The Glittering Eye is one year old

One year ago today I wrote my first post on The Glittering Eye.

I’d been reading blogs obsessively for a year and I had finally realized that, since I’d been spending so much time writing lengthy comments on other people’s blog not to mention lengthy email correspondences with various bloggers, I should be using my own bandwidth and storage space. My own blog would also give me the opportunity to set the agenda—something I’d increasingly longed to do.

I consider Joe Katzman of Winds of Change my real inspiration and, hence, my “blogfather”. The spirit of comity and inquiry comingling news aggregation with solid essay work along with a vibrant pool of regular commenters that he has created there is something I continue to aspire to.

This blog has had several notable milestones over the course of a year and I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and amazed at the kindness of the people in the blogosphere. Porphyrogenitus was the first blogger to link to one of my posts. The indispensable Dan Darling of Regnum Crucis was the first blogger to put The Glittering Eye on his blogroll.

I’ve had at least 80,000 visits. That’s small potatoes to the big guys of the blogosphere but it’s more than I’d hoped or dreamed and I find it gratifying that so many people drop by here on a regular basis. The Glittering Eye was a finalist in its class for the 2004 Weblog Awards. Over the course of the year I’ve reached every goal I set when I started off.

Instapundit has linked to a post of mine about once every other month and it’s really thrilling to see the hits rise during an Instalanche. Thank you, Glenn. I’ll try not to bug you so much.

Rev. Donald Sensing of One Hand Clapping has linked to several of my essays. He even used one of them in one of his sermons which I consider a very great honor. I’d always expected to be used in a sermon but I’d never dreamed it would be in a good light. May St. Barbara smile upon you, sir.

Dean Esmay gave me the greatest opportunity of the year when he allowed me to edit the Carnival of the Liberated every week. It’s my honor and my joy. Dean has been an advisor, a mentor, and a friend. He’s a genuine prince and, pound for pound probably the best all-round blogger operating. Thank you, Dean. Why don’t I have Dean’s World blogrolled? I’m ashamed to say it never occurred to me. I’ve remedied that.

A lot of great bloggers have linked to me, blogrolled me, and said nice things about my work including Gerard Vanderleun of American Digest, Jeff Jarvis of Buzzmachine, Kevin Aylward of Wizbang, and lots and lots of others. I don’t know whether it means anything to you or not but for me it’s flattering and humbling. Thanks to you all and to everyone who’s linked me or blogrolled me.

There are certain bloggers that I consider special colleagues and friends. Those include Dean, Marc Schulman of American Future, Mark Safranski of Zenpundit, and Jeff Medcalf of Caerdroia. I continue to admire Jeff’s work tremendously and am enormously flattered that’s he posting on The Glittering Eye now. Thanks, all of you. You inspire me and keep me going.

Earlier in this post I mentioned the kindness of the inhabitants and visitors to the blogosphere. I know that most observers see dividedness and divisiveness and, yes, that’s there, too. But I believe in celebrating the good and what I see out there is wit and talent and kindness.

I haven’t run out of ideas yet and I’m looking forward to another year.

For those of you who haven’t been following The Glittering Eye from the beginning (nearly everybody) here are links to some of my favorite posts. Check ’em out.

• It’s not a pretty story
• Jacksonians, Wilsonians, and Hamiltonians at war
• Anthems
• Five short quotes on America
• Antiphony
• Angel in the whirlwind
• Restating the U. S. policy of nuclear deterrence
• Advice to the FBI: think small
• The best laid plans
• Just avert your eyes