Today — November 8 — marks the ninth anniversary of this blog.

In this world of social media and rapid change, nine years is a pretty long time. When I did my first post on November 8, 2003, Facebook was still at Harvard and Twitter was something birds did. So far this blog has outlasted a lot of things, including any number of TV series, fads, fashions, and the George W. Bush administration. According to WordPress, I’ve put up over 17,000 posts, all but one written by me. In that large a number, some of them have got to be lousy, but by and large I’ve been happy with the work and words that I’ve produced, and I have no plans to stop any time soon.

There are a lot of bloggers and journalists who have been supportive and inspirational, and I want to thank them: NTodd, who was there at the beginning, and Melissa McEwan, Michael J.W. Stickings, Rick, and a whole host of friends and writers. Each of you has made this a better place. Thank you.

A special thanks goes to my brother, CLW, who has been my guiding light in all things technical and who twice re-designed the site and moved it to WordPress, making it look as good as it does… at least outside of the writing. He’s also been a big help with links, suggestions, QOTD’s, and moral support.

And, of course, thank you, dear readers. I do not take you for granted. You have shown remarkable tolerance, and I appreciate that very much (especially those of you who have bought stuff). I knew going in that I would be held up to some pretty high standards, but the one I held up for myself was the toughest: to never bore or disappoint the people who stop by here. I hope I haven’t. I also hope that as this little blog goes forward, you will help guide me, teach me, and inspire me. Thank you.

What’s next?