It Really Was Twenty Years Ago Today

 

Not quite how it turned out

It was a Thursday. 

August 17, 2006.

"London Bridge" by Fergie was the top song in the land (yikes). Snakes on a Plane was holding its premiere in Los Angeles (double yikes). There were events both various and sundry going on around the world.

The day before, in The Bronx, NY, the New York Yankees held a groundbreaking for a new stadium.

In Carmel, NY, 37-year-old me was thinking about the groundbreaking with a mixture of anger, sadness, and pure disgust.

Ah! Inspiration!

As a result, I stepped on board the S.S. Blogger.

I wrote my first post here. Actually, I wrote it on Aug 16, slept on it, then hit post on the 17th.

Four thousand, four hundred, ninety-two posts later, here we are.

If you're keeping track (good lord, why would you?), this is the first time I have posted since Dec 6, 2025.

So, what happened?

Oh, I tried to get my groove back. In early July, I grabbed my laptop and started composing a post meant to present the joy of having completed my first year as a substitute teacher, and the gratitude I felt for being given hope of having a better form of this thing called life.

I was maybe 400 words in when I stopped.

I didn't like it. Any of it. Not the mood, tone, or words. I felt like it had no flow and no emotion. At least, not the emotion I was hoping for.

In short, it struck me that my passion for writing was gone. The energy that composed a single post every day for 2,629 consecutive days had disappeared.

Writers deal with scrutiny. We invite it, to a point. We even expect it at times.

But it just felt like I had too many trips to the principal's office (not literally), and I elected to disengage.

I'm glad people read. Of course, I do. But whether as a writer or broadcaster, one hopes to see a number that indicates that effort is worth it, especially if there is no money involved.

And, well, I reached a point where I tapped out.

Oh, I stayed busy. Teaching kept me buzzing. Sure, I'd love to tell you stories of some kind and, of course, no students, assignments, or even fellow teachers would be named. But I elected to shut down.

But, you bet I stayed active. The teaching. Instructing at CSB. WGCH, with Meet the Beatles and Doubleheader. Hanging with Zolz and Clicks at The Beacon. The Hudson Valley Renegades. A few video depositions. Dabbling in more mentoring and instructing. Producing podcasts galore.

And that little thing called play-by-play. I called 32 baseball games in July alone.

Trust me, when I was able to flop down on my couch and binge-watch "Suits," I was able to do so without feeling guilty. Maybe the basement won't get clean this summer or whatever other project I wanted to do. But I could be home and not feel bad about it.

For the two people (maybe less) who wanted to read content on this little nook of the interwebs, I apologize for my disappearing act. I feel sad that writing stopped producing the emotion I wanted it to. I'm hoping to get it back.

This -- a post to honor 20 years of "Exit 55" -- is meant to be a start.

I didn't feel the need to write a farewell post because this isn't an airport. But I also never felt like I had departed anyway.

I'm proud of what I've created here, even if I'm not proud of every word. I always tried to write things that I stood by. Authenticity has always been at the very heart of me. Still, I don't reflect all that I've written in 20 years, and realize I've evolved.

So I think about what my life was like in 2006.

Well, to start, I was married, owned a house, and so on. That's all gone, of course. It was hardly bliss then, either, but I always had Sean. That has not changed. Heck, he's making Buffalo wings as I'm typing. We were always close, and we're arguably closer now.

I'm probably not as hard-driving as I was then. I've become more chill, I suppose.

But the things I love are probably still all the same.

And I'm a survivor. Of what, you ask? Well, I'm not married anymore. That should tell you a lot.

But I've continued to love and tried to believe in such. And continued to just be me, even if it's an updated model.

Maybe a reintroduction in a future post is necessary.

A future post. 

That sounds nice.

To those reading -- then, and now -- I can't thank you enough. The same goes for those who have critiqued, cajoled, and any other word.

I said from day one that I wouldn't start a blog to end it after a few weeks or months.

I've made it to 20 years somehow. I've perhaps enriched some, enlightened some, mocked many, angered a few, and entertained all.

That first post is here. They're all on this site, in fact. The good, bad, and ugly.

I won't say I'm back for good.

I'll just say I'm back. For tonight.

It's good to be here.