friend email me that his band (A Doors tribute band) was going to play at a club in Indianapolis, and if I�d like to go. Well, it was the same weekend that they were going, so I said sure. But I got to thinking about tribute bands in general, and cranked out something allegedly funny. I help run a baseball web site, so I found a spot to plunk it down on the internet. About 9 people read it, I suppose. I never really wrote anything else, and every once in a while I�d read it and chuckle. Then, in early May of 2005, I was struck by a lot of observations as I made a trek to the local recycling center and having to wait in line for dance recital tickets (and my first time ever being with Katie at dance practice). I decided to write about them, and sent it to my friend AJ for a look see. I didn�t know what I was going to do with it, really. She made some edits and I incorporated some of her edits into my final essay. I had planned to carve out a spot on that other site for my personal essays, but my friend Moose said that I should actually go post them on a blogging site. �Dude, I�m not going to blog. I�m not going to whine and complain in three paragraph bites. I want to write long term pieces that are one page at a time and self-contained.� �Well, you can do that too. What about what Mimi does?� Ah, yes. The infamous Mimi Smartypants. I had gotten to read her through Moose. Of course, I thought she wrote on DAIRYLAND at first. Heh. Mooo! Well, that got me to thinkin�, which is always dangerous. So I took the plunge. I signed up. And I posted those first two essays, here and here. So instead of an introduction, I just dove right in. So now what? Well, I didn�t know how many people would be reading my stuff. I didn�t know how big of a community it was. I didn�t really explore it. I did buy the right to have comments, because you always want comments. And with that, I put up some banners on occasion. I put my link on a lot of my email and message board signature. But mostly, I commenced to write on a schedule. At first, it was more sporadic. Every couple or three days, I would force myself to write. Then things started to come easier, and I started not having to force myself to write. I just wrote. Kristin was born, and that got my schedule off a little bit, as newborns will do, but when I could I started to write. Then, Vicki breezed in and read my essay on Crunchberries. And the rest is Smed history. So now here I am, over a year into this thing. Well over 100 people now have said, �Yes, Smed, you are a favorite of mine!� My page views are higher than I ever expected when I first wrote my drivel and palaver. And that elates me to no end. I have people I work with read me. I have colleagues that read me. I�ve met some of my readers, who I now consider good friends, out and about when I�ve been traveling, and talked to others on the phone and through IMs and chats. And I�ve made multiple mixes for people. (I just counted, and by the end of the summer, I�m going to send out 24 more sets. Ye Gods! But it must be done, and it will be done!) So I must be doing something right. I have also enjoyed reading everyone else�s sites. They help ME become a better writer. They hone my observational skills. They make me understand what else is going out there in internet land. I try to comment and interact as much as I can, and I�ve said this before, that because of space limitations I only have so many on my friend list, but I cruise by everyone�s site who reads me regularly, just to say howdy, and to see what is up. It�s been a fun year, hasn�t it? For me personally, I became a father again. Katie danced in her first recital, went to Montessori school and has started to play soccer. I�ve traveled near and far on business. Liz and I have weathered the storm here in our big ol� house. Mostly, though, I think I�m happy that I know I can write, and write well enough for people to keep coming back for more. So, what is in store for year 2 of Smed�s Corner? Well, actually, it will be for year 2 and year 3, since I renewed my SuperGold for two years. So you are stuck with me, hah! I may be running more banners ads on the site. Well, I paid for them (they came with the membership), and I always like seeing new readers, of course. Mainly because I like reading other people�s stuff! Mostly, the next two years will be more of the same. I will write about music, of course. And that�s a promise that I will keep. So, it�s been a year, folks. A real fun year for me, and I�m glad you were here for part or most of the journey. Sigh� Ok, now I need a tissue.
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