Tonight I'm finishing up with my 300th post in just under 4 weeks, and instead of posting on current events, I'm going to just talk a little bit about why I blog and some of the experience of Captain's Quarters and the people I've "met" as a result.

Like most bloggers, I suspect, I love to write and have written for years, in several different formats. I've written short stories and three novels (all unsold), as well as quite a bit of technical documentation when I worked in the defense industry in the 80s. What I hadn't written on a regular basis was commentary, unless I was worked up enough on an issue or about a particular article to fire something off. I've written several letters to local papers, about half of which wound up being published, and even had a couple of longer-form commentaries published in the Star Tribune. While completing a novel is immensely gratifying, even if it won't sell, there's something different about writing a quick, pointed commentary that has its own charm.

Another aspect of blogging I find appealing is the ability to express my political views in a somewhat less personal manner than arguing with friends and family. I grew up talking politics. My dad and I would get into redfaced arguments about politics, which is odd, because we're in 90% agreement on most issues. I loved debating current events with friends. But as I got older, I found it easier to keep my mouth shut; it caused less problems, even when others insisted on sharing their views (or maybe especially when that happened). Blogging allows me to make my arguments in a sane, and safe, way. It's like rediscovering my voice all over again. It also forces me to pay closer attention to the news and commentary around me.

But maybe best of all, it's allowed me to converse and interact with some really nice people. First and foremost, because she was the first to comment and the first to link to my blog, is Alicia from the Twilight Cafe. Alicia, on her own, provided the excellent graphic for the top of this page. Steve at Meaningful Media, Jon at QandO, and DC at Brainstorming have all given me encouragement and kind words about how I'm doing so far. Brant at Strange Women Lying in Ponds has a great blog and keeps linking to me -- thanks, Brant! Rick at Independents for Clark keeps checking back in and posting great comments, even if I haven't been terribly kind to General Wesley Clark (I'm looking for that Clarkbot again, Rick). I've been fortunate enough to be linked to a number of blogs, all of them terrific,and even have been mentioned on Hugh Hewitt's blog, and Power Line as well. Lucky me!

Thanks to all of you, and to everyone who's been by the site and took the time to read my posts. I've had a blast. And I thought, when I started this, that I'd probably post once and forget all about it.

See you tomorrow.

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