Last night, I realized that everything I've written for this blog is housed on an unknown server somewhere. I mean, I've always known that, but I never stopped to ponder what that meant.
What it means is, if Blogger ever goes down for good, or starts charging for access, or whatever, I could very well lose two years of ramblings.
So, last night, I went through all my archives, month by month, copying and pasting the text into Microsoft Word. It wasn't a particularly fun exercise, but it was necessary.
The end result was over 400 pages of 8 pt. text. 400 pages of 8 pt. text. That just astounds me. I mean, it takes every last bit of ambition to write my weekly column, and that's typically only one and a half pages of 12 pt. text.
I've written short stories, plenty of them, that rarely exceed 20 pages of 12 pt. text. I've started on a couple abandoned book attempts that fizzled out after 40 pages of 12 pt. text.
400 pages of 8 pt. text after only about two and a half years. This blog has been a writing tool like nothing else I've ever dabbled in. It was fascinating to revisit all my old entries and watch a distinct style evolve right before my eyes. Without really even realizing it, my writing, my humor and my argumentative abilities have all drastically improved. And that doesn't even take into account all the commenting I've done on countless other blogs.
And to think, when my former officemate, Jen, told me I should start blogging, I at first rolled my eyes. I almost passed on a daily writing exercise that has helped produce more column ideas for me than anything else.
And this blog has given me an outlet to swear and rant and engage in unrestrained toilet humor. Oh, and I've also built a readership, made friends from around the globe, and even established contacts who help me in my job. All due to a blog, a tiny voice in a sea of voices.
Thank you, Jen.
Posted by Ryan at September 24, 2003 10:08 AM
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