TVL - one year anniversary

Today marks the one year anniversary of this blog. One year ago today I unveiled The Vulture Lurks in all of its fetid glory. The first post was the Vulture Manifesto. I very excited about my little blog and my ponderous, self-satisfied first post, so I sent out a blanket email to all of my friends and family. Then I sat back and waited for all of the visitors to pound on my site. What followed was the sound of crickets chirping. Not good

A lot has changed in the year since that inauspicious first post. 340 posts later I now have a small but loyal band of regulars who stop by to check out the latest here. The tone of the blog, initially quite confrontational and even rude at times (ask Mrs. Vulture: she'll tell you!), has evolved into a more thoughtful and reasoned tone. Things I write these days are heavier on facts and references and lighter on name calling. I credit Whateverman with a lot of the change of tone. He and I frequently disagree on issues, yet we're able to discuss our divergent points of view in a reasoned and reasonable manner. I really appreciate Whateverman; he's made me much sharper in terms of being sure that I say things the way I wish them to be understood and to hone my arguments so that there aren't any factual or logical errors in them.

One of the side benefits of having a blog that I certainly didn't anticipate was the opportunity to discover the work of other bloggers as a result of having them link to my stuff. I'm very happy to have made the acquaintance of Toes, whom I admire greatly for her efforts to bring Child Protective Services and their myriad abuses into the light of day. I also appreciate her comments, and the fact that she puts up with my whining about the 49ers.

This blog wouldn't be complete without yodaddy, dw, mark, and xfloggingkylex. They don't comment frequently, but they're loyal readers, they pass on a LOT of good leads to me for post topics, and when they do comment, they bring it strong. Thanks, guys!

My extended family discovered this blog as well. I appreciate them checking out my blatherings.

What's in store in Year 2 of TVL? On January 1st I will unveil the first class of inductees into the Wiener Hall of Fame. If there's someone living or dead who you believe deserves to have their lifetime "achievements" recognized in the WHOF, please feel free to pass on your nominees. Two of my front-runners are King George the Dim and Ted Kennedy. I may throw in Michael Moore as well. We'll see.

Here's hoping that Year 2 of The Vulture Lurks brings a whole slew of good topics for us to chew on.