Thursday, December 31, 2009

100th, no I mean 101st Post

It's hard to believe, but this is the 101st. post on Report on Conditions. Not too bad for a functional illiterate who doesn't know how to type.

I have enjoyed this project since day one. I pondered about  blogging for several months before getting started. I thought about what I would discuss and about what it would look like. I worried about how I would present my material and how I would protect myself, my family, my coworkers and my customers. Finally, I took 30 minutes and got it going. I am still amazed how easy it was to get started. I am equally amazed how difficult it is for me to keep going.

I have discovered so many interesting people and learned many things about the world and myself. I have a few regular readers. I am proud of the diversity of the people who read here, ranging from members of the fire service, dispatchers, cops, doctors, pilots, nurses, medics, motorcylclists and people who just like to read about lives other than their own. It's a big world out there and I enjoy reading about many of your lives as well as sharing my own.

The blog has evolved over the last seven months. What I envisioned it would be and what it has become are two different things. I have tried to find a niche for my blog that makes it a little different than some of the excellent blogs out there. I am sure it will continue to evolve as does my life.

As mentioned above, I have learned many things while blogging. Here are just a few:

* Blogging late at night is high-risk. More than once, I have fallen asleep at the keyboard. I wake up moments later with a screen full of a single character. I can estimate how long I was asleep by how long it takes me to delete the unwanted script. Editing and grammar suffer as well, my give a damn factor drops as fatigue levels rise.

* Although beer may help my writing to become more animated, it is not really a tool for producing quality material and thus should be avoided while writing. Notice I said avoided, not banned.

* When blogging while angry or impassioned, it is sometimes better to finish the post, then wait overnight until publishing. It saves from having to edit or remove the post later.

* Some posts are better than others. Thats just the way it is.

* Sometimes what I feel is a good post may not be what you feel is a good post.

* Blogging takes a little more time than I imagined. Actually, a lot more time. Coming up with material, taking and prepping photos typing with three fingers and editing gobble up a lot more time than I thought it would.

All things considered, this has been a great experience and I plan on continuing the project. If all goes well, I will reveal my real name and agency three years from today. By the time they get through the disciplinary paperwork, I will be sipping foo-foo cocktails on a beach in Hawaii. I won't be posting a picture though, the world doesn't need to see that.

I hope you all have a Happy New Year. Be safe out there tonight, it's amateur night.

As always, thanks for reading,

Schmoe

12 comments:

  1. Capt. Schmoe--

    Yes, this is a good post. As for me, I have been coming to terms that there are definitely people out there who write better than I do.

    And you're right--some posts are better then others, as are some photos.

    One thing I've enjoyed is finding good stuff either by happy accident or on purpose and sharing it on the blog. I've come to terms that some of my best posts are re-posts of other people's material--fully sourced and linked of course.

    Thank you for your work, I enjoy it greatly! :-). Happy New Year to you!

    The Observer

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  2. Hi Schmoe

    Regular reader here from London who just likes to read about other people's lives. I myself am a River Leader half the year. That's almost as cool as being a fireman.

    Keep up the excellent work!

    Sam

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  3. Dear Captain Schmoe,
    Congratulations on your 101st anniversary post.

    Happy New Year to you, and give my regards to the Saint.

    Ann T.

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  4. Capt. Happy New Year and a wish for 100 more posts from you for me to enjoy!
    Gia

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  5. I'm trying to remember how I came to find your blog, but however it was, I consider it to be one of the most thought-provoking, well-written, and enjoyable blogs I take the time to read. And I don't give that praise out lightly.

    Congratulations on 101. Keep up the excellent work and have a great 2010. Thanks for your efforts.

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  6. And I've enjoyed reading

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  7. Could you just give us one really drunk post? Just to give us a break from the predictable thoughtful well written entry?
    Happy New Year Capt., and thanks for all the posts!

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  8. Thanks for the 100 previous posts! Always a pleasure to read you Captain Schmoe.

    For me, there are two things that make your blog unique:

    - It's not only a blog about what firefighters do, it's also a blog about how firefighters think, the decision-making process behind the action, the hard calls you have to make sometimes and that may haunt you for years.
    - Your writing is always respectful of every character involved, however wrong their behavior may be, but is not watered down by political correctness either.

    Looking forward to the next 100 posts!
    Julien.

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  9. I like to think I discovered your blog in the beginning...when it was brandy new like mine. I only visit a very few on a daily basis, week after week. And those few change because I can lose interest pretty fast. I havent lost interest in yours so that says something. I like you Capt., so your stuck with me. =)
    Happy New Year!! muahs!

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  10. You hit this post on the head...your list of things you have learned are all things I have learned as well. Some of which I didn't even realize until I read them here.

    Most notably...I have written some really great thought provoking, down and dirty, probably coulda gotten fired posts that I had to sit on for a while and then delete.

    I try not to ever blog while drinking more than a couple beers.

    I have had some AWESOME POSTS that nobody gave a damn about and some really crappy ones that everyone cared about.

    I like your stuff! Keep up the great work!

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  11. Capt. Schmoe-
    I work for a fire department south of you and enjoy every single post. You write well and I am looking forward to the next 3 years.

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