10 years on . . . .

i opened this blog for business on monday, april 20, 2009.

quite a different world, then. for starters, i had a keyboard with a shift key that worked. i was living in vermont, and about six weeks away from losing my job during the worst economic crisis since the depression. i would be out-of-work for 11 months, scrambling for free-lance work, draining my savings and retirement, and pulling in unemployment. the one thing i had going for me was time to work on this blog. that hasn’t been the case in the last several years, and that’s frustrating and disappointing, but i try to keep my hand in. you’ll find me more often on twitter, occasionally on facebook.

i was luckier than millions of others. i have been working steadily ever since april 26, 2010, though there have been rough patches, and i no longer take anything for granted. we’ve gone from barack obama to what i refer to as the angry inch. i still hope – i have to hope – that the wheel will turn around again. last november made me more optimistic. we’re going to see.

other things have happened, personally and professionally, that have made me happy, proud, and content.

i’m pasting my first blog post on below and linking to a piece of music i think is appropriate –

later,

Welcome
April 20, 2009

Welcome to the Scaypgrayce blog! It’s Monday, April 20th, the Day of St. Conrad of Parzham, a man revered for his unfailing kindness, diligence and courtesy.

Warm, sunny spring day here in Vermont, although they’re predicting rain later and even sleet tonight.

Harriet Tubman began running the Underground Railroad on this day in 1853.
Marie and Pierre Curie isolated radium on this date in 1902.
The St. Louis World’s Fair welcomed its first visitors in 1904.
Fenway Park and Wrigley Field both opened on this date, in 1912 and 1916, respectively.

Those born on this day include the artist Joan Miro, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, legendary bandleaders Lionel Hampton and Tito Puente, Formula 1 Champion Phil Hill, George Takei (Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu), Academy-Award-winning actress Jessica Lange, and comic/commentator Stephen Colbert.

In case you’re not already aware, “Scaypgrayce” is a modified spelling of “scapegrace,” a word I particularly like that means an individual given to unorthodox or even reckless behavior. I don’t necessarily mean it to apply to me, although I wander off the beaten path occasionally. Being an English major, I just like the sound of a word sometimes. I’m also the sort who’ll just flip through the dictionary for fun.

I’m planning to use this blog for “hey, did you see this?” news items, commentary, recommended reading and listening, and other useful information. Since it’s not a full-time gig for me (at least, not at the moment), it won’t be as newsy and penetrating as some of the big blogs, but we’ll see what happens once I get the hang of it.

Later,