P&Q’s 300th Post

This is SPARTA! ~from “300”

We are beyond saving. ~H.M. Murdock, site mascot and all-around nice guy

This is a day I never thought would come. And what an auspicious one it is: Friday the 13th. The day I not only get abducted by aliens, discover the lost Ark of the Covenant, and stare down, Dirty Harry style, a would-be IRS auditor.

No, I’m afraid the reality is nowhere near as exciting, P&Q Rangers. This is my 300th post.

I wanted to do something really spectacular for this one. It’s like the guy who hits 500 home runs or shoots the course record at the Masters. You want it to be some kind of big deal, with a tickertape parade, some elephants, and a flyover by the Blue Angels. But it didn’t turn out that way. This post, for me, is just like most of the others. If I might paraphrase the great Cal Ripken Jr., all I did was show up every day and do something I enjoyed. Kind of like getting one of those perfect attendance ribbons in school. I didn’t do something millions of other (and certainly more talented) bloggers didn’t do before me.

I never aspired to win a Pulitzer Prize, or any other kind of prize, while writing P&Q. For me it’s a form of recreation. I’ve met scores of people all over the world I might have never known. I’ve rambled on everything from being a geek to the process of writing to the Jedi Mind Trick. Unlike some other blogs, this is an Anything Goes zone. I’m not constrained by a single topic. If it interests me I’ll write about it. (And I do apologize to all my regular readers for my A-Team obsession. Surely you understand by now.)

The facts: I’ve been writing for nearly 2 years now, have nearly 1,000 subscribers and 75,000 hits. And I’m still as broke and Bohemian as I ever was. Like I said, I’m not in this for the money or the fame. I’m in it because it’s as enjoyable as hell and I like knowing I can make a few people laugh every day.

Because I’m feeling all sentimental, I do want to thank a few people near and dear to my heart. Without these folks, P&Q wouldn’t keep on keeping on, and it might never have started in the first place.

To Lisa, Cheryl, Joann, and Kerri Anne: You guys were my tribe and you believed in me when nobody else did. You are my A-Team and P&Q was born because of you.

To A.J.: I’ve said it before, but you are like the sister I never had. I can’t imagine a better friend than you.

To Emma: Having a best buddy from across the pond? Inconceivable…except you really are. I hope we get to meet in person one day.

To all my fellow bloggers whom I’ve gotten to know: It’s a privilege to know you guys. Thanks for your continued support and readership. Special shouts out to Matthew, BrainRants, Ellie, Christine, Jamie, and Sleepless Knight, all of whom are absurdly talented writers. If you’re not following their respective blogs, go check them out now!

To Mr. Dwight Schultz: There are too few real heroes in this world. You are one of them, for your powerful convictions and candor in a world full of deceit. Thanks for being one of my inspirations.

So what’s next for P&Q? I suppose it’ll continue to be a reprise of Anything Goes. It’s a nice diversion from the slings and arrows of life. I know I’m having a good time when I think of future posts during the day and imagine what kind of commentary might await me at the end of my workday. Isn’t that what blogging is supposed to be about?

And to you, the readers: I can’t say it enough, but thank you for all you’ve done. This place would be nothing without you. Going forward, I want to ask you: what do you want to see? What could I do less of/more of around here?  Any time you have a suggestion, just let me know.

I promise I do have more good stuff cookin’ for this summer: the start of the voting in Guilty Pleasures, some awesome new contests, retro reviews, and more! (We might have a few minor celebrity guests too…details to come.)

As always: subscribe to this Jibba-Jabba if you haven’t already, and hit “Like” so the site mascot won’t go off the deep end where the purple wobblies are…

~ by Howlin' Mad Heather on April 13, 2012.