Prodded by Mister B, a blogging meme.

When did you start?
My first webpage was in 1994 or 1995 (wish I had saved it) and was basically a static "who I am" page. Pennantspages was in 1996, and i only remember the date because it started out with a "notepad" background and was all text, Clint looked at it and said "Dude, where are the pictures?".
It became a daily essay driven site in 1997 for the people I knew. I didnt even bother putting up contact info, as most people who read the site knew me.

The BLOGGING began as an outgrowth of Pennantspages, because i moved from manhattan in 2000, and had to pack up my computer and couldnt use Dreamweaver anymore, so i needed something that was computer and host independent. That was when i discovered blogspot, being among the first 25,000 users.

Why did you start?
Because i would write things in email and the feedback was that my writing needed a wider audience.

What is the best part?
It has turned out to be a great cathartic endeavor.Being able to express yourself in writing is better than Arts and Crafts at the Bellevue Mental Hospital.

Actually, even better is when folk tell me that the images and words allows them to be experience where I am. That makes me feel good.

What is the worst part?
Having to censor myself, or as George put it - not bleed all over the keyboard. I have to be keenly aware of who could and do read my stuff. I considered password protecting the thing, but that - eh, that would shut out the the nice people from all over the world who do read the little I write. :)

So, Id rather be circumspect. So much so, I dont write very much anymore.

I believe in being honest about what I do say. I just dont say everything. Heh, honest but oblique. :)

With one notable exception, I dont care to read password protected blogs. I dont want to be a hypocrite.

Do your friends and family read your blog?
Yes, some do, essentially to see what Im up to, where i am and how im doing. They think I dont know. :)

What are the most memorable moments from your blogging?
When, in 1999, I started taking pictures to show what I was seeing. This actually drives my photography.

Do you ever have trouble telling people that you have a "blog"?
I never used to. I would routinely give it out as a way to explain myself. It is only recently after cumulative experience and posting my images to flickr, do I refrain from giving out the personal URL freely.

I purposely keep the blog low-key and oblique, which keeps the regular readership low, god bless 'em.

How much longer do you see yourself doing this?
It ends when it ends.

What are your favorite blogs to read?
They are ones Ive been reading for years and havent become extinct. Yambiguity, because Brian and Grace were truly nice people I wanted to know. Cyn, even tho her stuff is password protected. Aiyah, Dr Scott (rarely updated - but a good read when it is), Zannah, Maria, Marn, Uncle Bob, Sun, Fredlet, Cecily, George. The list has shrunk over the years as I rarely add to it. A recent exception is Yvonne, who writes so vividly, I had to add her.

If youre interested, keep this meme going. It was fun to do.