Monday, October 04, 2010

Post #500!

On Monday June 18th, 2007, I found myself thinking about freedom. It had been on my mind for a while, and after setting up a blog a short time before, I hammered out a short couple of paragraphs and published my first posting as Urban Koda.

Freedom is Free

It's hard to tell exactly where I stood politically and religiously at the time, but I think I still believed in the Church. Politically I think I was still way right of most of the population, although I found myself become increasingly Libertarian.

Much has happened since then...

I got my pecker snipped here.

I got hacked off by a fat lady at Walmart here and have taken a lot of heat since for my stance of welfare programs.

Along the way, I went from being a huge fan of Glenn Beck, to cringing everytime I here his voice and witnessing the effect of his bigoted rants.

I'm not sure if I've had much influence, other than helping people identify cranial lumps.

But at the end of the day I've had fun and met a ton of new friends along the way.

I find myself now a Socialist Libertarian, with a strong distaste for any form of organized religion, a skeptical outlook about the existence of God, and far greater love and respect for my fellow men and women.

I know I'll forget some of my readers, but at the risk of offending some, just some special mentions...

Matsby, or The Mediocre Gatsby as he was back then... He was the catalyst who inspired me to blog, and became my first officially commenter.

Morgan Mouse, my favorite Sydney resident and the person who has most influenced my feelings towards cats. Of course most of that credit goes to Tigger.

E, always good with the comments and willing to provide feedback. E also played a key role in my being caught apostatizing by my parents - oh the memories!!

TravelVixen, or Ms. Ranty Pants. The young lady single handedly responsible for changing my opinion on socialized healthcare and likely the one foremost responsible for my becoming a freaking liberal.

CAW - Good friend and fellow conspiracy theorist. Also my favorite customer service person!

Gregoire - I'm not sure I can quite categorize this reader, other than to say of all my readers, the effect of his blogging and comments on my posts, may have had the greatest effect on me, at least religiously.

Clink - The regular anonymous provider of thoughtful feedback, and a good friend in real life

Lisa, Kuri, TGD, TGW, Bowie, AndrewS, CHansen, Rock Waterman, Leah, Sister Secret, Molly, Holly, J-Dog, Heretic, Simply Sarah, Maureen, Loren, Sean, Donna Banta and scores of others who routinely comment and provide ideas, feedback and other support.

Dave P, who it turns out was the one responsible for my suspicion that the Mormon Gestapo was tracking my movements, and the subsequent freak-out - OK, so the freakout was all me, but his visit sparked it off!

And last by by no means least... D. Sirmize. He's been a little scarce lately, but his often opposing views have forced me to be more honest, and examine my sources carefully before posting. I still think Glenn Beck is an opportunistic ass, but I try to cite actually reasons when posting stuff about him now.

There are others to be sure, some I've like, most I've loved, and only one or two who I've found to be disagreeable.

I've been told that I have the Philosophy of Satan in the Marrow of my bones, and to go crawl in a hole and die, but at the end of the day, the entire experience has been unforgettable, not in the least regrettable, and become a significant part of who I am.

To those who read in secret, thanks!

To those who read and comment, thanks as well!

And to those whom I'm now friends with in real life, thank you, thank you, thank you!

To celebrate this post, we held a party at the Koda household yesterday. It was short notice, and likely badly time, especially in conjunction with Mormon Conference and other things.

But we got a cake, had it decorated and were graced with 8 visitors during the afternoon. The largest gathering ever of Urban Koda followers.

Now to be fair, 4 of those visitors likely had little to no choice as to their attendance.

The Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes and The Guy with the Hair... Thanks for the cookies and your friendship. It's nice to know you're not alone.

And the folks behind Mormon Expressions, your visit, and your contributions to our lives, both through our personal interactions, as well as through the podcast, have been invaluable in my journey and that of my family as well.

Thanks Everyone and here's to another 500 posts!!!

10 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your blog and on your journey. Neither are small accomplishments. I just wandered on and am enjoying your thoughts.

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  2. And wouldn't you know it... The first comment is from a reader I forgot. Thanks for reading!!! I enjoy your thought too - perhaps more than I should ;-)

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  3. Tigger says HELLO! I say congratulations, save some cake for me!

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  4. Thanks Holly!

    Ms Mouse... I'm afraid with 5 little mutants running around the place, the cake didn't last too long. Next time though!

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  5. Just back from vacation, so I'm a little late, but congratulations!

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  6. Woo hoo! Glad to be of service. And welcome to the liberal elite. It's very warm and cozy here. :o)

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  7. I am ridiculously touched and suddenly compelled to fly to Utah to meet you and your gaggle. I know I don't blog much about politics of late but the fact that my deeply held, strongly felt, personal opinions, had such an impact on you has really made me feel special and singularly important. You are one of the least egotistical people I have *met* and regardless of whether or not I *converted* you to my side of the fence, I have so much admiration for your open mind and willingness to consider another point of view. Thanks for the shout-out. Let's definitely make that in-person meeting happen one day.

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  8. Conspiracy Theorists R Us! Thank you for this awesome mention. Your triathlete journeys have shown me that all things are possible and that all we need as people is belief in ourselves. Thank you for showing me that :)

    Like Ranty, I just want to hop on a plane and come and have a beer with you!

    CAW

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  9. Thanks Guys!!

    Definitely have to get together for a brewsky, or what ever you will sometime.

    I actually just posted my CV on a Kiwi employment site today... I doubt anything will come of it yet, but perhaps in a couple of years, I can stop in Southern Cali on my way down under for an interview, stop in Northern Cali on my way back. And then after been offered a highly lucrative position in the Land of the Long White Cloud, I'll shift over there, and then hop the pond for a weekend in CAW's amazing world!

    It could happen!

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