A double milestone

Eleven months ago, I started this blog. Didn't have anything special in mind. I simply thought I owed it to myself and to students who'd be taking my "Opinion and the Blogosphere" weekend seminar at Portland State.

And now here I am, in the waning minutes of Feb. 1, looking back at how far I've come since March 1, 2009.

The stats speak for themselves:
-- This will be Post No. 260 -- an average of roughly two dozen posts per month.
-- I have 33 followers. (Actually, a little less than because I know a couple of people are listed twice. But, hey, I'll gladly take 33 ... although I fully suspect some folks haven't read a single post in months.) Among my followers: family members and longtime friends, along with a long-lost childhood friend (Tommy, a shoutout to you, my best friend from first grade!) and some awfully nice new ones.

I'm due to teach the "blogosphere" class again this weekend, which is what prompts me to write now rather than wait a full 12 months before looking back at the life of this blog.

Back then, I wrote:

It's about time...How will I sustain this? I'm already on Facebook; don't wanna do MySpace. I'm online every day, much of the day, owing to my job as editor of the Sunday Opinion section at The Oregonian. It's about time...It's about getting started, as the title of this post says. Choose an image: dive in, dip your toes in the water, take the first step, just do it. So I'm doing it. I have no illusions about this, by the way. Just one guy on the Left Coast laying the first brick of what I hope will be good for the soul, good for the mind.

For those of you who've been around for most of Rough and Rede's existence, I appreciate your presence and your perseverance. You've had a front-row seat as I've experimented with content -- topics have ranged all over the place, I know -- and voice. Oh, how I admire writers who have such a distinctive voice that you can read them and instantly recognize them.

I've enjoyed maintaining the blog. It is, after all, mine and mine alone. I've zigged and zagged from the personal to the philosophical to the mundane to the inane -- and, hopefully, occasionally wandered into the Land of Insight and Genuine Revelation. Who was it that said, "How do I know what I believe until I write it down?" I think there's a lot of truth in that.

Thinking back on some of these blog posts, I recall the ones where I had to come to grips with becoming the father of a soldier and getting past my pacifist nature to be able to fully support him as an Army enlistee. I also recall the ones where I've written about religion -- me, the non-spiritual guy, the skeptic -- and surprised myself with my openness toward and respect for people who choose to lead a faith-driven life.

When I began writing this blog, I honestly didn't know whether it would generate any or much online conversation. To be honest, it's been pretty much hit and miss as to when comments will appear. As a blogger, please know that each and every one is greatly appreciated. It's a reminder that I'm not writing into some big, black hole where my voice is swallowed up without a sound. As often as not, it's the observations about everyday life that prompt a comment, which is fine. I like seeing what connects with people.

One thing I'm sure of is that this blog is far more effective as a means of self-expression than Facebook. For some time, I've meant to comment on what it is that led me to spend less time on FB -- and virtually no time on Twitter -- and more time on my blog. Eventually, I'd like to explore that in some depth. For now, suffice to say that Facebook makes me feel like I've walked up to a stream -- no, a river -- and it's rushing by with all these leaves and twigs representing little pieces of information that are hard to grasp and ... gone too soon if you don't reach out.

A good blog, on the other hand, feels like a place where you've been invited to come in, poke around and sit for a while. You can get to know the writer beyond staccato witticisms and pointless observations on FB.

Wow. Here I am rambling. Guess I should try to wrap this one up and sign off.

What I meant by "A double milestone" was that I'd hit a certain threshold by blogging for 11 months and that I was preparing to teach the PSU class again.

A year ago, I had nearly 40 students. This term, I see, I'll have 11 or 12 students, unless there's a last-minute rush of late registrants. No matter. I'm taking a furlough day tomorrow and will spend much of it prepping for this weekend's class. As good as last year's class went, I want to make sure I bring my best effort to this year's class.

Image: http://bleongcw.typepad.com/simple_is_the_reason