Four Year Blog Anniversary.

Four years of blogging, my friends.

Every day. (Well, I did have a "Go Ducks!" entry, but it still counts, right?)

Who knew I could do that? I think the discipline of doing it every day has been good for me, and I've been leery of giving it up. Like -- if I miss even one day, it'll all fall apart...

Turns out, I have a rather facile ability to make up something to say every day. It's more or less just talking out loud, to me. At first, I actually limited the number of entries, because I didn't want to wear out my welcome. I would go to bed at night trying to figure out what I was going to say the next day. I was worried about saying something insightful and surprising and entertaining.

Now....I just pick up the paper, ruminate on the day ahead, and usually something comes to me. (And some of you are no doubt thinking, "Yeah, and so much for being 'insightful and surprising and entertaining.')

When I started, there was a bunch of blogs who talked about the local economic conditions. Now, I feel like I need to be a platform for those who still want to talk about it. I don't think Bend is through the woods yet, by any means. In fact, I think we've still got a ways to go.

This blog has been tightrope when it comes to how much to reveal, about myself and especially about my business. I mean, it isn't worth a thing if I'm going to dissemble about what's going on, but then again, I've found that being too revealing about my successes or my failures can be counter-productive. Still, I think, so far I've been able to keep a nice balance of candidness and "it's none of your damn business."

This balance between being self-revealing and keeping my cards close to my vest has always been a bit of struggle for me at the store, so it's played out on this blog in the same way it's played out in my life.

My store was reaching a real maturity level just as the economy was about to tank. So it's been an interesting ride. The last four years have been my most profitable years, which is kind of strange, you know? But....it took a long time to get there, a whole lot of mistakes, and I think I've been able to manage the current conditions pretty well.

Fortunately for this blog, my mood has been pretty good over the last five or six years -- I admit to being a tiny bit grumpy for the middle part of my career as I was trying to pay down the debt and keep the store alive and pretty much working everyday.

Despite the Great Recession, my stress level has been nothing like what it was during the collapse of the sports card market -- and the non-sports card market -- and the card game market -- and the comic market -- and pogs -- and beanie babies -- and pokemon -- and...

In comparison, these last four years have been a walk in the park. (A very dangerous park, with muggers and falling trees, but at least it isn't Escape From New York...)

I'm not happy with what the sales levels have been recently, but I understand them, and strangely enough, they haven't hurt me because I've constantly adjusted my spending. In the background, Linda and my economic situation changed enough so that we aren't quite so near the edge -- but that hasn't really affected either store, much. Just sort of a reassurance, behind the scenes.

It's a weird thing to be grateful for -- but the fact that I've been through such downturns before, and know how they affect my business and my moods and my life, and how to respond to them, is a real blessing. I'd hate to have discover all this for the first time, again.

I think the tone of this blog has been relatively moderate and thoughtful -- surprising both myself and probably most people who knew me in the stress filled years immediately proceeding this blog. I made a few early missteps, possibly because I was trying to live up to my rancantour image, but mostly because I didn't realize just how available my musings would be to the world at large -- and especially (since search engines are so effective) whatever I might say about individuals. I have no desire to hurt people's feelings.

Writing a blog has allowed me to reflect on what I'm saying before I push the "Publish Post" button. In some ways, it's allowed my better nature to emerge. Which has probably affected my everyday thoughts and words at the store more than I could have ever expected.

There is still a whole lot of new things to discover about business and Bend and the world, so I intend to just keep blogging along.