DUNE by Frank Herbert begins with the words “A beginning is a very delicate time.” I’ve often admired those words, felt a little tightness in my chest when I tried to wrap my brain around all the multitude of meanings they bespoke, but, at least for blogs, they probably aren’t true.

No one reads blogs when they first start, since a million of them probably start ever day and don’t make it past one post. For those that continue, somewhere in between the first post and infinity the thing will pick up more readers, one hopes, but who really knows where that magical “get readers” post really is? The only thing we can probably be sure about is that it isn’t the first one, and I imagine the only people who will bother reading this first post are the people I told about this blog and made them read it as I stood sentry behind them (Hi Mom!).

Sorry, Frank. I still love ya, buddy.