Nearly at 100

As I near my hundredth post, i wanted to take a moment to thank you, the readers. I could sit here and type whatever I felt like, but it is YOU the readers that make this a blog.

For the past six months I have been a member of the Online Blog Community. What started out as the infamous "notes section" on an independent website morphed into a full blog site. As much as I enjoy typing my reactions to the world, what has made this whole time special is the core of readers who visited the site each and every day. Not an entry has gone by when I didn't receive a thoughtful e-mail from a reader about the content. Whether it was a compliment or criticism, it was always written in the best of taste and expressed an articulate, poignant viewpoint. Time and time again, it is you the readers who have demonstrated why you are considered amongst the most passionate and intelligent individuals out there in cyber space.

I have always written in a straightforward and uncompromising way, and I have always been appreciative that you allowed me to question certain truths. You indulged me in my quest to understand the election of 2004. You went with me when I questioned the underlying darkness of the Democratc Party Leadership and the people behind it. We found and lauded the real winners of life and thumbed our noses at the real losers that I have encountered. Many times I went against certain people or groups that are revered for a myriad of reasons. While many replies I received were negative, most of your responses were factually based. If I made a mistake, you let me know in a way that was kind, courteous, and frank.

The poet Robert Frost once wrote..."Two roads diverged in a wood and I- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Frost's credo reflects how I have chosen to attack the world of blogging and in many ways the way I live my life: Unflinching. Unapologetic. Uncompromising. Unwavering. Whether you loved me or hated me, agreed with me or were staunchly opposed, thought I was a good writer or convinced I was smoking the ganga, hopefully, if nothing else, you respect me. Because, truth be told, I respect all of you. I can't even begin to tell you what an honor and pleasure it is to write for such a smart and well-read audience. Without knowing it, you inspired me to push myself on every entry.

I'm also proud to have helped to expand the types of yall would read. I made you think as I connected the dots from one point to another as i weaved together an opinion based on facts. In doing so, I received a e-mails from readers who told me that they were going to look at the world differently after reading one of my entries. In fact someone once told me that they never realized the myriad of dynamics that really do appear in life. She even said that will critically analyze what she sees in an effort to better understand the world around her. A greater compliment I have never received.

I am not writing this as a way of saying goodbye, but as a way of saying thank you. Blogging is hard work and takes a certain amount of time out of a person's day. While I will not be able to update daily, I will certainly try to update 3 times a week. If you want to comment, you can email me or comment directly on my posts.


And for anybody interested in speaking to me in person, you'll be able to find me on the corner of State and Monroe in Downtown Chicago. I'll be the one standing on the cold, hard pavement Texans hat on my head Texas flag in hand. Afterall, what else would you expect from the man known to the world as BIG TEX.