An Issue Of Burning Importance

I looked back using my home page (useful damn tool, that homepage) and noted that I’ve been at this blogging thing since the third day of June last year. Soon after, on the 29th of July I started an unbroken string of daily posts. According to my Dashboard, I’ve posted 350 blog posts, all told. This will be 351.

In these last two weeks leading up to this Friday, I’ve put in a lot of effort to get this site ticking along in a semi-autonomous way. Naturally, my posts have reflected a lot of preparation and reflection on my pending deployment to Afghanistan.

One thing I’ve gotten back is a huge amount of emotion ranging from shock to dispair to outrage and to sadness that I’m leaving. Which is pretty amazing, considering I have never met one of you fine people in person. Funny how this all works, I suppose. Before I go on, I want to clear up some timeline issues so that I don’t sound like a stupid douchenozzle later on:

• I leave Friday, the 20th, and head down to Georgia for some training and some issue of way too much fucking useless equipment.
• After doing the Georgia thing, I get to cool my ranty heels in Kuwait. I have nothing good to say about Kuwait, sorry about that any Kuwaitis.
• Finally, I’ll get scheduled on a military flight into Afghanistan, and my asspain party commences.

So being an old hand at this Army shit that I do, I have to assume that virtually everything will come unglued at the seams on Friday. At least in terms of blogging. Always expect the worst. Having said that, what is of clear and vital importance to you all based on your feedback to me, is this statement:

I PLAN ON BLOGGING ALONG THE WAY AND ONCE I AM THERE

No guarantees to you Rant Junkies who need your daily fix. Sorry, that the way it be’s. However, to conclude this update, I’d like to express thanks to everyone who has made this almost-year so much fun. Yes, even you, John Erickson – blogless wonder that you are.

More than one of you have asked me one way or another what aspect about blogging is best to me. My answer has been pretty steady all this time. My answer is that as much fun as it is creating something – writing – it is not as much fun without the feedback on that creation. To me that makes this whole site a two-part effort, and I’ve only done one half of that work.

Thanks to everyone out there who’s done the other heavy lifting. Be patient, I’m still going to be here.

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On a similar note, the wild roses growing up the back of my house bloomed today, apparently to say, “Thank you for all that delicious pee you gave us all year! We’ll miss you!”