It's Our Blogiversary!

Today is the 7th blogiversary of The Scratching Post. For 7 years and over 6,200 posts, we've done our bit to produce noisy content for web surfers. I thought about linking to a few of my favorite posts, but have decided to go with a short description of ...

How Blogging Has Changed My Life

First off, I don't miss a day. In 7 years, I think we've skipped one day on purpose and one weekend in support of a dear friend who was going through some rough times. Other than that, we post every day. I don't know why we post every day other than that we just do. It must be done because it has always been done. Here in the Catican, we're definitely traditionalists.

The 'Post is a remorseless information and analysis eating machine. Our commitment to daily blogging has changed the way I see the world. Everything is seen through a blogging filter - how can I turn this event, this book, this movie, this experience, this thought into something I can share. I think I'm more alert than before and I certainly have become more analytical about everything around me in order to feed the blog.

My blogging has been a journey to form a coherent world view. It's a chronicle of my progress from deep ignorance to slightly shallower ignorance. By writing this blog, I feel like I've helped myself evolve intellectually. Had I not been blogging, I could easily find myself retracing the same steps over and over again, stuck forever at a certain stage of development like the illiterate Germanic tribes described in The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire.

For someone who has been blogging as long as I have, I've not picked up a big following. After 7 years of daily posts, you'd think I'd be a much bigger player in the blogs. I made sporadic efforts to increase my base of readers, but I quit when I realized I didn't have the one key characteristic of the big bloggers out there, consistency. The Scratching Post is a chronicle of a journey, but it's a chronicle of my journey, my many and sometimes transitory passions. The top bloggers all have a focus area and stick with it. I found I couldn't do that and so I gave up. Instead, this blog is a grab bag of whatever I feel like posting at the moment.

What I Love About Blogging

You. You the readers. I know that seems odd having just said I gave up on creating a readership, but I deeply appreciate the folks who come by and check out what I've got to say. Comments are icing on the cake. I also love the way the blog has enriched my spiritual and intellectual life. For example, I don't think I would ever have read GK Chesterton had it not been for the blog.

What I Don't Like So Much

That I don't reciprocate your affection as much as I'd like. When it comes to the web, creating content for The Scratching Post takes priority over everything else. Many days I don't have time to visit other blogs and enjoy what you've created. It makes me feel guilty that some people leave comments when I post, but I don't always stop by their sites and return the favor. I feel like I'm acting superior to you and I don't see myself that way at all.

Special Thanks

In addition to you, I must thank my wife for have supported this ridiculous enterprise. I wake up early in the morning, get my coffee and go downstairs to read and blog. Up early usually means asleep early and that can mean less time spent together at night, all so I can feed this beast. I'm blessed with a loving and understanding spouse and am deeply grateful for that. It allows me to share important things like this:

Here, the head of the Catican Guards watches over our Maximum Leader.

God bless you all. Thanks for coming along on the journey.