Typically this would be a post where I, as your friendly neighborhood blogger, would probably point out some of those other 499 posts and link them or discuss them in some detail. Providing some bit of observational detail that you might not otherwise have known about. Since I tend to do that sorta thing on anniversaries, I didn't think I'd do that this time.
Instead I'd like to mention a few things that I don't often get to mention in the normal course of events. The first being a huge thank you to all of my readers and commenters. Thank you for taking the time to read what I write and sometimes leaving a comment. If it wasn't for you I would not have made it this far. While it is true that I mostly write for myself, I can't deny that knowing people are actually reading the words you write makes a huge difference. Especially when you really don't feel like writing anything.
Mostly though I really enjoy writing this blog. And I hope that those that read it daily or every so often, also get some enjoyment out of it as well. So many of the Eve Bloggers that I started out with are gone now, or silent, or rarely post anymore. At the same time the amount of people blogging about Eve has doubled, tripled and ended up god knows where. I do try to keep up with my own reading, but I admit that has become increasingly difficult as this community has grown. Change is the only constant, but I still miss many of the Bloggers I used to follow.
Eveoganda was never intended to be a diary blog, a political blog, a blog about my life in Eve, or a blog "about" anything else specific... other than Eve. I called it more of a magazine from the beginning and I think that has held true over the past 499 posts. I write about whatever is on my mind at the moment I write it. I try to mix things up, try new things and provide value for your free entertainment dollar. Sometimes I write to amuse myself, piss people off, make wild suggestions or otherwise try to get a conversation started, or get the thinking caps on, to challenge you and make you think. In the end, if such a thing can be said to have a calling, I like to think that is the higher calling that keeps me writing. That and the fact that I just can't stop doing it. Nor would I want to.
Will I ever stop? Everything ends eventually. But I don't see that on the horizon anytime soon. Eve remains a source of endless fascination and wonder. And almost limitless source of ideas, observations and humor. On top of all that is the stuff that actually happens in-game, which is constantly evolving. So I can't imagine stopping right now. In fact, I have some new ideas for things that I want to develop over the next 500 posts.
So where is Eveoganda headed? I have some ideas about that and hope to explore them during the next 500 posts. I hope that you will come along for the ride, because it is much more fun with company along.
It is also standard for bloggers to say they never imagined they'd get to 500 posts. That isn't true in my case and it would be dishonest of me to say so. When I started I fully believed I'd still be writing the blog this long, if I hadn't believed that I would'nt have started it in the first place. What I didn't know then was all of the stuff that has happened in the interim. The sheer amount of interaction, the power of this great community, the work, the events, the triumphs and the mistakes. It is that tapestry that makes this such an interesting and evolutionary process. And one that continues to make me excited every single time I sit down to write a new post.
Thanks for coming along. I look forward to seeing you again. Same bat time, same bat channel.