Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Happy 9th birthday to this blog


Nine years ago, I decided to start a blog. I wanted it to be a creative outlet and a stress relief. As a direct result of this blog, which I have tried to post on a daily basis, I:

  • made good friends online and met many off-line. I'll mention just a few. Rich was one of this blog's first regular readers and I appreciate his encouragement and enthusiasm. Edvin the Finn was also an early adopter. When I drank and ate with him in San Francisco during his vacation here, I realized the power of this medium. There's also Alan, who I think is the most talented automotive writer around. Finally, there's Ramon. Who knew that there's a Chilean out there who has the exact same interests in cars, stamps, and geopolitics as I do? There are simply too many of you to mention individually, but you know who you are.
  • built up a truly global readership. This blog has been accessed by people from all over the world. There are regular readers from Azerbaijan, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Russia, Chile, Canada, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Belgium, France, Bulgaria,... Needless to say, this geography geek is happy.
  • got an "in" on so many automotive experiences. Through this blog, I was able to visit private Maserati and Citroen car collections, operate a bulldozer, and even drive a DeLorean. Those are some nice perks.
  • was able to write for larger publications like Hooniverse (thanks to John) and The Truth About Cars (thanks to Derek). Writing for large audiences definitely helps the ego. I like to tell myself that it was actually my scathing post about Jeremy Clarkson on TTAC that toppled the BBC Top Gear empire.
As long as the internet is still around, I intend to continue blogging. I appreciate all of your continued support and comments. Our shared passion for cars and geopolitics gives me the drive to continue this journey.

--Jim



10 comments:

Pete Dushenski said...

Bravo!!

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday :) 9 years! Amazing. And thanks for the kind works, I'm also very happy to having found your blog and know more about your interests, your life stories and those of your family.

mtc said...

Congrats! Nine years is a long time, and the world has changed a lot since then. So have you, I'm sure. But you forgot one:

As a direct result of this blog,

Briefly got mistaken by the world as one of the Boston Marathon bombers?

Maxichamp said...

@mtc: When I woke up that morning and heard the name Tamerlan, I thought-- Oh shit.

And BTW, everyone, MTC is actually MCB (Motoring Con Brio). I have Motions to Compel on my mind all the time and accidentally called MCB MTC by mistake. The name stuck.

Anonymous said...

Aw, shucks.

Still on my ever-shortening list of daily reads, always will be. Nine more years!

rjo said...

Congrats!!

Rich said...

Happy Blog Birthday!

Rich said...

You know, looking at one of your older entries I realized we did the *exact* same thing earlier this year:

* Observed mainland visitors buy sandwiches and not plate lunches at Honolua Store (it's since been expanded and fancy-fied, but it's still an ABC Store)
* Went to Julia's Banana Stand and chatted with Julia's friend who was manning the stand. We still have the tub of passionfruit butter
* Messed up my knees on the paved bits of the Waihe'e Ridge Trail.

Edvin said...

Congrats! This is by now the only blog I bother reading regularly. :)

Ed Kim said...

This is truly one of my most enjoyable reads. I thought I was the only weirdo out there interested in head of state cars, politics of faraway lands, and off the beaten path travel. Keep it up...I've truly enjoyed the ride - and getting to meet you in person!