The BlogCatalog Appreciation Day Barbecue

In the list of obscure holidays, "BlogCatalog Appreciation Day" has to be up there as among the most obscure. You know, somewhere along with "Left-Handed Pitchers' Day", "Let's All Eat Cheese Day" and "Take Your Marmot to Work Day."

But as a blogger, BlogCatalog-- its blog directory and discussion boards-- has actually done quite a lot for me for almost two years now. So it seemed only appropriate-- now that it's getting its own day and all -- to spread the word about why I've appreciated it.

• It's a place you can carry on a discussion with a panda, an incontinent aardvark, a championship race horse, assorted monkeys, a girl with a bra on her head, a ninja, a baby, a deceased rooster, and a gaggle of cartoon characters, all at the same time, and not actually be institutionalized.
  

• Cabbages was born of a BlogCatalog discussion thread, where a brainstorming moment aloud turned from "Why?" into "Why not?" Also, the fact that one of the people I had the discussion with is a lawyer, and thereby is skilled at the Jedi Mind Trick.

• BlogCatalog meant I was able to go from pretending to write for people reading, to people actually reading.

• When I screw up something on my blog, chances are someone else has screwed that up on their blog first-- and a third person will know how to fix it.

• On 08/08/08, when fans of numerology were predicting the "End of the World As We Know It," we felt just as fine as Michael Stipe-- because we'd already gotten the scoop on the Lack of World Ending in India from a sarcastic pink teddybear, and the dish on the England situation from a mad British doodler. All within moments.

• I learned through the discussion boards that many, many of us have Clown Fear. And I even got to discuss it with a guy who was a professional clown. This is cheap therapy.

• I now know more invisible people than I do real ones. And, again, my friends actually aren't considering institutionalizing me... Well, not for that, anyway.

• I learn about all the latest social media applications I'm never going to use-- but at least I know why I don't want to use them.

So these are just a few reasons I've enjoyed hanging out at BlogCatalog. And also the fact that I've met many, many of you good folks there.

But in case you're a blogger-type-person and you haven't yet joined BC, you might want to consider it, and tap into all the merriment, marketing, mayhem, and other marvelous things that may or may not start with the letter "m."

And otherwise, here's some virtual grilled meat or veggies of your choice. Potato chips-- crisps for my British friends-- are over there... Tim Horton's donuts for my Canadian chums.... Mani, just because it's Belgian beer, doesn't mean you get to drink it all. Daniel's bringing the pizza. Everyone's welcome. Grab a plate and heap it high.

We expect the table-top dancing to start at noon. So put on your dancin' shoes.

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