About a week ago, a Canadian reporter e-mailed to ask me a few questions about being a laid-off dad. I get these every so often, in spurts and drizzles, mostly because lately a lot more people have a lot more time to do things like Google "laid off dad." And I am the first thing you see when you do that. (Although I'm a little more proud of being listed as one of the things LOD stands for, right there with Large Organic Debris and Laparoscopic Ovarian Drilling.)
I don't normally answer these requests, because I think I've said all that there is to say about it. And truthfully, now that I've been working at my current job for five years (a record!), I'm not sure I remember much about the experience anymore. I mean, I wrote some of it down when I started this blog, but frankly, the memory is fleeting. Part of that stems from the last couple of years, which have taught me to keep my nose pointed forward.
Anyway, I answered this reporter because she knew all this. She'd done her research and realized I'm not laid off or married anymore. And when I left work and called her up, I ended up chatting for about 30 blocks. A very small subset of this chat appears here.
While I was talking, it hit me that my blog had turned six years old. (Well, technically it hadn't, because I hadn't written since before the birthday, June 1.) That's a long time. One blog year is like 20 dog years, so by that metric I've been writing since Reconstruction. In that time, blogs have emerged, erupted, plateaued, cratered, and been eaten by Twitter. She asked if I got to know people through my comments, and I had to admit that for the first year I didn't have any. I was just an HTML nerd hand-coding and FTPing my stuff through my dial-up ISP, while my thenwife made tallow candles by the hearth.
So anyway, now it's official. LOD is six. Cue the confetti.
I came here after getting laid off myself, about four months ago. I'm glad things are looking better for you, and I keep reading, hoping for the day my nose finds a new grindstone . . .
Happy . . . birthday!
Posted by: tysdaddy | June 22, 2009 at 08:51
Missed ya! hope all is well in your world.
Posted by: bob | June 22, 2009 at 10:11
Love the dog/blog years analogy. Happy happy from Jack-Jack and me.
Posted by: Julie @ The Mom Slant | June 22, 2009 at 12:39
HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY!
Posted by: Dot | June 22, 2009 at 14:39
Congrats... hey, between us we're 12. Or nearly a teenager. Either way it's an awkward age, I guess.
Anyway, keep on counting.
Posted by: evan | June 22, 2009 at 20:13
Congrats and happy birthday!
Posted by: the weirdgirl | June 23, 2009 at 01:10
Congratulations on six years of blogging. I've been getting requests for interviews also. I did one and the reporter got all of the facts wrong. I decided not to do any more after that debacle.
Posted by: Mocha Dad | June 23, 2009 at 08:13
6 years and a lifetime of events, Happy B-day.
Posted by: Alli | June 23, 2009 at 10:27
Wow--six years is a lONG time!!! I barely knew up from down six years ago as I was battling a young child for the first time and we didn't have internet... we had dial up!
I came over from Tales From the Dad Side... I love your blog... hope you continue!
Posted by: Shelle-BlokThoughts | June 23, 2009 at 14:51
Happy Blogiversary. I believe FaceCrack is also responsible for killing the blog.
Posted by: 21stCenturyMom | June 24, 2009 at 01:11
It can be very hard to keep a blog going for so long - congratulations!
Posted by: carosgram | June 24, 2009 at 08:57
Awesome blog and awesome that you've been at it for six years. Keep it going!
Posted by: Maggie | July 01, 2009 at 16:49
Blogs are so interactive where we get lots of informative on any topics nice job keep it up !!
Posted by: Buy Dissertation Online | July 03, 2009 at 02:37
Hey man, I see much has happened since last I was here. Glad you're still at it, and keep your head up.
Posted by: sac | July 07, 2009 at 17:56
I've had the Laparoscopic Ovarian Drilling and no one has called me for an interview!
Posted by: Amy | July 09, 2009 at 11:50
Happy birthday! Many, many more.
Posted by: debra | July 11, 2009 at 10:00
Congrats on six years -- an eternity in blog years, as you rightfully point out!
Posted by: Parry Headrick | July 11, 2009 at 13:46