Number Five is Alive

It was five years ago yesterday that I finally stepped forward with the idea to do a blog. Spurred on by friends like Sean Kilkelly and Matt Hamilton, both of whom had started blogging, I sat down and wrote the first post as I watched the Yankees break ground on the House that Greed Built. I probably thought about it and waited to hit "publish" on that first post, because it didn't hit until the next morning - at 7:00 on August 17, 2006.

Five years ago today.

Here's that first post, if you've never read it. I hadn't learned how to post pictures, so it's just words and thoughts. Three days later, I explained why I call the blog "Exit 55."

Five years later, much has changed. Yet some things still remain the same.

I'm different than I was in 2006. My life is certainly different (for the better). Sean was four at the time. He's nine now. I have a special person in my life whom I absolutely adore. One who I dropped off at JFK this morning as she set off for LA* to begin pursuing her doctorate. I'm ridiculously proud and excited for her.

*Using an Interstate 5 shield seems appropriate, given her trip to LA, and our likely trip back there in October for a wedding.

I'm still calling Greenwich football (year number 12 begins next month!). A lot can change in five years. And yet...not so much!

I still enjoy doing this. I deal with the struggle of being my own editor, and trying to make the right decisions on what to write. I offer too much yet I don't offer as much as you might think. Just as I am in person, I'm an open book with no poker face.

And yet...not entirely.

I still do this for fun. It's helped make me friends, and occasionally angered or hurt people - never my intention, though I enjoy spirited banter. It's also opened up doors, such as the other blogs that I have written for (and will be writing for ). I'd like to believe that this has been a fun forum. That's the general idea.

People still "yell" at me when I don't post enough. I like that - it's a touch of validation that I've done something right. Something that you seem to enjoy.

As dumb luck would have it, this is post number 1600. It's hard to believe that, based on the statistics that I see, a post about a little place called Oniontown, NY continues to be the most-read piece on this site. Indeed, when one types it in on Google, that post is the fifth site to come up.

So thanks for reading. Stick around. There's still more to be said.

Of course, in five years, music has been a very large part of the blog. The Beatles have probably played the biggest role, from the Paul McCartney concert of 2009 (and arguably the deepest post in the blog's history) to the many Beatles references and videos that I've posted. Today is the blog's birthday.

The blog's Birthday.

Birthday.

That reminds me of a song...