Noticed: Today is another one of those days here on The High Plains o' New Mexico: there's more wind than any human bean wants or needs, which is to say constant wind in the mid-20 mph range, with gusts of 30 mph and above. That's not as bad as some days but the wind, along with temps in the very low 50s, is bad enough to make me forgo shopping that should be done but won't be. The wind will also cancel Happy Hour today. Oh, I'll still knock back a beer or two but I'll do so indoors and will forgo (once again) the usual, customary, and quite reasonable cigar... said cigar being one of the necessary ingredients of a successful Happy Hour. The changing of the seasons has had a remarkable impact on my cigar consumption, which has resulted in a considerable reduction in expense (good) along with a reduction in my perceived quality of life (bad). And winter isn't even here! I've been thinkin' about suitable work-arounds in this space and haven't come up with any as of yet. Got any ideers, Gentle Reader?
Unnoticed: Our sixth blogoversary slipped under the radar this past Tuesday. We had put up 4,151 posts (according to Blogger's "edit posts" screen) as of 11/15/2011 and the sheer quantity of mindless drivel I've posted to these inter-tubes never ceases to amaze me. It also never ceases to amaze me that people actually READ this stuff, some of whom (yeah YOU, Lou) have been with me since Day One (well, almost) and others (Kris, Jenny, Laurie, Bob) have hung with me nearly that long. And then there are the others who came in afterwards yet continue to hang around, The Deity At Hand only knows why. I didn't mention SN1 or SN2; there's a reason for that, which falls in the "duty and obligation" space. But that said, I appreciate their patronage along with that of the grandbabies, who now know more than they prolly should about Dear Ol' Granddad.
I DO go on. My bottom line? Thank you ALL for dropping by and thank you for your friendship. I dunno how long blog life is or can be but I don't see myself giving it up any time soon.
Congrats, Buck...err Norman.
ReplyDeleteOK I get it. A brick doesn't have to hit me in the head Again (hate when that happen)
ReplyDeleteDamn! Why did I miss that on your earlier post..I've now got new material. :-)
Happy 6th! Norma
Psst~ Don't tell anyone but I sorta like your blog.
Six years!
ReplyDeleteI started reading this blog about five years ago. Been a good one. In the Bookmarks Bar.
One of the reasons that I got started was this one. The name alone was enough to get me interested in the doings on the High Plains of NM. Did a fair amount of time out there on the Ballast Trains.
Keep on keepin' on, My Friend.
I do remember coming on board - it was the Portales that caught my eye, but you have held my attention since then and taught me much about blogging. Congrats on the six years. I'll stick around.
ReplyDeleteWow - happy anniversary!! I'm coming up on 5 years myself and my how it has flown.
ReplyDeleteWhich means I've been at your space Buck for damn near the full 6 years; came here thru Lex IIRC and haven't ever regretted those early wanderings.
The High Plains Drifter drifts no more! Just a sedentary "homesteader" now....at least you ain't no "sod-buster"--that's hard work--and not half as glamorous as the "drifter" bit! But at least, thankfully for your faithful minions, you're still a blogger! LOL.
ReplyDeleteCongrats!
"Got any ideers, Gentle Reader?"
ReplyDeleteI presume I'm "Bob" you mentioned, though "Bob" could be one at which you could not miss by swinging a dead... Never mind. I'll presume I'm "Bob."
First, congrats, I suppose, on keeping this blog alive so long-- nearly eternity for the medium.
I remember first coming here for news of the fires on the Llannos Escatados, with the Cerro Grande fire fresh in my mind. I live in a place that, when fires are going on there, and near here, I tend to seek news. Last spring and early summer were quite scary. Plus the arctic attack last February.
What did you do before the 'tubez made it so easy? You, (like Lileks) probably kept a journal of some sort.
Quality of life? I take it el-noa-u-smoka at "home."
Keep the CMdP parked nearby and imbibe there. Sell CMdP? Why? You own it. You won't starve for want of it's worth, will you? Is it $30 per month to park it nearby, cold (as in cold storage but that you could access)? They may have rules wherever you have it, but believe me, they don't care as much as you think if you go hang out at it. (My info may be dated as it is something I did while on the CGN-36, stationed at NAS Alameda and the self storage was just next door.)
Yours,
(Bob) Reese
Buck, I started reading your blog after you dropped by checking in on the Air Force team. As I remember, you got down on your virtual hands & knees and begged me to come visit.
ReplyDeleteJust kidding. But, I visited anyway, and have thoroughly enjoyed hanging out for a few minutes a day at your joint.
I think what I enjoy most about it is that most bloggers keep a wall up. Hell, I don't know why, but I guess everyone has their reasons. I enjoy blogs where the guy (or gal) really introduces themselves, talks about their day to day...family...interests...highs & lows, etc. Yours is like that.
Heh! I have a drivers license (somewhere) from about 25 years ago. I weighed 220, and had long, stringy hair. I gotta try to find that...
"No one remarked that the state of California transgendered me"
ReplyDeleteNot unnoticed but I was too diplomatic to comment!
Congrats! I like the cake, wish I could give it to my 9 yr. old grandson!!!
ReplyDeleteYou have a great blog going! I don't want you to get the big head or anything, but your's is the first one I read when I crank up the HP.
Happy blogiversary! 6 years really is quite a feat. You're the first blog I started following nearly 3 years ago, but I have no idea how I found you. Elder Daughter got me hooked on blogging with her first, highly political blog, then set up and started Moogie's World for me as a Christmas gift -- one of my all-time favorite gifts! The blogosphere really is a fascinating universe.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking TGH isn't an appropriate Gentleman's cigar parlor, but Reese may be onto something with the ECMdP.
Love the cake!
Congrats on the blogiversary, Buck. That's one hell of a lot of posts. From one wordy bastard to another, you're aces!
ReplyDeleteSix years, huh?
ReplyDeleteWell, so far, so good... and it's more than twice the time I have (and about twice the posts).
About all I can say about that transgender issue is anything can happen in CA.
I can't remember yesterday, so id on't know when I first came around. But I do know that you are possibly my very first regular reader, and you've stuck by me better than anyone I know. That's the kind of thing that earns you the loyalty that you've gotten from your wide, varied, and highly estimable fan base. You keep doing this, and we'll keep coming around.
ReplyDeleteBesides, I have to stick around long enough for the fortunes of my poor Avalanche to change so that we can have an enjoyable little rivalry.
Small Tee: Thank ya, Sir.
ReplyDeletess: Would you believe my sister's name is Norma? My parents had a strange sense o' humor.
Glenn: Thank ya, Sir.
I'll stick around.
I sure hope so, Lou.
Kris: Yeah, I think you did get here through Lex. I consider him to be my Blogfaddah. I think the Good Cap'n may be the face that launched a thousand milblogs. Well, a hundred, anyway.
Just a sedentary "homesteader" now...
Heh. AND a man of minor letters. ;-)
Bob (Reese): I remember your first comment quite well, and I was semi-worried about the fires to the south of us as BLHTP ain't exactly in the city. Your ideer about converting ECMdP into a cigar bar has merit, at least in the short run. But I DO wanna sell her; the money she'd bring would pay for a new Harley. ;-)
Oh... I never kept a journal but I did write an e-mail newsletter while I was on the road back in 1999 - 2000.
I enjoy blogs where the guy (or gal) really introduces themselves, talks about their day to day... family...interests...highs & lows, etc. Yours is like that.
You're a man after my own heart, Andy, that's mostly why I read the blogs that I read. ("read what I read?" THAT doesn't read well!) And yours is one of the best.
Not unnoticed but I was too diplomatic to comment!
I LIKE a man who's discreet, BP. ;-)
Ed: Thank ya, Sir. Your nine year old grandson will prolly grow out o' that self-centered thang. Hopefully. And thank ya for the kind words.
Moogie: I agree, your Elder Daughter's Christmas gift was a great one. Not only did you benefit but the rest of us did, too. I agree with ya about ECMdP as cigar bar, too.
Jim: Thank ya, Sir.
Skip: You know better than most about the strangeness of California. But you live in the reasonable, normal part o' the state.
Besides, I have to stick around long enough for the fortunes of my poor Avalanche to change so that we can have an enjoyable little rivalry.
The Avs are on the upswing. Would you believe I've watched almost as many Avs games this year as Wings games? That's a true if somewhat bizarre fact. And the Wings better get it together pretty quick or there won't be much of a rivalry to be had...
As for the loyalty thang... You're an excellent writer, Mr. Havens, and I enjoy your take on the world, especially your musings on family life with young children.
Happy Blogiversary!
ReplyDeleteLove the funny cake picture but it's certainly not reflective of who you are. As Andy said, we like you because you share your life with us so freely. Sometimes poignant, sometimes GOML, sometimes TMI.....your blog has depth and wit and charm.
I may not always have the time to comment, but you're one of the first I make time to read. And you were so clever with that driver's license comment "Ain't that about the ugliest chick ya ever did see?" I didn't even catch the mistake, duh. However, I do find you more attractive now as a mature man. ;-)
"But I DO wanna sell her; the money she'd bring would pay for a new Harley."
ReplyDeleteAh. Like it. See you've come to my way of thinking. Big ol' bike, big ol' bags, big ol' fairing. That's more my style (and now apparently yours) vs. the Suzuki.
Belated congrats on your 6th blogoversary. Based on the half life of blog pixels (even transgendered ones) I'd say EIP is damn near immortal. Re the transgendered license, will you now be appearing on dancing with the stars?
ReplyDeleteKidding aside, you've got a great blog. The writing is great, there's plane pron, good food, good smokes, good beer, mo'sicles, pretty wimmen, excellent music, etc. etc. What's not to like? Oops, did I forget hockey? Definitely not intentional. Go Predators!
This is the third time I've tried to post this, hope I get through the Blogger defense shields this time.
However, I do find you more attractive now as a mature man. ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt's those glasses I had on, innit? ;-) But seriously, thanks for the kind words, Red.
Dan: Your Preds are doin' better than my Wings. Who'd a thunk it? And thank you for your kind words, especially the half-truth about "great writing." That means a lot coming from you, yanno?
Big ol' bike, big ol' bags, big ol' fairing.
ReplyDeleteWrong, Bob. I'm lookin' at a Sportster. No bags, no fairing, not that big... but with room enough for me and a knapsack that holds rain gear and a change o' clothes. I kept my leather, yanno?
Do! put that leather to good use.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anon. The jury's still out, tho.
ReplyDelete