Wa-hey, this pokey little blog of mine just broke the 1-million view mark today.

Now, admittedly, by the standards of most real blogs, that isn’t particularly impressive. There are plenty of websites out there that get a million views in one year. Hell, there are some sites that get a million or more views every single day.

This blog was not designed to attract a lot of attention or commentary. That was deliberate. I never intended to become well known blogger or writer. I’ve never monetised this blog in the nearly 5 years that I have been writing, because I have nothing really to sell or market.

That might change in the near future as I look to diversify my income sources somewhat and obtain at least some level of location independence. Make no mistake, being in the US on a work visa is like winning a lottery ticket, and that is how I have thought about it for years- but from what I can see, the collapse of the United States of America is virtually assured at this point, in spite of the genuinely heroic efforts of the God-Emperor to save it.

So eventually- once I find the time, the motivation, and the resources to knuckle down to it- there will likely be a book or two of my writings released at some point. Lord knows, with over 1,700 published posts, and some of them of quite high quality, I could write up a book pretty easily if I had some quality control and decent editing. It would just take a lot of time.

And then… well, I have no idea what is next after that, but becoming independent of the “plantation” that is the modern corporate working environment would be a very good thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, I get to do some really great stuff where I am, but not being able to do what I want, when I want to do it, sucks.

Hell, if working for a living weren’t an issue, I’d probably be on the sparring mat or in the gym- or both- for three hours a day, and reading, writing, learning, and (once I get the motivation for it) chasing skirts the rest of the time. Such is the dream of every strong and free man; the hard part lies in turning it into a reality.

No matter what the future holds, though, the fact is that up until today you lovable bastards have given me a lot of motivation to read, think, and write.

It is thanks to you that this blog has lasted as long as it has; most blogs last barely 6 months before their authors run out of interesting things to say.

It is thanks to you that I have been able to branch away from my original rants about economics and politics, and not really a whole lot else, into a much wider set of interests.

It is thanks to you that I have been able to stumble across great works of literature, like John Steakley’s Armor, recommended by a reader, or The Didache, recommended by my friend Carey. Other readers have recommended films, music, and books that have subsequently greatly enriched my life and thought processes, and you can see this in the evolution of my writing over the past 5 years.

As I have always said, I do not write for anyone other than myself. I could happily continue writing two or three posts a week that absolutely nobody reads, simply because doing so helps me to sharpen my thought processes and examine my own arguments with a critical eye for any flaws in logic and lack of supporting evidence.

But, thanks to you, I don’t write in isolation. I write for people who actually want to read what I have to say.

For that, thank you. For today, tomorrow, and always.

And, as ever, the compact between you and me remains. If I ever let you down through sloppy writing, bad logic, lack of evidence, or other such stupid mistakes, then call me on my failures, and hold me accountable.

You fellow shitlords (and the one or two shitladies- that’s a compliment, by the way) are the best. I’m going to raise a glass of fine single-malt Scotch in gratitude to you tonight.