Tuesday, February 01, 2011

2,000 Not Out And Waiting For My Ends To Curl

A couple of months ago, whilst looking at my Blogger Dashboard, I decided to add up all the posts to my various blogs (Blogger does it for individual blogs so it was just a matter of adding the totals together) and I noticed that I was approaching a notable anniversary. I remembered to check again this morning, just in time : this is my 2,000nth blog post. I realise that this is probably the modern equivalent of being skillful at billiards ("the sign of a misspent youth", my father always used to say), but everybody needs a purpose in life. Looking back at my first ever post (back in November 2006) it describes how blogging was a bit of a therapeutic experiment. The short post concludes with the lines : "Perhaps it will become an established part of my life. Perhaps not. Let's just see what happens". 2,000 posts on, I think it has now become an established part of my life.

The digital age is truly wonderful and I still find its' ability to broadcast my rather aimless thoughts to people around the world somewhat breathtaking. But I do worry about the transitory nature of the medium. My 2,000 posts might not be earth-shattering, nor are they likely to shine a Pepysian searchlight on the nature of early twenty-first century civilisation, but they mean something to me and I would like to think of any grandchild of mine browsing through my posts in 50 years time. The worry is, of course, that Blogger will be long gone and all those carefully crafted literary gems will have vanished down some cyber culvert heading for obscurity. Paper and print is expensive, inconvenient, and wasteful : but it has a good track record in the survival stakes. That is why I like to gather my posts together every so often and get them published. In doing this, I don't intend to sell copies to anyone else, nor become a publishing sensation. Unless there are people with more money than sense out there, I will only ever sell one copy : the one I buy and add to my bookshelf. There are a number of self-publishing services you can use for this. I have used Lulu for many years now and have always been delighted with their service. The 180 page volume of my 2010 News from Nowhere posts - called "The Circuitous Route" - was completed last night and cost nothing to prepare. I have bought the one copy I need and it cost me less than £30. It is not a Booker Prize contender, but it is a present for the grandchild that one day I hope to have.

Let me finish with a little update. My brother, Roger, has been in touch with some information about the picture - The Speed Boys - I featured the other day. His e-mail says : "The other "Speed Boy" is Colin Fox.  He lived just across the road at the bottom of Southmere Drive. On the left, just out the photo, was a fruit and veg shop.  Owner was an amateur photographer.  The photo was originally displayed in his shop window.  He took the photo and wrote the caption on the original. As I remember, Gladys (our mother) bought a print and I suspect copied his title". Rog, along with several other people, have given me advice about curling the ends of my moustache and I am pleased to say that I have now ordered a supply of moustache wax from the internet. I will provide an updated photograph once my ends begin to curl. Which seems like a suitable promise to finish with as I head towards my 3,000nth post.

19 comments:

  1. I'm up to 442,307 words in 3.5 years. That's approx 346 words a day.

    I want the Pontificate!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I haven't actually given any thought to saving my blog posts. I don't worry about losing anything, seeing as how all the photos and music files I've used live on two different hard drives here at home.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Are you going to wear this outfit when you come to the U.S.?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tess : Possibly. But my bother has sent me details of his tailor from whom, he tells me, you can still get a decent pair of Plus Fours. I also thought about a frock coat. What do you think?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Was the comment reference to your 'bother' deliberate?

    2,000 posts is a notable achievement! I have a very long way to go :)

    I do like the idea of publishing the posts. I must give that some thought.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's impressive--I've hit 1,000 on Robert Frost's Banjo, but my other blogs only add in 150+. Your observation about the longevity of ink & paper reminded me of a recording project--I believe being done by the Smithsonian--in which they decided to use shellac (as in the old 78s) because it was the best choice for preservation!

    ReplyDelete
  7. H : For "bother" read .... nah just leave it as it is.

    ReplyDelete
  8. John : I still have a small collection of 78s and an old wind-up record player (which the same bother/brother bought me some years ago)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats on 2,000! That is a neat idea to publish your posts, I'm sure the grandkids will love it when they arrive. : ) Funny about curling your moustache. My father in law has a handle bar moustache with curled ends. He loves to fiddle with it when he's making a point. It's fun.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 3000 posts? That's enough to make anyone's ends curl!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, 2000. Congratulations! I like your idea of publishing them.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Congratulations, Alan on 2000 posts for posterity! I'm in awe. Your idea for self-publication is an excellent one.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Well that's some sort of milestone. Actually I started my blog mainly as a personal thing and never thought of putting posts in a book. Did a recipe book for Clare and Jeffscape recently on Blurb. Nice quality too so might have to think about adding the blog. (Although the time it would take to put in 2000 posts? GAH)) perhaps I'll be 'selective'

    ReplyDelete
  14. Congrats on 2000 posts.. and I hope you get that grandbaby soon.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Congratulations - not only is blogging an established part of your life but your blogs are an established part of mine - so I hope you continue on to 3000 and beyond.

    ReplyDelete
  16. and many more!!

    congrats on the milestone! always a pleasure popping over having nowhere take me somewhere!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I just told an old friend who had just discovered me on the blog, that I was never going to write books so I am pretending to be an author on a daily rate. I have an anniversary coming soon and I don't know if I can still do the math. You are way ahead of me by a year.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous10:16 AM

    Congratulations on your 2000th post! You can still get plus fours (and plus twos!) in "country stores" in Scotland. But only gamekeepers wear them :-) Jo

    ReplyDelete
  19. Very impressive Alan, and what a delightful treasure for your grandchildren. I have never publish done page of any blog entry of mine but it is pricey I feel so I do hope blogger goes on for many years to come. Good going and I do hope we have another several thousand at least! :)

    ReplyDelete

11 March 2024 : Paper Hanging

  Some people read the paper, some try and understand the meaning of life, George II and Elvis Presley both died there .... and photographer...