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Milestone: 100 Posts

Before I started my own blog I used to steal a lot of bandwith by leaving comments at Vodkapundit and posting snarky pieces at Rantburg. After several attempts, Stephen Green at Vodkapundit finally convinced me that I should get my own blog, and I started slowly with a typepad account, thinking that theres no way I would ever be able to write enough to keep one going, and that no one would likely ever read it but myself.

It turns out I was wrong. Very wrong. 90 days after starting Varifrank, I've now posted my 100th Post. Most of my posts are items that I write, I rarely do posts that are links to other sites, unless its part of something I've written. I used to think it was important to publish my traffic figures, but I decided that it was only important if I was going to make this a commercial concern. I'm probably not going to do that, as it would change everything about what I'm doing and why I do it. I write the blog for a one person audience, not for the commercial masses. If you like it,good,if you dont thats fine too. I write the blog simply as an effort to teach myself the discipline and craft of writing. I'm not writing to spread a philosophy or any political idea, I just write what I see before me.

I do have a confession to make, I have suffered under several learning disabilities in my life and have never made a very good writer, I struggle daily with the English language. I have a good academic history mostly in the sciences, but I never once received more than a d+ in any English class I ever had. My lack of skill has held me back in serveral moments in my life. Varifrank serves for me what group therapy serves as for people who are afraid of flying, I simply have too much to say to keep letting my lack of skills get the better of me. I must overcome my little problem, and this is the best way for me to do it. You can't learn how to swim and not want to get wet and you can't learn how to write by talking about it. You gotta do it...

To date, The most popular posts (by traffic) have been:

Summary Analysis of Kerrys "The New War"
I Review John Kerrys Tome on how he would fight the war on terror, without anyone getting hurt.(here's a hint- Lawyers,lots and lots of lawyers, no guns, and your money, and by the way, its all your fault). I felt like sticking knitting needles in my eyes afterwards.

Japan "Surrenders" : Candidate Asks "Where is the plan for Peace?
I was a little tired of hearing "Going to war without a plan to win the peace".

Do We Deserve To Win?
I had a reader say that "we dont deserve to win after what we did at to the prisoners at abu giraib. I -ahem- disagreed.

The Way You Look Tonight
Cosmic intervention conspires to tie a picture, a piece of tourist kitch and 5,000 deaths into one long story.

A Little Trip In Mr. Peabody's "Wayback" Machine
Resolved: If Einstein can be wrong about WMD's, Why cant we?"

Farewell John Kerry!
Ok, I snapped. I just lost it one day. I still get hate mail on this post.

My Friend Masooma
I thought when the day came where Afghani women began voting was a good thing. Apparently only my timing was wrong. The day came when the "Evil Bush" was President. According to many people I was supposed to be quiet. I wasnt.

Iraq: It's Not For Us.
I make the case for why we are, and are not, in Iraq.

I want to thank each of you for visiting and for commenting and the trackbacks. I get as much out of reading your comments and your review of what I've written as I do out of writing it.

I hope I can keep you entertained and occasionally informed, and I hope you keep me honest.

UPDATE: No sooner do I post this, and what do you know I get a piece of hate mail over the Kerry post.

To: Varifrank
From "Bob"
Re:John Kerry Article

The only looser I see is you!!

"looser"? You can't make this stuff up kids....

Posted @ October 14, 2004 11:16 AM | Current Events

Comments

I've said it before and I'll say it again: this is a great blog. I really enjoy your writing and think you have a unique voice. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Posted by: Eric at October 14, 2004 02:54 PM

Congratulations. I stumbled onto your site over the past few weeks and have added you to my list of favorites. If you keep writing for your audience of one I suspect you will be in good shape.

Posted by: TLR at October 14, 2004 04:04 PM

I just found your blog recently and I've been enjoying it. Congratulations and here's to the next 100!

Posted by: Maureen at October 14, 2004 04:23 PM

English is very hard to master and it can get confusing w/ all the anglo/saxon (can we say France?)in the mix. You are doing good work & you make it interesting & funny. Only God knows we need it now!

Posted by: mike sheehan at October 14, 2004 05:14 PM

Well, let's see..

"I have suffered under several learning disabilities in my life and have never made a very good writer."

Until your blog, Frank, until your blog.

You have obviously found your voice, and words to express whatever is important to you in a manner that is clear, moving, and understandable.

A+ in my book.

'Prof' Webber
(Tech trainer & adjunct faculty at a couple of places)

Posted by: leelu at October 14, 2004 05:18 PM

Frank, you would score very high in the college English classes I teach. You can teach someone commas, but critical thinking and clarity of thought are much harder to teach; you excel at the latter, and that's what really matters :)

Posted by: Sarah at October 15, 2004 01:17 AM

Thank you for all of your blog efforts. I'm a regular daily reader and sometimes poster. Welcome to the blog world.

Posted by: Gary B at October 15, 2004 05:24 PM

My goodness, I would never even guess that you have any trouble with writing -- everything on the blog has been wonderful. Very clearly and eloquently stated. Keep up the great work!

Posted by: Brent Michael Krupp at October 15, 2004 10:03 PM

Trouble writing? Ha! You already write much better then 90% of the internet. Look at how many blogs and boards are full of idiotic abbreviations, really really bad spelling, no punctuation, and no sentences or paragraphs. Then, there's the CAPS LOCK PEOPLE. And don't even get me started on the content.

I wonder if you've been failing your English classes due to not buying left-wing nonsense?

Posted by: mace at October 17, 2004 12:53 PM