Blogging about what I think about when I am thinking about blogging: A history.

"Blogging was something that was cool like 8 years ago." - Liz Lemon in the season finale of 30 Rock.

Well apparently, I am the pudgy, drunken cousin that showed up late to the blogging party.  (Or to the "Casual Bloggers Conference" which many of you beloved readers attended, but most of you were not drunk.)

Dateline: March 2008:  I give birth to The Blog O' Cheese.

I had an blog epidural, so the pain was minimized and I could talk freely with my wife about my new little one.  (FYI: a blog epidural is injected directly into the "Settings" tab.  It hurts at first, but within minutes, you're numb.)

The first post was just some goofy pictures I took of the boys.  I received exactly two comments - one from my brother and one from my sister.  I think they felt sorry for me. (I was worthy of their pity.)

Looking back, I am not sure exactly what caused me to start blogging.  At the outset, I envisioned writing for thousands of humor-loving souls, eager for a daily laugh. (Not thousands really.  10 would have been sufficient.)

Boy did I have it wrong. I blogged for two full years in relative anonymity.  With only my family and friends as regular readers, I thrived on hearing them talk about something I wrote and telling me that it was had made them laugh. 

Apparently, this was enough to keep me writing for two years. (I went on a month long, self-imposed hiatus once.  It was about the same time Lindsay Lohan went into rehab and we know how both those stories turned out.)

Occasionally, someone would tell me, "Everyone in my mom's office reads your blog."  Or, "My cousin in Alberta loves your blog!"

Uh, okay.

I kept writing, patiently waiting for someone to read.  I became resigned to the fact that blogs seemed to be primarily about complaining about politicians or complaining about kids, or posting cute pictures of them.  (Kids, not politicians.)

Nevertheless, I loved the creative outlet blogging gave me.  I loved writing.  I loved making the people around me laugh.  I loved Neil Diamond, but that is irrelevant to this post.

I began to come to the conclusion that the only people that would read my blog would be my family, friends and some dude's mom's office staff in Scranton. (Hopefully I make Andy Bernard chuckle.)

Dateline: March 2010: I make a comment, an innocent comment, on a blog I ran across called "Time Flies." I don't know what led me to that blog or why I was even surfing around that night, but it was like fate.  Within a few days, Tammy, the author of this beloved blog, had featured something I wrote in one of her posts.

Suddenly, I had comments - lots of them - and they started flowing fast and furious.  (Much like the movie, but without the guys with blond highlight tips and Vin Diesel's greasy head.)

I had never blogged for comments, the most I had ever received was about ten, but I will not deny that it felt good to have complete strangers actually commenting on something I wrote.

It was sort of like when a stranger approaches you and tells you look like someone famous.  (Unless you look like Andy Dick, in which case, they are just telling you that you like Andy Dick.  I'm just saying, it's probably not a compliment, especially if you actually are Andy Dick.)

That was four months ago.  I haven't looked back since. It only took 2 1/2 years and 878 posts, but people actually read and enjoy the daffy crud I write on a daily basis.  I only hope you are all here to stay.  I know I am.

(Unless I die, in which case I hereby leave this blog in the capable hands of Andy Dick.)

**Photo is of my 4-year-old son at age 2. BEST... PHOTO... EVER!