To Blog or Not to Blog ...

Long time no see, my friends! Like the phoenix from the ashes, or Lazarus from the tomb, or perhaps more fittingly, one of those arm-chomping zombies from “Night of the Living Dead,” this blog has risen from the dead. Why did it disappear in the first place? Well, that’s a question with several answers. One reader hilariously suggested we pulled the plug because we weren’t making any money on it. Would that it were that simple! That might be the cynic’s view, but the simple truth is this: Back when it was really rolling it was just me, five days a week. There were times, without exaggeration, when my children were each holding one of my legs as I wrote. (Thank God, I never had a third … child, that is.) I simply could not keep that up, especially during the summer, when the kids (did I mention I love them with every fiber of my being?) were NEVER OUT OF MY FACE.

So I asked, "Pretty please, may I have a break?" And the good people at Richmond Magazine said yes, and used that time to think about a much bigger question: What should a city magazine’s blog be exactly? The answer doesn’t come easy for traditional print media types. We often enter the blogosphere like newborns — kicking, screaming and wondering why we were forcibly removed from our nice, cozy place.

But I think the gang at the magazine has figured it out: It’s not about one person’s viewpoint or venting (there are plenty of those blogs out there if you want that.) No, it’s not about me, or even about you (though you seem very nice …) It’s about us — our city, our counties, our communities. What’s happening, what’s irking us, what’s important to us. It’s the miracle of the Internet: As our community and our world seem to be expanding more quickly than we can comprehend, we have the ability to connect on a personal level again more quickly than we ever could through traditional media.

Enough of that. Just a couple of thoughts on the new year. First off, kudos to Carytown for pulling that celebration off! I am particularly impressed by the off-beat idea of having the ball go up instead of dropping down. I don’t know if it was an engineering necessity or a stroke of inspired genius, but it sets a whole different tone, don’t you think, to have the ball go up? New Year’s Eve is always tinged with melancholy, and the downward direction of the ball symbolizes all of that for me. But going up — that is one optimistic ball!

Now a warning, Richmond. Three thousand people showed up spontaneously for a city event and caught everyone by surprise. Look for the corporate sponsors to descend and try to choke the life out of it next year. I’m just saying.

Well, I’m happy to be blogging again and look forward to discussing a lot of hot-button topics with you. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with what is sure to be one of the best quotes of the year, from our honorable Governayor, from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

DOUG WILDER’S WISH FOR 2007: THAT WHICH ONE SHOULD PRINT ON A BUMPER STICKER AND ATTACH FORTHWITH TO THE REAR OF ONE’S VEHICLE

“I have never believed in the view that a calendar day should trigger any different response relating to one’s individual commitment than that which one should already have as part of their constitutional makeup. As a result, my wish is no different for next year as it was for this year or the preceding one. Each day, I wish for that which culminates in the best possible resolution of my efforts toward goal-oriented results.”